How To Change (Part 4): Healthy Church Culture | Jacob Sheriff

Message Date: February 4, 2024
Bible

How To Change (Part 4): Healthy Church Culture

Introduction

[ IMAGE ] Worship — Community — Serving

Church is not an event you go to, it is a family to belong to.

Leadership

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. – Ephesians 4:11–14 (NLT)

The primary responsibility of church leadership is to create healthy environments for God’s people to be equipped and matured.

[ IMAGE ] Worship — Community — Serving

Church is not an event you go to, it is a family to belong to.

 

The Leadership Covenant

The bedrock and foundation of our church culture is our Leadership Covenant. Whatever is healthy and wholesome about our church, whatever is going right here, has its roots in our leadership covenant. The leadership of this family is committed to covenant relationships with each other and the church.

[ Backstory for the Covenant ]

Honor — Unity — Trust

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  – Romans 12:10 (NLT)

…Outdo one another in showing honor. – Romans 12:10 (ESV)

In a healthy church, honor is a two-way street: not just honor toward leaders, but leaders also honoring those whom they have authority over. Honor is our culture. 

      • We agree to submit to and not undermine God-given, God-appointed authority. [ Hebrews 13:17 ]
      • We commit to further the Kingdom of God and not build our own. [ Matthew 6:33 ]

UNITY (Psalm 133:1-3)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. – Psalm 133:1-3 (ESV)

      • We will not participate in nor be a party to church splits. [ Ephesians 4:1-3 ]
      • We bind together relationally in which divorce is no option. [ Mark 10:9 ]

TRUST (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV)

      • We will remain open to correction from those who love us. [ Luke 17:3-4 ]
      • We will not receive accusations against one another.. [ 1 Timothy 5:19 ]
      • We commit to the “5 Day Rule” concerning offenses. [ Matthew 18:15 ]

Conclusion

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. – Ephesians 4:13 (NLT)