How Leadership & Ministry Work

(at Kings Church Wokingham)

An issue that has defined and separated churches, denominations, even nations and continents over 2000 years of church history!

Our's is a dynamic faith, more than a fixed religion or a fluid spirituality. Likewise our approach to leadership is flexible and practical more than structural and idealogical. A group of 12 people needs less leadership than a congregation of 500.

  • As a "Biblical" Church we look at the roles and responsibilities used in the first churches as recorded in the New Testament. But we also notice that there is no full and definitive list of roles and positions and exactly how they all relate given anywere in scripture. The roles we encounter address a context that needs what they offer.
  • As a "Charismatic" Church we look to corporately involve as many as possible in understanding how the Holy Spirit is guiding us to recognise exactly who carries certain responsibilities and give them the required authority to best do what they are best equipped to do.  
  • As a "Jesus Centred" Church, we give precedence to the examples and teaching of Jesus in what we look for in a Leader in terms of character and behaviour. 

The Sections below are intended to both convey or style of leadership an explain how it works at the present time. 

Structured and/or Ministry focused leadership?

Scripture uses a set of words that imply some form of recognised status and position in setting the ministry and direction of a church. These are, "Leader", "Overseer", "Elder/Senior" and "Minister/Servant".

It also uses a set of words that describe the scope, function and spiritual gifting of all layers of structural leadership from functional service to the exercise of authority. These are, "Apostle", "Prophet", "Evangelist", "Pastor" and "Teacher". These ministries are expressed at all levels of Church life and leadership. Those with structural leadership will normally be experienced in at least one spiritual ministry area.

Below we will explore each of these different ways of seeing leadership is expressed in various teams and roles at Kings Church.
"The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the novice, and one who is leading, as one who serves." - Luke 22:25-26
The Prayer-Planning Team
Functionally this team plays the role often described as an "Eldership" the group of experience individuals who have grown in natural leadership through their service to King's and the wider church.

At King's we focusing on what the team does rather than its status.

The team includes both men and women. When Paul refers to Elders being the husband of only one wife he is not setting out a gender requirement, he is simply reflecting the fact that in the ancient world a senior man (in many other contexts) could have multiple wives at the same time. A wife only ever had one husband!

   
The Trustees
Kings Church like most UK Churches is a charitable body and as such has trustees.

Trustees are an expression of the ministry of "administration" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Where the Prayer-Planning team provide leadership and long term direction, the Trustees provide governance and compliance with UK and international laws and standards. They work with and for the Prayer-Planning Team but also have the authority and responsibility  to make sure everything is done to high moral and legal standards.

Trustees serve for a fixed term and each carries a portfolio of responsibilities. 
The Admin Team
A different periods of Kings Church's history various individuals have been employed, contracted or co-opted to do the regular tasks required to maintain the services and ministries of the whole Church.

These range from bookkeeping and accounting to health and safety training and running the kitchen which feeds over 100 people during an average week.

In Acts we see this type of ministry being done by the seven appointed to make sure that the church's food distribution service worked properly, Acts 6:1-6.
Various Ministry Teams
Every Church is (or at least should be) involved in the activities served by the ministry callings of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher.

Between them these will produce both permanent and ad hoc teams to help run, worship, prayer, social and spiritual outreach, both local and further afield. The individuals who head up these teams will liaise with and report back to the Prayer-Planning team as needed.    

 🙂👍