New Hope’s leadership model is comprised of four overlapping but distinct groups of people: Elders, Deacons, Small Group Leaders and the Congregation. All of these groups operate under the authority of Jesus Christ and use the Bible as their source of wisdom and direction. All four overlap because the Bible teaches that a church is to operate like a human body, with different people in different but complimentary roles.
The men on our Council of Elders, with Pastor Dave as the leading member, have been called and ordained to oversee the spiritual health and overall direction of the church. Elder’s meetings are focused on praying for the church, and making leadership decisions that will lead the church closer to God. These men serve as examples, teachers, and spiritual advisors for our church and are always available to meet with people, visit those who are sick, and take the time to pray with those who need prayer. The Elders attempt to operate like a spiritual compass – not forcing people to act a certain way, but always pointing them in God’s direction with whatever situations they are facing in their lives.
The men and women who serve on the Board of Deacons are given the responsibility for overseeing the hands-on, practical aspects of ministry. For example, there is a Deacon who oversees the facilities, another who oversees the children’s ministries, another who oversees the music, and several others as well. Working with these Deacons are also many Coordinators who run ministries that fall under their leadership. This structure provides support, encouragement and accountability for all of our leaders.
Our Small Group Leaders are the hosts and facilitators of each individual small group and they seek to provide an honest and welcoming environment, and to challenge their group to “spur one another on in love and good deeds” as Hebrews 10:24 says. The groups are about as different as can be, but they all focus on achieving our four primary goals: Connect, Transform, Equip & Multiply. These goals keep our Small Groups on track spiritually, and give us measurable ways to evaluate the spiritual growth and depth of friendships that are developing in each individual group. We love our Small Groups and are grateful for God giving us such amazing Small Group Leaders!
All of these three leadership groups overlap the general Congregation, because leadership is not supposed to be a position of superiority, but of fellowship and servanthood. Our leaders are fellow members of the Congregation and do not lead with authoritarian rule…but rather always try to maintain humility and a willing servant’s heart. We are many different people in many different roles, but we are one family under Christ.
Overall, our leadership structure is based on what we see implemented in the New Testament, in the Early Church, and what we have found to be effective from our 20+ years of experience. We recognize that not every church structures itself in the same way, but we believe that God has led us to this model very clearly and it has been a blessing to us over the years helping us to run an effective, joyful, and spiritually healthy church. If you have any additional questions about our church structure, please don’t hesitate to ask. And thank you for taking a moment to learn more about New Hope!
