Eliminating Church Fights With By Laws: Quick Wisdom for Church Leadership

By Victor Hayes

Ok, maybe not eliminate. Let's put it this way: Pastor Victor Hayes knows of a way to greatly reduce arguments, conflicts, disagreements and bickering in your church. Everyone knows nothing stops progress in a church like a 'knock-down, drag-out' church fight! Because a church is a family of faith, the way we relate to each other is important. Now, what if I told you there's a tool available to your church right now that God can use to improve the relationships between your church members It's not a program. It's not some pre-packaged plan for just any church. It's not one-size-fits-all! The tool is church by-laws and this book will show you how to use them, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to improve relationships and eliminate countless church fights before they start!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257257133

Book preview

Eliminating Church Fights

with By-Laws!

Quick Wisdom for Church Leadership

by

Victor Hayes

Part of the

Quick Wisdom Series

by Victor Hayes

Copyright © 2008 Victor Hayes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

Published by

Dry Ice Publishing

148 Brown Road, Suite 101

Cleveland, TN 37323

Visit our Web site at www.dryicepublishing.com

Printed by

Lulu Enterprises

3131 RDU Center Drive, Suite 210

Morrisville, NC 27560

Cover Photography and Layout

Dry Ice Publishing

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN – 978-0-557-02464-3

eISBN: 978-1-25725-713-3

First Paperback Printing May 2008

Eliminate Church Fights? Really?!

Ok, maybe not eliminate.

Let’s put it this way: I know of a way to greatly reduce arguments, conflicts, disagreements and bickering in your church!

It’s time we face it! The church in the 21st -century is just like the church in the First Century – a place of spiritual warfare. We, in the church, continue to battle the enemy. Warfare isn’t a neat and clear affair - it’s messy! It requires believers to always be alert, watching for the attacks of our adversary. Satan’s ready to attack inside, as well as outside the church.

Because there’s an ever-present danger, the church needs to Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV)

I can’t help but ask one question. What areas of the church does our enemy attack more than any other? He attacks our relationships with each other! Nothing stops the church’s progress like a ‘knock-down, drag-out’ church fight!

One classic moment in television history came at the end of each episode of The Walton’s. When night was falling, quiet and serene, and the camera panned the outside of the Walton house, you could hear voices of each family telling the other ‘goodnight’. Everyone understood the family to be inside: safe, secure, in harmony with each other. What an endearing picture! Even after all these years, the message of that closing scene resonates loud and clear – each family member, living their lives with one another, in harmony and respect, with love for one another, and a sense of belonging.

But what was The Walton’s about?

Was it about struggles during the Depression Era? Yes.

Was it about rural life and growing up in a small community? Sure! Mostly, though, it was about those relationships. Each episode portrayed the interpersonal relationships of family members, be they conflict or cooperation. Some episodes examined the relationships between a family member and a friend or neighbor. Whatever the interaction, the episode always explored the relationship’s impact in the family and its influence on the family dynamic. Every time we examine a story line from The Walton’s, relationships are the main theme.

Like the Walton’s, the church is built on relationships.

The Bible declares believers in Christ are adopted into the family of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:15-16 NKJV)

Because a church is a family of faith, the way we relate to each other is important! Our relationship with the members of our congregation plays a major role in how much joy we find in serving Christ.

If almost every area of church life is impacted by relationships, then fostering and nurturing those relationships could do nothing other than glorify God, right?

What if I told you there’s a tool available to your church right now God can use to improve the relationships between your church members? It’s not a program. It’s not some pre-packaged plan for just any church. It’s not one-size-fits-all!

This tool only works alongside the Bible, falling under the authority of God’s Holy Word. Directed by the Holy Spirit, this tool works differently in each individual church.

Would you be interested in know what it is?

The tool is church by-laws!

Church by-laws maintain and improve good, positive relationships between the members of your church. Without a mutually agreed-upon set of guidelines, people want to do whatever they want, without regard for other areas of ministry.

This isn’t a good thing or a bad thing - it’s simply the truth!

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way... (Isaiah 53:6 NKJV)

Most people agree everyone has a difference of opinions. With each person comes a different idea of how to do things. Since we know this is true, then we need to focus our efforts on minimizing the conflicts that inevitably result.

Church by-laws should be designed and implemented to accomplish that very thing.

Chapter 1

Determining the Need

How many kinds of relationships exist within the church? The list is as endless and varied as the many different types of people within the church! Each relationship influences the church’s overall dynamic. Within this almost endless list, we can take a closer look and find many of those relationships can be categorized and grouped.

The three main categories of interpersonal relationships within the church are:

Leadership to Congregation

Committee to Committee

Member to Member

I want to discuss these three relationships and offer some specific situations I’ve encountered through more than twenty years in ministry. We’ll also discuss some help church by-laws can offer! Then we’ll look at some details regarding the process of initiating, writing, and implementing new by-laws in your church.

Couched within the writing and implementing of by-laws, you’ll find the three categories of personal relationships. Let’s look at the first type of relationship - Leadership to Congregation.

I should clarify what I mean by ‘church leadership’. When I say ‘church leadership’, I’m not limiting that just to the senior pastor. Leadership includes paid staff members responsible for a particular ministry, volunteer ministry leaders (like Sunday School or Missions). It even extends to those directing committees responsible for any required church function!

So when the leadership of the church confronts a decision, one way or another the decision will involve individuals.

Let me offer some examples.

Perhaps a deacon is seeking permission to start a new Sunday School class. Maybe a representative of the Ladies Ministry wants to conduct a weekend retreat. Or perhaps a needy person from the community has come to the church seeking assistance. Each involves an individual requesting something from church leadership.

The point is, if ministry is taking place within your church, there’s some type of interpersonal relationship involved. Anytime people interact with each other, the potential for conflict exists. This is the reality we found in Isaiah 53:6, remember? People want to go their own way! When people need to agree with others to decide a course of action, the potential for differing