- Baptism and Church Membership - Excerpt from document
Introduction - If you are looking at this document then it is most likely because:
- Your church has a number of Christians who are part of the fellowship who have come from other traditions but are not members of your Church, yet want to be.
- You are reviewing your Church Constitution
- You are part of a church plant considering what form of membership you will adopt.
While for many years Baptist Churches in NSW & ACT have had people actively involved who have come from other church traditions, in recent decades more people have joined our churches from other denominations and have struggled with the idea of having to be baptised in order to become a Church Member.
- Being a Baptist Church Today - Baptist Churches today are made up of people from all sorts of Church and non church backgrounds. This seminar will help you understand what a Baptist Church is and then name and discuss issues facing us as Baptists.
Web Editor: The seminar Powerpoint slides are excellent, but to really get best value from this topic, please approach Vivian Grice to present this seminar to your church.
- Church Meetings that Work - For many years now Baptists have followed Robert’s Rules of Debate with motions and seconders and all that goes with this method. The problem is these were drawn up in 1863 by a General Henry Robert who was frustrated with how Church groups made decisions and drew up a set of rules based on the American Congress. “They are designed” says Morris and Olsen “as rules of combat useful in any arbitration.”
What does “rules of combat” have to do with brothers and sisters in Christ meeting together to discern the mind of Christ? There has to be a better way.
- Church Membership and Baptism Reports - This document contains reports presented to the 1994 and 1995 Baptist Union Annual Assemblies concerning membership in Baptist Churches in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
In particular these reports address questions relating to whether a Baptist Church affiliated with the Baptist Union of New South Wales can be only a "closed Membership" church ie one whose membership - and therefore governance - is limited to persons who have been baptised as believers only by immersion or whether a church can have a more open form of membership to include persons who have come to faith (ie who are believers) but who have not been baptised in this way.
The reports also consider whether a church can amend its constitution to include such persons and the requirements if a church chooses to do so.
- Church Reflection - Excerpt from document Introduction - You have been asked by your church to serve on a Pastoral Search Committee. The committee's goal is to present a pastoral candidate to the congregation. In order to achieve this objective it is important that each member of the committee becomes well informed regarding your church’s past and present life and ministry and its hopes for the future.
The material in this document has been prepared to lead you through a process by which you will discover who you are as a church, tell your story, share your beliefs, describe your present ministry and define your vision of ministry for the days ahead. Your responses will also be valuable to the committee when you finally come to prepare a Church and Community Profile and a Pastor Profile.
- Church Size - As a church grows its organisation infrastructure must alter to accomodate the changing demands placed upon it. This presentation describes the characteristics of churches of various sizes, and seeks to highlight the issues that churches will need to address as they move from one stage to the next. As well as David's detailed presentation, a one-page Summary is also available from the Downloads Box.
Web Editor: The seminar Powerpoint slides are excellent, but to get the greatest value, please approach Vivian Grice to present this seminar to your church.
- Guidelines for Healthy Church-Pastor Relationships
Outline of the biblical basis for this relationship.
- Healthy Churches - Provides a multi-dimensional perspective of Church health. This seminar is an ideal tool to facilitate a church strategic review.
Web Editor: The seminar Powerpoint slides (and associated handout worksheet) are excellent, but to get the greatest value, please approach Vivian Grice to present this seminar to your church.
- Helping Your Church Manage Differences - Conflict is a regular part of church life. This seminar will give you enough resources to develop your own conflict management strategy. It can be run as a two or four hour workshop.
Web Editor: The seminar Powerpoint slides are excellent, but to get the greatest value, please approach Vivian Grice to present this seminar to your church.
- Intentional Interim Ministry Training - Describes the purpose of Intentional Interim Ministries and the training requirements of those seeking to undertake a ministry of this nature.
- Managing the Pastoral Call Process
Getting the right pastor for your church is likely when a healthy pastoral call process is used to prayerfully guide the search and selection processes.