2. Authority in the church. Where does the locus of authority lie in a local church? Anthony outlines various organizational structures that vest authority in various groups (chapter 8), following various denominational traditions. Again the variety of perspectives is noteworthy and would indicate that the New Testament does not prescribe a specific organizational structure. The distinction he makes between ‘order’, i.e. basic principles for relating various groups together in the congregation and ‘organization’ , i.e. the actual operational outline of these relationships in practice, is useful.
I would also suggest that in the intervening years, the options have multiplied. For example, Anthony does not note a structure in which the congregation has the foundational authority, the church board is composed of elders, including lead and associate pastors, and the board holds the ministry staff accountable for enabling the congregation to accomplish the agreed upon vision. Although he mentions the dangers of religious abuse, i.e. the improper use of authority in the church, unfortunately its occurrence seems to have multiplied in the last twenty years. We also observe a general trend for local churches to become more proactive in responding to social or theological issues, even when those responses go beyond or even contravene the position that their denomination may have taken. Organizationally, the application to the local church of various governance models (e.g. “Policy Governance”) has tended to define church boards as the group entrusted with authority by the congregation to enable it to fulfill it mission. Of course, entities such as house churches adopt a very model. As well, church size will influence significantly how these matters are resolved.[2]
3. Relationship between lead pastor and church board chair. I commend Anthony for giving some attention to this significant relationship. Further his recognition of the vital role that church board chairs play in the healthy life of a local church is refreshing and something long overdue. Yet, he deals with generalities and has no sustained treatment of the role of a board chair in the development of a healthy church. There is much more that could be said about ways by which a board chair and lead pastor could work more productively together to advance the mission of the church. Again, we bump up against varying perspectives here, particularly about the relationship of the church board as one ministry team in the church and the ministry staff, which forms a second ministry team. Often tensions arise within a church because these two groups cannot find effective and sustained ways to work well together.
4. The Role of the Church Board. While Anthony iterates several principles regarding the work of a church board, he does not provide a sample, church board description of responsibilities or a set of principles by which a board can work well together and achieve good decisions. In his chapter entitled “Team Ministry” (chapter 9) he defines team very broadly including pastor, church board and ministry staff and sometimes the entire congregation. There is no specific focus on the church board as a distinctive team and how it can be developed through a chair’s facilitation. It is quite unclear how Anthony’s concept of a “team” really works in a local church practically and effectively.
5. Leadership Style, Leadership Qualities. The chapter entitled “Effective Leadership in Ministry” provides a good foundation for understanding the nature of leadership within a local church and various approaches to leadership (i.e. authoritative, democratic, laissez-faire, to use his categories). What I missed from the chapter is any discussion about competencies or accountability. He argues that the ability to pastor is a “gift”, citing Ephesians 4:11f. However, he never explains how this gift is to be recognized or what defines it, apart from character traits. In Ephesians 4:11 Paul affirms that God gives people to his church as gifts to equip its people for ministry, but Paul does not define what the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist or pastor-teacher entail. Further definition would be helpful today, where possible, so that our confusions do not multiply.
I mentioned the issue of accountability. Anthony has little to say about the appropriate evaluation of pastoral staff and how essential this is to the healthy development of a local church. Nor does he indicate how a church board, once the church mission is defined, ensures itself, as its most significant responsibility, that the mission is being accomplished. The relationship between accountability, evaluation and stewardship deserves a more complete exploration and explanation.