Church Structure That Works: Turning Dysfunction into Health - Softcover

Blanchard, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933204559 ISBN 13: 9781933204550

Publisher: Vmi Pub, 2008

Synopsis

Some of the biggest challenges that pastors and church leaders face are rooted in a non-biblical church structure. These challenges lead to low morale and discouragement and they can drain enthusiasm and kill vision faster than almost anything else. This book shows you what to do about it. It shows you how to build an effective biblical church structure so that the troubling dysfunction seen in so many congregations can be transformed into a healthy environment. Additionally, a model Constitution and Bylaws, scrutinized by an attorney who specializes in church and denominational litigation, is provided for others to inculcate into their respective ministries. Pastors, missionaries, church planters, college and seminary professors, church leaders and church members will be greatly helped by reading and applying this book. The Foreword is written by the President of the largest seminary in the world. This book has also been endorsed in writing by thirteen other key evangelical leaders (professors, missionaries, pastors, editors and institutional presidents and administrators). It can stand the test of scholarly scrutiny but is succinct and promises to fill a huge void for years to come.

About this title

About the Author

Bill Blanchard has a multi-cultural upbringing. He was born in India and reared there for the first fourteen years of his life. Upon returning with his parents to the United States, he completed high school in Chicago, Illinois and then graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, with a degree in Marketing. Bill continued his studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, earning M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees. He also completed advanced graduate studies at Hebrew Union University in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the last thirty years he has served as a senior pastor. For eight of those years he took on additional responsibilities as a trustee of the International Mission Board, the last two years of which he served as its chairman. Bill has been married to Lara since 1976, and they are the parents of three grown children. Bill is the senior pastor of Mountain Park First Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta, Georgia and is also an adjunct professor for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Extension Center (North Georgia campus).

Review

Daniel L. Akin
President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Church Structure That Works” is a helpful and practical guide as a local body of believers considers how to do the work of the church. There is much wisdom in this book. You will read it with profit.”

James A. Austin
Executive Director, South Carolina Baptist Convention
“With both a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart, Bill Blanchard expertly fills a huge void in the realm of church structure. His book, Church Structure that Works, offers a practical guide to effectively doing the work of the Lord through the local church. I heartily
commend this book to anyone faithfully serving the bride of Christ.”

Robert A. Boswell
Assistant Executive Director, Georgia Baptist Convention
“There has never been a time in my over forty years of ministry that I have read a book or attended a conference about church structure. Most churches have generally accepted the structure of the church as it has been passed from generation to generation.

As a pastor and denominational servant, it has been my
experience that many problems within the local church are the result of inappropriate church structure. Often the church is governed by a Constitution and Bylaws which has been duplicated from other churches with only minor changes or, perhaps, written to address specific problems. Therefore, many churches experience failures and problems only to repeat them because the guiding documents are not scripturally based.

Bill Blanchard’s book is long overdue. Through the fervent study of the scriptures and his experience as a pastor, Bill Blanchard has written a book detailing a biblically principled church structure that will be very helpful to pastors and church leaders everywhere as
they strive to organize the church for effective ministry, missions and evangelism.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Vmi Pub
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1933204559
• ISBN 13: 9781933204550
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176