Tim King Leadership

Is your church a sect? This question was put to me by a non-Christian colleague not so long ago and was only reminded of it when we met for coffee a few days ago. I think what he was asking was, are we a cult? But this got me thinking of what exactly is a sect, and is it a bad thing or a good thing? Most Christian churches belong to a grouping of like minded churches often known as a denomination. There is a set tenant of faith and an agreed formula of beliefs. Often the order of service is the same in every church within the grouping with only minor differences. For the most part the leaders and Pastors within the denomination have a loose but coherent relationship. A sect is created when one of the churches within the particular grouping does things that are radically different. This is usually in the area of presentation, not in beliefs or faith. The sect remains within the grouping as a means of credentialing and national recognition. So what makes a sect a sect? This, in m...

Information is control, or is it? In today's world information overload is common among churches. Tweets, web sites, emails, newsletters and Sunday morning announcements are rolled out with repetitive regularity. This is not always a good thing, people don't need to know everything but they do need to know that their Christian Leaders are taking them in the right direction. However it is also felt that Christian leaders should know most things and be in control of everything. This too is a dangerous thing. But, is there something to this myth? In today's society, leaders need to have a healthy appetite for information. Information gathering about what is going on in each of their church departments is vital for giving the senior leader an overall picture of their church. This information is always passed upwards and in return the control and direction is passed downwards. It is true a fter all that information is control, the more information the more in contro...