Our StoryLeadership
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LeadershipJesus Christ is the Head of His church, which includes Polson Community Church. Pastors/Elders in a local church are the highest form of human government. Pastors/Elders lead this church in submission to Him and each other.
Pastors/Elders
Polson Community Church is not a democracy but led by men appointed and recognized with the gift of, and grace for leadership. (Eph. 4:1-3; Heb. 13:7, 17). Scripture uses three words interchangeably to refer to the function of one and the same person:
Pastors/Elders oversee every aspect of church life, are mutually accountable, and are led by a visionary or lead elder. Polson Community Church places a high value on the team dynamics of our leadership. Deacon's This is the only other office mentioned in the scriptures in the local church. The Greek word for deacon is “diakonis” and means “servant, and who ministers alongside, "helper." This does not mean that our deacons are servants and do menial jobs. Everyone in the church should have a servant's heart. What it does mean, though, is that the deacons come alongside the elders, assisting them in the pastoring of the church, releasing them “to prayer and ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:1-8) Polson Community Church deacons, together with and under the oversight of pastors/elders, exercise oversight in home groups and other care groups. Accountability Polson Community Church's pastoral/eldership team values plurality and consensus on decisions of doctrine, direction, and discipline. We also believe that every team has a leader, with Bruce Richter taking the lead pastor role, but this is done as a ‘first among equals’ rather than as a senior pastor with associate pastors. Polson Community Church believes in the autonomy of the local church, in which the pastors/elders are the highest governing authority in our church, but we do not believe it is healthy or wise for a church to be solely independent. Therefore, the PCC pastoral/eldership team actively seeks accountability and counsel from men with whom we have relationships and in whom we recognize an Ephesians 4 gifting of either apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, or evangelist. Our primary accountability and counsel comes through our relationship with Crossroads Church in Aspen, Colorado, and Church at the Red Door in La Quinta, California. In close relationship with these churches and their leaders, we seek guidance and wisdom to provide the necessary stability, strength, and accountability intrinsic to a healthy local church. Partnering together with these churches is essential to advancing the Gospel in Polson, Montana, and worldwide through planting and strengthening churches. |