CORE VALUE 6 | COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION

“Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
— ECCLESIASTES 4:7-12

There is something wrong with being alone.

Take 5 minutes to take stock of the people in the room with you using the following questions:

  • What has Jesus done for them?

  • How can Jesus use them?

  • What can Jesus do with your powers combined?

  • What about them can remind you that you aren’t alone?

THESIS & SUPPORT

We can do more together than we can alone.

  • Since the salvation-related work of the church is the most urgent of all work that can be done, we seek to do it efficiently and with care. Working together on this allows us to create a vastly better product and service to those in need of the gospel.

    • What is meant by product, as far as Illumine is concerned?

    • What is meant by service, as far as Illumine is concerned?



  • As an organization and a community, actions and ideas that don't fit into the work of the organization and community (work determined by these core values) cannot be pursued.

    • Can you think of any examples?

  • God's vocational calls do not occur in a vacuum and cannot be pursued in a vacuum. This begins in the idea that all vocations of the body of Christ are subject to our head and continues into the idea that the body is a unit made up of many parts.

    • Why is the body, with its head and its parts, such a great metaphor for the church?

  • Unity takes place much more at a values/motivational level than at a practical, carrying-out-a-task level.

    • Remember when we talked about the difference between unity and homogeneity? That’s this.

EXPLANATION

Illumine’s Structure: An Overview

Illumine would function as a church with two campuses, one in Rock Hill, SC and one in Seattle, WA. This means that there would be two communities with the same name and brand which would cooperate in content creation and process management. There is a task/personnel structure to this overall machine, that has “Guidance” at the top, “Support” in the middle, and “Implementation” as the main, visible thing that happens. 

  • Guidance

    • Campus Pastors

      • Collaborating on the direction for content creation (worship series themes, educational products, video & other social content, standard courses i.e. confirmation/pre-marriage/membership/parenting, specific discipleship initiatives such as stewardship/leadership/discipline.)

      • Collaborating on the management of a spiritual community (evangelism methodology, assimilation practices, volunteer and leadership training, commissioning.)

      • Not collaborating on direct evangelism, direct assimilation, counseling, campus fellowship (not doctrine of fellowship but community-building events), sermon/lecture writing, or direct disciplinary measures.

    • Administrative Council (Consisting of the Presidents of the campuses.)

      • Collaborating in managing the roles and assets of the congregation, working in conjunction with the Administrative Coordinator to share and implement best practices in order to maximize the resources (human/financial/physical) of the campuses.

  • Support

    • Coordinators

      • Administrative Coordinator (Next staff needed. Could begin as part-time.)

      • Worship Coordinator (Called and in place: Drew Sonnenberg)

      • Education Coordinator (Volunteer)

      • Community Service Coordinator (Eventually 2 people, each part-time on their campus.)

    • Campus Councils

      • The treasurer and secretary on each campus are responsible for the specific roles and assets of the campus on which they serve, making sure that the resources are being stewarded carefully for the good of the immediate contextual needs of the campus.

  • Implementation

    • Campus Coordination Committees

      • It is at this level that what is often considered “church” would be done. Canvassers, music teams, Sunday School staff, ushers, techs, and the like would make the day-to-day efforts of the congregation come to fruition, implementing the vision and giving feedback so that the organization as a whole can continually adjust and level up.

This organization has two specific goals – excellence in content creation that empowers community growth. “Content that empowers community” is accessible, useful, shareable, and applies general truth to specific cases. It is well-produced, with a high standard of editing. Those who interact with it grow and share what they learn and save the content in order to fall back on it when it is needed.

On a practical level, the more the staff and volunteers can collaborate and accomplish, the more time the campus pastors are able to focus on that for which they are uniquely suited: evangelism, counseling, preaching, and teaching.