Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

BOOK CRITIQUE:

DOING CHURCH AS A TEAM

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. RODNEY DOUGLAS EARLS

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE COURSE EVAN 500

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Bibliographical Entry

Cordeiro, Wayne., Doing Church as a Team. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2004.

Author Information

Wayne Cordeiro is the president of New Hope Christian College, formerly Eugene Bible College, which is a consortium of Pacific Rim Christian colleges with campuses in Hawaii, Oregon, Myanmar, and Tokyo. His current church, New Hope Christian Fellowship Oahu, has over 14,500 in attendance each week with approximately 3,000 per week attending over the internet. He is an innovator in ministry using arts and technology to reach over 73,000 for Christ in the last 26 years. He is also the author of ten books and the "Life Journal" which has been a tool used to bring thousands of people back to God.

Cordeiro is a church planter and under his guidance New Hope has planted 67 churches in Hawaii alone. Cordeiro graduated from Eugene Bible College, served seven years with Youth for Christ, and later served three years as a staff pastor at Faith Foursquare Church before establishing church plants in Hawaii. Cordeiro travels and speaks at church and business conferences about growth and restructuring. He is the father of three, a songwriter, and the senior pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship. (229-230)

Content Summary

The purpose of the book, "Doing Church as a Team", by Wayne Cordeiro is to share methods, applications, examples, and biblical foundations for church ministry utilizing the team concept. (10-12) Cordeiro begins with an illustration of a team paddling an outrigger canoe. From practical experience, the lesson learned is that working together is effective and efficient not just in church, but in life. Cordeiro connects this experience by relating the purpose of the spiritual gifts that God has given each member of the church as being specifically designed with the intention of complying with the mandate from the Bible, the Great Commission. (13-19) "The combination of our gifts working in sync should give off such a joyful radiance that the whole world stands up and takes notice. God has given each of us a paddle-a gift, a calling. And like the paddlers in the canoe, each of us has a vital place to serve or a unique role to fill." (20) The author goes on to indicate God's plan and created purpose, is to use spiritual gifts a team to move forward in ministry. (21-29) It is the responsibility of each church member to recognize his gift, remembering the source of that gift, and put it into practice. Then members can minster to people in any vocation or setting. (30-41) Cordeiro then defines grouping of gifts and issues a warning not to compare gifts. (43-56) The author gives practical steps to assist in determining the personal alignment of each individual within the church by using the "DESIGN" method which highlights the areas of "desire, experience, spiritual gifts, individual style, growth phases, and natural abilities." (58-72) Doing church as a team is about servanthood and approaching every task with the goal of excellence. (75-86)

The remainder of the book focuses on principles of leadership. The author suggests every church has leaders which need to be identified. Cordeiro uses the illustration of David and Saul to compare and contrast what he believes is the primary characteristic of a leader: security. It is this trait which allows the leader possessing confidence to instill confidence in those he is equipping to lead. A strong foundation is one of the keys to building church as a team. (87-102) Once leaders are equipped it is imperative that opportunities are given to put those skills into practice. It is necessary to make sure everyone shares the same vision. (104-139) Cordeiro gives four stages of development that his church, New Hope, used to accomplish the goal of carrying out ministry as a team.

The first stage involves evangelism which is the primary thrust for outreach. The second stage, edification, falls into the category of discipleship. The third stage is equipping which involves training and ministry opportunities. The final and fourth stage is extension, reaching out and inviting others. (140-143)

"Interestingly, the four stages - evangelism, edification, equipping and extension - build on one another. They flow naturally, marking each phase of the maturing process of every Christian - from salvation to disciple to fruitful leader who will then go out and reach others for Christ. This is the beauty of God's master plan.

From these four stages, inspired by the Great Commission, came the mission statement of New Hope Christian Fellowship." (144)

Cordeiro identifies nine values defined by his church that enhance the alignment and structure and provide smooth function of church work as a team. This points the team towards a common goal. (147-170) Team building in ministry recognizes that the church is a living organism. It is a body, with many members and parts and Cordeiro advocates "fractal" team building to harness the alignment of spiritual gifts within the Body of Christ. In this case "fractal" refers to a repeating pattern and Cordeiro has established a successful ministry based on this team building structure. He indicates it is applicable to both small and large churches and organizations. According to Cordeiro, this structure provides for growth and discipleship and is relatively simple to execute. He diagrams the process in his chapter titled "Team Building." (172-188) Cordeiro outlines steps to transition a church and change the culture by defining six core values. Part of the steps include saturation and leadership buy-in. The core values bring about change gradually and in a positive manner. Cordeiro also cites the importance of highlighting the values that will always remain. This process cannot be rushed. (191-209) The final key to success is establishing strong bonds with your leaders. Healthy relationships beget healthy ministries. Failure