The Small Church Shepherd: Small Church Paradigms

A paradigm describes the framework by which something is perceived or understood. It is a pattern that is followed, serving to govern what the church does, why it does it, and the purpose for it. Every church has a paradigm by which it understands its ministry, develop its programs and expresses its faith. This paradigm influences the church's attitudes and responses to its leaders. It molds its perspective of ministry. It governs its decision making process. Understanding and leading the small church involves serving within the context of its paradigm and carefully changing those issues which conflict and hinder the ministry. To understand and develop biblically governed and culturally sensitive paradigms we need to understand the factors that influence the formation of the congregations paradigms, the types of paradigms that exist and then ways to alter them. Read more