The Organization and Leadership of the First Century Church : A Study
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The word church is derived from the Greek word ekklesia and it simply means an assembly or gathering. I offer a different yet scriptural definition of church—and that definition is “a body of believers who are called out into a unified, loving, and covenant relationship with Jesus and with each other.” I posit that over the centuries man has changed or transformed the organization of the scriptural church of Christ as well as the leadership structure of the scriptural church of Christ when it was not needed nor intended to be changed by its founder and these changes have shifted the church away from its earlier strengths as well as its early doctrine or writings. Change might have been necessary and good in some ministries and how those ministries are carried out as the social environment or civilization has advanced, but the basic doctrine has not changed. Changes that have been very beneficial to the church of Christ are the use of the printing press and the use of radio, television, and other media to evangelize unbelievers. From the study, I conclude that present day Christians should espouse the word of Christ as given in the New Testament as the guiding document in church organization and church leadership. I also conclude that if the scripture has not been changed by the founder, then the doctrine, the organization of the church, and the leadership of the church should not have changed!
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About the Book
The author explores the structure, mission, and leadership of the first century church of Christ through the lens of organization development. A framework is presented that guides the reader through the prophesies of the church in the Old Testament to their inception in the Book of Acts. The model of the church and its leadership, from a scriptural perspective, inform the reader with a basis for evaluating his or her own view of the church.
About the Author
Dr. Bohannon is a current and active member of the Ellijay, Georgia church of Christ. He has served as a deacon and as an elder at previous congregations of the Lord. He earned a doctoral degree in adult education and human resource organization development from the University of Georgia. He currently focuses on developing leadership in the church. Richard is an assistant professor of organizational leadership at Mercer University in the department of leadership studies. In the summer of 2009, Dr. Bohannon was invited to Great Lakes University at Kisumu, Kenya, as a conference keynote speaker and taught a graduate level course, as a visiting professor, on leadership and management at the university. He previously worked in the telecommunications industry for over 30 years and served in the U.S. Navy for six years during the Viet Nam conflict. He and his wife Sandra reside in two locations: Powder Springs, Georgia, and Ellijay, Georgia. He has two children, Sonua and Rick. Rick is married to Anna and they have one child, Sylva. Richard’s hobbies include Biblical studies, oil painting and ink sketching, woodworking, and genealogy. Dr. Bohannon can be contacted at Richard@RichardBohannon.com.