Order in the Church

A Manual for Church Ministries

by Dr. Paul Chappell

In 1986, Paul Chappell was called of God to pastor the Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, CA.  Over the past decades, Lancaster Baptist has been blessed of God with “fruit that remains.” Though the church has never had a “growth goal,” God has blessed with growth, partially because of the desire of the pastor to do all things decently and in order. Pastor Chappell has often stated that the church is a living organism—that growth is a natural product of life—so long as the hindrances to growth are dealt with so that health can thrive.

The goal of Pastor Chappell and the church leadership has been to establish a healthy church—a church that is flourishing with spiritual growth and vitality, where God is at work in the lives of people. While the church has an aggressive soulwinning program, a strong commitment to biblical preaching and teaching, and a dynamic vision—one core component that is evident throughout the ministry is “order.” One can hardly visit the campus without seeing that Lancaster Baptist Church is a place where God’s work is done decently and in order—in an effort to bring glory to God.

Proper order in church ministry is what truly allows God’s work to flow freely, without administrative sludge. Often our lack of planning, lack of organizing, and lack of order creates a deterrence—a road block —to blessings that God would otherwise bring.

Order in the local church is a matter of stewardship. God will not entrust us with greater ministry than we will “set in order.”  He will not entrust with more people, more buildings, or more opportunities than we will effectively steward! While no amount of “order” or organization can ever replace the Divine power of God’s Holy Spirit—order, nonetheless, is most definitely a prerequisite of dynamic ministry.

In the pages of this manual, you will be guided step by step through 27 chapters that inform of both philosophy (the why) and ministry function (the how). Each chapter includes helpful ideas that you can put into practice in your own ministry.  The accompanying CD holds dozens of forms, brochures, databases, and other resources for your own use and review. Order in the Church is a great resource for church administration, church policies as well as ministry ideas.

504 pages, hardcover

ISBN: 0-9652859-3-6