Serving as the LCEC Chair: Reflections of a Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) Chair
I won’t delve into outlining biblical principles of church leadership or providing management guidelines for the effective running of the LCEC. I am also not going to suggest what each Ministry should do because the Book of Disciplines has adequately addressed these issues. Instead, I would just like to share my journey serving as the LCEC Chair – the blessings I received and the lessons I learnt.
I started serving at Ang Mo Kio (AMK) Chinese Methodist Church (AMKCMC) as the Youth Ministry Chair and in various leadership capacities since the early 90s, which gave me a good understanding of the challenges of the LCEC and of serving in church. In mid-2010, Rev Dr Fong Mow Hee, AMKCMC PIC and several core leaders invited a few of us to prayerfully consider leading the LCEC because the LCEC Chair had to relocate overseas by end 2010 due to his job posting. My natural response was to turn down the invitation because serving as the LCEC Chair is difficult and challenging.
The presence of God is more important to me than anything else.
Clear Conviction. After much prayer and fellowship with families and brothers & sisters, God commanded me to be “…strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV) While I was convinced that God called me to be the LCEC Chair, I also asked God for His continual presence to be with us, which was similar to what Moses asked of God, “See, You have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’… If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex 33:12, 15-16) The presence of God is more important to me than anything else. Throughout the past decade, the LCEC has faced many difficult decisions and during each one, we have consistently sought God’s guidance. For me, God’s approval surpassed human approval, “Am I trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10 NIV)
Good Leadership Team. The management responsibility of the church is more bearable because I am surrounded by my peers, the strong LCEC team and the caring pastoral team over these years. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another, God has graciously given me two very capable vice-chairs/brothers to fellowship, to brainstorm, to critique the many new ideas and approaches. We also bonded well to freely edify and support one another in good times and the not-so-good times. I am also very blessed to have a very supportive and united LCEC team to see through the many challenges and changes especially the rebuilding of the AMKMC church physically in the early years and growing the AMKCMC throughout all these years.
Sound Management Practices. The challenges of church leadership are increasingly complex with the secularisation and cultural shifts due to globalisation and the advancement of new technologies. AMKCMC applied good management practices, as long as they do not go against the biblical principles, to execute “the whats and the functionalities” of the Ministries as outlined in the Book of Disciplines as follows:
a. Avoid Ambiguity – AMKCMC has clearly communicated our Mission and Vision to the church congregation, to avoid any ambiguity regarding the purposes and objectives that AMKCMC aims to achieve.
i. Mission – Members of AMKCMC will go into the world with the love of God to make disciples of all nations so as to accomplish the Great Commission
ii. Vision
➣ AMKCMC is a Disciple-Making Church ➣ AMKCMC is a Cell Group-based Church
➣ AMKCMC is my Church, My Home
➣ AMKCMC is a blessing to the AMK Community
b. Avoid Duplication – AMKCMC organised the ministries into Primary Ministries and Pastoral Ministries to streamline and where possible, merged or removed duplicates so as to be as effective as possible. All the age-based ministries will plan their programs and activities together with the Primary Ministries to avoid duplication and overlapping among the age-based ministries. The budget for all the programs of the age-based ministries except for pastoral care programs are placed under the Primary Ministries, which will ensure proper financial stewardship during planning & execution:
i. Primary Ministries – Outreach & Social Concerns, Witness & Evangelism, Mission, Cell Group, Membership & Care and Family Life
ii. Pastoral/Age-based Ministries – Children & Youth, Young Adult, Adult, Seniors, Women’s Society of Christian Services (WSCS)
c. Avoid Silos – AMKCMC also organised the ministries under 3 Functional Coordinating Committees (CCs) to avoid silos where each ministry operatives in isolation. These Functional CCs promotes inter-communication and coordination to achieve synergies and better utilisation of resources, which provide the ministries the opportunities for deliberations. All programs including the budget will have to be endorsed by the CCs before approval by LCEC:
i. Outreach Coordinating Committee – Outreach & Social Concerns, Witness & Evangelism, Mission and the age-based ministries
ii. Pastoral Care Coordinating Committee – Cell Group, Membership & Care, Family Life and the age-based ministries
iii. Corporate Services Coordinating Committees – Worship & Music, Discipleship & Nurture, Finance, Archives & History, IT & Multi-media
So why I serve as the LCEC Chair? Because I am convinced that this is a calling from God; because I am compelled and convinced by Christ’s love that I should no longer live for myself but for Him who died for me and was raised again; because I am surrounded by a united and capable LCEC team as well as many God-loving brothers and sisters who serve alongside us to build the House of God which is our home, my home.
George Loh
Ang Mo Kio Chinese Methodist Church