Church Structure
At Spirit Led Worship Center we are endeavoring to structure our leadership team in a manner that best reflects Biblical ministry and terminology. We recognize the main reason for "titles" is to describe ministry function. It is our desire to fully function as an Apostolic (patterned after the book of Acts) church. As a result, we use the Bishop/elder/deacon/minister model. The roles of each are described below.
The Bishop (or overseer, or lead pastor)
Spirit Led Worship Center is organized and lead by a bishop or overseer, who acts very much like a lead/senior pastor. The term bishop is better suited to this application as he spends a great deal of time overseeing the activities those elders, deacons and ministers who carry out much of the church’s ministry.One main departure from conventional western mindset is seen in the biblical term "vision". A bishop sees the entire world,a prophet sees a nation, a elder sees the church,a deacon and minister sees his disciples. John Arcovio serves as both bishop and prophet. A bishop spots, selects and develops team members to minister both locally and internationally.Paul is our example. He had up to fifteen young men he developed that traveled with him constantly: Timothy, Titus, Gaius, Secundus, Luke, and others. He sent them on missions and admonished them to fulfill their ministries. He planted churches that they then pastored, moving them in and out of established churches as his representative. It is our vision to establish an Apostolic Base in the North San Fransisco Bay that plants churches across the world. This includes bishop John Arcovio traveling to foreign countries to oversee and minister to various international works. A more scholarly definition of bishop is included below:
“An overseer, elder, or pastor charged with the responsibility of spiritual leadership in a local church in New Testament times…The SEPTUAGINT (Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses bishop to refer to those who exercise power; sometimes it indicates those who hold positions of authority. It represents a Hebrew term that refers to those who are overseers or officers (Numbers 4:16; Nehemiah 9:9).
In the New Testament, Jesus is called the ‘Overseer of your souls’ (1 Peter 2:25). In this passage the word is associated with the term shepherd. It is also used to identify the leader of a Christian community or the one who filled the office of overseer. In Acts 20:28 the elders of the church at Ephesus summoned to meet Paul are identified as overseers. Their responsibility, given by the Holy Spirit, was ‘to shepherd the church of God.’ In Philippians 1 bishops are associated with deacons, and the qualifications are outlined in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:7-9. Included are standards for his personal and home life, as well as the bishop's relationships with non-believers.
In Acts 20:17,28 and Titus 1:5,7, the terms bishop and elder are used synonymously. Also the word bishop, or its related words, appears to be synonymous with the word shepherd, or its equivalents (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:2).
In his work, the bishop was to oversee the flock of God, to shepherd his people, to protect them from enemies, and to teach, exhort, and encourage. He was to accomplish this primarily by being an example to his people. He was to do this willingly and with an eager spirit, not by coercion or for financial gain. To desire a position as bishop, the apostle Paul declared, was to desire a good work (1 Timothy 3:1). Also see ELDER.”
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Elders
“Elders played an important role in church life through their ministry to the sick (James 5:14,15). They were apparently the teachers/pastors also in a local congregation. In addition to ministering to the sick, their duties consisted of explaining the Scriptures and teaching doctrine (1 Tim 5:17; 1 Peter 5:5)”
(Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
“The ‘elders’ of the NT church were the ‘pastors’ (Eph 4:11), ‘overseers’ (Acts 20:28; etc.), the leaders who ‘have charge’ (Heb 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12; etc.) of the flock. They were also the regular teachers of the congregation, whose duty it was to expound the Scriptures and administer the sacraments (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:9).
(The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.
Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)
At Spirit Led Worship Center our elders are required to attend all appropriate leadership training and planning sessions. They will sometimes lead a prayer/small group (as outlined for deacons). They will also help begin other prayer/small groups and eventually supervise several groups or classes. In addition they will be available to pray for the sick.
A primary role of the elders will be to supervise local evangelistic services and teach various classes, under the direction of the Bishop.
Whenever possible, elders wives will serve with their husbands in carrying out these responsibilities.On occasion if a woman is a widow and proved herself faithful, she may serve as an elder.
Deacons and Deaconesses
By definition, “Deacon/deaconess will be assigned ‘spiritual oversight’ of several families in the congregation. They will keep in close contact with the families in their charge to make certain they are involved in church life and are ministered to promptly at times of special need.”
(Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
These duties will be fulfilled primarily by submitting to the appropriate leadership training and assuming responsibility for the care of an assigned group of people. There are primarily three kinds of groups that these people lead:
Prayer and Home Friendship Group. These are cell groups that meet from house to house on a weekly basis and focus on prayer.
Children’s "Kidz Zone" ministry class. These are ministry classes that are taught on Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m..
Amped Youth ministry. Several deacons share in insuring that our young people enjoy a weekly activity of some kind.
The following are the biblical qualifications of a deacon or deaconess as found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 The Living Bible: “The deacons must be the same sort of good, steady men as the pastors. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy for money. They must be earnest, wholehearted followers of Christ, who is the hidden Source of their faith. Before they are asked to be deacons, they should be given other jobs in the church as a test of their character and ability, and if they do well, then they may be chosen as deacons. Their wives must be thoughtful, not heavy drinkers, not gossipers, but faithful in everything they do. Deacons should have only one wife, and they should have happy, obedient families. Those who do well as deacons will be well rewarded both by respect from others and also by developing their own confidence and bold trust in the Lord.
Ministers
It is our desire here at Spirit Led Worship Center that every church member serve in a ministry that reflect their God given gifting. Some ministries through which members serve others are as follows:
Media – CD, DVD, multimedia, books and other resources are made available through our media center.
Music – musicians and singers lead in praise and worship.
Ushers/greeters – help our guests enjoy their worship experience.
Church ministry dinners- serving at our quarterly church ministry dinner and servant evangelism events.
Outreach directors and team members- Every Saturday we are involved in some manner of outreach event often targeting our servant ministry events.
Tuesday evening "life growth" classes- each Tuesday evening we teach classes that cover such subjects as financial management,marriage, home life, etc.
Church cleaning ministry teams- keeping the house of God in decency and order.
John Arcovio is President and Founder of Spirit Led Ministries, Inc. and Bishop of Spirit Led Worship Center which are located in Rohnert Park, California.
He has pastored for over eight years and served as a prophet to the nations for 18 years. He travels in Global Ministry as a Prophet to the Nations. He serves as a sought after prophetic minister, international crusades director, and popular conference speaker. He founded Spirit Led Ministries International in 1985 which produces ministry resource materials and serves as a multifaceted personal fundraiser. He has founded the annual “Eagles Summit Apostolic Conference” which is held in various nations. He has written numerous books including the bestseller The Way of The Eagle which has been translated into seven different languages. He has conducted over 120 Holy Ghost Crusades and Leadership Confrences on four continents, in over 50 countries, witnessing over 600,000* people filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. His books, tapes and other publications have been circulated thorough the world, blessing and enhancing the lives of thousands. (* Approximately 400,000 were filled while John Arcovio traveled with Bishop Billy Cole from 1992-1999).
Anyone familiar with the supernatural ministry of Jesus Christ knows that His miracles and healings reach into every area of humanity. From financial miracles to physical healings, it is God’s will to heal and bless the entirety of a person’s life. It will not take you long to recognize that this is a place where someone can be delivered from bondages such as pornography, homosexuality, and infidelity. When the Spirit is flowing, the healings are present.
Come visit Spirit Led Worship Center this Sunday, and experience your miracle!
PS (The song "Where You Go, I Go" by Kim Walker echoes my lifelong passion and committment to follow HIM!)
E-mail John
