What denomination is Sunlight a part of?

Sunlight Community Church belongs to the Christian Reformed Church of  North America. The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) includes just over  one thousand congregations across the United States and Canada.  

 

What authority does the Christian Reformed Church have over Sunlight?  

The Christian Reformed denomination is somewhat unique, in that it does  not employ a hierarchical structure of governance. Rather the CRC  considers every local church council to be the highest level of authority at  that church. The conviction of our denomination is that every local church  is a complete church of Christ, fully equipped with everything that is  required for its own government.  

The broader assemblies of our denomination (called “Classis” at the  regional level and “synod” at the national level) are thus not considered  higher authorities, but more general authorities. Therefore, “Classis” and  “Synod” cannot impose whatever it wants on a local church, nor can it  meddle in internal affairs. Local churches like Sunlight are limited,  though, in that they mutually agree to be affiliated with the whole. No  single church has the right to disregard matters of mutual agreement,  doctrine, and of common interest.  

 

What form of church government does Sunlight Community Church have?

Sunlight Community Church has a Presbyterian form of church  government. The word Presbyterian derives from the Greek word  presbuteros – which means “elder.” In a presbyterian form of  government, the church is led by a council of elders. The presbyterian  system is distinguishable from two other common forms of church  government–the episcopal system and the congregational system. The  episcopal system is similar to a monarchy in that all authority for the  church is given to a single bishop or pope. The strength of this system is  efficiency; its weakness is accountability (as there is potential for danger  when only one person wields sole power). The congregational system, on  the other hand, operates like a pure democracy.   In the congregational  system, all decisions both large and small are reached through a simple  majority vote of the members. The strength of the congregational system  is accountability; however, its weakness is efficiency (due to the fact that  it is cumbersome to have to take a vote on every matter). 

At Sunlight, we believe that not only does the Presbyterian system strike  the right balance between accountability and efficiency, we also believe  that this structure is biblically preferable. It seems clear that the church government described and commissioned in the early church was marked  by a plurality of elders (Titus 1:5-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Acts 11:30; 14:23;  20:17-18). Although Sunlight believes in and employs a presbyterian form  of government, by no means do we not insist that all other churches be  like ours, but rather acknowledge the rich history and continuing value of  churches which adhere to other systems of leadership.  

 

Is Sunlight’s church governance typical for the Christian Reformed Church?

Our church is unique because of our unique mission. In fact, we were one of the first churches in our denomination to contain within it multiple  congregations in multiple locations. Because our church has multiple congregations within it, our church council must represent and oversee the “big picture” rather than merely the individual needs of only one local congregation. We recognize that the CRC church order, as it now exists, has not envisioned a church with the leadership needs that we currently have and anticipate moving forward. We believe, though, that our leadership model honors the CRC principles of church governance and yet serves our local mission as well. Although we were the first to pioneer our church structure within our denomination, we are now serving as a model for other CRC churches who are pursuing similar ministries.  

 

What is the role of the church council?

The church council is the ecclesiastically recognized body according to  CRC Church Order. It is responsible for leading the wider ministries of  Sunlight Community Church including all of the church plants and  developed congregations. It has full and final authority in all matters.  

 

How large is Sunlight’s church council?

The church council is ordinarily composed of 5-7 members.   We have found that this size is optimal in that it is both large enough to allow for a  variety of viewpoints and at the same time small enough to foster frank  communication.  

 

How are members of the church council chosen to serve?

When an opening on the church council occurs, the council itself, after  seeking suggestions from the congregation, nominates individuals who meet the list of biblical qualifications (see 1 Timothy 3) and whose  experience meets the leadership needs of this council. Before ordaining  the nominee to the office of elder, the church council will seek the input of  church members to make sure there is no impediment to their service. Should there be multiple nominees for the same position, the council will  seek the input of all adult members through a church-wide vote.  

 

How long are the terms of service for council members?

Members of the church council will ordinarily serve for a term of five  years, but may serve consecutive terms if deemed appropriate by the council. The Senior Pastor of Sunlight serves as the one permanent member of this council and serves as its chairperson.  

 

Who oversees and leads each individual congregation? 

For each congregation, the church council selects a pastor to serve as the lead campus pastor. This campus pastor is given the responsibility each year to select a Campus Leadership Team (CLT) ordinarily of no more than  7 members. The members of each campus leadership team are reviewed and approved by the church council. The CLT is responsible for all aspects of their respective congregation’s ministry.  

 

How are deacons chosen?

A study of the Bible reveals that deacons were first appointed in the early  church in order to assist the elders in their work. To this end, each CLT  selects, equips, and empowers church members to carry out the work of  ministry (Eph. 4:12). As it does so, each CLT may designate members to  serve as leaders over key areas of ministry within each congregation. These ministry leaders (once also approved by the church council) will  serve as deacons within each congregation. These ministry leading  deacons are accountable to their respective Campus Leadership Teams  and ultimately to the church council.