What Kind of Church is CBC? | CBC Philosophy of Ministry

The ministries and activities of CBC are directed and supported by the spiritual gifts and passions given by God's Spirit to all believers for service.

We believe very strongly that every Christian
is a minister. We believe each member has an integral part to play in this local fellowship of Christians that we call Community Bible Church.
[see our Philosophy of Ministry]

Therefore, we believe the primary role of the leaders in this local church is to help each individual member grow spiritually strong and thrive in their unique ministry in this local church and in their sphere of influence in the world.

We strive to have a congregation
where all members have an opportunity to:

all under the guidance
of a flexible and responsive leadership.

Our church leaders lead by serving, as modeled and taught by Jesus, and not by domineering control.

Our church governance consists of the Elders, the Ministry Support Team and the Forum of the congregation. The relationships and lines of accountability between these three bodies are detailed in our church bylaws. They are summarized here.

The Elders of our church are the guardians of our purpose. The Elders oversee the various ministries of CBC by asking:

Is each ministry prayerful and reliant upon God's power and His Word?

In this local church the pastor is one of the elders. He does not have authority over them, nor does he work for them as an employee. He is distinct in that he serves as an elder in a full-time capacity. Each regular attender at CBC is offered the pastoral support of one the elders. The CBC directory lists all regular attenders and notes elder assignments.

The Ministry Support Team (MST) is the champion of the purpose of this local church. This leadership team broadly asks:

Based on the level of our faith and the resources at hand, are we supporting the purpose of this local church to the best of our capabilities?

There are eight members of the MST: a representative from the elders, a nominating deacon, and six ministry area representatives.

All ministries of CBC are supported by the MST under one of these six areas: Christian Education, Community, Financial Stewardship, Missions & Outreach, Support Services, and Worship & Music.

In each of these ministry areas are ministry leaders. The Ministry Support Team regularly asks the ministry leaders:

• How can we help you to carry out
  your ministry more effectively?
• What resources do you need?
• How can we pray for you?

As part of their role in supporting the ministries of CBC, the Ministry Support Team prepares the annual budget and oversees its administration throughout the budget year.

The legal trustees of Community Bible Church of Northern Westchester, Inc. consist of the six members of the Ministry Support Team who represent ministry areas.

The Forum is the quarterly congregational meeting of our local church. The congregational Forum of Community Bible Church:

• selects the Elders,
• elects the members of the Ministry Support Team,
• approves the annual budget,
• receives ministry reports
• and provides feedback to the Elders & MST.

All those in the CBC congregation, 18 years and older, who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ before the elders, are voting members of the Forum.

Everyone who attends CBC is invited and encouraged to attend Forum meetings and participate in the discussions.