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?

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.

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.

Pastor

Dick Wiedenheft, our current pastor, started with us in the summer of 2008. Prior to that, he served for five years as senior pastor of North Delta Evangelical Free Church near Vancouver, British Columbia. Dick received his B.A. degree from Bucknell University and his M.Div. from Regent College (Vancouver, BC).

In between, he spent three years doing missions work in Budapest, Hungary and three more in Washington, DC. In DC, Dick trained urban humanitarian leaders at the Congressional Hunger Center and helped start Mount Zion Community Church, a multi-ethnic church in the DC area. More importantly, he met his wife Anne (a DC native) and they have since had three children. Dick grew up near Scranton, Pennsylvania and his passions include music, teaching God's word, spiritual formation, mentoring leaders, relationships, and ministries of mercy and social justice.

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, whether or not they are a voting member, is invited and encouraged to attend Forum meetings and participate in the discussions.