These dead bones can rise again: preventing church closures in North America

157 Pages·2014·0.93 MB·English

by  Rodney F. Bertholet

Digital Commons @ George Fox University
Doctor of Ministry Seminary
1-1-2013
These dead bones can rise again: preventing church
closures in North America
Rodney F. Bertholet
George Fox University
This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University.Find out more
about the program.
Recommended Citation
Bertholet, Rodney F., "These dead bones can rise again: preventing church closures in North America" (2013).Doctor of Ministry.
Paper 41.
http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/41
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Seminary at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for
inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University.
GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY

THESE DEAD BONES CAN RISE AGAIN

PREVENTING CHURCH CLOSURES IN NORTH AMERICA

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO

THE FACULTY OF GEORGE FOX EVANGELICAL SEMINARY

IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

BY

RODNEY F. BERTHOLET

PORTLAND, OREGON

MARCH 2013
George Fox Evangelical Seminary
George Fox University
Portland, Oregon

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
________________________________

DMin Dissertation
________________________________

This is to certify that the DMin Dissertation of

Rodney F. Bertholet

has been approved by
the Dissertation Committee on March 11, 2013
for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation.

Dissertation Committee:

Primary Advisor: Phillip Newell, DMin

Secondary Advisor: Clifford Berger, DMin

Expert Advisor: Phillip Newell, DMin
All Scripture references are taken from The New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2013 by Rodney Bertholet
All Rights Reserved

i i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project could not have been finished if it had not been for so many faithful
friends, family, instructors, and of course my fellow students. If I was to take the time to
acknowledge each person who contributed encouragement to me in this endeavor, I
believe as John says in his Gospel (21:25), “There may not be enough books to hold it
all.” All joking aside, there are many to whom I thank.
Here at George Fox Evangelical Seminary’s Leadership and Spiritual Formation
program I have had the privilege to encounter and work with administrators, faculty, and
staff who have proven that they care not only for the program and its success, but for
each individual student. I started by meeting with Dee Small, an absolutely wonderful
lady who never stopped encouraging each student who walked the halls. I then received
the pleasure of meeting with Doctors Loren Kerns, Cliff Berger, and Chuck Conniry,
along with the many instructors who opened windows of knowledge for me. To each of
them I offer my sincere gratitude.
I thank my advisor, Dr. Phil Newell, for his many hours and his patience with me
as I learned to write. Phil, your help kept me from driving to the dump and throwing this
work away so many times; thank you. Without your wisdom, knowledge, and kind
support, I would not have finished.
The library at the Portland campus became my second home. Thank you, Charles
Kamilos, for always being ready to help. I watched how you treated each student as if he
or she was the only one alive –a special human that God had given just to you. Of course,
I will not forget Sierra Neiman in the writing lab; without her help the writing of this
dissertation would still be a thought floating around in my head. Sierra has walked with
ii i
me through this process always giving encouragement while at the same time showing
me how I could make this project better. Thank you, Sierra!
Then there are the members of my cohort, dubbed “The Special K’s (I always
wondered how we got that name); each have become family to me. I do not believe I
would have completed this venture without the discussions, tears (thanks, Frank), and of
course the laughter that each of you poured into this course. A special thanks goes to Dr.
Donna K. Wallace who agreed to help me with the finishing touches even though she has
more on her plate than any five humans do. Perhaps that is why she has the nickname
“Super D.”
My church family has sacrificed much by allowing me this opportunity to read,
learn, and write this paper. They stood by me even when they did not fully understand the
topic or why I chose to write about it. They enthusiastically picked up the slack when I
had to be gone to class for ten days at a time. Thank you each and every one; I love you
all!
I save my deepest heartfelt thanks for my wife Karen, the most loving, worthy,
and unassuming person I know. At every juncture in this journey, Karen has sought out
the Lord, to encourage me and to tell me what I needed to do. Whenever I said,
“Enough.” She said, “You can do this!” Through the many days of separation while I was
at Cannon Beach, and the long hours of study and writing, she has been unswervingly
supportive and encouraging. She truly is a gift from God, himself, and proof of the grace
and the love that the Lord has for me. Last, but by no way least, I thank and praise my
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who not only loved me but gave me the strength through
his Holy Spirit to finish this task.
iv
Table of Contents

Copyright page ii
Acknowledgments iii
List of Figures viii
The Abstract 1
Section One: THE PROBLEM 4
Three Illustrations of Church Leadership Problems 8
Exploring the Problems of Church Leadership 14
The Problem of Not Having a Shared Vision and Mission 16
The Lack of Trust 17
The Lack of Commitment 19
Settling on the Status-Quo 20
The Problem with Hierarchy and a Need for Servant Leadership 22
The “I” Mentality Verses the Need for Unity and Teamwork 24
The Existence of Silos Within the Organization 26
The Lack of Team and Personal Accountability 28
Improperly Dealing with Conflict 31
Conclusion of the Problem 33
Section Two: OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTIONS 34
Organizational Structures 35
Simple Structure 36
Functional Structure 38
v
Team-based Structure 40
Leadership Styles 44
Styles Defined 44
Transactional verses Transformational Leadership 48
Servant Leadership 50
Section Three: THE THESIS – ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOLUTION 52
United 53
Servant Leadership 57
Unified Team 63
Needed Personality Traits for Team Members 68
Conclusion 72

Section Four: THE ARTIFICT DESCRIPTION 75

Each Lesson will include 76

Section Five: ARTIFACT SPECIFICATION 80

SECTION Six: POSTSCRIPT 83

Appendix A: THE ARTIFACT 86
Lesson 1 The How of Our Vision 90
Lesson 1 Team Member Work sheet 99
Lesson 2 Becoming Unified 101
Lesson 2 Team Member Work sheet 107
Lesson 3 Being a Servant-Leader 109
v i
Lesson 3 Team Member work sheet 121

Lesson 4 Being a Servant- Leader Part II 124
Lesson 4 Team Member Work Sheet 131

Appendix B: The Church Population Survey 133
Appendix C: List of Interviewed Pastors 137
Appendix C: The Interview Questions 139

BIBLIOGRAPHY 142
vi i
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Simple Structures Page 37
Figure 2 Functional Structures Page 39
Figure 3 Team Based Structures Page 41
Figure 4 Stan Reeder’s Example of Unity Page 56
vi ii