eIn our reading of the New Testament, there is no clear organizational structure of the church. We do, however, see the church adapting to different stages, sizes, and cultures. The primary representation to describe the church in scripture is the body comprised of individual members serving as differing parts (1 Corinthians 12:8-27) with Jesus Christ as the only appointed Head of His body.
We believe that no one person has more authority than the other, but instead, each submits to and empowers the others to lead where they are most gifted. In scripture, we see God giving broad principles, not narrow rules for organization of the church. God empowers us to organize around the purposes for which he designed the church, and to utilize the unique gifts and talents of each member of the body for its mission. In this sense, our model decentralizes authority and resources as often as possible.
We see scripture pointing to a plurality of leaders. History of the church has shown that where authority is concentrated on a single person in the top leadership, it has resulted in a disproportionately high number of moral failures. The model we are building resembles the checks and balance of the American government.
Refuge.Church has a Board of Directors whose role is the business, legal, and financial aspects of the church as well as spiritual oversight in accordance to the principles laid forth in scripture. We have a Church Staff team that oversees and makes decisions in regards to the daily operations of the Refuge.
