Letters to the Church

by Francis Chan

I’m assuming your church’s doctrinal statement says something about every believer using his or her spiritual gifts to manifest the Holy Spirit. That’s good theology. But let me ask you this: Does your church structure convey a different theology? Does your structure demonstrate that the gift of every believer matters? Or does it suggest that only the gifts of the teaching pastor, a couple ministry leaders, and a few musicians matter? If so, you’re functioning with a heretical structure. Your heretical structure almost certainly speaks louder than your orthodox theological statement. “The theology that matters is not the theology we profess but the theology we practice.”