The Cincinnati Chinese Church (CCC) was started in October 1970, 45 years ago. We have had a truly harmonious church and church leadership over the years, and we are glad to share some of our thoughts about our structure and function, which might be helpful for others.
辛城華人教會開始於1970年的十月。四十五年以來，我們真實地保持著教會領導的和諧，會眾的合一。我們很願意分享一些我們教會的結構和治理的經驗，或許能提供一些助益。

In general, our church does not have a specific denominational bias, since our members have traditionally come from many different evangelical Christian backgrounds. We try to be biblically based in our organization, especially following New Testament principles. We consider elders and ministers to be equivalent, in scriptural authority and general responsibility, except that elders usually receive support from non-ministry sources, and most, but not all, are not full time in ministry. The elders and ministers meet regularly to provide spiritual guidance for the church: the full-time ones meet once a week and we include the non-full-time ones every 1 to 2 months.
我們的教會並沒有宗派的偏見，因為我們的弟兄姊妹來自於不同熱衷傳福音基督信仰的背景。我們盡量依據聖經來建立教會，跟從新約聖經的原則。我們認為長老和傳道人在屬靈和一般事物上都是一樣的權柄，只是長老從非教會資源取得生活所需，而且多數並非全時間服事教會而已。長老和傳道人有緊密的結合，引導教會屬靈的方向；全職的長老和傳道人每週聚集一次禱告交通，帶職的長老每一兩個月加入一次。

Elders are carefully selected by the combined elder ministers group, and agreed upon by the all deacons group, before agreement by the entire workers meeting. This ultimate decision group, by tradition, meets, back to back and right after, the monthly combined prayer meeting of CCC, on the principle that if members are not praying together they should not be the decision makers for CCC.
長老的選擇是長老和牧者團隊的責任，並經過全體執事的認可，然後由教會同工會通過。同工會是教會最後決定的機構，傳統上我們是按需要在每月的聯合禱告會後立即舉行；意思是如果弟兄姊妹若不肯花功夫在一起禱告，就沒有權力參與教會的決定。

All major decisions at CCC, including the important appointment of a new minister, are made by consensus, after prayer, meaning that if there is an objection which is declared to be based on prayer and Bible principles, we will take a pause, and meet with the individual(s) in prayer and discussion to resolve any remaining issues. The issue is then delayed for decision for as long as it takes for consensus to appear. This is based on the principle that there might be “one lonely prophet” who is giving a minority view, but who is particularly sensitive to God’s guidance in the matter at hand, and we need to pray with the person to be assured the decisions are Godly. In our history, we have delayed a major decision for one year to resolve issues, and have changed major decisions based on prayerful objections to the majority position.
所有辛城教會重要的決定，包括設立傳道人，都是採取經過禱告後「一致通過」的方式。就是如果有一人反對，而且能指出有聖經的依據，我們會遲延作決定，由牧長團隊去和對方交通禱告，溝通解決不同的意見。該議案就遲延到最後能達到不反對之時，而一致通過。這是根據聖經的原則，也許有「獨言的先知」在我們當中，在某件事上他得到神特別的啟示，我們必須要花時間和他禱告，確定我們作的決定是合乎神心意的。在我們教會的歷史中，曾經有過要花一年時間禱告溝通，來解決差異；還有最後翻轉原來多數人的意願，而做出正確之重大決定的。

Thus, we take a long time before appointing an elder, probably a year to several years of praying and waiting for the right time and person. Elders are appointed for life, although they could request to (or be asked to) step down in exceptional circumstances. We feel that this provides stability for the church, since ministers are also appointed for a long-term basis, with the expectation for the minister generally of commitment for more than 10 years at least. In fact, and by tradition, we generally assume the ministerial appointment is a life-time commitment.
因此我們會花比較多的時間來選立長老，通常要一年到幾年的時間，經由禱告來等待合適的人選和時機。長老是終身制，但在特別情況下，長老可以要求或被要求放下職位。我們覺得這是為保持教會的穩定，因為傳道人也是長期的職分，最少都被要求十年的委身。事實在傳統上，我們也是希望傳道人有終身的委身。

We have a general philosophy of “we don’t hire ministers, so we don’t fire them,” meaning we take extreme care in welcoming new ministers, and we seriously recognize that God calls them: therefore, we literally have not considered that elders or deacons (as representing the church) are their “employers..” Meaning we emphasize also to the congregants, that we do not use the term “we have hired a minister,” when we “welcome him” to serve together with us. Where problems arise in relation to the ministers or elders, we adopt a family conference prayer approach to resolving the issue and improving the situation. Elders and deacons have never initiated, encouraged, or conducted a process to “fire” a minister, and elder-minister relationships have continued to be mutually encouraging and accountable. In fact we have mutual accountability reports built into our regular meetings to provide accountability on a formal basis, and our regular updates in weekly and monthly meetings provide another layer of accountability. In these meetings we report our ministry to each other and receive encouragement and criticisms in a mutually beneficial manner. Thus elders and ministers grow together spiritually and learn a great deal from one another, in a mutually positive environment.
我們有一看法，就是「我們不僱用傳道人，也不解僱傳道人」；意思是說，我們非常謹慎地選擇新的傳道人。我們很注重神對他們的呼召，因此我們完全不認為長老和執事，就是代表教會者，是他們的雇主。同時我們也告訴會眾，我們不用「僱用傳道人」這樣的話，我們是「歡迎傳道人」來加入我們事奉的行列。當有相關長老或傳道人問題出現時，我們會採取家庭會議的方式用禱告來解決問題，或是改進溝通。長老，執事從不開始或發起要「解聘」傳道人；長老和傳道人之關係一直是保持互相的鼓勵，彼此的負責。在長老和傳道人的會議中，我們要輪流作服事的報告，正式地檢討自己的生活和家庭；並且要交待每週或每月的活動，以保持彼此的負責和聯繫。在這些會議中，我們接受善意的批評和鼓勵。因此，我們的長老和傳道人可以靈命一同增長，互相的學習，建立教會一個正面影響的環境。

In general we have tried to have at least one elder per congregation. Currently we have five elders, to cover the three congregations (Chinese Compton site, English All Nations Compton site, and Chinese Mason site), and campus, youth and missions, but the number depends on CCC needs and specific qualifications and burdens of elders. The elder’s role in each case is to be supportive of the respective ministers, and basically be another shepherd for that specific group of people he is responsible for. Outreach, visitation, and bible study leadership, and overall financial oversight, are the major services expected of all elders. In brief the elders should assume that, if the respective minister is absent for a long period for any reason, the elder should be ready to assume responsibility for most of the ministry, and organize the church members to step in and fulfill the responsibility. This in point of fact happened to me as elder, 7 times in the history of the church, to function sort of as “acting minister,” when necessary.
一般情況，我們盡量讓每一個會眾至少有一位長老。目前我們有六位長老，涵蓋三個會眾（中文本堂會眾，英語萬國會眾，美聖分堂會眾），校園事工，青少年事工，和宣道事工。長老的數目是基於辛城教會的需要，合適的人選，和長老的負擔。長老的角色是支持相對事工之傳道人，基本上是所負責事工的另一位牧人。外展，探訪，帶查經，和監督財務是每個長老都要作的事。總而言之，當傳道人有原因要離開一段比較久的時間，相對的長老要能預備好接替大多數傳道人的服事，組織教會弟兄姊妹起來事奉，負起責任。這就是我個人曾經在辛城教會七次被興起作「實質的傳道人」的原因。

All major issues from each congregation or major ministry are brought by the responsible elder (or responsible deacon if there is no equivalent elder) to the combined elder ministers meeting for discussion, prayer and if necessary, decision. Otherwise we allow a fair amount of autonomy within each major group: the three congregations, student ministry, mission ministry, and youth ministry, all of which involve the leadership of a minister and/ or elder and a deacon. The elder of each functional group, or the equivalent deacon, provides the spiritual guidance and direction to the group, and wisdom of experience. Financial accountability is achieved by each group being able to make a decision, by consensus of the leadership within each group, of projects or plans each within $4000 a year. If the amount exceeds this, the proposal for the specific need or project, and the proposed recommendation will have to be sent for decision to the combined deacons group and the combined workers group, again requiring consensus decisions.
所有由各會眾或是主要事工所提出的重要議題，都應當由相關的長老，或是執事（如果沒有長老負責）提到每月一次的長老傳道人會議中禱告和討論。次要的議題，由三個會眾或是主要事工的負責執事或長老，在他們自己的事工協調會中討論。每項事工的負責長老或執事，要把握屬靈的原則和服事的經驗，來引導弟兄姊妹。每個會眾和主要事工有權來決定在每年花費四千元以下的提案，由該會眾或主要事工的協調會，以達成「一致通過」方式取得共識。如果費用超過四千元，則要提到聯合的執事會以及聯合的同工會中，以「一致通過」方式通過才能執行。

On the surface, a consensus decision principle might seem to be an impossible task, but the reality is that because we prepare the concerned people and congregations before the decision making meeting, through debates and arguments as necessary, consensus actually can be, and has been, achieved, and harmony maintained. Without a potentially adversarial “for or against” vote, we have the result that, while more tedious, more people seem “satisfied” with the end result, since they have not been “outvoted,” or on the “losing side.” This does mean that some people might not totally feel that is the “right decision,” but since they are encouraged to state their concerns, they generally have a willingness to agree with the consensus thought, in spite of reservations, when the issues are not biblically unsound, and more a matter of preference. We can say with a fair degree of assurance, that this approach has removed many sources of potential major tension within the church.
從表面上來看，「一致通過」的決定方式會非常困難，但事實上我們會在開會前，先花功夫告訴關心該議題的弟兄姊妹所要討論的內容，雖然會中難免有辯論和爭議，但仍然能夠達到共識，保持教會的合一。由於沒有投票所引起可能贊成或反對的對抗者，雖然整個過程會有些冗長乏味，但多數人會贊成和支持提案的執行，因為沒有“落選”或“失敗”的感覺。這不表示某些人不會覺得該決定不好，但至少他們有機會表達他們的看法，也會比較願意讓步，到底所爭論的事，不是沒有聖經的依據，不過是多數人的意願而已。我們可以放膽的說，這種作決定的方式，曾經解除過許多次教會中可能產生的危機。

The elders are the overall financial supervisors of the church, in conjunction with the deacons’ board as necessary. For example, each elder specifically works with their ministry related minister to assess any special needs, before the combined elders and deacons chair engages in the annual adjusting of the regular support of the ministers. The usual target of the minister support is based on the average of published averages for comparable individuals in their peer group, adjusted for special needs. So in general we try to be sensitive to any special needs of the ministers and of course also provide adequate health insurance and pension plans. As usual all decisions are by consensus.
長老要監督教會的財務，必要時和執事會共同作決定。例如，每位長老要和他相關事工的傳道人保持聯繫，了解傳道人的需要，然後在長老和執事主席召開的會議中討論對傳道人經濟供應的調整。對傳道人的供應，通常是按公開的平均傳道人收入資料，再按實際需要每年作調整。故此，我們很注意傳道人的特別需要，包括提供足夠的醫療保險，退休基金等。照例，所有決定都要在該會議中一致通過。

One of the few major difficult difficulties that I have experienced in these 45 years is when the other founding elder in the beginning of the church had to leave, first for professional work reasons, and then for ministry reasons, leaving one lonely elder to take care of a fledging church. That generated a whole host of technical difficulties, which by God’s grace was overcome, one by one, as members amazingly began to step up and help, so that within months we had stabilized the situation, once again reminding us that the work and ministry is not ours, but God’s and He always come through and provides for our needs.
在45年的服事中，我所經歷的主要難處之一，就是當初和我一同建立辛城教會的長老，因為工作的變遷，和服事的更換而離開，導致剩下我一人獨自面對逐漸複雜的教會，這造成一大堆實際的難處。但是神的恩典克服了一切，一次又一次的在弟兄姊妹站起來參與服事，奇妙地在幾個月後就穩定了。這提醒我們，教會的事工不是屬於我們個人的，而是屬於主的，祂會幫助我們並且供應一切。

It has been thrilling to be an elder of CCC. A lot of praying and discussion sessions are part of the ministry (and might seem wearisome to some), but the resulting harmony and mutual encouragement are very gratifying. Our decision-making process is probably slower than most, but the results seem to be more lasting, and definitely encouraging and joyful. I believe the Lord has guided us through each major challenge, and by being willing to prepare for, and pray through, each major challenge, we have been able to weather each one in a good way.
作辛城教會的長老是一件非常美妙的事，需要許多的禱告和商討，有時會使我吃不消，但結果總是和諧和共同的鼓勵，那是最大的滿足。我們作決定的過程也許比其他教會來的慢些，但結果卻能維持的比較久，而且肯定叫人受鼓舞和滿有喜樂。我看見神曾經帶領我們作了許多重要的決定，藉著事前的準備，認真的禱告，我們欣喜地共同勝過了這些重大的挑戰。