Community Gospel is a Texas non-profit corporation in good standing with the State of Texas. According to the by-laws, all unspecified power and responsibility rests upon the pastor.
So what does that mean? We are not a congregational run church. We do not have a board of trustees who manage the affairs of the church. Decisions are made by the pastor.
Many people's first reaction is that as a congregational member, they have no "power" in the running of the church. The fact is that congregants have more of a voice without a board. They are free to go directly to the pastor with ideas and / or concerns without first overcoming the obstacles placed by boards.
Although decisions are left up to the pastor, he does not have free access to the finances of the church. He is listed as a signer to be able to access information on accounts, but needs to have a second signature to dispense any funds.
Basically, here's how the finances are handled. There are two persons who count each offering and prepare the bank deposit. The deposit is made and the receipt brought back to the church. Bills are approved by the pastor to be paid and are given to the person writing the checks. This person is not able to sign the checks, just write them. The checks are then signed by the designated person/s and mailed. The checkbook is balanced on a monthly basis and then is reviewed by the person making the monthly financial statements. As you can tell, there are several checks and balances to ensure there is no misappropriation of funds.
The pastor is paid a monthly salary and housing allowance. The Schaves are also paid a housing allowance to help them in their ministry. Funds from the Life Counseling Center are used to pay utilities and expenditures for the home of the Schaves. We also receive funds from the bookstore on a regular basis. These proceeds have paid for major expenses such as the air conditioner, the sidewalk and paving in the back of the church, and other "high ticket" items.
As mentioned before, decisions are made by the pastor. On occasion, he has asked some of the members of the church for their opinion on various matters. There have also been times when the congregation was asked to vote about different issues. These "votes" are kept at a minimum as to not have internal strife in the church. If you have ever attended congregational meetings of other churches, you know how things can progress into a serious division in the church.
There is always the question of accountability. If the decisions are made by the pastor, who does he answer to ? The answer is simple - to God. Because the Lord expects us to do our best and strive to excellence, the leadership of the church takes the responsibility of running the church very seriously.
Through the years, there may have been mistakes made. However, I believe you will find us to be one of the best run organizations around. It is because of the direction of the Lord we have made it so far, and it is because of His direction we will succeed in the future.