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Purpose, Spiritual Growth and Leadership
Principle #1: A primary purpose is essential. The primary purpose is to create a structure for fellowship which promotes spiritual growth while maintaining non-professional leadership.
This principle can be broken down into three concepts.
Concept #1: A Primary Purpose
For true fellowship to occur, a primary purpose is essential. Without a focus, the group will get lost in a maze of rabbit holes. The direction of a primary purpose helps guide the group. Decisions can be made which will promote the primary purpose and eliminate distraction. Having a primary purpose is the foundation for long term fellowship.
Concept #2: A Focus on Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is why we are here. Everyone is born inherently selfish. As we grow, we, ideally, learn to love our parents, our friends, and if we choose to, our dates, our partners, our children, and our grandchildren. We also become aware of God, society, and the interactions of the two. Learning to love God produces a healthy love of self and a love for others. The choices we make in life determines how much we grow spiritually. A fellowship dedicated to God must be structured to focus on the spiritual growth of its members.
Concept #3: Non-professional Leadership
Non-professional leadership does not mean uneducated or simply not paid for their service. Non-professional does mean that no individual should be in a leadership or support position as a vocation or career. For true fellowship, “leadership” roles are filled with trusted servants. What makes a trusted servant will be discussed in principle #9. The reason for our “leaders” being non-professional is to prevent problems of money, property, and prestige from distracting from our primary purpose and the groups ability to place principles over personalities. Problems of this sort plague mainstream religion and has contributed to everything from pedophilia and televangelist scams to the erosion of society's belief in God. Non-professional leadership is as essential as the primary purpose.
This principle can be broken down into three concepts.
Concept #1: A Primary Purpose
For true fellowship to occur, a primary purpose is essential. Without a focus, the group will get lost in a maze of rabbit holes. The direction of a primary purpose helps guide the group. Decisions can be made which will promote the primary purpose and eliminate distraction. Having a primary purpose is the foundation for long term fellowship.
Concept #2: A Focus on Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is why we are here. Everyone is born inherently selfish. As we grow, we, ideally, learn to love our parents, our friends, and if we choose to, our dates, our partners, our children, and our grandchildren. We also become aware of God, society, and the interactions of the two. Learning to love God produces a healthy love of self and a love for others. The choices we make in life determines how much we grow spiritually. A fellowship dedicated to God must be structured to focus on the spiritual growth of its members.
Concept #3: Non-professional Leadership
Non-professional leadership does not mean uneducated or simply not paid for their service. Non-professional does mean that no individual should be in a leadership or support position as a vocation or career. For true fellowship, “leadership” roles are filled with trusted servants. What makes a trusted servant will be discussed in principle #9. The reason for our “leaders” being non-professional is to prevent problems of money, property, and prestige from distracting from our primary purpose and the groups ability to place principles over personalities. Problems of this sort plague mainstream religion and has contributed to everything from pedophilia and televangelist scams to the erosion of society's belief in God. Non-professional leadership is as essential as the primary purpose.
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