“BIGGER'SMALLER'WIDER'DEEPER”''
One$church,$many$congregations$
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Synopsis'
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One!of!our!values!as!a!church!is!that!we!are!a!“Community!on!Mission”.!We!want!to!be!a!
community! characterised! by! authentic! love! and! service! to! one! another,! while! simultaneously!
being!outward!looking!and!being!on!God’s!mission!to!bring!the!gospel!to!the!world.!A!consumerist!
mind?set! which! views! churches! primarily! as! purveyors! of! spiritual! products! for! “customers”!
seriously! compromises! this! value.! What! follows! is! our! attempt! to! steward! the! church! toward!
quality!growth.!“One!church,!many!congregations”!is!a!model!for!growing!Redemption!Hill!Church!
(RHC)!bigger!in!influence,!momentum!and!scale,!smaller!to!ensure!relationships!and!community,!
wider'to!enable!contextualisation!in!a!diverse!nation,!and!deeper'in!our!discipleship.!
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The'dream,'the'reality'and'the'challenge''
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When!Simon!and!Tarryn!left!South!Africa!4.5!years!ago,!their!dream!was!to!see!a!church!
emerge!that!would!be!faithful!to!God!proclaim!Christ!and!His!Kingdom!and!replicate!itself!across!
Asia.!They!wanted!a!strong,!gospel!preaching,!gospel!living,!gospel!breathing,!and!gospel!saturated!
church!that!would!plant!other!gospel!churches!?!churches!with!the!reality!and!awe!of!God!in!their!
midst,! where! doctrine! impacts! real! life! in! a! significant! way.! In! other! words,! they! wanted! a!
biblically' faithful' and' fruitful' church.! By! God’s! grace! a! lot! of! that! has! happened,! in! some! ways!
quicker! than! expected.! God! grew! the! church! numerically! in! unexpected! ways!! It! has! been! a!
delight.!Yet,!it!has!not!been!without!its!challenges.!!
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To!be!the!kind!of!church!envisioned,!we!are!deeply!interested!not!just!in!the!quantity,!but!
also! in! the! quality! of! the! church.! This! is! expressed! in! discipleship! i.e.! truly! following! Jesus! in! all!
areas!of!life,!both!individually!and!corporately.!To!be!sure,!quantity!and!quality!are!not!mutually!
exclusive!! Quantity! does! not! mean! lack! of! quality,! and! vice?versa.! Having! said! that,! to! be! good!
stewards!of!the!growth!that!God!has!given,!we!have!to!keep!a!careful!eye!on!quality.!Otherwise,!
just!adding!more!people!may!actually!dilute!the!quality!of!what!we!have.!!
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One'of'the'key'signs'of'dilution'is'that'a'consumerist'mindHset'enters'and'pervades'the'
church,! or! what! some! have! called! the! “McDonaldisation! of! the! Church”.! The! church! becomes! a!
purveyor!of!a!product!(albeit!a!religious!one),!like!a!fast?food!joint.!People!come,!have!their!fill!and!
leave.! There! is! no! real! life! change,! no! sense! of! serving! one! another,! no! sense! of! truly! following!
Jesus.!In!fact,!long?term!consumption!can!lead!to!serious!health!issues.!To!be!honest,!we!can!see!
symptoms!of!this!happening!at!RHC:!
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• Superficiality'in'relationships.'People!are!finding!it!increasingly!difficult!to!have!meaningful!
relationships!with!one!another.!Some!attend!services!without!committing!to!a!community!
where!they!can!know!others,!and!be!known.!Worse!still,!some!do!not!want!to!be!known.!
Others,!sadly,!“fall!through!the!cracks”,!unbeknown!to!the!family.!We!can!also!no!longer!
easily!identify!newcomers!and!give!them!the!warm!welcome!that!we!want!to.!!
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• The'minority'serving'the'majority.!There!are!shortages!in!many!areas!of!service,!and!yet!
the!same!few!people!are!doubling!(or!tripling!or!quadrupling)!up,!and!burning!out,!as!we!
seek!to!meet!the!growing!needs!and!demands.!
• Gifts'and'talents'untapped.'The!church!is!not!a!platform!for!self?expression,!but!God!has!
given!unique!gifts!and!talents!to!each!of!His!people!in!order!that!they!may!meet!and!serve!
the!needs!of!others.!The!gifts!and!talents!of!many!have!been!left!untapped.!
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This!is!not!a!healthy!state!of!affairs.!This!is!not!the!mission!of!the!church.!We'are'meant'to'
be'a'living'and'active'body,'with'each'member'playing'vital'though'different'roles.!The!church!of!
the!living!God!cannot!be!a!fast?food!joint,!with!more!and!more!people!coming,!crowding!around,!
popping!in!and!out,!and!being!served!an!unhealthy!diet!by!the!increasingly!stretched!few.!The!sad!
thing!is!that!the!most!committed!and!engaged!in!the!church!become!increasingly!stretched!and!
burnt!out,!while!those!who!are!added!become!less!likely!to!be!engaged!and!actively!involved.!
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This! goes! sharply! against! one! of! the! values! we! hold! deeply! in! RHC,! that! we! are! a!
“Community! on! Mission”.! We! value! being! a! true! community,! doing! life! together,! loving! and!
serving!one!another,!encouraging!one!another,!and!helping!one!another!grow!in!God.!At!the!same!
time,! we! want! to! be! an! outward! looking! community,! recognising! that! we! are! not! here! for!
ourselves,!but!are!on!God’s!mission!to!bring!the!gospel!to!the!world.!!
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Community…'
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Community' is' what' the' people' of' God' are,' joined' together' by' the' blood' of' Christ.! This!
community!means!that!we!are!all!equal!but!different!participants;!according!to!the!gifts!God!has!
given!us!and!are!working!together!to!see!the!Kingdom!of!God!established!in!greater!measure!in!
our! midst,! with! every! member! serving! and! doing! their! part! in! the! body,! with! authentic! and!
intimate!relationships!coupled!with!accountability.!As'opposed'to'the'“FastHfood”'image,'this'is'
more' akin' to' the' Reunion' Meal' or' the' Thanksgiving' Meal.! Each! member! of! the! family! has! a!
different! but! important! role! in! preparing! the! meal! together.! There! is! great! laughter! (obviously!
with! some! family! tension! too)! while! preparing! the! meal,! but! the! ideal! outcome! is! a! happy! and!
wholesome! get?together! where! real! love! is! expressed! and! received.! That! is! our! vision! for!
community!at!RHC.!
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We!do!not!want!church!to!be!impersonal.!We'want'you'to'be'a'vital'part'of'the'family'of'
God.'A'kingdom'of'priests'serving'our'Lord,'one'another'and'the'world.!Metaphors!depicting!the!
church!in!the!Bible!include!a!household,!a!family,!a!temple,!and!a!body.!They!are!all!communal!and!
not!individualistic,!and!all!speak!of!deep!connection!between!God’s!people.!This!is!crucial!to!us!at!
RHC.!We!are!not!to!be!influenced!by!our!individualistic!culture,!seeing!everything!as!optional,!or!
private.!Our'faith'is'not'private;'it'cannot'be'private'to'be'true'faith.!It!must!be!lived!out!in!deep!
community!with!others.!If!this!is!one!of!our!key!values!then!we!need!to!be!rightly!suspicious!of!
simply! growing! by! adding! more! and! more! people! to! existing! services,! in! a! way! that! might! more!
easily!lend!itself!to!consumerism!and!not!Biblical!Christian!community.!!
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A!key!part!of!Biblical!community!is!Biblical'church'membership.!This!is!where!we!want!to!
the! Bible’s! teaching! on! local! church! participation! clear! and! explicit! to! all! –! it’s! saying! loud! and!
clear,!“I$am$committed.$I$am$known,$and$want$to$know$others.$I$need$others,$and$others$need$
me.$I$have$come$to$serve,$and$be$served.”!It!is!simply!the!normal!Christian!life.!This!life!is!hard!to!
live!when!we!have!a!large,!undefined!group!of!people!“floating”.!What!we!want!to!see!is!lots!of!
“reunion!dinners”!happening!all!over!Singapore.!!
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…on'Mission'
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Mission'shows'us'that'the'church'is'a'body'of'people'saved'by'Jesus'who'are'following'
Jesus' as' we' become' like' Jesus' and' proclaim' the' message' of' Jesus' to' others.! This! involves! us!
laying!down!our!lives!for!His!sake,!His!church,!and!His!mission.!This!mission!happens!both!locally,!
in! our! neighbourhoods,! our! city! and! globally! through! church! planting.! As! a! result! we! want! to!
multiply!leaders!and!disciples!because!we!are!training!Christians!to!serve!God!and!plant!churches!
across! Asia.! Another! part! of! this! mission! is! providing! opportunities! for! leaders! to! grow! and!
develop.!!
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What'we'want'is'for'you'to'be'on'mission'using'your'gifts'for'the'family'to'bring'others'
into'the'family.!This!is!why!we!will!be!embarking!on!Missions'Training'in'April'and'May'of'this'
year' (2013).! We! will! be! taking! 7! weeks! to! go! through! material! based! on! Tim! Keller’s! “Center!
Church”,! a! book! about! how! we! do! church.! This! endeavour! seeks! to! specifically! answer! these!
questions,! “What$ is$ the$ essence$ of$ a$ gospel$ centred$ church,$ and$ how$ can$ such$ churches$ be$
reproduced$in$cities$around$the$world?”!This!is!a!vital!step!in!the!life!of!RHC.!!
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So!how!do!we!take!both!Community!and!Mission!seriously?!
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Community'+'Mission'='Congregations'
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Do! we! simply! splinter! off! and! plant! new! churches?! That! is! part! of! the! plan,! and! we! will!
pursue!it.!It!calls!for!a!combination!of!the!special!leading!of!God,!and!individuals!willing!and!able!
to!follow!God!in!establishing!new!churches.!!
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At! the! same! time,! we! also! need! to! think! about! how! to! steward! the! growth! of! RHC! as! a!
single!local!church,!and!answer!the!questions,!
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• How!do!we!spread!across!the!city?!!
• How!do!we!contextualise!who!we!are!as!a!church!in!order!to!reach!more!and!more!people!
groups?!!
• How!do!we!create!more!opportunities!for!people!to!hear!the!gospel?!!
• How!do!we!create!more!opportunities!for!people!to!use!their!gifts!for!the!gospel?!!
• How!do!we!train!up!more!leaders!and!church!planters?!!
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In! other! words,! we' want' to' find' a' way' that' we' can' continue' to' grow' bigger,' and' yet'
retain'the'vitality'of'a'smaller'church.!We!want!to!be!able!to!grow!wider!across!our!city,!yet!go!
deeper!in!our!relationships!as!a!gathering!of!God’s!people.!We!want!to!become!“Bigger,'smaller,'
wider'and'deeper”.!
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How!will!we!do!that?!
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We!will!transition!RHC!into!one'church'with'multiple'congregations.'Instead!of!a!church!
with! three! worship! services! on! a! Sunday! morning,! we! want! to! see! each! of! these! services!
developing!a!congregation.!A'congregation'is'a'group'of'people'within'the'wider'RHC'body'that'
gathers'together'for'worship'and'service,'and'whose'community'lives'are'primarily'worked'out'
within' that' group.! They! will! be! led! by! elders! and! deacons! dedicated! to! that! congregation.! They!
will!have!their!own!ministry!teams!i.e.!Music,!Setup,!SWAT,!Ushers,!Welcome,!Kingdom!Kids!etc.!!
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These!congregations!will!(initially)!be!made!up!of!the!people!attending!the!three!services!
we!have!at!RHC!on!Sundays.!Over!time,!they!will!likely!grow!in!size!and!start!more!congregations!
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spread!across!Singapore.!We!also!hope!to!have!congregations!in!other!languages,!e.g.!Mandarin.!
We! will! remain! one! church,! benefiting! from! the! shared! resources! of! a! larger! community! (at! a!
church?wide!level),!but!also!a!smaller,!more!close?knit!community!(at!the!congregation!level).!
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In! this! model! we! are! growing! bigger! as! a! church! in! Singapore! ??! enabling! influence,!
momentum! and! scale,! smaller' HH' enabling! relationships! and! community,! wider' HH' enabling!
contextualisation! in! a! diverse! nation,! and! deeper! in! discipleship! through! service! and! leadership!
opportunities.!!
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What'does'this'look'like?'
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So!what!does!this!look!like?!What!are!some!of!the!practical!outworking!of!this!change?!!
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Here!are!a!few!changes!that!we’ll!see:!
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• Services' will' transition' into' congregations.! Each! current! service! i.e.! at! 9:15am,! 11:30am!
and! 5pm! will! become! a! separate! congregation! that! has! one! full?time! elder! leading! it!
together! with! other! elders! and! deacons! primarily! responsible! for! that! congregation.!
Members!of!those!congregations!will!focus!on!building!deep!relationships!primarily!within!
those! congregations.! These! elders! and! deacons! together! make! up! the! eldership! and!
diaconate!of!RHC,!and!all!the!members!of!the!multiple!congregations!together!make!up!the!
body!of!RHC!the!church.!
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• Preaching'series'will'remain'the'same'across'congregations.'Simon!will!preach!as!much!as!
he!does!currently,!that!is!about!65%!of!the!time.!For!the!remaining!times!that!Simon!does!
not!preach,!the!specific!leaders!of!those!congregations!will!preach.!Occasionally!there!will!
still!be!some!rotation!of!preaching!between!RHC!congregations.!
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• Separate' music' teams' for' each' congregation.! Music! will! become! the! responsibility! of!
those! within! their! own! congregations,! while! still! coming! under! the! umbrella! of! the! RHC!
Music!Ministry.!Congregations!will!be!able!to!adapt!their!musical!styles!somewhat,!as!long!
as!it!fits!with!the!theological!DNA!of!RHC.!
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• Separate'service'teams'for'each'congregation.!We!will!all!roll!up!our!sleeves!and!serve!one!
another.!We!will!have!separate!Setup,!SWAT,!Ushers,!Welcome,!and!Kingdom!Kids!teams!
for!each!congregation,!while!still!coming!under!the!umbrella!of!the!overall!RHC!Ministry!in!
that!area.!
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• Community' Groups' are' not' affected.! We! are! aware! that! schedules! and! other!
considerations! may! not! allow! people! to! attend! a! Community! Group! within! their!
congregation.! Hence! Community! Groups! will! be! made! up! of! people! from! various!
congregations.'
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The!following!diagram!summarises!the!structure!of!what!things!will!look!like:!
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We!think!that!multiplying!congregations!should!be!our!strategy!because:!!
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• We! believe! this! will! help! RHC' to' become' a' better' local' church! with! a! greater! sense! of!
community,!participation!and!ownership!in!the!congregations.!!
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• RHC' members' are' in' community! with! the! same! people! and! grow! together! in! Christian!
family.!
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• The!organisational'structure'of'the'church'will'be'better'able'to'develop'our'future'church'
planters.! Multiple! forums/communities! become! available! to! identify! and! train! leaders! for!
Asia.!
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• We!enjoy!economies'of'scale!in!terms!of!key!skills!for!the!church!(Christian!Education!(CE),!
worship,!admin!etc.),!while!keeping!our!congregations!to!a'size'that'facilitates'community.!!
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• We! become' more' missional,! as! more! people! will! be! needed! to! be! active! in! leading! and!
serving,!and!we!have!opportunities!to!contexualise!our!congregations!with!the!heart!of!the!
RHC!DNA!to!best!serve!and!reach!out!to!our!city!!
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How'will'we'do'this?'
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These! changes! are! significant! and! will! require! the! participation! of! each! and! every! one! of!
you.!Hence,!the!changes!will!take!place!in!phases!according!to!the!following!timeline!in!2013:!
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What'do'you'need'to'do'now?'
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Here!are!some!things!that!you!can!start!to!do,!as!we!move!into!congregations:!
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• Engage!with!the!leaders!with!your!questions!and!concerns!
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• Pray!and!think!about!which'congregation!you!will!join,!and!how'you'will'serve!
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• Consider! joining! a! core' team! (a! short! term! team! tasked! with! helping! to! contextualise! the!
congregation)!
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*Hand@drawn!illustrations!courtesy!of!RHC!Member!Cassie!Ang!
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Glossary'of'Terms'
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Church' planting:' The! process! of! establishing! eventually! self?sustaining,! and! self?governing! new!
churches!
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Congregation:!A!group!of!people!within!the!wider!RHC!body!that!gathers!for!worship!and!service,!
and!whose!community!lives!are!primarily!worked!out!within!that!group!
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Congregation' elder:! Elders! that! exercise! primary! responsibility! over! a! particular! congregation.!
Congregation!elders!are!also!elders!of!RHC!Together!
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Congregation' leader:! A! full! elder! appointed! by! the! RHC! elders! to! lead! and! exercise! pastoral!
oversight!over!on!a!particular!congregation!
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Contextualisation:' Translating! and! adapting! the! communication! and! ministry! of! the! gospel! to! a!
particular!culture!without!compromising!the!essence!and!particulars!of!the!gospel!itself!
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Congregation'deacons:'Deacons!that!serve!the!practical!needs!and!assist!the!elder!in!a!particular!
congregation!
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Congregation'ministry'leader:'The!person!overseeing!a!ministry!in!a!particular!congregation,!and!
accountable!to!the!Ministry!leader!
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Deacons:!Men!and!women!who!assist!the!elders!and!serve!the!practical!needs!of!the!church!
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Membership:'A!commitment!every!Christian!should!make!to!attend,!love,!serve,!and!submit!to!a!
local!church!
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Missions:'Following!the!call!of!Christ!to!make!disciples!of!all!nations,!baptising!them!in!the!name!
of! the! Father! and! the! Son! and! the! Holy! Spirit,! teaching! them! to! observe! all! that! He! has!
commanded.!It!is!primarily!achieved!through!church!planting!
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Missional:'Related!to!ministry!practices!that!recognise!the!characteristics!of!a!particular!cultural!
context,!even!domestically,!and!revamping!everything!in!accord!with!that!while!remaining!faithful!
to!the!essence!and!particulars!of!the!gospel!
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DNA:' Scientifically,! deoxyribonucleic! acid! (DNA)! is! a! molecule! that! encodes! the! genetic!
instructions! used! in! the! development! of! all! known! living! organisms! and! many! viruses.! This! term!
has! been! co?opted! in! Christian! ministry! circles! to! refer! to! the! emphases! and! characteristics! of! a!
particular!ministry!
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Pastor'or'elder:!The!terms!“pastor”!and!“elder”!are!used!synonymously!in!Scripture!and!refer!to!
someone!who!is!part!of!the!“eldership!team”!i.e.!a!group!of!men!who!lead!and!govern!RHC.!He!is!
responsible!for!the!spiritual!well?being!of!the!members!of!RHC.!Congregation!elders!are!assigned!
to!a!congregation!and!exercise!their!primary!pastoral!care!there,!but!are!nonetheless!also!elders!
of!RHC!Together!
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Ministry' leader:! The! person! overseeing! a! ministry! across! all! the! congregations,! assisted! by! the!
Congregational!Ministry!leaders!
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RHC'Together:!What!we!do!together!as!one!whole!church!and!not!in!congregations!e.g.!Admin,!
events,!prayer!meeting,!Community!Groups!(CGs),!Youth!Ministry,!Missions!etc.!
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Service:!When!a!congregation!gathers!for!corporate!worship!
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