Is this a video church?
As a strategic partner with North Point ministries, we will use the sermon portion of the North Point worship service a percentage of the time. At other times, Lead Pastor Jeffrey Jeffords will present the sermons. The other aspects of the worship service will be “live” at every service.
I heard that Longleaf Church is a non-denominational church. What does non-denominational mean?
In organizing this church, our foremost desire was to be an attractive environment for those who do not regularly attend church. For the most part, our feeling is that denominational titles mean more to people already involved in church than it does to others in our culture. For this reason, we have chosen not to affiliate ourselves with any particular denomination. We try to clearly state what we believe on the about us section of our website. You can also learn the details of our leadership and accountability structure here.
What is the leadership structure?
The phrase we use to describe the function of government at Longleaf Church is that we are guarded by the Elders, guided by the Staff and gifted through the membership. However, in more specific terms, the Longleaf Church government is built around four teams of people.
Ministry Team Representatives
Stewardship Team
Staff Leadership Team
Elders
Ministry Team Representatives (MTR) are individuals chosen by a particular area of ministry to represent that group as a channel of communication to and from the other ministries, staff and elders. MTR’s serve one-year terms and are the only group in the church, other than the Elders, that can call for a special business meeting of the church.
The Stewardship Team oversees all the financial and personnel matters. The lead pastor is accountable to the Stewardship Team in all these matters, and along with the Church administrator attends the team’s meetings but without voting privileges. Stewardship Team members serve three-year terms and successive members are chosen by the existing Stewardship Team and approved by the Elders. The initial Stewardship team is made up of the initial elders, but this will transition to a fully Longleaf Church team in the near future.
The Staff Leadership Team consists of staff members selected by the lead pastor. The purpose of this group is to determine programming, give vision to the various ministries of the church, and to oversee the day-to-day operations.
Elders function primarily as discerners and shepherds and serve as the guardians of the church. Their role is to evaluate everything going on in the church in light of three things; our mission, our resources and our doctrinal statement. The Board of Elders consists of men who serve three-year terms. Successive elders who meet the qualifications of Elders/Overseers outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-11 and Titus 1:5-9 are nominated by church members and approved by a committee consisting of four elders and four MTRs.
Why doesn’t Longleaf Church have Adult Sunday School?
The mission of Longleaf Church is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We feel that this growth is sustained best in a small group environment. There are several reasons why we have chosen community groups as our primary relational structure. First, not having adult Sunday School allows attenders to participate in strategic service. We have also found that meeting in a home is a safe, predictable environment where no one slips through the cracks. True accountability can be reached with a consistent group of people in a community group. Lastly, people are able to benefit from the encouragement and accountability of a small group while still being part of our invest and invite evangelism strategy.
What is our relationship with North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA?
North Point Ministries is the parent organization of which North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church and Browns Bridge Church are a part. Longleaf Church is a Strategic Partner with North Point Ministries. This means that we have the same mission, strategy, values & beliefs as North Point Ministries but are a separate entity. You can find out more about North Point ministries by clicking HERE.