I really like this quote from Dan Kimball's They Like Jesus But Not The Church:
"We strive to establish an Ephesians 4:11-12 culture in our church, in which the majority of the people, not just the paid staff, will be organized, in the good sense of the word, to care for, shepherd, know, and guide people in the church. We strive to create a culture and structure in which the paid staff focuses on empwoering people for ministry. If we are successful in doing this, then those who are a regular part of the church should have most of their needs met, since the church is functioning as a community not dependent on the paid staff and higher levels of leadership. We won't have to battle levels of hierarchy, since the leadership is spread out, making access to decision-makers all the more easy. We still have structure and levels of leadership, but leadership's goals are to see people owning, sharing, and developing the vision of the church using their gifts, personalities, and skills. We guide but try our best not to control." (P. 85)
