Tim Kurth offers a Principles Based Governance model for Christian churches, schools, and ministry organizations.
ST. LOUIS—Author Tim Kurth has seen the brokenness in church governance and has spent decades helping congregations address the consequences. In Principles for Good Order: Creating Organizational Harmony Through Effective Governance, Kurth introduces a transformative model built on the foundation of John Carver’s Policy Governance®, which Kurth has carefully adapted for Christian congregations, schools, and ministry organizations.
“I confess to being a wild-eyed optimist and overly aspirational,” Kurth writes. “I do believe the institutions of the church can be better and that Principles Based Governance can play a significant role in making that happen. I am eternally hopeful that God is raising up even now the kinds of leaders, lay and ordained, who can implement and execute Principles Based Governance for the sake of a stronger witness to the world. Not flawlessly, for we will never escape our sinful nature this side of glory. But striving for progress, not perfection, with this model as our guide, I do believe better can be achieved.”
Drawing on deep theological conviction and hard-won practical experience, Kurth makes a compelling case that good order is not merely an organizational nicety—it is a Gospel imperative. When boards function as they should, pastors flourish. When pastors flourish, congregations thrive. When congregations thrive, the Great Commission advances.
Visit cph.org/goodorder for more information about the book. Contact Erica Sontag to schedule an interview with the author.
About the Author
Tim Kurth recently retired as vice president of ministry solutions at the Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Previously, he was a Lutheran school teacher as well as a director of Christian education for congregations in the Chicago area. Throughout his years of service, Tim helped to start a Lutheran high school and develop international nonprofit ministries. He enjoys participating in short-term missions, which have taken him to six countries. Tim is a father of two and grandfather of three, and he currently lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife, Leah.
About Concordia Publishing House
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the publishing arm of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For 155 years, CPH has been providing individuals, churches, and schools with products that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. From books and Bibles to church supplies, curriculum, and software, CPH offers more than 10,000 products to support the proclamation of the Gospel worldwide. Visit CPH online at cph.org.
CONTACT:
Erica Sontag, Public Relations
Phone: 314-268-1303
Email: erica.sontag@cph.org
