Assumptions and Definitions
Certain assumptions, definitions, and choices will be made throughout this paper. They are set out specifically here to allow the reader to better understand the basis of these arguments. First, the choice is made to assume that a ‘church’ as referred to in this paper will follow the following definition.
Church: In this document, a church will be considered to be a group of people, who share similar belief structures, and who meet on a regular basis both corporately and in small groups, with the primary meeting ground being a single building that is owned by the organization comprised by the members or participants of the church. In addition, it is assumed that the shared belief structures incorporate moral codes that are derived from or similar to traditional Judeo-Christian ethics. Finally, it is the opinion of the author that the attributes of a church that are needed in this document are of maximum beneficent potential when the church is of a membership population of between 200 and 800 people.
Another key element that needs to be defined in this paper is the concept of a tithe. It will be assumed that a tithe is a free-will offering made by an individual to the corporate funds of the church, which is nominally 10% of that individual’s income. It will also be assumed that there is no external pressure mandating this tithe, nor is there any accountability for it.
One of the weakest assumptions in this document is that those who believe something will act in accordance with those beliefs, at least by and large. In short, that people are fundamentally not hypocritical. This is, unfortunately, not consistent with often observed evidence, but is not an assumption that an optimist is unwilling to make.
The final assumption is needed for large-scale analysis of a church-like organization. Specifically, this sequence of analyses is intended to create a model for values within an organization with voluntary participation that is fundamentally ethically based.