The organization and administration of a church will determine its success in accomplishing its mission. Consider three important areas of
church administration:
1) purpose, the importance of administration
to overall success;
2) people, those who
should be involved; and 3) process, the function
of administration.
The PURPOSE of Church Administration
Church administration is essential to the success of every church. Of course, the focus of the church is to evangelize and disciple, helping people embrace Christ and become like Him — making disciples who disciple others. However, if someone isn’t navigating the details, it can become difficult or even impossible to effectively achieve the mission of the church.
Take, for instance, something as seemingly mundane as utilities. If someone doesn’t pay the electric bill, it’s a problem. Worst case? The power could get shut off, making it difficult or impossible to meet and presenting a bad testimony to the community.
Or, what if your property has fallen into disrepair? A potential guest who sees the crumbling facility or neglected landscape could assume you don’t care and consequently never visits.
Myriad other examples could be drawn from children’s ministry, music, and more. What is the point? Simply this: the purpose of administration is to ensure the ministry of the church can thrive. Things often viewed as insignificant can hinder and even cripple our ability to evangelize and disciple if they are not handled correctly.
It is important to recognize God Himself is organized. Consider the orderly fashion of creation or the step-by-step details in His instructions regarding the construction of the Tabernacle and later the Temple.
First Corinthians 14:40 commands the church to do things decently and in order. While I understand Paul was specifically describing worship services in this passage, I still think it provides a good reminder God loves and desires organization. So, remember: good church administration is vital to the success of your church, and navigating the details efficiently will enable larger ministry impact.
The PEOPLE of Church Administration
The primary responsibility of the pastor is the preaching and teaching of the Word. Obviously, he will have other responsibilities such as care ministry or other expectations from the church. But does the pastor need to be the administrator of
the church?
Consider Acts 6:1-7. While the early church did not have concerns about building maintenance, payroll, children’s ministry, and many other things on our radar today, they were heavily involved in benevolent ministry. The need for church administration soon became evident. However, the apostles also identified a need for people other than the preaching and teaching pastors to provide administration. Thus, in Acts 6, deacons were established to help. It’s a good reminder administration and organization can be performed by deacons or other laypersons. It does not all have to fall upon the pastor.
The early church identified the need, identified people who could meet the need, and then turned over those responsibilities to the selected individuals. Scripture makes it clear God has gifted individuals with various abilities to carry out the work of the ministry. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 describe these as “diverse” gifts and then provide a broad list of the gifts of the Spirit. Administration is found in both lists.
Many churches are financially unable to have a paid staff person whose primary responsibility is administration. In those cases, the church may need multiple volunteers responsible for administrative tasks to reduce the burden on the pastor. It is crucial for each church to identify trustworthy, faithful individuals to oversee administrative details, using their specific spiritual gifts for the growth of the church.
Those with gifts, skills, and a passion for administration should step up to embrace these responsibilities. They can make a big difference for their church. Many people who are not gifted in the “up-front” roles of ministry have important abilities in organization and administration and understand the need for attention to detail. Their work will provide efficiency in accomplishing the church’s mission.
The PROCESS of Church Administration
It is easy to overlook the areas of local church ministry that need administration. While this article does not provide space to cover all of these, consider just a few:
Building and Grounds. Developing an organized plan can make caring for the building(s) and grounds manageable. An attractive, well-cared-for facility makes a good impression on guests and potential visitors. Here are some specific areas of maintenance to consider.
HVAC
Landscaping
Exterior maintenance
Interior maintenance
Playgrounds
Parking lots
Locks and alarms
Facility use policies
Safety and Security. Do you have an official safety and security team? If so, have team members been trained to handle all emergencies ranging from medical to fire, a missing child to life-threatening weather, or — God forbid! — an active shooter?
Ministry to Children and Youth. Children and youth ministries are crucial to the life and discipleship of the church. From an administration standpoint, consider important policies that should be in place: volunteer background checks, child check-in, staffing ratios, supplies, safety, and much more.
Budgeting and Finance. Every church should have a zero-balance budget and should operate based on (though not always within) that budget. The budget should be monitored throughout the year to ensure income and expenses are in line with expectations.
Audio-Visual. The pandemic made A-V a bigger consideration for every church. Appropriate licensing, staffing, social media, live feed, church website, and equipment needs are all important parts of reaching a culture where technology is the language of the common man.
Scheduling. Monitoring staff (both paid and volunteer) schedules and activities ensure all aspects of the ministry are functioning properly and staffed appropriately. When it comes to service and meeting times, a procedure (and it can be simple) should dictate schedule changes and/or cancellations. Define who makes these decisions, what the parameters surrounding the decision are, and how a scheduling change will be communicated to the staff and congregation.
Staffing. For paid staff members, provide written job descriptions, procedures for hiring and dismissal, payroll and benefits, IRS filings, and any other payroll related documentation. Expectations for volunteer staffers should be set and agreed upon, with a clear process for recruiting and training volunteers.
Oversee Church Ministries. Each ministry mentioned above and other ministries in the church require oversight to ensure they are helping accomplish the mission of the church. Work with and support directors of each ministry, offering necessary resources, course correction, and encouragement when needed.
And this is only a partial list! Administration can seem overwhelming. It is a lot! However, it is important to do the best we can, always seeking ways to improve our administration and efficiency. Good administration helps the work of God prosper in your local church! Purpose,
People, Process: navigating the details for greater Kingdom impact!
About the Writer: Jeff Caudill serves as executive pastor at Cofer’s Chapel and as marketing operations manager at Welch College.
