Administration starts with a thorough understanding of Christ’s mission for His Church locally and globally. Such an understanding is needed to shape and motivate the accomplishment of interrelated ministries and tasks in a particular congregation. In a local congregation, administration could be defined as implementing and managing the mission of Christ in His Church.
Administration is a continual and intentional process that connects and uses gifts of individual believers to enable a particular congregation to win people to Christ and to build a spiritually healthy church. In the process, service does to the spirit of the one who serves something like what physical conditioning does to the body; as a result, the believer’s spiritual stamina develops. These three outcomes are incredibly significant—new people won, disciples developed, and churches strengthened.
This module deals over and over with the development of the administrator—that’s you, the prospective pastor. As the basic foundation for such development, this module teaches that all church leaders work from three ever-present realities: (1) what you are, (2) what you know, and (3) what you do.
Unlike the way secular businesses operate, the church does its work in and through relationships—voluntary relationships built on a common faith. While the chief executive officer (CEO) of a business hires and fires and has authority to use personnel as a business commodity, the pastor leads by inspiration, instruction, information, and influence. While a business may build for a decade or a generation, the pastor and the congregation build for eternity. While profit may be the aim of a business, the church’s purpose is to bring as many people as possible to Christ and then help mature those believers into disciples. While churches should be businesslike in their work, Kingdom work is much bigger and more lasting than anything any business can do. Thus, the administrative leader of a congregation should learn as much as possible about secular leadership strategies and management principles but always be guided within by the unique differences between Kingdom and secular business.
Specific directives for the ministry of administration can be found throughout Scripture, especially in the references to overseer and/or bishop. Then, too, pervasive support from Scripture can be found wherever order, organization, and efficiency are discussed—examples would be the encounter between Moses and his father-in-law (Ex 18:13ff) and Jesus instructing the disciples on how to organize the feeding of the 5,000 (Mk 6:14ff).
For several decades, a creative progression has developed in the discussion of the church’s administrative work. First the function was called church administration. Next came church management. And more recently it has been called church leadership. Whatever the name or designation for this part of ministry, the pastor must understand that administration is never an end in itself. Rather, administration is the way the gospel moves from concept to reality in a congregation and through that congregation to its community. One writer said administration is how the gospel gets done. Another said administration is the delivery system for the gospel.
Several basic issues about administration are clear:
A veteran church leader commented that administration is an art form, something like an oil painting. This module attempts to help the beginning artist understand the basics of the art—color, form, canvas, and brushes. The painting will be unique and personal.
This module contributes to the development of the following abilities as defined in the U.S. Sourcebook for Ministerial Development.
CP 4-Ability to write an integrative philosophy of ministry that will answer “why I do what I do when I do it”
CP 5—Ability to provide oversight of one’s ministry using management skills including servant leadership, conflict resolution, and administration
CP 6—Ability to manage the resources of one’s ministry (time, human, financial, etc.) in a way consistent with a church’s size and characteristics
CP 7—Ability to conceive and articulate purpose, mission, vision, and to develop strategic plans in ways that strengthen a unified vision
CP 8—Ability to develop team-building skills, identify and cultivate spiritual gifts, recruit volunteers, empower laity, diagnose and intervene in problems