Five Key Pieces to the Puzzle of Church Administration by Derrick M. Hammond Derrick M. Hammond is an ordained Minister and the Church Business Administrator of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries, VA. Over time, the concept of church administration has evolved greatly. Biblically, church administration begins with concepts depicted in passages such as Exodus 18 (Moses and Jethro) and Acts 6 (Apostles and Deacons), where church leaders chose godly believers who were able to give their attention to other responsibilities that distracted the leader from his or her primary calling. While this basic idea has remained, the evolving nature of the “other responsibilities” in churches has caused much confusion about what church administration
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For many years, the church has focused, almost solely in some cases, on the ministerial aspects of church administration, like administering supplies to the community, aid to the sick and shut in, and mission trips around the world. Moreover, books like The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren further challenge churches to ask questions like: “What’s our business?” and “How’s business?”3 with little or no attention given to the legal and fiscal aspects of church operations, like keeping adequate financial records or governing in accordance with Employment, Tax, OSHA, HIPPA, ADA and other laws. 2 As churches seek to recapture the legal and political aspects of church administration, following these five principles will ensure the key pieces of the church administration puzzle are in place to maintain a healthy balance between the legal/political aspects of administration and the “other responsibilities” that set the church apart as the body of Christ. Principle #1: The primary role of church administration is to assist the Pastor. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his …show more content…
Principle #5: The primary measure of church administration is effectiveness. I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. – Romans 15:14 Church administration is not “oiling ecclesiastical machinery or the spinning wheels of organization, but it is the body of Christ equipping itself for mission.”10 As such, the ultimate measure of effective church administration is not the efficiency of paperwork but the effectiveness of people at work. Greg Hawkins, executive pastor at Willow Creek Church, notes: Measuring ministry effectiveness in the church, however, is challenging and complex because, quite frankly, transformed individuals and communities defy incremental notches. In the marketplace, money is an input and money, also, is an output. In ministry, money and other resources are the inputs and the output is … changed lives. The real question is, ‘Are we making—is God making—a dent in people 's lives?’ 11 Changed
For many years, the church has focused, almost solely in some cases, on the ministerial aspects of church administration, like administering supplies to the community, aid to the sick and shut in, and mission trips around the world. Moreover, books like The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren further challenge churches to ask questions like: “What’s our business?” and “How’s business?”3 with little or no attention given to the legal and fiscal aspects of church operations, like keeping adequate financial records or governing in accordance with Employment, Tax, OSHA, HIPPA, ADA and other laws. 2 As churches seek to recapture the legal and political aspects of church administration, following these five principles will ensure the key pieces of the church administration puzzle are in place to maintain a healthy balance between the legal/political aspects of administration and the “other responsibilities” that set the church apart as the body of Christ. Principle #1: The primary role of church administration is to assist the Pastor. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his …show more content…
Principle #5: The primary measure of church administration is effectiveness. I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. – Romans 15:14 Church administration is not “oiling ecclesiastical machinery or the spinning wheels of organization, but it is the body of Christ equipping itself for mission.”10 As such, the ultimate measure of effective church administration is not the efficiency of paperwork but the effectiveness of people at work. Greg Hawkins, executive pastor at Willow Creek Church, notes: Measuring ministry effectiveness in the church, however, is challenging and complex because, quite frankly, transformed individuals and communities defy incremental notches. In the marketplace, money is an input and money, also, is an output. In ministry, money and other resources are the inputs and the output is … changed lives. The real question is, ‘Are we making—is God making—a dent in people 's lives?’ 11 Changed