Handbook of church administration

Charles A. Farnham , R. Taylor McLean, Stephanie A. Suzanne G. Have a question about this product? Ask us here. Ask a Question What would you like to know about this product? Connect With Us. Sign In Desktop Site. Dimensions: 9. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. Gbando Kpanpenso. A short summary of this paper. Download Download PDF. Translate PDF. Administration in the 21st-century church is critical for doing effective ministry. You don't have to travel too far back in time to identify what would have been considered a typical church.

It was small in numbers and size and limited to spiritual functions. That was fine, and it met the needs of that day.

However, today is a new day. The needs that are brought to the church are complex and varied. The church has to offer more than a sanctuary and a sermon. The 21st-century church has been catapulted into arenas that were hardly accessed a few years ago.

It now offers so much more than just a sanctuary and a sermon. The 21st-century church is now a conglomerate, offering all the spiritual help it should and so much more. All of these facets require proper structures in place, qualified personnel to run them; qualified personnel require human resources and business management; and human resources and business management require the application of state and federal rules and regulations.

Someone has to be a steward of the interest of the church and its leadership. Sadly, we are living in a time when people are targeting ministries for litigation and ridicule! In years gone by, this would not be an issue.

But today there are many instances in which the church needs someone watching the business while the pastor is watching the sheep.

First, a church is an organism. As an organism, it is a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements whose relations and properties are largely determined by their function in the whole. An organism is a basic unit constituted to carry on the activities of its life by means of parts separate in function but mutually dependent.

Such an organism requires administration, good administration, if it is to be very effective. Sadly, we are living in a time when people are targeting ministries for litigation.

A church is of God and people. There is an essential partnership between God and persons in the life and work of a church. Church administration concerns itself with presenting the human element in the partnership equation as a disciplined, orderly, purposeful instrument to be directed and used of God as He sees fit.

Church resources are limited. Church administration concerns itself with the overall guidance provided by church leaders as they utilize the spiritual, human, physical and financial resources of the church to enable the church move toward fulfilling its purpose and objectives. On the human plane, church resources are limited. The limitation of resources makes management and administration of them more imperative. Churches are experiencing sagging influence and lagging pace.

In fact, comedians in Nigeria now use churches and pastors to create their biggest jokes! Presently most churches are decreasing in both numbers and percentages in relation to general population growth. If allowed to go unchecked, this trend portends the reduction of churches to mere remnants in the lifetime of some persons now living.

Church administration offers no panacea to such conditions. Yet, good church administration, like Christianity itself, has not been tried and found wanting. It is worth it. The quality of administration and leadership in organisations other than church organizations has generally, though not universally, improved. There is a higher educational level among church members which reflects that of the general population. More church members are in places of responsible administration and leadership in their occupations.

There, they are expected to perform according to increasingly high administration and leadership standards and to employ ever more sophisticated techniques. Many church members expect administration and leadership intensity and quality of effort in the church comparable to that with which they work in their jobs outside the church.

Effective Church Administration and Leadership create efficiency for effective Ministry. Effective Church administration is the gift of God. Administration and Leadership are necessary in any church, big or small.

Good church administration is getting others to work together. You must understand that church administration is a ministry centred on people, not techniques and paperwork. It is an art of management, not manipulation.

It requires faith in God, sensitivity, integrity, timing, administrative skills, and resourcefulness. Many serving in church administration are gifted with natural talents, yet these natural talents are sharpened through experience, training, and empowerment from God. Effective church administration gets the bulk of the members to see the vision, grasp the vision, communicate the vision, and impart the vision to others.

Failure to do so only causes chaos in your church. There are some administrators who are really outstanding receptionists, but inefficient and ineffective administrators. For example, one of the myths in many churches is that all pastors are or should be skilled in administration. While pastors definitely need to have some components of administration and always provide proper oversight, for the most part it is unwise to burden pastors with the responsibility of the day to day of church administration.

Throughout the New Testament we see delegation of roles. In fact Acts 6 clearly demonstrates this. Pastors cannot do it all and it is unfair for us to mandate that they so do. Are you aware that it is estimated that 1, pastors leave the ministry each month?

Look at Moses trying to bear the entire responsibility of pastoring and administration of all those people. He was overwhelmed and in a moment of stress told God he would rather die than to continue shepherding all those people! What did God do? He gave him help! We must come alongside and help! While a number of churches believe anyone can serve in a church administrative role, you find that those who are called to this role are the ones who succeed in it.

If you agree to do this short-term 90 days until the position is filled, that is one thing. However, if you agree to do it long term then you must know with certainty if this is where God is calling you, because this position is unlike any other role you have served in before. It is not like working in a corporate office. It is tremendously different, challenging, demanding, frustrating, rewarding, confusing, life changing, and impactful, all at the same time. It sounds as if this is a new position for your church, and because of this you will need to be prepared for some blowback, such as jealousy and strife.

It is unfortunate, but normal in the life of any church. Bottom line is: you need to be clear in your heart as to what God is speaking to you. Every church must have a good foundation, consisting of a written church constitution and bylaws, which spell out all positions and their accountability protocols.

This does not justify the behavior, only sheds light on it. Other times the senior pastor may be under the belief that he is not accountable to anyone and does not need to report.

First: Always pray and pull down the strongholds, pray against confusion, and disorder. This is the guide that your church leaders must follow. You must balance the spiritual with the natural. Your role as church secretary or church administrator for example is vital to the health of your church and your pastor. It is unfortunate that this essential element is often overlooked or done improperly, greatly impeding the health of a church and its leader.

The right people in the right administrative positions performing at their peak can be burden lifters for senior pastors This is where you must know how to pray for your pastor and ask God to bandage and heal his wounds, as it will impede the success of the ministry God has entrusted into his care.

Pastors are frequently greatly wounded by church boards, church staff, or church members. It is taxing on pastors. Sometimes we only see a glimpse, but we are unaware of the pressures that accompany pastoring.

As a ministry assistant, you are called alongside to assist senior leadership in fulfilling the ministry God has assigned to your local church. You must work on developing a relationship with pastoral leadership that establishes trust and efficiency.

Is it just a job or did God call you to serve in that role? It makes a tremendous difference. The call draws you closer to God, not to gossip and backbiting. The call makes you stay even when the pay is insufficient. The call instructs you on which battles to fight and which ones to let go. The call keeps you showing up on time and with the right spirit. The call revitalizes you when you have your bags packed and ready to walk out. Church leaders should present the personnel policy manuals before their members to ensure that everyone understands its use Caldwell, The author provides guidelines on how leaders can develop staffing plans that are relevant to the unique needs of churches and their employees.

The characteristics of effective teams, according to Caldwell , include responsible freedom, appreciation, cooperation, and understanding. The author also provides criteria for evaluating the performance of various employees according to their job descriptions.

Powers focuses discussion on church office administration in the sixth chapter of the book. Although employees are crucial in the functioning of the church, the office is critical because it serves as the nerve centre and offers support systems for the workers and leaders.

Powers highlights the five major considerations that the church leaders should focus on when establishing church offices as work systems, equipment, facilities, environment, and location. The author further provides instructions for developing or installing the five considerations. Additionally, the author points out that church leaders must also consider issues such as available financial resources, facilities, and the sizes of their congregations to ensure that their offices offer centralised support services.

The chapter presents detailed guidelines on various issues such as communication, minute-taking, record keeping, and auditing, among others. The seventh chapter in Church Administration Handbook discusses financial procedures and policies that church leaders must consider for effective functioning of their organisations.

As Caldwell points out, people and money are two crucial resources that are in limited supply for churches, which necessitates the prudent usage of such resources to avoid incurring increased utility charges, personnel costs, and unrealistic debts.

The first phase in ensuring effective financial management in churches is training a committee to oversee the financial matters.

The second stage is preparing the budget and presenting it to the church for approval, and the author provides procedures that can assist the church leaders in ensuring that their budgets are approved.

Furthermore, Caldwell asserts the importance of accounting for all the monies received in the church and monitoring the spending to ensure fiduciary responsibility. The last stage in the financial procedures is auditing to confirm whether the money has been used according to plan.

The eighth chapter presented by Bob I. Johnson focuses on planning and budgeting, and the author asserts the importance of planning in sustaining the activities of churches regardless of their sizes. Most significantly, Johnson suggests that the plans should enable churches to react effectively to available opportunities that could arise after the planning phase is completed. As such, the author raises an important point that planning and budgeting, especially in contemporary churches, should be flexible instead of being static as it is in the traditional sense.

Johnson also argues that church leaders should understand the unique nature of their organisations to ensure that they succeed in the two critical functions. The author provides some of fundamental principles and guidelines that inform the planning process in contemporary religious institutions. Furthermore, Johnson offers guidelines on how the church leaders can budget efficiently with the limited resources at their disposal.

The author contends that planning and budgeting should be inclusive of processes that factor in inputs from other church members. The ninth chapter of the book discusses the important considerations during the designing and management of church facilities.

Caldwell argues that the church facilities should be visible and accessible to its members, and the author suggests that churches must engage in demographic studies, growth trends, and feasibility studies to determine the most appropriate purposes and locations of their facilities. Additionally, the author insists that churches must secure adequate space for their buildings, develop suitable plans, survey their program needs, and assess their community needs before starting the construction processes.

Churches should also establish plans for managing their facilities and offer adequate insurance coverage to protect the churches from various liabilities. Furthermore, churches should offer adequate security measures against incidences such as arson, attacks on church members, burglary, and vandalism. Caldwell points out that churches should maintain updated inventories of all their facilities and equipment to prevent losses due to theft or negligence.

The author also provides guidelines for constructing church kitchens and offering catering services to the church members. Caldwell ends the chapter by providing various templates that various facilities in the church can use in managing their operations.

As Dale points out in the tenth chapter of the book, special congregational events create opportunities for the church leaders to demonstrate their management skills. Although various events can be regarded as special to the people involved, the author focuses his attention on renewal or revival events, funerals, and weddings.

Dale asserts the importance of adequate planning by the church ministers before they conduct any of the three special events. Most importantly, the author points out that the unique requirements of each event that the church ministers should acquaint himself or herself with to be effective in their work. For instance, Dale highlights some of the legal considerations that could result in illegal marriages, as well as the approaches that the church leaders should adopt when conducting funerals.

The eleventh presented by Bruce Powers is vital because it addresses the crucial roles that church publications have in ensuring effective communication between the church ministers and their congregants.

As such, enhancing the effectiveness and quality of church publications is vital furthering the Christian ministry, and the author offers six considerations that are useful in producing quality publications in the church. Additionally, the author presents various administrative guidelines that can assist the church leaders in planning for their church publications. Most importantly, Powers presents several ideas that can help in improving the quality and layout of church publications to increase readership among the congregations.

Church leaders and congregations can no longer afford to ignore the legal responsibilities that churches have in current times due to the increasing legal accountability and litigation faced by not-for-profit organisations. Caldwell dedicates the twelfth chapter of the book to address some of the legal matters that contemporary churches face, although the author is quick to disqualify himself from giving legal advice as it is in the domain of local attorneys.

The author suggests that the churches should learn to identify the appropriate times to seek legal assistance from competent and reliable attorneys. The churches may also require legal assistance in specific cases such as incorporation, contracts, administering wills and estates, employment practices, family law, and copyrights, among others. Legal responsibilities and ethical standards are interrelated and almost inseparable concepts in all contemporary organisations, including the churches.

However, many individuals ignore the need for ethical practices among the church ministers due to the misconception that the church leaders automatically reflect moral standards based on the Scriptures. Judy J. Stamey refutes such assertions in the thirteenth chapter of the book by highlighting the increased attention on the cases of malpractices by the church leaders.

To address such leadership challenges in the church, Stamey proposes that church ministers and congregants revert to covenant thinking to guide their work and lives.

Stamey then proceeds to identify some of the instances that could result in ethical dilemmas to the church and its leaders. Among the most significant situations that raise ethical concerns in the church settings include employment laws and personnel issues, termination policies, and financial policies.

The author describes the process of establishing a code of ethics, key elements of such codes, and procedures that could assist the church leaders in developing ethical statements. Stamey completes the chapter by providing a sample of a code of ethics that the church ministers could use in developing their own.