FUNCTIONAL AREAS IN CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

“Right people must be put in the right place results are going to be achieved.”

Church administration is a process of the continuous harnessing of human and material resources to achieve the goal of the “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:19–20). The goal of the church is soul-winning and discipleship of saints to become mature Christians who will in turn become fishers of men in God’s vineyard.

However, because resources are limited in supply, from an economic point of view, managing the usage of such resources becomes necessary to achieve the greatest goal of the church. This calls for sound management practices on the part of church leaders.

There are (3) three functional areas in church administration:

a.Human Resources

b. Financial Resources

c. Physical Resources

Perhaps the most important of the three is the human resources because they determine the functionality of the other two.

Church is people. Ecclesia- the called-out ones, God’s people. These are the greatest resources on planet earth today.

Business is designed to meet people’s needs otherwise there will be no patronage, hence, profit at the end of the day. In church ministry, the profit is soul-winning.

The more souls are being won into the churches; the more people management skills will be required.

In Acts. 6, the first set of deacons was appointed to help in the administration of food supply and distribution. People management is a crucial functional area in church administration. Many churches win souls, but they can not manage the souls thus the impact is not felt in church growth. Church leaders must develop people skills if they are to succeed in church ministry.

Prov. 29: 18 says “where there is no vision, the people perish…” The opposite is also true, where there are no people, the vision will not see the light of day.

No ministry or organisation can succeed in the achievement of its goals without sound human resources management. Church administrators and managers must develop people skills to succeed in their assignments.

TIPS ON HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

I. Put value on people the way God sees them (Gen 1: 26–28).

Man is the greatest being on this earth. There is a part of God in every human being you see.

II. Apply the golden rule. Do to others what you want them to do to you Love people generally and believe in the best of everybody.

III. Train your staff (Gen.14: 14–16). No organisation can be better than the people inside it. Remember the mighty men of David, they were people with no track record, but they became “mighty” by training.

IV. Motivate your staff with fair wages. If you pay peanuts, you will employ monkeys (James 5:4). Give people what is due to them.

V. Pray before you engage any staff. Jesus prayed before He appointed His disciples yet there was a Judas among them. One Achan in your ministry can wreck your ship. Be guided by the Holy Spirit.

VI. Be bold to fire any member of staff that is causing division, “di + vision.” A teachable ignoramus is better than a skilful rebel.

VII. Use confrontation and openness to dispel rumours. Do not “manage” rumours. As a leader, you can not afford to bring down the roof on your head. If anybody comes to report another person, call the two parties involved. If the accusation cannot be repeated, it is right for you to conclude that it is a lie.

VIII. Staffing: In church ministry, you have pastoral staff(main-line staff) and administrative staff (support staff). Do not muzzle an ox that treads out the grain ( 1 Timothy 5:18).

IX. Recruitment Procedures: This refers to the processes, methods, and means of filling existing vacant positions within the organisation. It should form part of the Human Resources policy of the church.

The importance:

1. Removes ambiguity in staffing through job description.

2. Ensures right staff strength (not short staffed or over staffed)-staff your weaknesses. Engage people who have skills you don’t have so that they can complement your efforts.

3. Enhances objectivity in the selection of people- staff audit. Recruitment procedures should cover determination of vacant positions, an advertisement for such, tests and interviews, recommendations/investigations of the successful candidates, entry procedure, employment status of different levels of staff, orientation/induction (for them to imbibe the culture of the organisation).

X.Training System: it is simply a deliberate design to ensure that each member of staff is trained in specific skill areas within a given period.

In designing a training system, you must be able to do the following:

1. Define the long- and short-term goals of the organisation.

2. Identify the knowledge, skill, and attitude required to achieve such goals.

3. Do an audit of the current skill level of your staff (if they meet the requirement to perform the job).

4. Identify the skill gaps that exist.

5. Deliberately design training programs to meet such needs.

6. All training and programs should be focused on achieving the goals and vision of the church.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The financial resource is crucial to the fulfilment of any ministry assignment. Nothing takes its place in the areas where money works. For example, renting a church facility, buying audio and video equipment, printing evangelism materials, staff salaries, and so on.

However, we should not over emphasise the role of money. God will fund any ministry assignment He ordained. (Luke 22: 35, I Kings 17: 8–16). Divine supply is guaranteed for divine assignment.

But God will not give you what you cannot manage. God abhors waste (Prov. 21:20). In the miracle of the multiplication of bread, Jesus was not as touched by the multiplication the way he was concerned about the fragments.

Your management of finances will directly impact the progress of anything you are doing. If you are not doing well with the resources God gives you, He will cut back on what He sends to you. Church managers/administrators must school themselves in sound financial management principles to keep the flow of money in their organisations.

Below are some thoughts on money management principles:

TIP ON FINANCIAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

I.Do not allow money to take the place of God in your life and ministry. You cannot serve God and money. Money is a good servant but a bad master (Lk.16: 13).

II. Make the most of available resources per time (Matt.

25: 15–18). Invest in what increases your turnover, not liabilities with devastating effects. Be prudent with your resources.

III. Keep accurate financial records (Matt. 25: 19; Mk12:42–44). God checks church records. Very soon in Nigeria and other African countries, the government will start asking church leaders how they manage the resources at their disposal. Thanks to EFCC! {Economic and financial crimes Commission in Nigeria}.

IV. Have a financial plan that will include:

(A) Budget (a statement of income and expenditure and

(b) Financial Reports, which should be periodical; weekly, or monthly.

V. Your performance at the current level will determine clearance to the next level (Matt. 25:27,30). To everyone who has, more will be given.

VI. Church saving and investment culture (Prov 21:20). Save from every circle of income. Let that become your habit, then it will become the culture of your church.

(3) PHYSICAL RESOURCES

Managing the physical resources of an organisation is also central to its effectiveness. In church ministry, availability, and the state of equipment such as buildings; parking lots; access roads; sound equipment; chairs; lighting; printers; computers; photocopying machines; motor vehicles, and such, impact directly on church results.

Gone are the days when we gather people under the tree for church events. The 21-century church should be millennium compliant. We should not forget the fact that the same sets of people who work in banks; oil companies and blue-chip companies with better physical facilities are the people we are expecting in our churches. We can not afford to make the church environment look shabby. If anything at all, it should be a good representative of heaven where we claim to come from and where we are going. Beauty has something to do with holiness.

Church physical resources can be categorised into four (4), namely:

1. Curriculum materials

2. Supplies

3. Properties

4. Equipment and furniture

1. Curriculum materials include periodicals, books, study(Sunday) school outlines; believer’s foundational classes; films; audiocassettes and recordings, projectors, and so on.

2. Church supply items are primarily expendable items the church uses in executing her day-to-day activities.

These include record forms; paper, chalk, land, eraser, pencil, water, soft drinks, biscuits for children's church, and so on. Good stewardship requires planning for church supplies. It is important that we plan for ordering, securing, distributing, using, storing, and paying for church supplies. There should be a continuous inventory of supplies, to ensure the timely restocking of items. Church staff members can work with volunteers to determine how best to administer supplies in the church.

3. Church properties imply buildings; grounds and parking lots. The administration of these may be so demanding that it affects the effectiveness of the ministry. Church buildings must be neat and well-lighted. Painting must be done periodically to keep it fresh. You should provide a parking lot for the congregation. It is not right for congregants to deprive other road users of their privilege by parking on the roads. Our love for other people should be the guiding principle here.

The church signboard speaks even before people enter the auditorium. Use signage professionally.

4. Equipment and furnishings include office equipment; auditorium furnishings; plumbing items; cooling equipment (air conditions); lighting equipment; tables; chairs; sound equipment; audio-visual; pianos; kitchen and food service equipment.

These and other items are treated separately from church buildings.

There is a need for guidance in the use of equipment and furnishings. They should be paid for or purchased through material offerings from the people. They also require some maintenance.

TIPS ON PHYSICAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

1. SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

Purchases should be done centrally for accountability.

Church supplies should be handled by mature staff and receipted. There should be a way to assess prices to establish their fairness. Administrative control must be in place to prevent fraud.

2. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Such supplies must be managed to prevent waste of resources. There should be a storekeeper who keeps a record of supplies and releases from the store. Inventory management also helps to keep the stock of such materials from running out.

3. MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT

There is a need to keep the properties and equipment in shape for functionality. Maintenance management is meant to prevent the equipment from breaking down.

4. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

For functionality and freshness. A guest to your church might not remember the message you preached the day the person visited your church but will not forget what he/she did in the restroom. So, the church properties are to be managed to ensure they are always in the best shape.

5. CHURCH TECHNOLOGY

The modern church needs to harness the current trends in technological innovation. This is simply a blend of the three broad technology components of worship: Audio, Video, and Lighting. A good blend of these three creates a whole new experience of worship in the modern-day church.

In conclusion, when we manage these three areas of the church resources very well, we will always be cleared for the next level. Matt 25:21 will become our reality as a ministry. There will be super abundance supply of all resources we need to fulfil the vision of our churches and ministries.