In church management, sometimes pastors follow directives. But we also motivate people, set goals, organize, and initiate. To put it another way, a good pastor-administrator is a good leader.
—Arthur DeKruyter
Early in my ministry, I attended a social gathering in an elder’s home. I had just begun thinking about the importance of the pastor’s administrative role, and during the evening’s conversation, I expressed some of my ideas.
The elder, who happened to be a sharp businessman and a good manager, temporarily forgot most of his own rules for dealing with people. “Never forget that you’re working for the church,” he informed me in the presence of his peers and mine. “Your job is to carry out the church’s directives. Remember, we’re paying your salary.”
I still feel the sting of those words.
As time passed, however, I noticed that the churches accomplishing things were led by pastors who were, in fact, good administrators—they followed the will of the people, but they also helped shape the church. Harold Ockenga’s ministry at Park Street Church in Boston, for example, left a deep impression on me.
At Christ Church of Oak Brook, the board makes policy and the pastor administers it. That means the pastor has the responsibility to implement programs, but also the freedom to lead the board into new policy decisions.
To master church management, one must master administration. It is vital, then, to be clear about the full dimensions of administration. Most pastors recognize they, as administrators, are responsible to carry out board policy. But some are less dear about how an administrator also leads.
In chapter 1, Don Cousins has shown briefly that managers are leaders. Let me, in this chapter, explore the many sides of pastoral administration.
An Administrator Appeals to Higher Needs
Whether I’m creating or implementing a program, people need to be motivated to support it with their time, talents, and treasures. Motivating them is my job as administrator.
Some preachers try to motivate by harping: “If you don’t do this, you will one day be responsible before God, your judge.” But that doesn’t work in our congregation.
Instead, I find Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps me understand human drives and ambitions, and consequently, helps me motivate people. I try to appeal to the higher needs on Maslow’s chart—self-fulfillment and service to God and others. When I address those needs, people automatically become motivated, provide funds for church programs, and follow enthusiastically.
For example, we constructed our church building because of one of these higher needs. Eighty families were packed into a gymnasium for worship services. Children overflowed from available classrooms. We needed a home, yes. But more important, with our own building, we could establish ourselves as a dynamic presence in the Oak Brook community. Our motivation compelled us beyond the basic need of adequate shelter. We wanted to make a bold statement for our Lord.
The result is a warm, spacious building on a main thoroughfare. We committed ourselves to a high mortgage, but today every one of our members would confirm it was worth it.
An Administrator Talks in Pictures
The pastor may be able to appeal to the congregation’s higher needs but sometimes still cannot convince people to act or give. Often the problem is not lack of vision as much as a lack of a mental picture. People are unable to picture a solution to a need.
Consequently, I try to dramatize solutions. For instance, we spurred the vision for our new building by unveiling a beautiful scale model. We displayed it in a bank, a restaurant, and the lobby of a local hotel. We committed ourselves publicly, and our members rose to the challenge of establishing the dream.
Our members have been inspired to participate in many other projects because they were excited by a picture of what could be accomplished: “Imagine sending a busload of youngsters on excursions throughout the United States!” “Imagine our facilities as a focal point for religious music in the area!—
A few years ago we heard about Christian villagers who lived along the northern border of India. One of their most pressing needs was for church buildings. We were impressed and sought to help. I began by giving our congregation a picture: small churches in villages, each a little “Christ Church of Such-and-Such a Village.” We visualized these villagers going to church on Sunday morning, worshiping in a different culture, but worshiping the same Lord. “Wouldn’t it be great,” I asked, “if they could worship in a building? Why don’t we help them get a building?” And before we knew it, we had done just that.
Effective motivators talk in figurative language rather than in abstract detail. Jack Kennedy didn’t talk about spending money on “space exploration,” but about “putting a man on the moon in ten years.” That picture caught our imagination and motivated an entire nation.
Likewise, those who direct the ministries of the church find themselves charged with enlarging people’s vision. And vision comes from picturing what God wants to do.
An Administrator Pursues Goals—Prudently
Have you seen any preachers carrying donkeys lately? They often do, you know.
They’re like the old man in the fable who was traveling with a child and a donkey. As they passed through the first village, the man led the donkey and the child walked behind. The villagers said the old man was a fool for not riding his sturdy beast of burden. So he climbed on, seeking to please the crowd.
In a second village, people said the old man was cruel to the child, making him walk while enjoying the ride himself. So the man got off and put the child on the animal’s back.
In the third village, the consensus was that the child was lazy because he was forcing the old man to walk. So they both rode.
In a fourth village, the bystanders said the poor donkey was overworked. The man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.
It’s important to listen to the will of the people, but it can get out of hand. Crowds can be fickle. That’s why I firmly believe the pastor-administrator should set goals for the church. That’s not to say we stay aloof from our people. We pastors must dream dreams and set goals for the church, but we shouldn’t be afraid to dream with people around us, nor to set goals in conjunction with the board. Napoleon Hill calls this a “brain trust.” When two people think together, their thoughts somehow combine into ideas bigger than both of them. The wise administrator will take the initiative to set goals, but never form those goals in solitude.
The seeds of dynamic goals are nurtured during personal meditation and prayer. In the rush of activity, I mustn’t forget to listen quietly to God.
But next, a good administrator outlines these goals and shows them to the right people. As any pastor knows, not all the people with power are elected officers. But in office or out, the informal executive board—the individuals the congregation follows—should be consulted.
I learned a valuable lesson about this in a church that had two bright orange doors in the front of an otherwise dignified sanctuary.
“Why are the doors painted orange?” I asked the elected leaders.
“Pastor, you’d better talk to the fellow who painted them.”
“I don’t think that’s a liturgical color,” I remarked. “In fact, I think we should repaint them.”
“You’d better talk to the man who painted them,” was the nervous reply. So I did.
It turned out the painter had been hired by a wealthy immigrant who loved the Dutch hero William of Orange. He had paid for the painting of the church sanctuary out of his own pocket.
I finally got the doors repainted, but it was far more difficult than I estimated, even though many people agreed the color was atrocious.
Some powerful people are easily threatened and can shatter the dreams we are working to build. Others enjoy knocking down our plans as a matter of course. Others still, whether officers or not, are looked to by members for insight; their opinions matter to many people. So, we need to contact this core group first when important goals are being set. With some honest and skillful human-relations work, we can shape our goals better, avoid unnecessary conflict, and gain vital support. Only after endorsements from people in this core group do we show the goals to the entire congregation.
At the same time, you cannot bypass the elected governing board, as I discovered long ago, to my regret.
In my first congregation, I felt we needed to reorganize the structure of the church. So I talked to a couple of talented businessmen in the congregation who were known for their organizational expertise. They analyzed our structure, pointed out its weakness, and suggested a new approach. They did a superb job. It couldn’t be faulted.
The problem was I had bypassed the governing board, and before we could move on the plan, the board had to approve it. They had not authorized the study, nor had they been consulted during the process. When the plan was explained to them, they wouldn’t even talk about it.
“Since this was all done outside the board and without our knowledge and approval, we don’t even recognize it,” they said. “Officially it doesn’t exist.” When I suggested we start over, this time with them taking the initiative, they refused. By that time, I had embittered them.
I had made use of the movers and shakers but to no avail; I hadn’t gone through official channels. A prudent administrator does both.
An Administrator Sets Worthy Goals
Big goals normally excite a church and win congregational support faster than small goals. Denominations sometimes make the mistake of trying to start churches by erecting small buildings and then sending someone to fill them with people. Unfortunately, the denomination has announced to the community that its vision is small. Highly motivated people are attracted by great ideas. When we limit vision, we immediately cut off those who have the capacity to catch a broad, exciting vision for ministry.
One of our members wanted to serve Christ, but he told me he didn’t want to organize or lead any more meetings in the church; he’d had enough of that. I thought about it for a few days and came back with a suggestion. “Why not start a community breakfast or lunch? A monthly meeting over breakfast, for example, might attract business people who commute to Chicago. Nationally known speakers could address them on relevant topics. Periodically we can bring in an inspirational speaker, and I could lead with prayer. This community is growing and it lacks cohesiveness. It would be a way our church could serve the community.”
That caught his interest. So we started the Executive Breakfast Club of Oak Brook, now the biggest club of its type in the Chicago area. Average attendance is about five hundred, although we’ve had up to twelve hundred people attend. We have had speakers like Gerald Ford as well as business people who talk about their faith. We’ve had people converted to Christ. Many people come to the church because of it.
Here was a man who was tired of routine ministry, but who was actually just underemployed. He was energized by the vision of doing something big for Christ in the community.
Naturally, I don’t believe good things only come in large packages. Many people are served best in smaller ways. People have left our church because they felt it grew too large for them, and I respect that. But even a small church lifts up a large vision to its members, albeit in a different way. To be an intimate, caring church family, for example, is hardly a small vision.
The Administrator Works Backwards
It’s easy to find a path through a maze if you start at the end and work backwards to the starting point. Most children who spend much time with puzzle books know that.
An administrator determines the steps to be taken to reach a goal. A good administrator establishes the goals for a congregation and then works backwards to develop a path to reach those goals.
A friend asked if I would meet with his church’s planning board. This small Episcopal congregation had twin goals: to build new facilities and to develop a large youth ministry. Their present youth program was small, but they thought including a special youth facility in their building plans would help it grow.
After some discussion, I realized they were planning a youth building but weren’t considering how to nurture a large youth program. Working backwards in our planning, we realized the building could happen only after they hired a youth worker who could build a strong program. Only then could they dream realistically about having a youth building. Then, a larger youth program would necessitate the expansion of their facilities. That, in fact, is what happened.
A few years ago, I felt we needed a healing service. I knew my congregation, however. Many would be skeptical, equating a healing service with flamboyant faith-healers, which would not be the type of service our church could appreciate.
So I worked backwards with them for the next several months. I showed them the need that would be fulfilled, both from a biblical and pastoral perspective. We talked about the different healings that people would experience, emotional and psychological as well as physical. We talked about the liturgy that could be used and the tone of the service it would set.
Once they clearly saw the goal, the end of the process, they were willing and able to take the steps necessary to get there. Now our monthly healing service is one they wouldn’t do without.
An Administrator Thinks about Vital Details
When I was a boy, my family owned a retail hardware store. That’s where 1 learned the nuts and bolts of business. I learned to pay attention to little things, and I saw the problems that resulted when I didn’t.
Many aspects of church work are as mundane as nuts, bolts, sink fixtures, and set screws. But you can’t ignore them.
A few years ago, we began two morning worship services, and the increased traffic was too much for a parking lot designed for simpler days. Things never reached a critical point. Our members grumbled a bit, but little more. No trustee received a flash of inspiration that said, “Do something about this!” We limped along, not coming to grips with the situation.
As an administrator with an eye for detail, I began to see the growing problem. I had to get involved in additional details—talking about the legitimate need for a new lot and motivating the church and board to make some changes. An attention to vital detail—the growing irritation over finding a parking space—made the difference.
Lacking that attention, things may have continued unchanged for a long time, and a subtle message would have gone out to our community: Christ Church has grown to the point it can’t handle any more people.
An Administrator Leads
In church management, pastor-administrators do all sorts of things. Sometimes we follow directives. But we also motivate people, set goals, organize, and initiate. To put it another way, a good administrator is a good leader.
So I try not to confine my image of administration, as did the elder I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. Nor would I say a pastor should remain aloof and lead only from the pulpit. Instead, pastors can do anything and everything that helps the church flourish and reach out to its neighbors in the name of Christ. That will happen when we recognize the many aspects of effective church administration.
Copyright © 1990 by Christianity Today
