Can Administration Be Ministry?
Some administrative work is essential for healthy functioning of any United Methodist church. There are financial, maintenance, legal, and personnel matters that must be dealt with! As FaithQuest churches understand the importance of becoming a faith-forming community, some administrative groups have difficulty understanding their responsibility for the spiritual life of the congregation.
Here are three things to consider:
- Ministry has to be worked through the "system" of the church. We have good ideas and good people. The roadblock is the "system," that is, the policy, procedures, or vestiges of parliamentary procedure we use. Often, administrative committees need to ask, "How does this decision we are considering impact making disciples?"
- People carry out ministry, and sometimes people are the biggest barrier to change. Some leaders feel threatened by the idea of sharing leadership. We are not just talking about people who resist change, but also about people who are pushing change and who lose the ability to listen to anyone who makes another suggestion. In a faith-forming community, people keep their eye on where God is leading rather than on preserving a tradition or forcing any one way of proceeding.
- Keep learning together by listening to God and using resources provided to guide your ministry of administration.
The trigger for this article by Betsey Heavner is the June 11 e-mail newsletter of the Leadership Network called Church Champions, particularly the lead article on church boards by Russ Bredholt. The newsletter, edited by Dave Travis, is available at http://www.leadnet.org.