14 Principles Of Effective Church Administration

This past week I had the privilege of representing INJOY Stewardship Solutions at the Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors Conference in Baltimore.  The KACP is a fellowship of pastors who are committed to the call the Lord has placed upon their lives.  They are committed to the call to preach, to lead, to care, to build, and to better the body of Christ.  It is their desire to lead the people of faith through the most excellent, most impacting, and most effective pastoral ministry possible.

While there, I attended a breakout session conducted by Dr. Dwight Riddick of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Newport News, VA on The Principles Of Effective Church Administration.  His opening remark was “Operate the church like a business?  Yes, but elevate that.  Operate the church like the Bible says.  Good businesses get their ideas from the Bible.  If the church does good Bible, it will do good business.”

I felt the remainder of  information was so valuable I want to pass it along to you.  The following are 5 Principles Of Effective Church Administration along with additional information he provided:

The 5 Principles Of Effective Church Administration from 1 Corinthians 14:26-40:

1. When doing “church”, we are to do it in a proper manner.  Policies and procedures show people you have things in order.
2. There should be order, not chaos.
3. There should be sensibility, not insensitivity.
4. There should be consistency, not discord.
5. There should be guidance, not irresponsibility.  Policies and procedures help you solve problems.

The 9 Principles Of Effective Church Administration from Exodus 18:21-23:

1. God appoints leaders.  Leaders should always be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
2. God expects those leaders to function effectively.  Policies and procedures help develop consistency.
3. No leader can do the entire job alone.
4. Leaders who try to do the job alone either burn out themselves or wear out their followers.
5. God often provides advisors to assist us in leadership.
6. By delegating portions of the job, a leader can focus on the main issues.  The product should be someone gets to know Jesus and grow and mature as believers.
7. Delegation does not relieve the leader from the responsibility, but it does remove them from carrying out the mundane and routine tasks.  When you delegate things to people, they need a framework (policies and procedures) to carry out their responsibilities.
8. Individuals who are delegated tasks must be qualified to do the job.
9. Individuals who are delegated tasks must be given the responsibilities to their level of ability – the more qualified, the higher the responsibility.  We don’t want to destroy people. We want to develop them.  You have to develop people because roles and responsibilities change. Things change.  The roles and responsibilities continue to involve.

The 9 Things We Can Affirm About Church Administration:

1. Administration is not practical vs. spiritual. (2 Corinthians 9:12-15)
2. Administration concerns the minister’s total task. (Titus 1:5-9)
3. Administration is brought about by scholarly study. (2 Timothy 2:15)
4. Administration is an art to be practiced. (James 2:14-18)
5. Administration is primarily concerned with persons, not processes. (1 Corinthians 12:18-28)
6. Administration is the means to an end, the process that leads to a product. (Philippians 3:13-17)
7. Administration is an orderly process. ( 1 Corinthians 14:40)
8. Administration is a preserver of peace, not a product of conflict. (1 Corinthians 8:7-13)
9. Administration is a source of fellowship. (Acts 2:42)

What is one thing about church administration you learned from this excellent session?

My book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase.  If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you!  By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you.  This book is not to be read alone.  Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence.  Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.