Beginning to Administrate

This is a little off track, but not too far out there. I have been thinking about what happens when I "administrate" something. What happens, practically? Whether you are in a position that requires overall responsibility or just responsible for a small part, I think there are a couple of key things we need to do.

We need to think! Seems obvious. Not so. We need to take some time and think through all of the things that need to happen for a successful "event." Let's use a Sunday service as an example. You are the pastor (theoretically) so you have the overall responsibility for the service. You may delegate parts of it but they still have a strings attached to you. If you have been at this for awhile some of this may seem unimportant or unnecessary. OK for you, but perhaps, not for some one else.

There is no way I am suggesting that the pastor do all of this or even have his fingers in it other than as an overall leader (administrator).

Who does the bulletins? It's in good hands and I've given all of my announcements to the person.
Who handles worship? Ah, yes, the worship leader. Is he aware of any special things (music, drama) that I want to use because of my message that day? Do I communicate enough with the worship leader?

Do the ushers/greeters know their job? Do they have the handouts that they need? Are the baskets in the right place - if there is an offering? Is my message ready or being worked on faithfully? Did I get my PowerPoint to the sound people? And the list could go on.

Understand, again, most of these things are in other peoples hands as delegated responsibilities. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware of them. If we are unaware of these things we cannot appreciate the work that others are doing and good communication breaks down. Nothing will disgruntle your workers more than lack of acknowledgement and encouragement and training.

So as you sit in your chair or stand at your desk (recommended these days) on the day you work on this - THINK. Think of what could go wrong or right. Pray and ask God to make you aware of needs for the Sunday service.

As you journey through your service, notice what is going on. Look at the congregation, workers and see  what is working and what is not. I think a big part of administration is having eyes that see.

As always, throw in your comments. That's how we all learn.

There is too much to do!!!

In either a Twitter post or a Facebook post someone commented with "Wow" after my last entry. Having just re-read that post I concur, WOW! That is a lot of stuff. Fortunately we don't usually think of all the things that need to be done at the same time. There are a few that get our attention and we focus on those, many times forgetting - or letting them "fall through the cracks" as the saying goes - the rest of the things we need to do. That makes it easier for us to deal with everything BUT, it also will get us in trouble when we forget to call ????? who has been waiting to hear from us. This explains the need for a CALENDAR and a LIST.

Your calendar should always be handy and you should NEVER make and appointment or a promise without looking at it first - from personal experience. (It is not good to double book appointments.) When you make appointments don't forget to factor in travel time. You can't finish and appointment at 1:00pm on one side of town and start the next at 1:00pm. on the other side. You need travel time. As long as you have your calendar out you ought to schedule two things right now. Schedule your teaching prep time (if you have these responsibilities) and your date night (if you are married).

Your LIST should be with you also. Anything that comes to mind that you need to do (hence the term TO DO LIST) should go on the list. Many of you may think your memory is sufficient - "I won't forget" you say. I have had many people schedule appointments with me only to find they aren't there for the appointment because, "I forgot." Get in the habit of writing it down. It will only serve you in the long run. Oh yeah, don't forget you have to look at both your calendar and your list.

Now you have a CALENDAR, a LIST, and if you did the suggested "assignment" from the last post, a list of what you have to do in your ministry. This is a great start. We will continue with the next post.

Don't forget to add your insights, thoughts, suggestions, and questions in the COMMENTS.

Confused?

The last post may have left you in some confusion. We are talking about ADMINISTRATION and yet I shared a method of establishing priorities in your life. Does that affect you skills in ADMINISTRATION? For sure.

If you can't administer you own life how can we begin to do it on a community level. We need to understand the need to begin with small things (our lives) before we can move on the bigger things (the church). As pastors/leaders we need to have our lives in order; not only have our lives in order but to know how to help others move into a life of order.

The chart I gave you last time is not difficult. You may have to adjust it depending on your life situation. If you are bi-vocational, the separation of WORK AND CHURCH makes some sense. If you are full-time in ministry your work and church columns may become one. Then there is A,B, and C, the Priority Rows. Row A would be those things that have to be done. They are critical to that column topic. They are not optional. Row B are those things that should be done. We need to schedule them in our calendar and soon. Row C are the things we would like to do and if there is any extra time we want to do them. In my experience Row A is easier than Rows B and C.

In doing this exercise you will have to move some things from the Priority A row to some other row. This can be difficult because we are placing a less important label on some things we have always done. Have fun working through this. Remember you can only have a limited number of items in Row A.

Once you have filled-in all 15 or so blocks take some time to review and be sure each item is placed in the block it belongs.

Why is this important? One of the lessons we need to learn is the one word answer, "No." If we understand our priorities we give ourselves one more tool to allow us to say "No." to the many requests that come our way.

If you are married, be sure to go over you priority list with your spouse - they have valuable insight into our lives. If you are single, be sure to go over the sheet with that person who would serve as your pastor, overseer, or accountability partner - they may be able to add some thoughts to yours.

Using this form with others can be very helpful in helping them to understand what they should be doing. You could also modify the column list and use it with your church. One option would be using one column - CHURCH - and then filling in the Priorities Rows. Another would be to make each column one of the major ministries of your church and having their respective leaders fill-in the priority rows. This would create a good place for discussions among your team.

Please add your comments and suggestions. One of the keys to leadership is to never stop learning.