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November 29, 2011

Delegating Responsibility in the Church Office

Hundreds of things need to be done in a church—here’s how to manage.

 by John Bisagno


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Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Pastor’s Handbook by John Bisagno (B&H, 2011):

Imagine trying to lead two million persons across a desert with no map, no food, and no water. Moses had an administrative nightmare not only in leading the Israelites and providing for their needs but also in judging them in matters of personal and national decisions. His was an impossible task.

You know the story. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, helped him get organized. The people were divided into groups, assistants were named, and the work efficiently done. Our Lord, of course, referred to Himself when He said, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Yet he poured his life into developing twelve leaders who would be the human instruments through which he would do the building.

The pastor of a growing and vibrant church must learn that he cannot be a jack of all trades, make all the decisions, and do everything himself. He must have help. Staff, secretaries, deacons, teachers, and the church members comprise a large reservoir of talent and abilities. Right now there is probably someone in your congregation just waiting to help you do the job.

Your senior adults will visit shut-ins for you. A retired minister in your congregation can help visit the hospitals. Women can beautifully plan the churchwide Thanksgiving banquet and men who can build that new mission. People in your congregation know how to design ads, take surveys, handle legal work, and do a hundred other things that need to be done in a church.

But don’t delegate responsibility at random. The new member’s packet should contain, among other things, a talent survey card. Keep a master file of your people’s talents, hobbies, and occupations. When you need something done, go to that file.

A mechanic who cannot teach a lesson can repair the church bus. A carpenter who cannot give great sums of money can build bookshelves for the children’s department. A talented lady can help improve the quality of the church meals. A grocer can assist in ordering foods in quantity for weekly church meals.

When you have a job to be done—whether painting a room, following up with new members, or recruiting and training ushers—get laypeople to do it. Invite them to your office and have a heart-to-heart talk. Tell them you need them. Tell them how much you are counting on them and how important they are to the work of the kingdom.

Ask them to enlist others, oversee the job, carry it through, and give you a report when it is completed. And thank them publicly when the job is finished. Think! You’ll find an easier way and someone who can do the job. You can’t do it all, and a hundred good people are wanting and waiting to be used.

Larger churches, of course, have the luxury of being multistaffed. While some are called and paid to assist you in the work of the ministry, don’t forget the wealth of services available within the laity of the congregation.

One Sunday morning I preached on the importance of being available to God for His service. I will never forget a man who approached me.

“Pastor, I would never come forward on an invitation to be one of the crowd to say I am willing to serve,” he said, “but if you ever pick up the phone, and tell me there is something special you need me to do for the church, I will never turn you down.”

Even though you have a paid staff, give equal importance to the volunteer spirit of your people. Within the staff structure at Houston’s First were many levels of administration—directors of education, music, counseling, cleaning, school—each with a level of leaders under them who administered others within their area. One thing in common made each of these leaders effective: they were all good delegators.

Being a delegator, getting people to help and trusting them to do it, begins with a sense of personal security that rests in our security in Christ.

Insecure leaders feel the need to do everything themselves, check up on everybody, look over every shoulder, and trust no one else to get the job done.

The apostle Paul tells us our Lord is the head in heaven and we, various members of His body on earth (see 1 Cor. 12:12—20).

The beauty of the body is its diversity. As a functioning body has various organs and limbs, so the members of the body of Christ bring varying gifts and talents to the service of our Lord. So turn it loose. Let the church be the church. Let someone else do it, and trust them to get the job done. A few will disappoint you. Most will bless you.

This is particularly true within the church staff. Early in my ministry I greatly belabored the matter of checking up on my staff. Finally, I decided if I were to do my job and theirs, I might as well get paid my salary and theirs!

Make every effort to hire competent, committed, hardworking, talented people and turn them loose. Even the member of the smallest staff, whose commitment to our Lord is high, is probably capable of doing more than you imagine.

Excerpted from Pastor’s Handbook by John Bisagno (B&H, 2011). Used by permission. All rights to this material are reserved. Material is not to be reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission from B&H Publishing Group.

John R. Bisagno is pastor emeritus of the 22,000-member Houston’s First Baptist Church where he preached for 30 years. He has also authored 25 books and now serves on the adjunct faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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Posted by Michelle Dowell on November 29, 2011 8:00 AM

Related Tags: administration, business administrators, church, employment, executive pastors, leadership, Management, office, staff, volunteers

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