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| Pastor E.O. Oketola |
Text: Acts.
20:28;Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”
Definitions
The Meaning of Administration
Administration
is not the psychological manipulation of people to achieve statistical and
mechanical ends. But its the execution of the prerequisite skills,
methodologies and planning towards the achievement of the stated organizational
goals.
Types of Administration
1.
Church
2.
Business
3.
Public etc
The Concept of Church Administration
A
church's success or failure hinges on properly administering the organizational
aspects of the ministry through the understanding of the meaning, values and
its functions.
The
pastor as the highest person on helm of affair, He should not play the role of
boss or commander by exercising power over the people. But as the
"executive" of the religious organization, in this sense, he runs the
church by skillful and power of influence through the Holy Spirit.
The
21st-century church is now a corporation that have a spiritual concern for all
aspects that include; managing the youth organizations, men and women
associations, handling marital issues, rehabilitation of poor members,
organizing vocational training to the jobless, ministry to the inmates, anger
management in the church, ministering to the sick, economic issues etc.
All
of these facets require qualified personnel to run them; qualified personnel
require human resources and managerial skill with the application of divine
wisdom through the Holy Spirit.
A church
administrator must has a well-rounded educational, business and theological background
because his duties involves; human resource management, risk management,
budgeting, purchasing, land acquisition and building programs etc.
Church
administration involves the accomplishment of gospel goals which is one of the Biblical
realities. Church administration must never be perceived as
"secular," in contrast to the "spiritual" ministries of the
pastor. Rather it is the spiritual oversight of the church, with a view to
leading God's people to "grow up in Christ" in the very performance
of the church's ministry.
The administration
of the New Testament church was characterized by trust in God and love for each
other. There was functional awareness of the church as a Spirit-filled
community, and the ever-present "functional" approach. Administration
is not a fixed, static method of doing things, but is closely related to
ministering, or serving.
The Administrator
Hartzell
Spence sets forth the essential qualifications of the minister who is a good
administrator in the following way: To be sincerely pious, narrow to the point
of narrow-minded in his private life, a master politician with both his parish
and the higher church organization, and a financial performer. He works with
assurance, enthusiasm, and value to every activity. His readiness to serve will
inspire service, and his goal will give meaning and direction to the people.
1.
Church Administration is
theologically Oriented – Church administration suffers primarily from two abuses,
namely, a misunderstanding of its essential nature and a perversion of its
potential values. Some pastors become frustrated because they perceive
administration to be mere mechanical procedures and methods which is not.
2.
Church Administration and the
Minister - There
is a need for the pastor to relate his own attitudes to the administrative
function of his ministry with personal oversight worship, evangelism, missions,
teaching, stewardship of giving, indeed, the total stewardship of the whole of
life.
In order that the pastor may
properly relate in this comprehensive sphere, we will suggest these features
vital to successful administration.
1.
Bringing Creativity to His Task – Fresh
insight and the adventurous spirit are important personal ingredients.
Individual initiative is a quality without which creativeness cannot long live.
Dimock (1945) declares that “no one can
organize others until he has successfully organized himself”. The
pastor should have a definite sense of time stewardship, as Sangster (1952).
2.
A Creative Study and Planning – worthy program demand just
as good sermonizing and planned worship requires planning. In the process of
creative planning, the pastor and other leaders of the local church should keep
a wise balance between the use of their own ideas and the helpful ideas.
Key roles and functions of a successful administrator:
1.
The good administrator protects the ministry – He or she
should protect the church by making sure there is financial accountability.
2.
The administrator represents the church to the general
public
3.
To checkmate all areas of
risk and liability that may prone the church to trouble.
4.
The church administrator is constantly observing the
congregation for any problems or unusual actions that may create a disturbance.
5.
The administrator interviews and screens new employees that
wishes to work under the coffer of the church.
6.
Deals in conflict resolution when there is an issue between
members and non members of his church.
The
administrator may not have all the educational credentials or many years of
experience; however, he must be people-oriented, loves the church and is a
loyal, committed, servant-leader as a true church administrator.
Needful Skills
God
has appointed some people and talented with gifts of administration according
to – 1 Cor. 12:28. Yet, every minister must be equipped with the relevant
skills in administrating their local assemblies. Here, the Holy Spirit plays an
essential role in taking the raw materials of gospel potential and turning them
into the sweet fruit of gospel impact. I mean God uses the unlearned, unsocial
entities to confuse the wisdom of the world.
1.
Excellent communication skills to run an efficient
organization. Many churches have experienced devastating events, all due to a
lack of people-to-people communication.
2.
Devotion of proportionate time to administration – Yet,
ministers realize that administration is important but allocate little time to
it.
3.
Application of the principle of delegation of duties – Lesson can be learned from the
business executive concerning the delegating of responsibility, as suggested by
Jethro, recorded in Exodus chapter 18:.
4. Understanding of the nature of
the church and its ministry – For the pastor's ministry is the church's
ministry. Therefore, the church is first of all a spiritual fellowship of
redeemed persons Newman, (1952).
Challenges
1.
Pastor may face people with divergent view on church issues
2.
The administrator will see and hear things that may not
encouraging but he must keep to himself or herself, as well as in prayer.
Admonition
1.
Ministers should give his people leadership that is pastoral
in spirit and concern.
2.
He should make the Word of God, the manual and highest
authority in the church.
3.
So train your people with every skill; equip them with the
truth of the gospel; help them to always depend on the Spirit of God.
4.
The proper pastoral leadership must serve to make the
welfare of the members imperative.
5.
The administrator must be spiritually mature and walk in
integrity and honesty. The Bible says, "The integrity of the upright will
guide them" (Prov. 11:3, NKJV
Pastor E.O. Oketola
CAC Ona-Igbala,
Alapere DCC
Lagos.
Tags
Features
Impactful and expository.
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