Administration

Captain Kirk’s San Francisco Sailing

Papers were stacked on the desk. The freshest on the top and the stale ones on the bottom, hoping benign neglect will eventually mean they can be trashed. There are workers needing directions about the work they are doing. A budget has to be prepare for the council to review. Both the computer and the copier quit working on Thursday afternoon, and there is little chance of getting them working before Monday. The worship bulletin is not yet finished. The organist/choir director just called to say she was not well and would not be able to be at church on Sunday. A substitute will have to be found. Millie called to complain because the Women’s Birthday Luncheon isn’t on the church’s website. The florist wants to know when they can get in Saturday morning to place the flowers for the wedding Saturday afternoon. The annual statistical report needs to be completed and submitted, but the computer is down and that is how it has to be submitted. The sermon isn’t even started. It will have to be another Saturday night special.

Such is the life of a pastor for a smaller membership congregation. Details, details, details. What is it they say, “The devil is in the details?” Many pastors know the frustration of being the one designated as the person who is to handle the details. Although some pastors do like to hide in the weeds of the details to avoid doing other activities, most proclaim their disdain for administration. Get a group of pastors together and one of the chief complaints will be about the time and effort it takes to handle the administrative details of the congregation. “I didn’t go to seminary to become the congregation’s CEO,” can often be heard. Most seminaries barely provide instruction in the area of church administration. Among many, administration might as well be a four letter word.

It is no wonder so many pastors have an allergic reaction to administration when it is taken to mean handling a plethora of details which have not been delegated to some other person, or which have been dropped by others like children’s toys strewn on the floor for the parents to pick up. The Apostle must have been using some bad dope when listing administration as a spiritual gift. (I Cor. 12:27-28). Is there another way of understanding what is meant by administration?

Martyn Burt, Treasurer for the Anglican Diocese of Rochester, writes, The spiritual ‘gift of administration’ is the ability to turn God-given vision into reality. The word administration comes from the Latin and literally means ‘to’ (ad) ‘minister’. To administer is to do ministry. Paul lists it as one of the crucial gifts for building up the church so it must have been thought of as being quite crucial. The Spirit equips us with the ability to make things happen and to help church-life flourish. http://www.rochester.anglican.org/content/pages/documents/1425900820.pdf

When we look more closely at I Corinthians 12:27-28, we see that various roles (gifts) in the community are listed. Jeff Carver writes, The Greek word for the spiritual gift of administration is Kubernesis (Κυβερνησεις). This is a unique term that refers to a shipmaster or captain. The literal meaning is "to steer," or "to rule or govern."  It carries the idea of someone who guides and directs a group of people toward a goal or destination. http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gift-of-administration

Without a person, or group of people, with the gift of administration the church, be it a congregation or a denomination, is like a boat which merely drifts from one sport in the ocean to another without ever reaching any particular destination. An administrator organizes people and resources to fulfill the “Great Ends of the Church.” {Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Order F-1.0304}. Administration is a crucial role within any organization. Administration is not about picking up dirty laundry dropped on the floor by others. Administration is the gift of guiding the church to fulfill its God given purposes.