A question kept coming up this month. Are pastors good
administrators?
The first role of a pastor in ANY church is to preach. Of
course that involves studying the word and finding an interesting scripture or
teaching and then putting it together with a structure to instruct, enlighten,
encourage, exhort, and move believers to a deeper and more meaningful
relationship with their Creator.
But are pastors good administrators? SHOULD they be
administrators? Being called to preach the word of God does not make a man or a
woman an instant expert in all fields. It seems there are those who believe a
pastor should be consulted on every issue. And then there are the pastors who
feel they have a say in every matter and invade the private or personal domains
of individuals they have no authority at any level to be involved in.
Why is it such a hard idea to conceptualize: preachers
preach; business people handle business matters. What about a church board of
directors? Should pastors sit on these boards and decide all matters pertaining
to a church?
I've had some experience with boards. And I've read dozens
of business books about administration and structural organizations. An
effective board should be comprised of experts in various fields that are
necessary to a given church, organization, or nonprofit. For example, it would
be great to recruit and keep someone on a board with an expertise in law; and
perhaps another one with an expertise in business with an MBA; and what about
someone with a strong background in journalism or public relations? If you put
the same ingredients into an entree, the flavor will be bland and there will be
no uniqueness to the dish. A board should be comprised of men and women with a
variety of backgrounds. Church boards could learn well from this concept. When
you put a bunch of preachers on a board who lack business, PR, law, or related
experience, very little can get accomplished. Variety creates open
communication flow and from this are birthed visionaries. It is visionaries
that forge an organization forward. Doing things the same way year after year
will never produce new growth. It reduces the effectiveness and usefulness of
any governing body.
Sadly, there are church boards who refuse to allow females
to participate. Even if your church is the most conservative anal retentive one
on the planet, do you not think women have minds and are capable of logical
thinking? Again I reference you back to the point of diversity. Restricting
board directors based on gender is as logical as doing it based on race,
handicap, or geographical birth. Humans are humans and God has gifted each one
with his or her own unique talents and gifts.
I reference the example of Deborah the prophetess. Many male preachers
try to excuse the fact away that God raised up a woman to lead because there
were no men capable at that time in history. This is a huge fabrication that is
unsubstantiated by any scripture from the Bible. God raised up Deborah because
he wanted her. How many modern Deborahs have been silenced? I wonder.
I think preachers have their function and business experts
have theirs. Ordination does not make one an expert in all things. In fact,
this kind of reverence is what triggers problems within organizations. Can you
imagine just doing whatever a president of an organization wants regardless of logic
or input of board directors? That is like hiring someone without looking at a
pool of resumes and making the choice based on facts and in a logical cognitive
based process. The role of a board or a president isn’t power but managing the
resources and effectiveness of that organization for its self-defined purpose for
its existence. When a leader is reverenced for his anointing, it clouds the
reality that there are experts in other fields that should be allowed to do
that kind of work on the given board. It weakens an organization to put
ministers on pedestals. And it weakens the original purpose for having the
preacher to begin with: to PREACH.
Man worship has caused many churches to split. Have you
heard the expression two cooks spoil the broth? What happens when you put two
roosters in the same chicken coop? There is a cock fight. The same is true with
ministers. When two alphas arise in the same territory, one tries to take top
position. The result are churches splitting and members being sacrificed in the
feather plucking. If preachers preached and a business board MANAGED the church
affairs, these situations could almost be eliminated. It is a very sad thing
when a church is destroyed due to male egos.
I think we need pastors who do a good job pastoring. And we
need business experts who can manage financial resources and visionaries to
forge organizations into new growth and opportunities.
That would be great!