Getting Your Church Admin “Ducks in a Row”
Church Administration? Many leaders struggle because they see paper-pushing and data entry as non-ministry-related tasks. What if we could shift that mindset? What if we could see admin as a vital part of the ministry and the mechanism that allows churches to serve people better? This is why it is crucial to pay attention to the administrative systems in your church; it will help you minister to people more effectively.
Most of us have heard the quote from Michael Caine: "Be like a duck. Calm on the surface but always paddling like the dickens underneath."
This analogy can relate to many areas in ministry, including the administrative pond. There is always something going on, like the paddling under the surface. What we see on the surface is the person who is the reason for what we are doing. They need to be at the forefront: the person you are ministering to, the one Jesus called you to love. We can never lose sight of them in the process of administration.
Here are five tips that will help you get your administrative "ducks in a row":
Keep Your Database Current: You only get out what you put in
I know it's a simple statement, but your database is only as accurate as of the information you put in it. This needs constant attention because information changes, so your database needs to reflect that. If your database is accurate, this can help you know when to celebrate a birthday, commemorate a death, and record the last time you connected with an individual.
Here's how you can stay connected and keep your database current.
Use the summer to reach out to people in your church database to see if their information is current and if they are still attending your church.
Mass emails only reach those who are connected, but even your most faithful have that junk email octopus with its tentacles trying to grab those emails. This is not a failsafe way to reach out. I subscribe to a few churches' emails, and they almost always end up in my junk mail. Personal emails might get through the filters but keep reading for a few more creative options.
Phone calling is a dying art, and depending on the demographic, texting might work just as well. Use a personal phone call to check-in and make a genuine connection, not a call to get a volunteer for a specific role but to chat and get to know them better.
Host a Selfie-Sunday to populate that photo place most databases have; it helps with facial recognition. On a specific Sunday, let everyone know that you are updating the database and ask everyone in the church to take a Selfie and send it to a particular number with their current contact info. It may be worth having a photographer available that day for those without phones. Also, if you don't subscribe to Text in Church or a similar app, you can get a free text number with an app called Text Now.
Build An Administrative Team
You can't do this alone, whether in a multi-staff church or the solo pastor setting. It would be best if you had a team. If the administration doesn't get you excited, there is probably someone in your church who does get excited about administration.
Having the right people on the team is only the first part of being a leader; having everyone in the right place is another crucial job for an effective leader. Many assessments can help you discover your gift and the gifts of those in your circle: Spiritual Gifts Test, the S.H.A.P.E Test, Kolbe A Index, Birkman, and Working Genius. They all have value and can teach you something about yourself and your team and help you know where they best fit on the team. Imagine an environment where everyone is working in their gifting and thriving.
Archive Children and Youth Records
Your "Protection Policy" should have a place that talks about record keeping and the need to keep track of attendance for those under 18 and those in the classroom. This is a great time to ensure that all class attendance, waivers, and registration forms are archived and filed away for safekeeping. These records must be kept forever, so ensure they are correctly labelled and kept in a safe space.
If this isn't a practice of your ministry, this is a great time to re-evaluate your church policy. This is one of those places that feels like an administrative task, but the person is at the center. These policies protect the 'children and youth,' the leaders and the church. I have had to go back to these records from time to time and have been thankful that they were in order.
Take Your Website for a Test Drive
It is too easy to let our websites become outdated, incorrect, and full of insider language during a busy season. The website is your first impression seen by your church community and the person who has yet to set foot inside your church.
Look at your site as an outsider and ask a few of the following questions. Is the path to participation clear? Can I find the church address or phone number easily? When do things happen? Am I included? Consider diversity in the images you use, and make sure they reflect your demographics (i.e. age, gender, and ethnicities).
Too much information is sometimes too much information. If visitors can't navigate your website, they may feel like they can't connect to your church and thus feel unwelcome.
Streamline Whatever You Can
We talk a lot about silos in the church. Church ministry silos were created to facilitate targeted ministry better, which is an excellent idea in theory, but not if we treat the ministries as true silos. Webster's Dictionary defines a silo as a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder usually sealed to exclude air and used for making and storing silage. When I hear that definition, I realize why I struggle with them. "Sealed to exclude air." I know that isn't what we want to happen when we create church ministry silos, but sometimes it does. We get so stuck in our own space that we forget something else is out there.
Streamline the silos. There needs to be a connection between them. If each ministry does its admin alone, using separate systems, methods, and methodologies, it can suffocate. Duplicating tasks, dealing with redundancies, and repeating the same thing over and over gets old fast, and you can miss some other important things.
We saw it over the last two years. The youth leader reached out to "Family A" because they have a teenage son, the children's pastor reached out because they have a preschooler, and the lead pastor reached out to Mom because she serves on the board, and Dad was an Alpha leader, so he got a call from the small groups' pastor. This family has had four meaningful touches from their church. While "Family B" comes to church on Sunday, they give sporadically, and their teenager works every other youth night. They might get one phone call once in a blue moon.
There is nothing wrong with being strategic about how and when you contact people. It can be strategic and authentic; it all comes down to your motive. If the team recorded their interactions, you could see who has been in contact with the leadership and who might be feeling disconnected before they choose to disconnect.
And so, let me ask you, what is your motive? Why do you do what you do? What has God called you to? If it involves people, it will most likely have an administrative connection. There is no need to get bogged down; you can float on top of the water like a duck. Just keep kicking those feet, and when you get in the weeds, ask for help. There are a few places you can look. Our ABNWT District has several resources, or you can reach out to other churches and ask them what programs they use and what has worked for them. Or reach out to someone like myself who consults with churches, businesses, and organizations on topics like this and many more.
Guest Author, Charity Mongrain
Charity Mongrain has been with The PAOC for over 25 years and has worked as a Children's Pastor, Itinerate, Missionary & Associate Pastor. As a certified coach and consultant, she is passionate about helping leaders and organizations harness their unique skills and strengths and guide them through lasting transformation. She knows what it is to be in leadership in a church and develop a team.
Reach out to Charity at charitymongrain.ca.