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Home » Church Leadership, Featured

Our Church Has a Management Problem

Submitted by James Higginbotham on October 22, 2008 – 5:49 amNo Comment

Does your church have a management problem? I think most churches do, they just don’t know it. Churches require three types of people: those willing to volunteer their time, those willing to manage those volunteering their time, and those willing to lead managers and volunteers.

A manager is someone who organizes volunteers to get jobs done. Too often, we are filling these positions with full-time staff. The problem is that most churches expect the staff to be leaders, not managers. Although they are putting staff in charge of volunteers, they are then asked to develop visions around their areas of the church. This split personality is what can cause a staff member to burn out fast, as they lack both time and energy to lead due to their daily management responsibilities.

So, where does this leave your church volunteers? Volunteers don’t get the leadership they need from staff to inspire and direct them. Instead, they get tasks. They get managed. But they don’t get the leadership they need.

How can the church overcome this problem? Simple. The volunteers must step up and lead. This means that the church staff must be willing to accept that these volunteer leaders will drive the church in a new direction. Church staff will have one of two reactions to losing control of their church direction: they will resist it or they will embrace it. Resisting it will cause these volunteers to find other outlets to lead (another church or para-church ministry). Embracing it will create an atmosphere of cooperation and willingness to meet the needs of the community as defined by the church.

Is your church ready for this management problem?

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