Small Church Administration
The pastor of "Small Church" CRC is the go-to guy for everything. He answers the phone, dusts his office, sets up chairs, prints the bulletin, and sees when things break or need attention. If you are a congregation with a small operating budget, how do you maintain the building, grounds, and other administrative needs of the church? A pastor and church will need to address these issues so the pastor doesn't get distracted from his primary duties by other needs.
One church decided to purchase a lawnmower and snowplow so they could serve the church instead of paying contractors. During the summer months, they organized a couple of church work events where members of the congregation worked to fix screens, trim bushes, plant flowers, and give the church a thorough cleaning. A few of the teens gathered on Saturday mornings and vacuumed, dusted, and emptied waste cans. A group gathered once a year to give the kitchen a thorough cleaning. Several gifted individuals regularly met to work on the "honey do" list at the church. They also gathered quarterly to assist a local outreach program with fix-it projects.
What gifts and opportunities might you have to serve at your smaller church? How have you been creative with your resources and talents to serve your church and others?
No matter how small the church, the work should be shared. No one person should do everything; that is a big mistake. Our small church has its own snowblower and a volunteer to clear the lot. If the snow gets too much, we hire someone to plow, or the friendly church next door has someone who does their lot and ours sometimes. A different volunteer cuts the grass, and others plant flowers and water them. A different person looks after the sound person, and someone else prints the bulletin. Various people may do repairs. Another person cleans the church for a small stipend, mostly to cover fuel to get to the building.
Six or seven elders take turns in leading services, along with the preacher who preaches twice a month. Four men including the preacher take turns leading services in seniors lodges and nursing home. One person is the main piano player, but sometimes another takes turns and several children are also playing some songs. And seven people are involved in a music group that leads singing every four weeks or so, along with other song leaders for the other weeks, and about six or seven people who take turns to tell the children's story at the beginning of service.
Then there are Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, and GEMS leaders, and choir. And someone to take care of the library ( a retired school teacher-librarian).
There are four elders/deacons, and a different person who does the bookkeeping, bill paying.
This in a church of about 100 people total, half of which are children.
While many people have more than one job, I cannot imagine one person doing everything.