Chapter 10: Ministry Rules for Staff Leadership
The organization chart of most American congregations is far removed from the structure of the first-century church. In fact, church scholars tell us that for years there was not even a distinction between clergy and laity. But influenced by the Greco-Roman political environment in the second century, the church began to divide its people into two classes. The kleros (the Greek root word for “clergy”) were those believers who were trained, who possessed wisdom, and who had the power to act. The laos were those who were untrained and expected to submit to authority. This distinction was a departure from the biblical concept of all believers as the chosen people of God. In the New Testament the words kleros and laos refer to the same people—the people of God. There is no shimmer of biblical foundation for a distinct group called clergy.
The modern church, however, is not likely to soon divest itself of this structural duality. The business model with its CEO, board of directors, shareholders, as- sets, and liabilities has influenced the organizational structure of most Western churches. But this may not be entirely ill-advised. Scripture does not present the way for a church to be organized. It does, however, call Christ’s followers to be about sharing the way to a lost world. So the question is not so much, How do we organize? as it is, How do we organize to best achieve Christ’s mission?
This chapter presents what we hope are helpful rules of thumb concerning staff and church leadership (paid or volunteer). We will consider how many staff a church should have, what they should do, and how long they should stay. Given that the roles of clergy and staff seem to be here to stay in most churches, how can we maximize their productivity and leadership for effective ministry?
#58 The Pastoral Staff Rule
A church should have one full-time pastoral staff member for every 150 constituents.
Introduction
“What do you think about the board’s decision to build a gymnasium?” Carrie asked her husband, Rick, as they drove into the parking lot of their favorite restaurant.
“Well,” the twenty-six-year-old father of two preschoolers said, “I think we’d be better off hiring a pastor to oversee the children’s ministry. Did you see how unorganized the toddler class was this morning? If the church doesn’t hire someone to lead the children’s ministry, I don’t think we’ll ever attract a lot of young families.”
“I agree,” replied Carrie. “Last Sunday I spoke with Sid Williams about my concerns for the children’s program. As a board member, I thought he’d under- stand. He told me the gymnasium has been a dream of one of the board members for the last decade. Apparently the board feels we need to increase our facilities before adding more staff.”
“The rumor I’ve heard,” Rick continued as he closed the car door, “is that the board thinks we’re already overstaffed.”
“All I know,” added Carrie, “is that a lot of things seem to be falling through the cracks.”
These comments highlight an ongoing debate that can best be summarized by asking, Which should come first: staff, programs, or facilities? Research in the last half century has found that the way a church answers this question significantly affects its future ministry.
Explanation
As a rule, your church may need to add staff if you answer yes to any of the following questions:
1. Is our church experiencing numerical growth?
2. Is our church on a plateau?
3. Do we have an assimilation problem with new members?
4. Are there ministry opportunities we would like to respond to but don’t have the personnel?
5. Does it seem to take an increasing amount of time to accomplish things?
6. Do a lot of things that should be done get left undone?
