Growing up in a small town, I had a few different ideas on what my future occupation would be. In elementary school, I wanted to be a mailman. In middle school, I wanted to be in the NBA. And in high school, I wanted to create video games. After college, somehow I ended up being unemployed, then working for a call center, then paying bills for a company, and eventually driving a truck full of explosives, which as most of you know, is a natural progression towards full-time ministry.

I actually never imagined working in ministry. Growing up in a small town with mostly smaller churches, the senior pastor was lucky to be getting paid. On rare occasions, if a church was doing well financially, they might give the youth pastor $50 a week.

But no one had ever given a thought to hiring a full-time administrator. Yet, somehow I convinced a board of elders to do just that. It probably helped that I agreed to work for almost nothing.

Since the time of my hire, the church I serve has tripled in size, we’ve made a few more hires, and we even opened a second campus.

I also got a raise and a new title, executive pastor.

The hire has worked out pretty good for the church, and I’m certainly not complaining either. I’ve been able to use the administrative gifts God has given me to make a pretty big impact on my small town.

So, I just want to encourage you to think about your next hire, or even volunteer position. Consider the value of someone who has strong administrative gifts. Someone whose strengths may be your weaknesses. Someone who can complement your leadership.

Here are just a few of the things they could do for you and your church.

1. They can be someone you can confide in. Someone you can trust. Someone who can help bear your burdens.
2. They can take care of ordering office supplies, cleaning supplies, coffee, creamer, sugar, trash bags, and light bulbs. The list goes on and on.
3. They can create and update your bulletin and connection card. They can follow up with first-time guests who fill out a connection card. They can also follow up with those who want to get plugged in or take a next step.
4. They can maintain your website and social media presence.
5. They can count and enter contributions, send weekly thank you cards to givers, and print and mail contribution statements each year.
6. They can encourage you and others.
7. They can help with sermon prep.
8. They can recruit, schedule, and train volunteers.
9. They can pay the church bills and handle benevolence requests.
10. They can help create the church budget and provide monthly financial statements.
11. They can lead and equip other volunteers to use their gifts.
12. They can answer the office phone and take messages.
13. They can take notes during important meetings and provide them to everyone who attends.
14. They can oversee everything that happens on the weekend, so you (the pastor) can concentrate on the sermon.
15. They can type up your sermon notes, as long as you write so they can read it.

This list could go on and on. The bottom line is, an administrative person enjoys doing a lot of the things you hate, which frees you up to do more of the stuff you love. And if you find the right administrator and work together, you can see your church grow very quickly.

Do you currently have an administrative role at your church? In what ways has it benefited the church? Let us know by leaving a comment below, and if you ever need any help knowing what your next move should be, check out my coaching page to find out how I could serve you and your church.