In past articles I have explored the roles of the church administrator in the context of the relationships you will have with the pastor, the church and the community. In addition to these roles, there are also priorities - areas where the administrator should be consistently focused. In general terms, these areas are provision, protection and perspective.

Provision
Provision is preparing beforehand for a need. The church administrator is always looking forward, planning for future needs, avoiding potential pitfalls, and storing up for inevitable periods of shortage. He or she looks ahead to see the eventual needs of the church and community, and aims to meet those needs. The church administrator takes the role of the long-term strategist and implementer of ideas, but also assumes this mindset as an ongoing priority over the contending tyranny of the urgent.

I have taught and counseled people in their personal finances, and usually the greatest demand is for immediate solutions - eliminating debt and creating a budget that is realistic. Likewise, sticking to a plan for your church's short-term needs might be all it seems we can do sometimes, and the idea of planning ahead might be neglected because there is simply too little time or expertise.

If getting prepared for the future seems like a luxury, consider Proverbs' teaching that someone who plans well will avoid mistakes and danger, but a fool does whatever is convenient, rushes into things, and ends up paying the penalty for it. And, in Jesus' own words in Luke 14, while explaining to the crowds what it would cost to follow him, he remarked:

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish."

Protection
While there are several kinds of protection for both assets and people that every church should probably maintain, I believe there are three areas of protection that the church administrator should keep at the forefront of his or her mind at all times:

• The integrity of the church's accounting system
• The welfare of the pastor and his family
• The church's children.

Accounting system and stewardship
In Titus 2: 7-8, Paul said, "In everything set them (the young men of the church) an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

When your church is small you may find that your administrative responsibilities include not only managing the check register and general ledger, but also making spending decisions. For the purpose of this overview, I am going to assume that spending decisions and wise stewardship of resources fall under the purview of your pastor and elders. While you now have a great deal of input into these everyday choices, eventually you will likely be left with the charge of ensuring that the checks & balances exist in your accounting system. Then, all other staff, deacons and other leaders will know what they can do within the freedom of a well-planned budget and airtight accounting system.
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No matter how well the members of your church know and trust you, set a precedence of accountability that might never be questioned and set patterns that others will follow. This might include your check requisition policy, decisions involved in creating and changing your budget, or allocating a portion of the pastor's salary as housing allowance, for example.

The principle can be applied in all areas of ministry, but few see the work of the church administrator. You and other members of the small staff at your new church launch will sometimes make unilateral decisions out of necessity or expedience, but keep those words of Paul in mind.

For a discussion about offerings, see the March 2003 issue.

Welfare of the pastor and his family
This is what I can tell you about my pastor, Pastor Matt Ortiz: He is everybody's shepherd. In fact, both he and his wife, Shannon, spend countless hours counseling others, encouraging church members, reaching out into the community and visiting people in need. That is part of what a pastor has been called to do. But many Christians have a belief that pastors and their families are called to a life of struggle, with a lifestyle that is always a few notches below their own. As the church administrator, we must always keep the well being and security of the pastor and his family in mind.

Your pastor has likely chosen you for your job, in part, because your are his friend and confidant. Ask your pastor how he is doing and what his needs are. Pray for your pastor and his family. Support and encourage him. Make sure that you maintain a priority of allowing your pastor to be able to live comfortably in the neighborhood that he is serving. At Crossroads we are not where we should be, but as an administrative leader it is at the forefront of my mind every day. The pastor's needs are first on a long list of others.

In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul teaches, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." That is the pastor.

Children
The June 2003 issue, Helping Your Church Stay Lawsuit-Free, is worth a read. Since it addresses potential legal issues in more depth, I will only emphasize two things in this area:

First, know and screen your children's workers. This is important not only as a background check for sexual abuse risk, but you need to know that your teachers have a basic and fundamental understanding of the gospel and both its relevance and application in the lives of our kids.

Second, talk to an expert about getting liability insurance, especially for sexual misconduct.

At Crossroads Church on any given Sunday, children comprise up to 45 percent of our attendance. They are not a superfluous function of the weekend service; they are part of the weekend ministry experience. The church administrator's task does not end with setting up and paying for a liability policy. Ask your children's ministry leader how things are going, what his or her needs are, what challenges he or she faces, then keep those needs on your mind however you can. If it is practical, visit the classrooms and see it all come together. Protection of the kids, both physically and spiritually, cannot be overemphasized.
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Perspective
Pastor Matt gave me this word as I was preparing to write about the priorities of the church administrator. He, too, is a gifted administrator, and has a particular passion for contextualizing the gospel in all aspects of life.

I have met with friends recently who have become disenchanted with church because, although they did not see it clearly at first, their church seemed to have lost its focus on Christ. A church can boast having the best programs in town, very entertaining services, and warm and friendly people. But it will crumble without a constant focus on why the church exists and how the church will point people to the gospel in the context of their everyday lives.

We administrators love our tasks, our projects and our plans. I especially like plans. But what you can be sure of is that your pastor, staff and ministry leaders will often collaborate and will have endless new ideas for services, projects or programs. Even we administrators can get excited about a project plan, web site or campaign.

My message is this: Keep perspective. Remember your mission. Keep the gospel at the center of all your plans and projects. In everything where you have an influence, remember the mission of the church.