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Discussion Board Initial Response – Michael Ryan Norton
There are no other posts yet! I will respond to my own post with additional thoughts. The importance of leadership cannot be understated in ministry, but I believe many ministries overlook the importance of proper administration. God is a God of order. He has fine-tuned the Universe to exact perfection. Scientists state that if gravity in our universe were even slightly stronger or weaker, life as we know it would collapse. So as we reflect His character and will in a ministry context, we should also aim to reflect His excellence in organiation.
The administration of the ministry when I started was non-existent. There was no recordkeeping for past events, the budget was tracked by deducting from one single gross number rather than categorizing expenses to evaluate stewardship. The schedule was a mess, the ministry met twice per month and regularly canceled services for minor reasons. Despite having access to a nice LED screen, there was no use of multimedia in the presentation of messages. A ministry can be easily revitalized with sermons and worship, but longevity comes from aligning the ministry with God’s sense of order and organization. Chaotic, dysfunctional ministries are ineffective, and their mission is rarely clear. I recognized that in order for this ministry to effectively serve the Kingdom long-term, we needed to radically correct the dysfunction. I began with the schedule. Ministry’s people-focused. We worship, glorify, and study the person Jesus Christ. We then receive His love and share it with other people. Christianity is about a relationship with God and God’s creation, and a relationship cannot be established twice a month. It must be more regular and more frequent.
When stepping into a leadership position, I believe in the necessity of a “temperature test” phase. Depending on the context, I give it 3-6 months where I make no changes whatsoever. This prevents people from feeling defensive against new changes, but it also ensures that I have a proper understanding of the context I’m in to ensure the changes I want to make are right for the ministry. In some cases, however, immediate change must take place. This ministry was on life-support, and a schedule change would demonstrate a commitment to be more involved in the ministry.