Devising The Perfect Church Structure

Devising the Perfect Church Structure
gnasim2024-06-10T15:11:34+02:00
Like in any organization, a church needs to have a sense of structure. Having

clearly defined roles allows for greater efficiency and clearer communication. A
great structure ensures that a church can best serve its community and
congregation.
Given the variety of roles required to keep even the smallest of churches running
effectively, every member of the church’s leadership needs to know precisely what
they need to do to keep things on track.
Here at ChMeetings, we understand how important organization is to running a

church. That’s why more than 3,000 churches and dioceses trust our cloud-based
church management software.
In this article, we’ll teach you all you’ll need to know about structuring your
church’s leadership team.
What are some typical roles in Churches?

To the everyday church-goer, it may come as a surprise just how many moving
parts there are involved in the running of a church.
While the individual needs of each church will be different, here are a few roles
that we consider vital for any church to function effectively. We’ll also briefly
discuss how these roles fit with a wider organizational structure.
Pastor/Priest
The Pastor – or Priest depending on your church’s denomination – is one of the
most important roles in any church, the pastor leads the spiritual aspect of a
church.
Due to the nature of the role, the pastor will likely be involved in the majority of
church events, with regular tasks including writing and preparing sermons as well
as arranging other liturgical aspects of a church’s regular service schedule.
The pastor – as the church’s de-facto leader – will need to keep in touch with
everyone in the church’s organizational structure. It’s their role to guide the overall
spiritual direction of the church – and that involves having a hand in events,
maintenance, music, etc.
Custodian
The custodian’s job may be more ‘behind the scenes’ than other roles – with many
calling them being the church’s ‘caretaker’.
To run a church effectively, a custodian needs to be kept in the loop of events and
are in tune with the church’s overall strategy.
The custodian is responsible for the church’s general maintenance, upkeep and
cleanliness.
These responsibilities often include cleaning the church building after services, and
between events. This includes vacuuming, cleaning restrooms, cleaning church
kitchens etc.
A custodian ensures the church is kept in good working order – and will therefore
need to be reachable by everyone in the organization in case of any urgent repairs
or maintenance.
Accountant/Financial Director
Whilst a church is a place of worship and community, it also needs a financial leg
to survive. In other words, proper management of a church’s budget is essential.
You may need an accountant or financial manager to ensure that proper spending
practices are adhered to. Most if not all major decisions will most likely need a
budget, so the accountant needs to be easily reachable.
Other Roles
An effective church needs team members and volunteers. Here are some other
common roles:
 Musical Director: Oversees the worship music aspect of church services.
Listening to music is a huge part of faith. It’s the role of a musical director
to lead music-related activities and coordinate music for services and
events.
 Outreach Co-Ordinator: Holding fun and meaningful events is an important

aspect of outreach and ensures that the local community stays engaged with
the church.
 Volunteers: Responsible for odd jobs and helping out other teams.
What is the Best Church Organizational Structure?

There are many ways to structure a church’s leadership committee. However, we
believe the most effective is a “departmental” structure.
This would divide roles into departments by areas of responsibility, with

departmental heads or team leads guiding the process, and liaising with other
departments.
In a larger church, there may be one or more people directly responsible for each of
the roles mentioned above, and a number of other paid roles or community
volunteers who would directly report to them.
An example structure may look like this:
You need to remember that no structure is a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Each

church will have its own needs.
For example, the pastor may have responsibilities with other churches, so a central
organizational role may not be suitable, or multiple jobs may be filled by single
individuals
Instead, our example structure is designed to give you some general guidelines on
how to approve various roles and responsibilities and how they may interact within
a church organization. Our structure can be divided into departments/teams based
on responsibilities.
What are some different Church Structures to consider?

The “departmental” approach won’t fit every church. Here are some other
leadership structures to consider:
Elders Approach
Our departmental structure is a fairly flat one – with the leadership organized on
the roles and responsibilities of staff and volunteers. However, most churches
follow a more rigid, pyramid structure – with church elders at the top of the
structure.
What are Elders? In some denominations – notably Presbyterian, Anglicanism,
Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism – elders are ordained members of the
church that act as the designated leaders in the church.
You can think of the “body of elders” as a church council – where elders, along
with the pastor (or bishop), decide the direction of the church.
Here, we introduce the Deacon – essentially an assistant pastor that serves the
elders. They aid with pastoral care and administrative duty too. Deacons are
sometimes called “youth pastors” when they primarily work with young people.
This “decision by committee” approach can sometimes lead to delayed decision-

making and conflicts of interest. In some churches, certain elders are responsible
for overseeing different teams – or ministries. Given this, when all elders are
aligned on a shared vision, this structure allows for strong leadership in all areas of
the church.
Separation of Ministry and Governance
Some churches prefer to separate the act of governance and management from the
church’s religious duties. This separation of power results in two “heads” of the
church – a chair and a pastor.
This results in two decision-making bodies too:
 a church ministry, responsible for the religious direction of the church and
 a church council, responsible for keeping the ministry accountable and
running the church.
The benefit of this approach is increased accountability – especially for larger

churches. This approach is common in evangelical churches. However, any
separation of power is bound to slow down decision-making and increase
bureaucracy. An aligned vision and shared goals are key to success here.
Church Structure Best Practices

No matter which organisational structure makes sense for your church, there are
some key principles to keep in mind:
Have clearly defined roles

Every member of your church, no matter their role, must know precisely what their
role is and what responsibilities are expected of them.
Poorly defined roles within a church structure can often lead to confusion over who
may need to complete tasks or carry out vital church functions. This risks leaving
important tasks incomplete.
For example, a custodian may not be aware of their responsibility to clean out of
church hours – leaving the church unclean after late events.
A great practice when recruiting members and volunteers is to provide a clear job
description of their roles and responsibilities. This provides church leadership with
a document to refer to if they’re ever unhappy with a staff member’s work.
How can your church effectively track and organize your members within your
structure? With Chmeetings, you can assign people to groups and let members stay
in touch with who they need to communicate with! Find out more here!
Encourage clear communication

While this may seem obvious, clear communication is essential for a smooth-
running organizational structure. Everyone needs to be kept up to date on
upcoming events and what responsibilities they may have relayed to them.
We recommend using:
 Group chats for ‘departmental’ teams and the church’s core leadership.
 Regular email (or, indeed, paper) newsletter or other forms of
announcements sent to church members and volunteers
 Ensuring all members of the organizational structure have a method of
contacting each other.
When communication breaks down, tasks can often be left incomplete. It is

important, that team leaders are effective communicators, who can both liaise with
the people that report to them and with other teams, so no one is left out of the
loop.
Delegate tasks effectively

Take advantage of the vast skills and knowledge of your staff and volunteers and
delegate those tasks that can be completed more effectively by someone else!
In our departmental structure, this involves leaders keeping their team members in
the loop of tasks and delegating regularly. This ensures jobs are completed quickly,
effectively, and handled with an appropriate level of care & attention.
Champion support structures & networks

Finally, appropriate professional support structures need to exist to ensure that
everyone (whether that’s leadership or volunteers) has the necessary knowledge
and skills to run the church effectively.
First and foremost, it is essential that department heads are able to provide advice
and guidance for their team, especially when team members may not be aware of
how to complete certain tasks or responsibilities.
If things go sour and team members feel they aren’t getting the support they need,
it’s the role of a welfare coordinator (or in larger churches, a HR manager) to
address these concerns.
Streamline Church Organizational Management with

Chmeetings
A well-defined organisational structure is the key to an effective and efficient
church.
Clear and succinct roles, job descriptions and great communication practices
ensure that the vital day-to-day jobs get done.
Chmeetings facilitate effective interpersonal and interdepartmental communication,

as well as clear and simple task allocation, providing a strong base for your
church’s daily running.
Our tool streamlines creating and managing a church organizational structure. We
provide churches with a task manager, a communication platform and a cloud-
based synchronized calendar solution.
With Chmeetings, you can ensure your church is run effectively and smoothly.
Spend less time on managing your teams and spend more time on what really
matters – building relationships with God and your local community.
What’s your Reaction?

Devising The Perfect Church Structure

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Devising The Perfect Church Structure

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Devising The Perfect Church Structure

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Devising the Perfect Church Structure

Like in any organization, a church needs to have a sense of structure. Having

Here at ChMeetings, we understand how important organization is to running a

What are some typical roles in Churches?

 Outreach Co-Ordinator: Holding fun and meaningful events is an important

What is the Best Church Organizational Structure?

This would divide roles into departments by areas of responsibility, with

An example structure may look like this:

You need to remember that no structure is a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Each

What are some different Church Structures to consider?

This “decision by committee” approach can sometimes lead to delayed decision-

Separation of Ministry and Governance

The benefit of this approach is increased accountability – especially for larger

Church Structure Best Practices

Have clearly defined roles

Encourage clear communication

When communication breaks down, tasks can often be left incomplete. It is

Delegate tasks effectively

Champion support structures & networks

Streamline Church Organizational Management with

Chmeetings facilitate effective interpersonal and interdepartmental communication,

What’s your Reaction?

You might also like