An Orderly Ship

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (I Corinthians 14:33, NIV)

Show me a church with confusion and chaos, and I will show you a pastor with little or no administrative skills and with no clear vision from God for his people.

Perhaps Robert Welch sums it up best in Church Administration: Creating Efficiency for Effective Ministry. He writes, “When we ‘do church,’ we are to do it in a proper and fitting manner. There should be order, not chaos. There should be sensibility, not insensitivity. There should be consistency, not discord. There should be guidance, not irresponsibility” (p. 3).

God is a God of order and when we work within that order we have peace. When churches are not in order, Satan is the clear winner. Churches with disorder have a high membership turnover, are unusually busy, and accomplishments come at a high price.

Think of a church as a sailing vessel transporting cargo through life. The church administrator in larger churches, or assigned leader in smaller churches, is the navigator. He holds the rudder and through skill and experience guides the ship through troubled waters. Yet, the navigator does not take the ship where he wants to go; he takes his directive from the captain (pastor) of the ship. Likewise, the captain (pastor) takes his orders from a superior authority (God) who tells the captain the overall strategic plan of the ship in the larger fleet. The captain (pastor) consults with other officers on the ship (Trustees, Elders, and Deacons) and directs the navigator. The navigator (administrator) moves the rudder to take the ship on the course needed to carry out the objectives set out before him.

The pastor receives sailing orders from God through the Holy Spirit and Scriptures. The pastor consults with others in the leadership of the church and then directs certain individuals whom the Holy Spirit has empowered to carry out the mission and objectives of the church. All are not navigators (administrators), but each has unique responsibilities in meeting the goals set before the church. Pastors make a colossal mistake when they fail to entrust the steering of the vessel to the gifted, skilled, and experienced administrator.

Some pastors are taking their congregations for a ride and the whole congregation is feverously working, but never reaching God’s destination. If you find yourself on such a ship, you need to begin asking God what He wants you to do about it. It is sad to spend one’s precious life in busyness on the ship and fail God’s larger plan, only to arrive in eternity to face the consequences of being part of a ship that was not in the right location doing the right action during the spiritual battle. God is a God of order.

Prayer: God, help my church be a place of order by helping me be willing to following the policies and procedures developed too aid the church in God’s work. Help me have a willingness to follow all rules, policies, and procedures even when it is difficult. Help me to see that this is what you expect of me and if I love you and your church, I will be impose self-discipline and practice order as your Word teaches me. Amen.