The Week in Review

The Role of the Pastor in Church Administration (Final Installment)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

October 11, 2007

I believe we need more extensive training for new converts. Scripture tells us to make “disciples” not “converts”. We get people into the church, but we often leave them right there. Many new converts do not come to Sunday school, simply because they do not understand the importance of it. If there was a class during the week that was dedicated to discipleship training I believe it would be very useful in helping some individuals move from being saved to living holy. I believe it is effective have a new members (convert) class during the Sunday school time. I also believe we need to always re-evaluate what we do, our ministries. Churches have many auxiliaries but have they taken the time to see if they are relevant for today? While many may still be relevant, we need to evaluate them as a whole to eliminate redundancy. For a pastor to suggest elimination of an auxiliary may be met with disapproval, however the ultimate goal is to administer most effectively in what we do. In many churches, members are holding positions in several groups. Elimination of the time constraints would help individuals work more effectively. I also believe we need to look at what ministries we do not have currently but are needed for our areas.


Ministry is often done for the “house”, but we need to look to the community we are in and see how we can reach outside the doors to those that are looking for that something different that should be found in the church. Whatever the pastor does, it should all be done with the goal of the church being the best we can for God. I end this with a sentiment from Galloway, “Billy Graham had no interest in wowing me with his preaching skills. He really did not care if I thought he was a good preacher or not. In fact, he probably prayed that I would give up on his oratorical skills…You see the point. Billy Graham has become one of the most significant preachers of the twentieth century because he has had no interest in being one of the most significant preachers of the twentieth century. He has just wanted to be a faithful servant of his Lord…We forget that we have been called not to be the best or the brightest, but to be a fool for Christ” (pp. 167-168). We are not competing to be the best in regards to other churches, but we should all be seeking to be faithful servants of God and that will show the world our significance for this time and era. We have been called for a time such as this and we must with prayer seek God to show us how to be the church. When that is done, pastors will be successful where they are called to lead and the congregations will flourish because we have allowed “the church to be the church”.

Work Cited

McArthur, John. et. al. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005.


Galloway, Jr. John. Ministry Loves Company. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

Lindgren, Alvin J. Foundations for Purposeful Church Administration. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1965.

Regele, Mark and Schulz, Mark. Death of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.


Toombs, Michael. The Role of the Pastor in Church Administration: Lecture, Week One. http://webct.macu.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct. 10, September 2007.


Van Rheenen, Gailyn. Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.