How tall are the ceilings at your church?

By Raul Rivera

A couple of years ago I was having lunch with a staff member of a church with whom I was well acquainted.  We sat down at our table and reminisced while we placed our orders for some appetizers.  As the conversation continued to develop, I detected frustration in his voice when on two occasions he made mention of the decision making process of the church.   Knowing him to be a man that served the church well, I wondered about this apparent aggravation concerning his day-to-day activities.  Once our server brought us our meals, I asked him, why are you so frustrated?  Reluctant, and also careful to not dishonor his pastor, he simply said, "The ceiling above my head is too low."  I knew exactly what he was talking about.  I'll explain later.

Leading a church

Leading a church requires a pastor to have vision, compassion and above all, a humble heart that is willing to hear the Lord.  Often times a disconnect occurs between the pastor and the core team of the church.  It is very frustrating, because the pastor knows where he wants to go, while the leadership believes he is not sure where he is going.  It is here where I would like to propose an answer to this gap between the pastor and the leadership team. 

Leadership requires giving forethought to everyday activities and preparing written policies to ensure a consistent performance of those activities.  Why?  Because, without established polices, those that serve within the leadership of the church lack the tools necessary to carry out the vision of the pastor.  That is often the failing point of many ministries.  I meet many pastors with great vision but few who know how to transfer that vision from their heart to the hearts of the people.

God's response to a frustrated prophet

In Habakkuk chapter 1, the prophet registered a complaint with the Lord.  He was concerned about the way God's enemies were triumphing over the righteous because the righteous had no leadership.  The Word of the Lord came back to the prophet, and the Lord required Habakkuk to put into writing the answer (Chapter 2:2).  He was told to make it plain so that those who were in charge of dissemination would be empowered to carry out the details of the revelation.  What did he write?  The vision is revealed all throughout chapter two.  It was a set of policies that steered the nation back to a path of righteousness.  Established policies create consistency and consistency promotes faithfulness. 

So, in essence, a policy is a written, prescribed stance of the church, which dictates the final outcome of decisions that need to be made.  The policy does not tell the church the "how to" or the "when to." It simply guides the procedures taken to ensure that the integrity of the church's position on a particular decision is upheld. 

Pastor, let me ask you a couple of questions.  Do you have any written policies that guide the church?   Do you have the following policies?

• Altar ministry policy
• Counseling policy
• Church property use policy
• Cell phone use policy
• Budget policy

My frustrated friend

What was eating at my friend?  By now lunch was served.  A lion's share was before me, so I was glad he was doing the talking.  My friend admired his pastor and wanted to make sure he served faithfully, but it was difficult to do it with joy, when the church had no clear policies to make decisions on projects and no real spending budget.  All decisions had to be made by the pastor, and if changes were necessary then those, too, had to be brought to the pastor...but the pastor would often forget the decisions he made.  Oftentimes, weeks would pass by and then the pastor would get upset over money that had been spent or the way something was being done, even though those serving in the various departments were merely carrying out the pastor's previously rendered decisions.  Understandably, this recurring issue had been a point of frustration not only to my friend but also to many on the staff.  My friend wanted to help his pastor by asking him what and how he wanted to lead and then creating policies for all to follow, but he couldn't.  The pastor said he did not want to submit himself to written policies.  He wanted to make decisions as they came.  Hence, why the ceiling above my friend's head was too low.

Freedom through written policy

Policies not only help to set the vision, but they free those who serve under you to expand it.  When writing a policy, follow the guidelines below.

• Each policy must be written with a desired outcome in mind.
• Do not implement a policy if you are not willing to abide by it.
• If a policy is not working, don't ignore it. Change it!

God has entrusted you with a vision

As Pastors and ministry leaders, God has entrusted you with a vision. But having the vision and living the vision is two different things. Having the right policies in place helps you take what is on your heart, and give the vision clarity so others can read it and run with it. While the process of developping your polices doesn’t sound that exciting, building a foundation upon which your vision can be built does.

Every day we help churches and ministries develop these types of documents. We have a services plan called our “Review Package”. During this program, we review and create some of your most important policies and make sure that they are clear, legal and reflective of your vision.

If we can help your develop these critical tools, please give us a call at 770-638-3444.