Ministry Job Descriptions

Twenty percent of the people in ministry do eighty percent of the work.

Why is that true?

I believe that its because only twenty percent of your ministry team and staff are leaders. Your leaders will get things done at a high level without having specific instructions. However, the remaining eighty percent are followers and need more guidance to get things done. Having good organizational infrastructure and clear job descriptions not only gives guidance, but also helps you manage and maximize the personalities and abilities of your people.

If you’ve served in ministry leadership, you have most certainly had to deal with someone who was non-productive. Or worse, you’ve faced the challenge of leading a person who is “out of control”, working beyond their position of authority.  How do you handle these situations if you’ve never giving the person a job description or evaluated the person on their performance?

While severing as Church Administrator, I managed to avoid “leadership drama” because we developed specific job descriptions and used them as a ministry management tool. Our ministry excelled in this area because we learned how to evaluate and manage processes and problems, with a solid organizational structure and clearly defined job descriptions.

To do this in your ministry, it’s necessary to:
•    Clarify the infrastructure (Organizational Chart).
•    Identify the Authority Structure.
•    Define Who is Responsible to Whom for What.
•    Determine Order and Safety.
•    Define Your Ministries Accountability System.
•    Control – Establish a workable control environment to focus on the organizational purposes and achieve agreed-upon objectives – Reports, Audits.

Without a clear ministry organizational infrastructure and job descriptions, chaos will soon develop and ministry relationships will be strained. However, implementing an organizational infrastructure with a simplistic outlined job description for each ministry, you’ll be on the right track to developing an effective ministry environment.  A job description is one of the most effective staff communication tools you have as a manager to ensure that your team knows what is required. Job descriptions will allow your team to meet and hopefully exceed your expectations. In your career as a ministry leader, you will undoubtedly have staff who will not meet the standards of the position. Writing job descriptions helps to demonstrate what is or is not getting done. Job descriptions also help attract the right leader for the ministry, and it describe the major areas of a ministry leader’s position.

What to Include in a job description?

A job description should be practical, clear and accurate to define your needs adequately. Good job descriptions typically begin with a careful analysis of the important facts about a job such as:
•    Individual tasks involved
•    The methods used to complete the tasks
•    The purpose and responsibilities of the job
•    The relationship of the job to other jobs
•    Qualifications needed for the job

Job descriptions typically include:
•    position title
•    Position objective or overall purpose statement
•    Summary of the general nature and level of the position
•    Description of the broad function and scope of the position
•    List of duties or tasks performed critical to success
•    Key functional and relational responsibilities in order of significance
•    Description of the relationships and roles within the ministry

What to Avoid in a job description?

Don’t be inflexible with your job description. Position assignments are subject to change for personal growth, organizational development and evolution of new technologies. A flexible job description encourages people to grow within their position.

Do you value a clear, up-to-date job description in your ministry? How is your current system working?

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