Administrative Leadership

Administration is one of the most polarizing aspects of the office of ministry. I love administrative work and see it as an extension of the other areas of ministry. Before pursuing my call to ministry, I studied administrative social work, and spent several years managing programs in nonprofit organizations. I taught that the people served by nonprofit organizations are counting on these organizations to have excellent administrative practices. After all, one of my favorite professors used to say, you can’t help anyone if you go out of business.

UU congregations are similar to nonprofit organizations in that our business decisions are values-driven. We are different in that the “consumers” of our programs are also responsible for our governance, funding, and providing most of the labor for that programming. This unique relationship between congregant and congregation, combined with our model of congregational polity, means that UUs often find ourselves in profoundly close, deeply nuanced relationships. There aren’t many places where the Treasurer might also serve on the Pastoral Care Team, and find himself in need of pastoral care after a life-changing event. I believe that it is a sacred duty to provide administrative leadership that accomplishes business tasks by centering our Values, and cares for the full humanity of the people in the business (and all) roles.

I’m also a strong proponent of investing in staff teams through regular supervision and team building. Staff turnover is costly and demoralizing to a congregation. Helping people feel confident and well-provisioned in their roles contributes to staff longevity and satisfaction.

Photograph by David Elmes.