My job description
23/02/13 05:40
Over the years I have read a lot of books about church organization and administration. There are complex thinkers who have developed intricate plans for church growth, ways to organize the work of the church, and plans to develop the institution. There are a lot of good ideas in these books and I am sure that I have learned from the experience. But the simple truth is that the main reason for the existence of the church has nothing to do with creating an institution. The church exists to enable its members to become better disciples. We’re not here to create a legacy, to build a cathedral, or to win a competition with other churches.
This spring I am working with our congregation’s Pastoral Relations and Personnel Committee to develop job descriptions for our ministers. The problem is that job descriptions are lists of tasks to be done. Ministers are not defined by the tasks they accomplish, but rather by the persons that they are. To put it another way, ministry isn’t something one does, but rather who one is. So I have been working to state in as few words as possible the essential functions of the ministry without limiting the tasks that one might do.
I don’t see any reason to put it in my job description, but there are days when I replenish the paper supplies in the bathrooms. Sometimes I need to put the toilet plunger to work. I pick up litter from the church yard. I split firewood. I run to the store to pick up supplies. In a sense, my job is to do whatever is required to enable the members of our congregation to engage in their own ministries. I wouldn’t want those tasks to be written into a job description, because on other days there are other tasks.
Like any other job there are some tasks that I prefer over others. One of my “least favorite” tasks is running the church sound system. We are in the communications business. Unless we are heard and understood, it is hard for our worship to be meaningful for those who participate. But I have no training in the operation of sound systems. I don’t know why the microphones sometimes “crackle.” I don’t understand why the volume levels seem to change in the middle of a worship service. I don’t want the job of being the church’s sound engineer. But we need to communicate clearly and the job needs to be done. So I have tried to learn. I listen carefully to the complaints about the sound system. I have placed orders for new equipment, tried to learn to use it well, and make adjustments to the system as best as I can. It is a silly example, but in my “dream” world I would spend less time on that part of the job. I certainly wouldn’t want the task “operate the sound system” to be in my job description.
Therein lies a problem with me writing a job description. I don’t really believe that the job is about me at all. The job is about the work of the church. My job is to do whatever is required to enable the members of the congregation to grow in faith and extend their ministries to others. If that means learning to run the sound system, so be it.
It is my job to make sure that quality worship occurs on a regular basis. That means that sometimes I lead worship. But when others lead it is just as important. Sometimes the work that a layperson does to lead worship is more important than what I do. I am there to enable the worship to happen, not to do it myself. A similar dynamic is true in the church’s faith formation ministries. I know that one learns at a quick pace when one serves as a teacher. Sometimes it is in the best interests of the church for me to enable others to become teachers. Sometimes I need to do the teaching.
The value in the exercise of writing a job description for a pastor isn’t in the document that we will produce. It will soon be stuck in a file and nearly forgotten. The value is in the process of thinking carefully about what I do. Some of the things I do are more intuitive than rational. Pausing to reflect and think is one way to live more intentionally. There are times when my priorities are all mixed up. There are times when I need to drop everything and respond to the need of the moment. Being reflective and thinking about what is most important can enable me to work smarter and accomplish more.
I’ve made several drafts of a job description that aren’t ready for “prime time,” as they say. My initial attempts were, frankly, too wordy. It shouldn’t take a long time to read a job description. It really isn’t possible to describe everything that needs to be done. What the church needs in the document, rather, is a broad description that covers a lot of territory and leaves a lot up to the best judgment of the person who is doing the job. In many job descriptions, the most important words are “other duties as assigned.” That doesn’t quite work in an institution with 585 bosses. I have to make judgments about the “other duties” as well as about the essential functions. It isn’t possible for me to prioritize my work in the way that makes everyone happy. There will be disagreements and there will be people who have to wait for the things that are important to them.
Still, it is an interesting process. And it is taking me quite a bit of time to get it done. Because there are a lot of days when other tasks are more important. Today is one of those days. We are holding our annual leaders’ retreat this morning. I’ll lead devotions and make sure that the resources are available. I’ll arrange furniture and I’ll make coffee. I won’t have time to work on my job description. I’ll be too busy doing the things that need to be done.
This spring I am working with our congregation’s Pastoral Relations and Personnel Committee to develop job descriptions for our ministers. The problem is that job descriptions are lists of tasks to be done. Ministers are not defined by the tasks they accomplish, but rather by the persons that they are. To put it another way, ministry isn’t something one does, but rather who one is. So I have been working to state in as few words as possible the essential functions of the ministry without limiting the tasks that one might do.
I don’t see any reason to put it in my job description, but there are days when I replenish the paper supplies in the bathrooms. Sometimes I need to put the toilet plunger to work. I pick up litter from the church yard. I split firewood. I run to the store to pick up supplies. In a sense, my job is to do whatever is required to enable the members of our congregation to engage in their own ministries. I wouldn’t want those tasks to be written into a job description, because on other days there are other tasks.
Like any other job there are some tasks that I prefer over others. One of my “least favorite” tasks is running the church sound system. We are in the communications business. Unless we are heard and understood, it is hard for our worship to be meaningful for those who participate. But I have no training in the operation of sound systems. I don’t know why the microphones sometimes “crackle.” I don’t understand why the volume levels seem to change in the middle of a worship service. I don’t want the job of being the church’s sound engineer. But we need to communicate clearly and the job needs to be done. So I have tried to learn. I listen carefully to the complaints about the sound system. I have placed orders for new equipment, tried to learn to use it well, and make adjustments to the system as best as I can. It is a silly example, but in my “dream” world I would spend less time on that part of the job. I certainly wouldn’t want the task “operate the sound system” to be in my job description.
Therein lies a problem with me writing a job description. I don’t really believe that the job is about me at all. The job is about the work of the church. My job is to do whatever is required to enable the members of the congregation to grow in faith and extend their ministries to others. If that means learning to run the sound system, so be it.
It is my job to make sure that quality worship occurs on a regular basis. That means that sometimes I lead worship. But when others lead it is just as important. Sometimes the work that a layperson does to lead worship is more important than what I do. I am there to enable the worship to happen, not to do it myself. A similar dynamic is true in the church’s faith formation ministries. I know that one learns at a quick pace when one serves as a teacher. Sometimes it is in the best interests of the church for me to enable others to become teachers. Sometimes I need to do the teaching.
The value in the exercise of writing a job description for a pastor isn’t in the document that we will produce. It will soon be stuck in a file and nearly forgotten. The value is in the process of thinking carefully about what I do. Some of the things I do are more intuitive than rational. Pausing to reflect and think is one way to live more intentionally. There are times when my priorities are all mixed up. There are times when I need to drop everything and respond to the need of the moment. Being reflective and thinking about what is most important can enable me to work smarter and accomplish more.
I’ve made several drafts of a job description that aren’t ready for “prime time,” as they say. My initial attempts were, frankly, too wordy. It shouldn’t take a long time to read a job description. It really isn’t possible to describe everything that needs to be done. What the church needs in the document, rather, is a broad description that covers a lot of territory and leaves a lot up to the best judgment of the person who is doing the job. In many job descriptions, the most important words are “other duties as assigned.” That doesn’t quite work in an institution with 585 bosses. I have to make judgments about the “other duties” as well as about the essential functions. It isn’t possible for me to prioritize my work in the way that makes everyone happy. There will be disagreements and there will be people who have to wait for the things that are important to them.
Still, it is an interesting process. And it is taking me quite a bit of time to get it done. Because there are a lot of days when other tasks are more important. Today is one of those days. We are holding our annual leaders’ retreat this morning. I’ll lead devotions and make sure that the resources are available. I’ll arrange furniture and I’ll make coffee. I won’t have time to work on my job description. I’ll be too busy doing the things that need to be done.