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Effective Management Practices for Maximum Impact in the Postmodern Church: Common Management Challenges Facing Churches Today and How to Meet Them

Leadership

By Bernard Kimani, PhD

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  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. Management and Its Practices
  4. Common Management Challenges Facing Churches Today
  5. Planning
  6. Organising
Show 23 more
  1. Staffing
  2. Motivating
  3. Controlling
  4. Communicating
  5. Decision Making
  6. Recommendations: Management Practices for Maximum Impact
  7. On Planning
  8. On Organising
  9. On Staffing and Communication
  10. On Motivating
  11. On Controlling
  12. On Decision Making
  13. Reflections and Applications
  14. Transparency as the Currency of Trust
  15. Governance That No One Person Can Capture
  16. Clarity of Mission in an Age of Options
  17. Equipping and Releasing People
  18. Reaching and Retaining the Next Generation
  19. Stewarding the Digital Church
  20. Training Leaders Who Lead and Manage
  21. Adapting without Compromising
  22. Conclusion
  23. References

Abstract

The church exists to spread the gospel, and how well it does so depends in no small measure on how well it is managed. This paper examines management challenges that confront many churches today, especially in the postmodern setting, where people are sceptical of institutions, quick to notice inconsistency and slow to commit. Using the classic management practices of planning, organising, staffing, motivating and controlling, together with the processes of communicating and decision making, it identifies recurring problems: the absence of a clear mission and strategic plan, the undue influence of powerful patrons, nepotism and conflicts of interest, idle volunteers, weak motivation, poor financial accountability and communication, and decision making concentrated in a few hands. It then recommends practices, drawn from management theory and Christian leadership literature, for each area. The reflections and applications consider what these practices mean for the church today: transparency as the basis of trust, governance that no single person can capture, clarity of mission in an age of options, equipping and releasing people, reaching the next generation, stewarding the digital church, and training leaders who both lead and manage. The paper concludes that sound management and spiritual gifting are partners, not rivals, in the mission of the church.

Who this is for

Church executives developing a mission and strategic plan; Leaders responsible for financial accountability; People training church leaders in management

What this resource helps you explore

Develop competencies required to provide church management

Resource details

Format
Paper · PDF
Subject
Leadership
Learning level
Multi-level

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