Church Administration: Sinful or Spiritual?

I grew up in a very theological, deeply doctrinal, and enthusiastically dogmatic Reformed church. As such, my early days of Christianity were steeped in the intellectual pursuit of faith along with the logic and reason of astute theologians inside a church administration.

Even today, the reformed movement prides itself on a Biblical knowledge and life-driving ethos that clips every action, belief, and decision into a well-fitting matrix.

Then I went charismatic.

Church Administration Draws a Dividing Line

After a period of time in which I explored everything but Christianity, I humbled myself before the Lord and had what most would call their "born-again" or conversion moment. From there, I explored the realm of charisma more and found a comfortable home.

However, I've noticed a subtle dividing line that is drawn by some charismatics based on some logical fallacies.

It has to do with structure and systems within the kingdom, and a distaste for church administration.

While many charismatics settle into administrative hierarchies, some of them chafe at the idea of an organization. To them, the direction of the Holy Spirit is unorthodox. In fact, they believe that the movement of the Holy Spirit is squashed when any inkling of a church administration structure shows up.

The evangelists are probably most defensive against such an organization. Born and bred by the Lord to scour the streets for converts, they typically resist the suppressive blanket of the church walls and ministry lifestyle.

I don't blame them. There is a flow and "by faith" nature required to live as an evangelist. There's something to be said for living in a more charismatic way. After all, our systems can only solve so many problems. At some point, we need to throw off the shackles of the administrative state and live life by the seat of our pants.

The guidance of the Holy Spirit can be unconventional and goes against typical logic plenty of times. It guides us in ways that our fleshly thoughts would never dream up. It produces magnificent results in ways we never imagined possible.

Walking life out by the seat of your pants works really well...until it doesn't.

Swinging the Pendulum on Church Administration

Sadly, people naturally swing the pendulum too far in one direction. If something seems like the wrong decision or choice, then we make the blanket assumption that the completely opposite reaction must therefore be true.

So we all jump on board to tear down the church administration and it's administrative state of things due to the problems we see, without giving it any credit for the peaceful blessing it accomplished in our lives.

And while, yes, I am talking about ministry: this could go for government too.

Moses Inspires Church Administration

In Exodus 18, Moses is led to the conclusion that not having an administrative hierarchy could spell disaster. After leading the nation of Israel into the desert, Moses took it upon himself to judge the people. This meant that he would sit before them, morning to night, making judgments as the man God had chosen to lead His people.

But Moses' father-in-law gave him some much-needed advice.

Exodus 18:14-16 says, "Now when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?" Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws."

Jethro recognized a problem. He saw that the people became dependent on Moses for the voice of the Lord and to make judgment from the Lord. However, it's not a sustainable practice. Placing all effort and responsibility on one man becomes oppressive for that man, and dangerous for a people as a group.

But Jethro knew how to solve the issue.

Verses 17-23 continue, "Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19 Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, 20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. 21 Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. 22 Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace."

When we look at Jethro's solution, it seems almost too simple to be Godly. Delegate some authority so that you can handle the workload? It almost seems like we're giving away the authority that God laid onto Moses. However, Jethro is wisened. He's aware of the physical toll leading and judging can have on one person.

Estimates are that millions of people followed Moses out of Egypt. If that's the case: imagine having to settle disputes for millions of people. Everything from assault and murder down to whose food is which. A single man cannot handle such a burden.

So Jethro did the wise thing and suggested a hierarchy of delegation, in which leaders of good character and hearts for the Lord would be chosen to help carry the burden of governing the people.

Moses didn't need God on high to put His stamp of approval on the idea. But yet, God does end up ordaining the same idea elsewhere in scripture.

God Inspires Church Administration

In Numbers 17, while the people are complaining about the manna, Moses goes to God and asks for relief. He says, "So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness."

That's a leader at his wit's end.

But God has a different suggestion. He asked Moses to gather 70 men who are considered elders of the people and He would put his Spirit upon them so that others can share the burden with Moses.

The blessing of hierarchy is sharing the workload. It's put forth by God and blessed by Him.

Sometimes, we look at the church administration structure and wonder whether that's what God intended. Just like any good thing given to us by God, we tend to screw it up. We do the same with the administrative system that is blessed both in the Old Testament and the New Testament (apostolic ministry, gifts of administration anyone?).

Beware the Response

In our efforts to over-spiritualize things, we may end up cutting out too much. The logical fallacy begins with the easy position that mindless, faceless corporations aren't healthy for humanity. They feel like all their life has been sucked out of them. We then look to major church corporate structures and get the same feeling of "Ick." And plenty of times, we're not wrong. But what we do is what humans typically do.

We see the issue and then throw the entire thing out because of an issue that needs to be corrected. We see the wayward corporate structure of the church and decide that it must mean no structure or church administration approach is healthy. Yet, we are blind to the absolute damage that a runaway "Holy Spirit" movement can have when there is no leadership, no guidance, and no guardrails.

We've all witnessed the damage that the lone wolf, hyper-spiritual, self-led movements cause. They become breeding grounds for false leaders.

And let's be real: if government is ordained by God (Romans 13), and that's good enough for the world and how a Christian operates in the world, then would God suddenly go completely against His own grain with His own people and say a government structure is not good for them internally? Would we argue that we should follow the government structure of the world but NOT of the church body itself?

The Hurt Caused by Church Administration

Sadly, people get hurt by the church structure every day. That's because people are fallen, broken things that are not always led by the Holy Spirit. But our personal traumas do not negate the goodness of the thing. Just as a traumatic event in your life does not negate the goodness of God, the suffering you may have had at the hands of the church does not rule the entire structure out.

Our approach towards the church should be that of Christ. A loving dedication that recognizes the human faults and sins, yet covers over the multitude of wrongs. We must see beyond our own nose and do well to trust that Christ ordained His church, and will see it through to the end.

This doesn't mean holding wicked leaders or sinful situations to account. All the more, as a loving body, we should not tolerate the destructive yeast of sin to permeate the entire body of a church.

But when we attempt to discredit that structure, we step in direct opposition to that which He's put together. Worse yet, we often discuss our distaste and bitterness with others, leading them astray from the body that Christ has knit together.

How to Handle Church Administration

So what should we do?

Watch with discernment. Seek the Lord's guidance and wisdom on situations arising. Recognize when evil has intertwined itself. But beware of the second phase of the wicked attack. It'll have you pointing the finger at the first wave and removing yourself from the body in a supposed "righteous indignation." What it really does is separate you in your pride and then drown you in it.

We're called to overcome...not run.