Dear Friends,
Forgive me if you have heard me tell this more than once, but even years later it still makes me giggle! Back when I was serving as a Parish Administrator, someone once jokingly asked me, "What do you even do? Polish the cross and make cups of tea?" I don't think I knew where to start when replying and was most likely laughing too hard to respond coherently, but perhaps the most accurate answer might have been, "What do I NOT do!"
The truth is, being a church administrator is wonderfully varied. Yes, there are hundreds of regular tasks that we might do on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis, but the life of a church administrator often brings many surprises.
I was recently reminded of a podcast I recorded with Gavin Smith at The Church Office a few years ago, exploring The Weird and Wonderful World of Church Administration (listen here). I used to walk to and from the church and would often use that time to catch up with my mother on the phone. We got into the routine where she would ask almost every day, 'What unusual thing did you get up to today, Verity?' and I would share the latest funny story.
There was always something to share, from the time I had to coax a bird out of the church porch (despite being a little scared of birds), to the time I had to dust off old maps and examine them with a magnifying glass (sadly not in search of treasure, but to establish an accurate parish boundary!), and not forgetting the time I had just a few minutes to figure out how to stick an ear back on a wooden donkey before a service, using only the office supplies available in the vestry (spoiler alert: Blu Tack works in a pinch, but in hindsight, having a few small tools and some wood glue in the church office for instances such as this might have been more helpful).
Through all these little surprises, it's easy to wonder if any of this really matters, but 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Even the tasks that no one notices (the maps, the birds, the wooden donkey ears) are seen and valued by God.
In preparation for the podcast, I asked you to share your stories in the UCAN forum and you delivered! A lot of them involved Sherlock-esque mysteries such as The Mystery of the Toilet That Fell Off the Wall, The Mystery of the Mice That Ate the Communion Wafers, and, arguably the most stressful and intense puzzle of all, The Mystery of the Missing Coffin!
But in amongst the funny, and occasionally slightly terrifying stories we might have, we probably have also all experienced those wonderful moments where we are reminded why we do what we do. Those moments that send us home with hearts filled. The encounters that energise us to keep going, even when the role feels particularly challenging. Perhaps it might be helping someone in need that comes to the door, stopping to pray with someone in the midst of a difficult time, witnessing the fruit of the outreach you have helped make happen from behind the scenes, or seeing people come to faith and God at work in the hearts and lives of our communities.
At UCAN, we absolutely love to hear your stories, so do comment below or pop along to the forum and keep sharing them. Our upcoming UCAN conference in June is also a great opportunity to meet fellow administrators, share your own weird and wonderful experiences and learn from each other.
Being a church administrator is a calling, a ministry and sometimes a little bit of an adventure. It's definitely not just making cups of tea or polishing the cross. It's keeping the church alive, making mission possible and quietly seeing God at work through your efforts.
Colossians 3:23-24 reminds us: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You serve the Lord Christ." So, keep at it, knowing that every bit of effort you put in, seen or unseen, is making a difference in God's work.
With every blessing,
Verity Yeates
Network & Operations Manager
UK Church Administrators Network (UCAN)