Is Your Organizational Structure Unknowingly Too Complex for Its Size?

All churches have organizational structure. Organizational structure refers to both its legal and operational functions. How a church creates its structures is most effective and efficient when it is in alignment with their size and functionality. In today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world, a church’s structure can enable a church to be agile, flexible, and adaptive for its greatest missional effectiveness. Yet, a church’s structure can also distract, minimize, complicate, overwhelm, or deter a church from being missionally effective.

Let's first examine some examples of the legal structures of the church. Most every church established itself as a non-profit organization structure, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation commonly referred to as a charitable organization. A corporation has certain federal and state requirements. For example, federal requirements include having a corporate board, having and adhering to a purpose, documenting donations received, adhering to an approval process for contracts, and filing an optional annual information return to the IRS (Publication 1828).

In addition to federal and legal structural requirements, churches belonging to denominations or networks have additional structural requirements (i.e. polity). Those might include required administrative committees with specific responsibilities, a minimum number of leaders serving for particular terms, annual audits, record keeping (baptisms, marriages, giving), procedures, financial records, leadership and missional expectations, and signs of vitality.

Now let’s examine the operational structures of the church. The operational structures of a church include employee manuals, facility usage policies, guiding principles, processes and procedures for hiring, terminating, evaluating, supervising employees, processes and procedures for budgeting, expenditures, processing accountable receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and credit cards, security (i.e., keys, internet, safe sanctuary), limiting liability, and much more. Operational structure also includes how decisions are made at the local church level. An organizational chart indicates how information flows along with supervisory responsibilities and accountability.

While the duties and requirements above are not exhaustive, it is important to understand the government, denominational, and congregational responsibilities structures require of churches. It is no small feat to keep up with understanding, implementing, and accomplishing these structural tasks and requirements.  

Is your church’s current structure right-sized or is it too complex for its size or context?  How long does it take to make decisions? How many people (number or percentage) have to get involved to give permission to launch a new ministry? How effective is the church in aligning, leveraging, and decision-making for effectiveness and fruitfulness of its purpose (disciple-making)? Does your church have a corporate structure in place for what is actually a small group (i.e. 12 or 15 people)? Does your church struggle to meet the federal, state, and denominational responsibilities and duties as a non-profit corporation?

Jesus gathered a group of 12 to disciple. There was no official structure required or needed. They didn’t need a building to do ministry. No board meetings were required to identify, recruit, equip, and deploy disciples for Kingdom work. Yet, Jesus and those 12 created a very effective and fruitful movement to share the Good News.

Gather a few leaders from your church. Examine your church’s structure. Has the structure become too complex for your size or context? If so, how is God calling you to faithfully respond as a disciple?