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Shortcuts to Church Administrator Resources Working with the Church Office Staff: Guidelines for Committee Chairs Sample Church Newsletter Policy Notes for Newcomers Twenty Suggestions for a More Welcoming Congregational Office Church Administration: A Selected Bibliography

Presenters: Rebecca Birnie, Administrator, River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda, MD and Bill Peters, Administrator, UU Church of Arlington, Arlington, VA

"Who's minding the church office while others preach and teach?" Although the paid office staffs are working behind the scene, a lot of volunteers are also involved. This is attested by the more than 50 workshop attendees who consisted of a small number of paid office staffs, with the majority made up of church board members, ministers, DREs, office volunteers and district consultants. The numerous workshop handouts and information are applicable to all size churches.

Presenters took turns discussing the following issues (see detailed workshop outline):

• Office Organization
• Information
• Communications
• Money
• Building
• Resources

The importance of job descriptions cannot be overlooked. A clear job description is essential in order to define lines of duties, particularly if the office has more than one staff members, and especially if any of the office staffs is also a church member. Having a job description for every one of the varied office tasks is very helpful when someone must fill in for the administrator. Job descriptions for volunteers are also important for recruiting and providing clear guidelines and expectations for volunteers. Sample job descriptions from the newly-revised AUUA handbook were amongst the information-packed packet handed out to participants.

An efficient office requires creative management and close adherence to deadlines. It also requires close cooperation between staffs and volunteers. A sample of guidelines for committee chairs provides a template for other churches to develop their own guidelines. A sample for policies and procedures on how to run the office effectively is also provided.

Church offices are centralized locations for database maintenance. The most recent issue of InterConnections contains a detailed article about church database programs with testimonials from different churches. An important function of the office is to facilitate the welcoming of newcomers, tracking of visitors, and organizing and nurturing volunteers. In order to create a more inviting and welcoming atmosphere in the church office, we need to consider using tasteful décor, address accessibility issues and make the office a pleasant place for everyone to work and to visit.

The church office is also a place to store archives and records. Although some churches are beginning to upload portions of these records on websites in searchable archives, the majority of our records are still in file cabinets stashed away in dusty corners. The AUUA handbook addresses the question of how long various types of records should be kept. A suggestion was made that some of the records for each year could be organized together in one easy-to-access bound book, one for each year. For example: a copy of the membership directory, a copy of the Annual Report, a copy of the budget and all of the financial reports and minutes of council/board/congregational meetings for that year. These books are NOT to be taken out of the office on pain of death.

In addition to the normal channels of communication, web sites and e-mail as new means of electronic communication were discussed. These new avenues have created some problems with regards to confidentiality and list behavior issues. Some churches have established guidelines of behavior on e-mail lists while others restrict who can or cannot post on e-mail lists or limit postings to announcements only, posting only facts without opinion. Many churches have newsletter policies. A sample was provided in the packet. For putting church newsletters online, please refer to the guidelines written by the UUA's Electronic Communication Committee. An e-mail support and discussion list called uu-editors@uua.org (subscribe here) exists for UU Newsletter editors.

On the subject of handling cash, accountability is of primary concern. Neither staff nor volunteers should be placed under the burden of trust and as such, it is recommended that there be two people counting cash intake.

With membership growth comes the problem of creative use of building space. Maintaining the building use calendar involves juggling the needs of many groups, including renters. Some churches limit their rentals to non-profit organizations only. There was a concern on whether a church would lose its non-profit status if it were to rent out to profit-making groups.

If a church chooses to serve food to the general public, as in a bazaar, it is advisable to look into liability issues and getting the proper food serving guidelines from the county. If a caterer is responsible for the food preparation, this person should have the proper insurance and food serving certification.

Many resources exist for church administrator, including the new AUUA Handbook, available from AUUA for $42.50, the Church Secretaries Communiques (newsletter published by the Christian Ministry Resources for $15/year), the Treasurer's Alert, and Church and Clergy Tax Guide. Other resources are available from the UUA Bookstore, the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances, and the email support and resource list for church administrator, church-admin-uu@uua.org (subscribe here).

Reported by Kok-Heong McNaughton; formatted for the web by Kasey Melski.