Church Administrator Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a church administrator. You can use our job description template in this article to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a church administrator.
Who is a Church Administrator?
A church administrator is an individual that collaborates with the clergy and the members of the congregation to ensure that the church’s finances, communications, and events are in order, according to the stipulated form or pattern. Church administrators are most times referred to as church secretaries. The church administrators act as a liaison between the congregation and the clergy. Church administrators always assist the presiding ministers with the day-to-day operations of the church so that the clergy can focus on their religious obligations.
To ensure the smooth running of the church the church administrators manage the business side of the church. The duties of a church administrator can also be determined by the needs and size of the church. Their duties might include office management, communicating with parishioners, managing volunteers, assisting with the financial management of the church, and organizing events. As a church administrator, you may be required to communicate with members of the congregation, volunteers, staff, and other church representatives. Having strong communication skills can help you convey messages effectively and efficiently. You can also use your communication skills to write and edit documents, such as meeting agendas, event programs, and newsletters.
Church Administrator Job Description
Below are the church administrator job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Managing church finances at all times by effectively working closely with the church’s treasurer, accountant, and other staff that ensure the proper use of funds.
- Ensuring all church expenses meet all financial obligations as clearly stipulated by the church head.
- Handling matters expeditiously, proactively, often with deadline pressures.
- Screening visitors and phone calls and always providing pertinent information if it’s demanded.
- Ensuring the effective use of church income, and keeping accurate records or the computer files backed up at all times.
- Keeping church records organized for proper stock-taking and effectively maintaining an inventory of supplies and equipment.
- Scheduling cleaning crews and landscapers that keep the church property maintained inwardly and outwardly constantly.
- Managing the energy use in the church and working constantly to make it as efficient as possible.
- Ensuring that the physical buildings belonging to the church are well-maintained by contacting repairmen and overseeing their work constantly.
- Maintaining all insurance policies associated with the church and keeping an inventory of all church property including vehicles and equipment.
- Evaluating the church’s insurance needs are constantly met and ensuring that these policies remain current constantly.
- Overseeing the hiring and training of staff members and volunteers to ensure that they meet the needs of the church community.
- Processing incoming and outgoing mail, including payments, donations, and other financial transactions.
- Archiving and distributing the notes from committee meetings to the designated individuals.
- Maintaining lists of active members in the church and their contact information for effective use.
- Organizing the parish office for daily use by the priest or clergy.
- Creating the official church calendar for meetings, events, and services even as instructed by the church head or overseer.
- Ensuring timely, efficient, and effective delivery of all administrative services at all times.
- Maintaining a productive and supportive working relationship between church staff, minister(s), and the congregation.
- Sending the prayer requests made by parishioners to the clergy for proper follow-up.
- Ordering any supplies needed for the church even before it’s required or demanded.
- Managing daily operations and maintaining office supplies and records.
- Coordinating, planning, and executing church events at all times.
- Helping to prepare and implement the church’s budget and effectively preparing financial statements for record keeping.
- Assisting to create budgets, paying bills, overseeing payrolls, and tracking and recording church income from donations and sales.
- Preparing and implementing the church’s budget and helping or aiding to prepare an effective financial statement at all times.
- Recruiting and hiring staff and volunteers at all times deemed necessary and still overseeing their work and vacation schedules.
- Working with the church accountant to develop a budget, approve purchases and manage cash flow.
- Providing direct administrative support to the minister(s), including calendar management, correspondence, and telephone messages constantly.
- Offering financial administrative support to the church treasurer and bookkeeper
- Handling church communications and publications, creating and distributing bulletins and newsletters needed for proper publicity.
- Collecting, recording, and filing all Church Memberships Contact information such as their Home Phone, Cell Phone, Email, Address, etc…
- Assisting the pastor with communications by handling written correspondence and phone messages.
- Enrolling all membership class attendees and collecting all pertinent documents upon completion to file for safekeeping.
- Encouraging tithing and donations while using some online means and platforms to reach out to the members onsite and online.
- Shadowing current church administrators and performing duties under supervision until they are comfortable enough to complete tasks on their own.
- Overseeing church facility maintenance and security operations, especially in the case of mismanagement.
- Understanding the financial status of members and providing a fund-generating scheme that is not too exhausting for them.
- Assisting with scheduling meetings, renting church equipment and facilities, and enforcing church policies for proper facility use.
- Ensuring that tax documents such as land use and security are prepared and filed on time always.
- Generating effective mass communications to members and the community through Mass Email or Direct Mail.
- Building and maintaining relationships with the congregation and community at all times, both in person and through the church’s website and social media pages.
- Following up on incoming issues and concerns addressed to the Pastor, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature.
Qualifications
- A high school diploma or GED certificate.
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Public Administration, Accounting, or any closely related field of study.
- A degree in theology, religious studies, biblical studies, church history, liturgical theology, pastoral theology, and Christian ethicsand any other related field.
- Having strong computer skills and the ability to operate office equipment effectively.
- Having the ability to handle stress and solve problems, especially unforeseen ones.
- Having the ability to keep confidential and sensitive information, is seen as essential for church administrators.
- Strong problem-solving skills and analytical abilities.
- Having excellent interpersonal skills aids your work with other staff, volunteers, and church members.
Essential Skills
- People skills: People skills are critical for all church administrators as they are the ones that people come in contact with even before the pastors, so they all strive to maintain communication with parishioners and the local community both in person and through the church’s website and social media pages. They serve as secretaries, sometimes PA to the pastors or church head, all these depend on the size of the church. Church administrators generally answer the phone, greet visitors during office hours, and often acts as a liaison between the pastor and the public. They maintain communication with parishioners and the local community both in person and through the church’s website and social media pages. In addition, church administrators connect people especially newcomers to people within the church, or help create systems of connection. Everyone value connectivity that can foster or create healthy life-changing relationships in the church and anyone who’s able to do this ought to be good cause this is naturally done and intentionality is a necessity for the church administrators. The church administrator usually helps other staff members and aids in the coordination of church projects with church volunteers.
- Administrative skills: Church administrators need strong word processing skills and basic computer knowledge, excellent communications skills, and to be familiar with office equipment such as copiers, which are essential for every administrator. They should also have the ability to effectively perform a range of office-related duties, such as ordering supplies, managing the church schedule, maintaining files, handling church correspondence, as well as scheduling maintenance personnel and deliveries. Maintenance of building facilities, social media platforms, and media or digital equipment even the musical instrument are supervised or must be checked through them constantly, because in reporting they are the ones to take the damage of such instruments or facilities to the church head. The church administrator most times set up committees to take charge of every property or sets a director over each section like in media and publications, events, and planning. They employ workers to clean the church’s surroundings if it can’t be voluntarily done and supervise and review all data and records concerning the church facilities. In smaller churches, they also help with bookkeeping and accounting duties. In most cases, a church administrator also helps to maintain the church’s website especially one with a law degree, handles all legal duties, including matters involving taxes, lawsuits, property rentals and sales, and employment, as well as the maintenance of all legal documents.
- Financial skill: Church administrators work closely with the church’s treasurer, accountant, and other staff to ensure the church properly uses funds and meets financial obligations. Church Administrators need good financial management to grow and aid church growth. To manage the church, you must be good at handling money, providing strategies for its generation, and being able to channel it to relevant projects. Church administrators help to make yearly budgets to keep the church running. The church administrators usually oversee the staff payroll and keep records of employee benefits, insurance, and vacation time. They prepare and implement the church’s budget and help prepare financial statements. In addition, they track and record church income from donations and sales, deposit funds into church accounts, pay bills, and maintain sufficient cash flow for the church. Church administrators also ensure that tax documents are prepared and filed on time.
- Adaptability: The church employs the attention and skills of the administrator in times of emergencies. Change is very much constant, and you can never tell what is coming ahead of us. On this note, a church administrator must be prepared for the worst. They all are supposed to be flexible enough to adapt to different changes that come at all times. It’s not just about celebrating success when it comes to making necessary insurance in case of an accident. Being able to think up quickly at all times to bring up solutions. Every church administrator is said to always be one with his thinking hat on. They always have a second way out in every project in case of the sudden absence of any important personnel. It is why the church administrator needs to be strong and equipped with skills to manage risk. If risks can’t be avoided, they can be properly managed. Handling multiple tasks and as well delegating other tasks to other staff isn’t an easy one because of the results or efforts made by the people you recommend which can make or mar is determined by your relationship with them one way or the other.
How to Become a Church Administrator
- Obtain a high school diploma or GED certificate.
- Obtaining experience in a church environment for at least 2-5years is seen as essential.
- Acquire an administrative experience of at least (2-5)years.
- Be proficient in spreadsheets, desktop publishing programs, bookkeeping programs, and presentation software.
- Having demonstrated knowledge and experience with using and managing office equipment such as copiers and postage meters.
- Having a Certified Church Administrator designation from the National Association of Church Business Administration.
Where to Work as a Church Administrator
Just as the name implies, church administrators are usually engaged by churches or regulatory authorities supervising the activities of churches.
Church Administrator Salary Scale
Church administrator salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession, the type of employer, or even the size of the church. The average Church Administrator salary is $43,463 but the salary range typically falls between $37,936 and $49,456, while the national average salary for a Church Administrator is £31,907 in the United Kingdom. In Australia, the average annual salary range for church administrators ranges from $55,000 to $65,000. The average church administrator’s gross salary in Cologne, Germany is 29.605 € or an equivalent hourly rate of 14 €, with the entry-level church administrator earning an average salary of 27.039 € and the senior-level church administrator earning an average salary of 35.690 €.