Brian Croft - Oversee Gods People: Shepherding the Flock Through Administration and Delegation

Praise for Oversee Gods People

The more I read Oversee Gods People, the more frequently and forcefully I kept repeating to myself, This is a book every seminary professor must require and every pastor or pastor-in-training must read. It offers a rare blending of shepherding and administratingwhere both are seen as the relational calling of every pastor. In one compact yet comprehensive book, Oversee Gods People is theology for ministry that equips pastors for what I call organizing the organism. Pastor, whether youre a pastor-to-be, a church plant pastor, or a megachurch pastor, this book will empower you to shepherd your flock to live out Ephesians 4:1116, where you equip Gods people to grow up together in Christ.

Bob Kellemen, ThM, PhD, vice president for institutional development and chair of the biblical counseling department at Crossroads Bible College; author of Gospel-Centered Counseling

Oversee Gods People clearly demonstrates from Scripture that administration is essential to pastoral shepherding and oversight. This succinct resource highlights the administrative elements the Bible prescribes and provides biblical best practices to implement them in your local church. With evident pastoral experience and a deep love for the local church, Brian and Bryce connect administration to the Great Commission, showing how faithful oversight, delegation, stewardship, training, and management equip the saints, care for souls, make disciples, and glorify God through our corporate life together. I highly recommend this book to all Christians who aspire to the noble task of faithful Christian leadership.

Ryan Townsend, executive director of 9 Marks

It is exceedingly rare to find a book on administration from the heart of a pastor, but thats what Brian and Bryce have given us. Youll wish theyd kept on writing.

Jamie Dunlop, administrative pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

A must-read for every pastor shying away from administrative or managerial functions within the church. The authors make both a biblical and practical case for administering the church for the purpose of shepherding and caring for the flock.

Tim Beltz, executive pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky

This book not only challenges your presuppositions about pastoral roles on a theological and philosophical level; it also provides you with tactical best practices to implement as soon as you read it. If youre new in ministry, itll provide you a playbook as you wade into the ministry of administration. If youre a veteran, it will be a refresher and realign you with some best practices.

Brian Dodridge, executive pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee

Brian Croft and Bryce Butler provide a holistic look at the vital topic of church administration in Oversee Gods People. Having worked with Bryce for two years, I can recommend this resource to any growing or established congregation. Theres much wisdom on display for leaders seeking to grow, not only in leadership (which can be a loaded buzzword in todays church culture), but also in the critical areas of church management.

Luke Barker, CPA, pastor of finance at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky

Other Books in the Practical Shepherding Series

Prepare Them to Shepherd

Visit the Sick

Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals

Comfort the Grieving

Gather Gods People

Pray for the Flock

ZONDERVAN

Oversee Gods People

Copyright 2015 by Brian Croft and Bryce Butler

ePub Edition June 2015: ISBN 978-0-310-51932-4

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Croft, Brian.

Oversee Gods people : shepherding the flock through administration and delegation / Brian Croft and Bryce Butler.

pages cm.(Practical shepherding series)

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-310-51931-7 (softcover)

1. Church management. 2. Pastoral theology. 3. Christian leadership. I. Title

BV652.C69 2015

254dc23

2015003062

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design and illustrations: Jay Smith-Juicebox Designs

Interior design: Matthew Van Zomeren

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To our wives, Cara and Bethany, our chief encouragers in life and ministry

CONTENTS

by Daniel Montgomery

(BRIAN CROFT)

(BRIAN CROFT)

(BRYCE BUTLER)

(BRYCE BUTLER)

(BRIAN CROFT)

(BRIAN CROFT AND BRYCE BUTLER)

(Bryce Butler)

FROM THE OUTSIDE looking in, or perhaps in the angst-laden thoughts of a seminarian or the eager plans of a church planter, the church is a dream. The dream church fulfills our deepest longings for community. Leading it is as smooth as sailing an alpine lake. This church on mission floats along merrily like a butterfly and stings the kingdom of darkness like a bee. The young pastor, ready to take charge, leaps into the dreamy adventure of leading the church, singing Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.

We imagine the church to be this otherworldly organism that thrives, grows, and multiplies with little maintenance. And, at first, it seems to be true. Many pastors have started out preaching the word with gusto, gathering a core group that would make Davids mighty men tremble. As the church grows, elders and deacons are chosen according to Pauls blueprint; missionaries named Adoniram are sent out; and the poor are cared for.

And then, the realities of the killer Bs hit: the Buildings, Budgets, and those Butts in the pew. Attendance fluctuates; cash on hand nosedives; budgets bulge; the elders are cranky; missionaries are disillusioned; and splintered core group members are no longer on speaking terms with one another. The dream fades in the light of the cold reality of life in a Genesis 3 world. Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me may have been your theme song in the beginning, but now the dream has run aground, dashed against the rocks of reality.

The dream church only exists in the abstract, hyped on conference stages across the country. For every pastor, there comes a day when the dream ends and you wake up and realize that your organic church needs some organization. The church needs to be an institution as well... and this is a good thing. Sadly, some pastors become disillusioned at this point and leave their church to pursue their vision of a pure church. Others sidestep the difficulties of administration and delegation by claiming, Im not that kind of leader.