Ministers Church Management Seminar.

Theme: CHURCH MANAGEMENT (Part 3).

Topic: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CHURCH

Gen.6:5-6, 3:1-24, 2Kgs6:1-7, 1Cor.3:1-6, Lk 9:12-17, 1Corinth.14:26.

Humans are the most difficult entity to manage in any work place. God Almighty attests to this in Genesis 6:5-6. Leaders are accountable to God on how effectively they manage God's own business ( i.e. the flock/church). Jere. 23:2, Ezek.34:10, 15. Failure of the leadership to effectively manage the human resources of an organization can lead to underproduction, losses and crises, in the entire organization. Prov.29:2, 11:14. As leaders, we must be diligent to feed the flock and know the state of the flock. Prov.27:23*, 1Pet.5:2, Acts20:28*, John21:15-17*.

Just as God describes human nature and character in Genesis 6:5-6, Management Theories X and Y (by Social Psychologist,  Douglas McGregor) describe how leaders should manage their human resources, so as to get quality results.

McGregor Theory X of Management opines that no human being is ready to work unless they are (forced in some ways) to do so and that motivation should be by "carrot and stick" approach. "Carrot" for faithfulness and excellence; "Stick" for unfaithfulness and laziness". Here, managers are pessimistic about human behaviour. That is, management assumes that human beings generally (and naturally) have the following characteristics:

*Dislike their work.

*Avoid responsibility and need constant direction.

*Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to deliver work.

*Need to be supervised at every step.*

Have no incentive to work or ambition, and therefore need to be enticed by rewards  to achieve goals.

Theory Y of management has an optimistic opinion of workers, that you can bring out the best in them by allowing them to be self-motivated and encouraging them to apply their own initiatives in improving/increasing productivity. Management is optimistic about their workers' ability to deliver with very little or no supervision. Unlike Theory X organizations, theory Y organizations encourage open communication rather than controlling the staff forcefully.

Theory Y organizations also give employees frequent opportunities for promotion.

This style of management assumes that workers are:

*Happy to work on their own initiative.

*More involved in decision making.

*Self-motivated to complete their tasks.

*Enjoy taking ownership  of their work.

*Seek and accept responsibility, and need little direction.

*View work as fulfilling and challenging.

Solve problems creatively and imaginatively.

All these reflect workers' increasing desire for more meaningful careers  that provide them with more satisfaction than just money.

The Disadvantages of Theory X and Y.

Both theories have their challenges. The restrictive nature of Theory X, for instance, could cause people to become demotivated and non-cooperative if management approach is too strict. This may lead to high staff turnover or  members leaving the church for other places, which could damage leadership reputation or that of the church in the long term.

Theory Y approach gives people too much freedom; this may allow them to stray from their key objectives [ in this case, Christian virtues and obligations] or lose focus completely. Less externally motivated individuals may also take advantage of this more relaxed working environment by not following the rules to the latter.

Hence, for effective Human Resource Management, both theories X and Y should be harmonized. By implication, as Managers of God's resources, Pastors, Leaders and other ministers within the church system should carefully and consciously apply these theories for optimum results.