A few years ago, I worked with a parish where every single person reported to the pastor. I mean everyone: the Director of Youth Ministry, the Business Manager, the Pre-School Director, the Maintenance Staff, the Bookkeeper, and the list goes on.
On top of that, the parish had an incredible network of volunteers serving on councils and committees for Finance, Liturgy, Formation, and Evangelization. They, too, “reported” directly to the pastor.
In my first few months there, an alarming issue emerged. A member of the Formation Committee presented an innovative idea to the Director of Children’s Faith Formation. The Director rejected it. (We can debate the merits of how she handled that meeting later, but that’s not the point here.)
The very next day, that committee member went around the Director and set up a meeting with the pastor. The pastor, an amazing pastoral leader who disliked conflict and had a hard time saying “no,” approved the idea on the spot. He then instructed the Director of Children’s Faith Formation to implement it.
You know where this is going. The committee member “won” by exerting more influence over the pastor than the actual staff member had. The Director was left feeling undermined and a bit resentful, and the pastor was completely oblivious to the conflict he had just ignited.
The Structure Gap
We often think of the Catholic Church understands hierarchy well. The Church is amazingly organized. But when we get to the parish level, those structures often become murky. Even when an organizational chart exists on paper, it is rarely followed.
As I accompany parishes, I always ask one fundamental question: Is your organizational structure effectively set up to accomplish the mission of your parish?
In this case, the “flat” structure was a disaster. With about 1,000 registered families, the parish was far too large for the pastor to be the sole point of contact. Before we could even talk about evangelization strategies, we had to spend nine months fixing the culture, managing conflict, and, frankly, helping the pastor realize that one particular staff member was no longer a good fit for leadership.
Building for Success
Through a comprehensive consultation with staff and volunteer leaders, we built a new structure designed for the mission. We moved away from the “hub and spoke” model (where the pastor is the hub) and toward a departmental model:
The “Direct Reports” to the Pastor were narrowed to three:
- The Business Manager
- The Pastoral Associate for Evangelization
- The Pre-School Director
We then aligned the remaining staff under those leaders:
- The Business Manager oversaw all administrative and operational roles (Bookkeeper, Office Manager, Maintenance, and Development).
- The Pastoral Associate oversaw all ministry and formation roles (Youth Ministry, Children’s Formation, and Liturgy).
Finally, we established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the volunteer councils. The Finance and Pastoral Councils worked with the Pastor (aided by the Business Manager and the Pastoral Associate); the Formation and Liturgy committees worked with their respective directors. Everyone knew exactly who to talk to, and more importantly, who was responsible for the final “yes.”
The Result
Within three months, the atmosphere changed. The “backdoor” meetings stopped (although there were still a handful of volunteers that we needed to coach on this). The culture became healthy enough to actually focus on pastoral priorities. Best of all? The pastor felt less stressed and more reinvigorated for his primary ministry.
A word of warning: This specific structure worked for this parish. It might not be the exact fit for yours. My point isn’t that you should copy-paste this chart. My point is that your structure must be optimized for your specific work for the Kingdom.
Set up a strong organizational foundation, and the pastoral strategies become infinitely easier to accomplish.
Question: In what ways does your parish organizational structure need to change?
