Church Administrative Assistants are also called General Secretaries. They are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the church and assisting the Pastor to perform his duties. These Administrative Assistants do not work under much supervision except for the Pastor and the Church Committee. Here we are going to see the Church Administrative Assistant Job.
Thus, they must be good independent workers good at multitasking and prioritization. They have to perform administrative and office duties. They deal with the short and long-term goals of the church and serve the Pastor, church leaders, Department Manager, or Executive Director. They must look after the church with the staff and committee members and approximately 150 worshippers. Many churches expect them to be active members of the church and have a driving license.
Responsibilities of The Church Administrative Assistant
The following are different responsibilities of a church administrative assistant:
Media Responsibilities
The following are the responsibilities related to publishing important materials:
- Design, prepare and publish bulletin containing news related to baptism, anniversaries, weddings, christenings, and more related events.
- Update the bulletins, events, and weekly sermons on the website and manage the website.
- Maintain the membership records electronically, print them, and create certificates for life events.
- Photocopy the documents and keep them organized.
Communicating with the people
The following responsibilities are related to communicating with the people on behalf of the church to solve related problems:
- Communicate with the people on behalf of the church respectfully in terms of emails, social media, phone calls, and electronic sign, and provide the required assistance.
- Make announcements related to the worships to the minister and other people related to the Sunday worship.
- Greet the people visiting the church office and provide them with the required assistance.
- Manage church schedule, keep records of the church events, religious holidays, Pastor’s duties, and appointments with the church leaders.
- Inform the Pastoral Care Board and related members about the illnesses and hospitalizations.
- Collaborate with the church staff, members, and committees and attend all staff meetings.
Record keeping
The following responsibilities include keeping various records related to the church:
- Update and manage the records related to the church, the members, the board meetings, and their timings.
- Manage the filing system for the church, maintain confidentiality about them, and record information related to income and expenditure.
- Maintain a master calendar for the events between the church and other organizations.
- Maintain the mailing list of various stakeholders of the church and print the mailing labels.
- Order materials for the office and staff and maintain inventory about the same.
- Mark attendance, enter the information related to new visitors in the church and send them notifications when required.
Physical activities
The activities that require the church administrative assistant to use physical strength include the following:
- Looking at the office supplies and orders and purchase required materials.
- Create and distribute sheets related to weekly announcements.
- Collect information from different groups related to the church about the monthly meetings and create, design, and print the monthly newsletter.
- Be ready to handle the work that was not scheduled or specified by the Pastor, maintain the office neatly, and lift heavy paper boxes.
- Recruit the volunteers and help them in different church and miscellaneous projects.
- Provide certain pastoral services in the absence of the Pastor.
- Schedule the weddings, baptisms, and funerals, print bulletins, and support for the management of food, music, etc.
Financial Responsibilities
The following are some of the responsibilities related to finance:
- Manage church accounts, enter the information regarding the donations, and collaborate with the treasurer for tax payment.
- Track the deposits made for weddings and other events and co-sign the checks.
- Maintain the employment records and related monthly payrolls.
Skills Required In A Church Administrative Assistant
It is a position of great responsibility. Thus, the church administrative assistant must possess a wide range of skills as given below:
- Must be able to work fast and accurately, meet deadlines, and be cheerful, patient, creative, competent, and flexible.
- Must work independently and in a team containing different types of members. Thus, it is necessary to possess good communication skills (both verbally and non-verbally), team-building skills, and provide positive suggestions to those who ask for them.
- Must be detail-oriented, dedicated towards the mission and vision of the church, an active member of the church, and able to maintain confidentiality.
- Must present impartial judgments while dealing with critical issues, be courteous with the regular visitors in their bad times, and adjust to change.
- Must be confident and eligible enough to take charge on behalf of the Pastor and prioritize the tasks.
- Must be comfortable enough with the technology to handle the church website, emails, phone calls, publishing equipment, and social media posts.
- Some jobs must get done by hook or crook.
Qualifications To Be A Church Administrative Assistant
The church administrative assistants must be well-educated and have the required degrees. Some required qualifications are as follows:
- Some churches require the administrative assistants to be Christians representing God whereas, some churches require them to believe in certain religions.
- A high school diploma is a must, whereas a GED equivalent will also do.
- Must have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree and administrative or clerical experience of a minimum of two years. Some churches require experience of 3 to 5 years and an accounting or business degree.
- Must know basic accounting and bookkeeping.
- Must be able to work with graphics, online processing systems, and Microsoft office.
Working Hours And Days
Since it is not a typical corporate job, the working time and days differ according to the church. They might work full-time or part-time.
Some of the working hours and days are as follows:
- Some churches require the administrative assistants to work for 27 hours every week on allocated alternate days and alternate timings, five days a week.
- Some churches require the candidates to work four days with fixed timings.
- Some require them to work for fourteen hours a week for five days.
Salary For Church Administrative Assistants
The salary of a church administrative assistant depends on the experience and the location and size of the church. Their salary typically ranges from $20,000 to $70,000 but, the highest salary may reach $153,000.
Challenges Faced By The Church Administrative Assistants
The following points do not challenge the capabilities of the administrative assistants of the church. Instead, they elaborate the obstacles ready to affect their daily jobs:
Rise Of technology
The typical tasks of the administrative assistants include maintaining the files and their confidentiality, sending and receiving the letters by acting as a representative of the church, answering the telephone calls, dictations, and more. But, these elements are now getting replaced by technology.
Technology has replaced files with databases, telephones with mobile phones, and letters with emails. Thus, they must be well aware of dealing with the replacements.
Need Of Flexibility
Their responsibilities keep on changing with time. They might have to work for more than the assigned work hours according to the tasks provided by the Pastors.
Getting Replaced By Virtual Assistants
Most of the Pastors have now started using Virtual Assistants to store some records. Thus, the Pastors do not have to get assisted by the Church Administrative Assistants everywhere.
Issues With The Income
Since the Church Administrative Assistants may marry and have children, they expect their income to grow with time. It might not be an issue in the beginning but, it certainly is after some years. They might also feel that the income is not in line with their responsibilities.
Miscellaneous Reasons
Some Church Administrative Assistants might not handle work stress anymore, while some might be moving to another region with their family. Planning for retirement or changing the career path are also the challenges due to which they usually decide to quit.
Conclusion
All the affairs of the church cannot get handled by a single pastor. Thus, there is a need for Church Administrative Assistants. They work directly under the administration of the Pastor. Their performance is reviewed by the Council’s Executive Committee, and gain appraisals accordingly. The council encourages and guides them to maintain a team-oriented working environment with the Pastor. They must juggle a lot of tasks and are seen with a lot of hope by the people. Thus, they must set examples of patience, cheerfulness, calmness, optimism, spirituality and stability, and presence of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Is A Pastor?
Answer:
A Pastor is a sanctioned leader of a Christian church who supervises the services and provides pieces of advice to the people. The Pastor can be a male or a female and enjoy married life. Married Pastors get considered to be more reliable than unmarried ones. They must undergo formal training and might enjoy other careers outside the church. They can work for a full-time or a part-time position.
- What Is A Priest?
Answer:
A Priest is a sanctioned religious leader in a specific faith such as Catholicism. He is authorized to supervise the religious rites. Only a male can be a Priest and cannot marry as he is believed to marry the church. A Priest does not need to undergo any formal training, and the abolition rate is low. It is a full-time position in the Catholic faith.
- Why Are The Administrative Church Assistants Being Replaced By The Virtual Assistants?
Answer:
The Pastors do not have to worry about their vacations, salary, retirement, taxes, hospitalization, or other facilities. They do not need a separate cabin, computer, file system, food, and more. A Virtual Assistant performs the tasks such as record keeping, website management, calendar management, and handling phone calls.
