“Management organizes labor to subdue the earth.”
That thought hit me like a ton of bricks when I was reading Jonathan Leeman’s book Using Authority Well. In his book, he describes different roles of authority that individuals hold. Government, church, and work have what he calls the authority of command. Elders and husbands have the authority of counsel. Parents have both. Read this excellent book for more insight into each of those.
In the chapter on workplace relationships, he defines a manager’s authority with this sentence: Managerial authority is a way of organizing our labor for the purpose of fulfilling God’s dominion mandate and making provision for every participant.
We could summarize it in this way: A manager organizes labor for productive ends or as stated above, to subdue the earth.
What an excellent way of thinking about good leadership and management! In other words, people don’t know what they should be doing, why they should do it, or how they should do it. Without oversight, labor will not be organized. So a manager is needed to direct those individuals to work toward a specific end.
We can see both leadership and management in the life of Nehemiah. He gave the people of Jerusalem a vision of rebuilding the wall. And he directed individuals to different parts of the wall and handled problems as they arose.
But organizing labor for productive ends is needed not only in the business world but also in the home and church. My newest book is on how a man should manage his family well (1 Tim 3:5). We should do this in the home! This trains us for leadership in the church.
Parents Must Oversee and Manage
Let’s apply these insights first to the home and let me rewrite the definition. Dads and moms will organize labor in the home for productive ends. That wording strikes differently, doesn’t it?
As parents, one of our jobs is to ensure that our children have a good work ethic. But like everyone, they don’t know what the vision is. They need someone to point it out to them. A father or mother is managing their household well when they are organizing the labor in their home so that it leads to character development and the flourishing of the family.
Leeman makes several suggestions for good managers that apply to parents:
– Delegate when you can.
– Don’t micromanage.
– Help them get better at their jobs. Train them.
– Be aware of their weaknesses. You may need to protect them from themselves.
– Remember they are sinners. Establish structures to minimize temptations.
A wise father or mother does not do everything in their home. He or she has “organized the labor” in his/her home. There are routines and chores. There is training and encouragement. An exhausted mother with a chaotic home is not a sign of a loving mother but an unwise one. A godly mom or dad organizes the labor in his home for productive means (1 Tim 3:5, 1 Tim 5:14).
Pastors Must Oversee and Manage
But if this passage applies in the home, it also applies in the church. Church members also need overseers to organize their labor. Church members often don’t know what to do either. They need help. Ephesians 4:12 calls pastors to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Many passages call pastors “overseers.” This title comes from the idea of house-manager overseeing the country home of a wealthy master, not doing all work but seeing it gets done.
This pastoral calling should never take over the primary ministry of teaching the word, but it is a responsibility of the elders. We can see this exemplified even in Acts 6 when the focus is on appointing the first proto-deacons. But notice the apostles. They organized the labor by initiating a response to the problem and turned over authority to them. That is to say – they managed.
The appointment of a worship leader or children’s ministry leader to oversee and manage is in fact management. This applies to other ministry positions that the church needs. Pastor, you are overseeing well as you set up other authorities and delegate.
If you are a pastor, let me repeat part of Leeman’s list again to think about how to do this.
– Delegate when you can.
– Don’t micromanage.
– Help them get better at their jobs. Train them.
– Be aware of their weaknesses. You may need to protect them from themselves.
– Remember they are sinners. Establish structures to minimize temptations.
Unfortunately, too many pastors do not know how to delegate. Job descriptions, accountability, and authority are never applied to the church. It took me many years to learn the lessons in this post. But we can grow as overseers.
ConclusionÂ
Mom and Dad, manage your home well. Organize the labor of your children for productive means. They will be happier. You will be happier. And God will be glorified.
Pastor/Elders, manage your church well. Organize the labor of your members for productive means. They will be happier. You will be happier. And God will be glorified.
