Administrative Standards & Guidelines

I am sure most have either read or heard of the notorious Murphy's Law. Various versions of it exist, and one version reads like this:

• Left to themselves, things go from bad to worse.
• If anything can go wrong, it will.
• If several things can go wrong, the one that does will be the one that will do the most damage.
• If you play with something long enough, you'll break it.
• If everything seems to be going well, you have overlooked something.
• Nature always sides with the hidden flaws.

While Murphy's Law may sound whimsical, we find threads of truth and proven principles woven throughout it. To off set the impact of this so-called Murphy's Law, an Apostolic-driven youth ministry should have a set of standing plans that address recurring questions or situations. I refer to these standing plans as administrative standards and guidelines.

Administrative standards and guidelines are nothing more than the standards, policies, procedures, and rules that we use to guide us in the administration of our youth ministry. Essentially, they are decisions that we have made in advance, and treat recurring questions or situations the same way each time they arise. When properly used, a ministry's administrative standards and guidelines provide a basis for consistent management of the youth ministry and its resources.

A youth leader does not create these administrative standards and guidelines alone. External forces and controls often dictate policies or affect their shaping. Many factors influence the making of youth ministry administrative standards and guidelines. Some of these influences are:

1. Biblical truths;
2. Pastoral preferences, convictions, teaching;
3. legal obligations and/or restrictions;
4. moral and ethical values;
5. good management practices;
6. experience;
7. constituency; etc.

The aim of each standard, policy, procedure, or rule is to help youth ministry leadership fulfill their role and to ensure that the youth ministry effectively fulfills its purpose.

A standard is a yardstick or measure by which we judge something. For example, sixteen ounces is the measure used to judge whether an item weighs one pound. For a youth ministry, established standards become the yardstick for leadership to measure itself and the effectiveness of its ministry. Standards may also serve as a set of controls when planning.

Policies are the guidelines we use regarding specific situations. They help leadership maintain a certain standard or quality of performance within their organizational structure. A policy may be very broad or specific in nature. The goal of each policy should be to ensure that we will handle a recurring question or situation the same way each time it arises and handle it fairly. This reduces the opportunity for others to accuse youth ministry leadership of partiality, unfairness or unethical behavior. Policies help reduce misunderstandings and encourage consistent solutions to problems or situations that may arise. A policy is a general rule everyone working within the youth ministry should follow.

Procedures see that we carry policy out in an orderly way. In this sense, policy says what to do, while procedure says how to do. A procedure is an orderly list of steps for us to follow to accomplish certain things. The steps of a procedure operate sequentially. Procedures must be kept simple and uncomplicated; otherwise, we face the temptation of ignoring them or applying them halfheartedly. Properly written procedures improve efficiency and are of special help to volunteers; especially, new volunteers.

Rules are a youth ministry's "thou shall not's," and penalties usually exist for their violation. It is usually easy to detect when a rule has been broken. We must be prepared to take the specified action when this occurs. Policies may be less cut-and-dried in nature, and we may apply some discretion when discharging the procedures. However, we must apply rules with loving firmness and everyone must be aware of the consequences for their violation.

We should never write administrative standards and guidelines in stone. Instead, they must be the subject of constant evaluation and periodic revision as we relentlessly pursue the purpose of an effective youth ministry.