Closing a Congregation - the administrative side

Yesterday I fully realized that my job as pastor right now is mainly administrative work. I am setting up conversations, outlines for meetings, bringing in realtors to walk through the building - and I am making sure we have a musician every week. I spend hours in my office on the phone or on the computer typing up notes or outlines.

After the congregational meeting I have another administrative job: Hiring a bookkeeper. At the meeting one of the council positions open was Treasurer. Our current treasurer has been treasurer for 15 years and it is just always assumed that he will be treasurer again. This year he said that he will not do it again.So, the slot was open for nominations at the Annual Meeting. No one was willing to fill the position. There was some begging of the current treasurer to do it just one more year - but he was firm. He said, pretty clear but in a kind way, "If you can't even fill this position on our council then I don't know why we are even having a conversation about keeping the doors of the church open." So, the position remains empty. As of right now we have 5 people on our 12 person council and there is no vice president or treasurer.

The fact that there is no treasurer is a bigger deal then it may seem because we also have no finance committee and no bookkeeper. When the current treasurer's position ends Jan. 1st there is no one to pay the bills of the congregation. It was clear that this is what the congregation was deciding when no one was nominated to be treasurer. After the vote for council members I asked that the congregation give permission to the council to hire a bookkeeper - and now I need to hire one. A new item to my ever growing list of administrative duties.