Each of the three parts that make up the term, namely 'on faith', 'development' and 'initiative', is explained below. An in-depth exploration of the concept of development is beyond the scope of this dissertation.
Limitations of the study
PART ONE
MANAGEMENT,
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND THE
CHRISTIAN FAITH
What is management?
To ensure the long-term survival of the organization, especially in today's rapidly changing environment, strategic planning (or long-term planning) must take place (Certo 2000: 166). Leadership involves identifying and using an appropriate leadership style, as well as the various forms of power that leaders have over their followers (Robbins and Coulter 1995:520).
Identifying managers in faith-based development initiatives
As a result, we can only participate when we are open to criticism. When deciding how best to allocate finances and other resources within an initiative, it is therefore important to remember that we are simply stewards of resources on God's earth (Botha 1999: 17).
PART TWO CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDY 1: PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Background information
As noted in the previous section, very little planning was done before preschool began. General perceptions of preschool effectiveness were discussed during monthly committee meetings.
Final note
Later Calvary members paid the same amount but had no responsibility to any particular child. The financial statements were presented at every monthly meeting of the commission and annual audits were performed on the financial statements.
Background information
Church leaders and the congregation supported the idea of a social work ministry and were happy to see the church contribute to the community. However, this attitude was rarely translated into practical or emotional support for social workers.
Management processes
Some members of the executive have acknowledged that not enough action has been taken on social workers' concerns. It is the management of the mission work of the East End Mission that has been examined in this study. However, there were leaders of established mission projects in some East End Mission churches who felt extremely threatened by the new structure.
Decision-making (usually by consensus) was initially the responsibility of the East End Mission's executive officer. Church leaders were elected in accordance with the regulations of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Ministers and staff of the Circuit Mission Office had written contracts in accordance with the.
The secretary of the circuit mission office was sent by the president of the East End Mission to a basic computer course. Initial planning for the initiative was done by the pastor in collaboration with several church members. The financial management of the initiative was extremely transparent in the sense that staff members were given regular financial updates by the managing director or chairman.
PART THREE
DISCUSSION OF
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND
CASE STUDIES
PLANNING
- Purposes of planning
- The tasks involved in planning
Defining the mission includes stating the main reason for the existence of the organization (or initiative) as well as defining its basic character and philosophy (Hampton Stoneret aI1995:248). Objectives are the end points to be achieved as a result of the organization's activities (Hampton 1986: 140). Actions that conform to the social and moral codes of the society in which.
The social work ministry developed from the church's mission statement, which is: 'Bringing Christ to the world. The Ubunye Housing project explained in its constitution that the church has a responsibility to meet the needs of the surrounding community. The objectives should be formulated as specifically as possible and should be clear and simple. One of the problems that arose in the social work service was that so were the social workers.
In the social work service example, the social workers could have set short-term targets of six weeks, so that each client's progress would be assessed against the criteria on a six-week basis.
ORGANISING
A disadvantage, however, is that it involves duplicate work, e.g. in the ideal organization plan of the East End Mission, each. Organizational hierarchies are generally represented in the form of organizational charts, as shown in each of the four case studies (Certo 2000:216). Therefore, if a chain of command is to be effective, it must be known, accepted and used by all members of the organization.
As illustrated by the Social Work Service and the East End Mission, the degree to which the governance structure of a faith initiative is integrated into the governance structure of a church will affect the number of levels in the hierarchy. The East End Mission is a good example of a large organization that could end up moving towards the mechanical side of the continuum. Despite its small size, the Ubunye project and the preschool chose to retain some of the more mechanistic features, such as centralized decision-making and a clear chain of command.
In the case of the kindergarten, it was the strength and vision of the two ministers that initially drove the preschool.
LEADING
There is no doubt that development initiatives must be responsive to community needs, as needs are one of the primary reasons for their existence. Secondly, the Chairman of the Council was recognized by staff as being extremely supportive and helpful, even though the time he had to devote to the initiative was limited. Scanlan and Certo state that there is a direct relationship between the effectiveness of communication within an organization and employee productivity.
Is communication between departments at the same level of hierarchy such that tasks are coordinated effectively. The structure and operation of the District Mission Committee are discussed at district staff meetings (including ministers and other pastoral staff), East End Mission executive meetings, and Circuit Quarterly meetings (including leaders from all churches in the district). In the social work ministry, conflict developed between the first social worker and the church's youth pastor.
Finally, employees must be helped to deal with conflict in a way that builds relationships and advances the organization's purpose.
CONTROLLING
The kindergarten principal used to sit with the teacher and observe her teaching skills and attitude towards the children. A member of the East End Mission Executive Committee visited many local projects and met with project managers to assess how effectively the initiatives were working. Project manager Ubunye visited the staff from time to time to find out how they were coping.
None of the initiatives examined had carried out any formal evaluation, either internally or externally, of their effectiveness in achieving their objectives. Although the East End Mission is too young at this stage to warrant such evaluations, leaders of the other three initiatives acknowledged that it would probably be a good idea to conduct formal evaluations. In terms of management theory, they should reconsider their objectives as defined at the beginning of the project.
One of the biggest challenges for churches is therefore to ensure that all three types of controlling are implemented as an integral part of the management of these initiatives.
FINANCING
- Financial planning
First, employees lower down the hierarchy often have a more realistic view of the needs of their departments than senior managers. As the case study shows, Social Worker 1 would have liked to spend money on books, training and gas, but was reluctant to ask because of her knowledge of the church's financial position. For example, the chairman of the East End Mission had numerous foreign contacts built up through years of work in development.
Although none of the initiatives in this study have encountered this problem, there may be some funding sources that Christian managers should reject on the grounds that they betray the values that the church and its programs seek to uphold. Government grants are available to some non-governmental organizations that meet the necessary requirements, as in the case of the Ubunye project. One of the principles of accounting is that the form of financial statements should remain consistent.
Audits can be carried out by members of the organization itself or by external experts (Stoner et al., 1995:574).
CONCLUSION
- Planning
- Organising
- Financing
Critically, if faith-based development initiatives are to build people's capacities, listen to the voices of the poor and ensure that their dignity is upheld, their effective participation must remain a priority. However, a carefully planned structure can improve the functioning of the initiative and facilitate progress towards it. Leadership appears to be one of the most neglected processes in faith-based development initiatives.
Time must be set aside for a deliberate period of evaluation by all role players of the initiative's progress in relation to the mission and goals that were originally set. Members of the church linked to an initiative can be encouraged to contribute a small amount per month to the initiative, also in poor areas. Models of organizational structure for faith-based development could be evaluated against biblical models of the early church or other appropriate biblical models.
The Church as a 'Special' Case: Comments from Ecclesiology on Church Management, in Modern Theology.
APPENDICES
I was social worker 1 on this initiative, so I was able to report many details myself. To balance the views of the social workers and management, I interviewed a member of the church board who had served on this body before the start of the social work initiative. Brief description of the structure and operation of the initiative. Perception of the effectiveness of the initiative.
