In congregational life, there are always those who give more /worry more/spend more time on the money than others. In systems theory this is called overfunctioning. Members who are overfunctioning with financial aspects of the church always think if others gave more or were more responsible, the church wouldn’t have this problem.
Yet there’s a balance between those who overfunction and those who underfunction in terms of financial responsibility. It takes both to keep this dynamic going. Often key church leaders carry the anxiety for church finances.
Who is staying awake at night? Typically, it’s the pastor, although sometimes lay leaders are more worried than the clergy. I talked recently with a church treasurer who was losing sleep night after night over whether there would be enough church money in the account to pay the bills. In this situation, the potential shortfall did not belong to the treasurer but to the church. It wasn’t his responsibility—or not his alone. Yet he was the one who was holding all the anxiety for it.
Overfunctioning is driven by anxiety. We feel anxious as to whether others are going to step forward and be responsible, and so we step in, either to help them or to do it ourselves. The basic rule is that underfunctioners do not step up to take responsibility until overfunctioners step down. For most of us who were born to be too responsible, this is not easy. And when it’s in a high-anxiety area like money, this is even more difficult. It can seem like it’s our job (paid or unpaid) to worry, and to do everything we can to make sure the budget balances.
Clergy can also underfunction in the area of money. Some ministers don’t like to deal with finances or feel inadequate when they see a report. So they leave money matters to the laity. If this is you, recognize your own strengths and weaknesses, but also remember that attention to the financial side of church life is an important basic for pastoral leaders. Underfunctioning, like overfunctioning, is anxiety-driven. If you want to step up your functioning in this area, one way to start is to notice your responses when money is the topic at hand.
Awareness is the first step toward making different choices. Who is overfunctioning around money in your church? Are you? Who is underfunctioning? Are you?
Adapted from Money and Your Ministry: Balance the Books While Keeping Your Balance. Margaret Marcuson is author of Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry and Money and Your Ministry (available now). Get mini-course, Five Ways to Avoid Burnout in Ministry: www.margaretmarcuson.com
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