While preparing for the Convocation of Catholic Leaders, I paused
on a statement describing a design principle for the event. In calling for
missionary discipleship, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the
participant guidebook cites Pope Francis' caution that "'mere
administration' can no longer be enough."
As I had held administrative posts for almost a quarter of a
century with 20 years in Catholic ministries, I took this as one of those
learning moments to stop and think.
Simplified, administration is the coordination of people and
their efforts to fulfill the purpose of an entity through the management of
roles, activities, resources and processes. The goal of administration is to
enable ministry while the purpose for any faith-based ministry is to help
people know, love and serve God.
I would be the last person to cast administration as the polar
opposite of ministry. The word "administration" embeds the concept of
ministration. Few ministries can flourish without able administration.
Think about the cases where necessary services and outreach are
held back by inefficient or incoherent processes, poorly trained or guided
personnel, as well as insufficient or suboptimal use of resources. The Acts of
the Apostles makes clear that the good works of charity and care for community
require dedicated and organized administration.
While both are necessary, administration and ministry can pull in
different directions that call for different actions and behaviors. Minimally,
pressures for attending to tasks, deadlines, crises of one sort or another can
hijack the time, energies, sensitivities and patience needed to attend to the
feelings, needs and personal circumstances of the people involved.
I learned this during my last month at Catholic Relief Services
when I opened my calendar to anyone who wanted to have lunch. These
conversations, unlike routine meetings, were not tethered to the usual
organizational menus of problem-solving or brainstorming.
People shared stories of their backgrounds, why they chose to go
into international development, their personal triumphs and losses, what was
difficult about change for them, how they have grown, their hopes for CRS and
how we could make more room for the ideas of our young people. My colleagues
asked about me: What was difficult for me, what did I see in the organization,
what did I hope for, what did I think we achieved together and what advice
would I like them to hold in their hearts?
These conversations reveal the essence of people: who they are in
the ways that matter to them; their joys and sometimes their struggles; what
gives them meaning and joy; how they want to contribute and what holds them
back. People were seeking to be known, not in resume entries that denote
qualifications, but in human terms that foster understanding — the first
building blocks for engagement, acceptance and friendship.
The right brain kicks in to seek expressions toward bonded-ness
and relationships without which we would not be fully human nor could we have
the hunger for God and His people implicit to ministry.
A professional hazard to administrative roles is that these are
based on power entangled with evaluative thinking that does not shut itself
off. These inhibit conversations. Not only will people refrain from telling you
their concerns; they also hold back on positive feedback and empathy for those
in authority for fear that these may be misconstrued.
It is hard to imagine how one would find the extra time and the
appropriate space that allows for both emotional bonding and professional
objectivity. I would venture to say that had I appreciated the significance of
these needs, I would have worked hard to make time and find ways to accommodate
these.
It has to be done when we recognize that this is not really a choice:
that our colleagues deserve nothing less, that empathy would wither or become
brittle in their absence, and that we are not really supporting God's ministry
without channeling His eyes, ears and heart for the other.
Woo is distinguished president's fellow for global
development at Purdue University and served as the CEO and president of
Catholic Relief Services from 2012 to 2016.