Which roles a church org chart shows, and why
Governance differs between denominations and independent churches, but the same question comes up everywhere: who leads the staff, and who holds the leaders accountable? Keeping the board and the staff as two separate trees answers it without implying the elders manage day-to-day work.
- Elder board
- Elders, deacons, a church council or a vestry, depending on your tradition. The board sets direction, protects doctrine and oversees the senior pastor. It sits at the top as its own box, not above every staff member.
- Senior pastor
- Preaches, leads the staff and represents the church. The dotted line to the board chair shows accountability to the board without making the chair the pastor's day-to-day manager.
- Executive pastor and executive assistant
- In mid-sized churches the executive pastor runs staff and operations so the senior pastor can focus on preaching and care. The assistant sits beside the senior pastor as a staff position.
- Worship, youth and children's ministries
- Each ministry has a lead, often part-time in smaller churches (the children's director here works 0.6 FTE). An open intern role shows where the youth ministry wants help.
- Operations and church administrator
- Finance, facilities, communications and the church office. Showing them makes clear who handles giving records, building bookings and the weekly bulletin.
Variations: small congregation or multi-site church
Small church with a pastor and volunteers
Delete the executive pastor and put ministry teams directly under the pastor, led by volunteers. Use a separate department colour for volunteer-led ministries so members see where they can step in.
Larger or multi-site church
Add a campus pastor per site under the executive pastor, each with their own worship and family ministry leads, and give every campus its own colour.
Tips for a church org chart
Separate staff and volunteers
Use departments for staff and volunteer teams, or a custom field such as "volunteer". Members can see at a glance where they can get involved.
Show open roles
Mark a role as an open position when you are praying for a worship leader or recruiting a youth intern; it makes a good slide for the members' meeting.
Add photos for a welcoming chart
Add a photo to each leader and embed the chart on your website as a read-only view, so newcomers can put faces to names.
Questions about this template
Should the elder board be above the senior pastor?
In many churches the board oversees the pastor, but it does not manage staff. A separate top box for the board with a dotted line from the pastor shows that relationship more accurately than a solid line.
How do I show deacons or ministry committees?
Add them as boxes under the board or under the ministry they serve, with their own department colour. If deacons work alongside staff, use a dotted line to the staff lead.
Can I share the chart with members without making it public?
Saved charts can be shared as a read-only link. Password protection and expiry dates for links are available in the paid plans.
Ready to put in your own names?
The template opens in the editor with the example people. Replace them by hand, or import your staff list and keep the structure.