Where does your drama ministry fit within the organizational structure of your church? Are drama used as a tool for ministry or just an entertainment opportunity? As drama becomes more visible and accepted as a ministry, its position in the organizational structure of the church will (or should) change accordingly.

There are three organizational models associated with how a drama ministry is positioned in the church.

Isolated Model

In this model, drama is not a formal ministry, it's isolated from the formal church organization. Drama is used occasionally, perhaps for seasonal productions or as a fund-raiser. There is not an organized drama team with established leadership (i.e., President, Coordinator, Secretary, etc.). Often, members associated with another ministry (music, missionary, ushers, youth) decide to perform a dramatization for a specific occasion. After the performance is over the drama team no longer exists.

The good news is your church is actively using drama. The bad news is drama is not positioned as a church authorized “ministry” but rather an authorized “activity”. However, don’t be discouraged if you are in this phase of growth.

Subordinate Model

In this model, your church has established a formal drama ministry. Most often, churches position a new drama ministry as a subordinate ministry of Music or Christian Education. The members elect officers and set rules and operational guidelines. Most importantly, the drama team remains intact after every performance, which allows the ministry to grow through training, experience, and increased membership.

The good news is the church recognizes that drama is valuable enough to be a formal ministry. Hooray! The bad news is drama is still a subordinate ministry and therefore may be limited to the vision and guidance of the parent ministry leadership. However, this is only a weakness if the parent ministry leadership is not a strong advocate of drama.

Mature Model

In the Peer model, drama, and other creative arts, is recognized by the Pastor and church leadership as an integral part of their ministry suite. The main advantages of the Peer Model over the Subordinate Model are: 1) drama leadership has direct access to the Pastor and drama is included in the church's strategic plan for ministry, 2) The scope of the ministry may expand beyond drama performances and include other performing arts: dance, mime, puppetry, etc. In essence, the Drama Ministry is transformed into a comprehensive Creative or Sacred Arts Ministry.

The good news is this model places a concentrated focus on using all creative arts for ministry. The bad news is very few churches have implemented this organizational model.

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