The Administrator and The Pastor

Wednesday, July 31 2019 Spiritual Gifts: The Making of a Team Part 14 Rev. DJ Breden The Gift Of Administration And The Gift Of The Pastor Administration 1. Description of the gift a. The gift of administration allows a person to _________________ people and resources for greater efficiency, effectiveness, and success. Administrators have the natural ability to apply resources where they will do the greatest good. b. Administrators are good with _________________ and are deeply aware of how all the parts of a group or organization work together to achieve their goals. c. The gift of Administration: the special ability that God gives for understanding clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the Body of Christ and the ability to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of these goals. d. The ability to organize and guide human activities in such a way that Vprogram is carried out. e. As a spiritual gift, administration has to do with guiding the affairs of the church and kingdom. The person with this gift has _________________ ability. The administrator accepts the goals set by others and devises and executes plans to accomplish these goals. A sense for organization is evident. Often a person with this gift is characterized as able to direct and motivate people and coordinate their activities. f. Often, but not always, people with the gift of administration also have the gift of leadership. A person with this gift will take an organized approach to most undertakings, and this attribute can be valuable in planning, coordinating, directing, supervising, or in committee work. Some would refer to this type of individual as a “_________________” person. g. One might expect a person with this gift to enjoy preparing agendas and reports to help a committee become more productive. Expect that careful attention will be paid to even small details in planning an activity. Someone with the gift of administration is characterized as one who takes satisfaction in a well-run organization. 2. Scriptures a. 1 Corinthians 12:28 In the church God has put all in place: in the first place apostles, in the second place prophets, and in the third place teachers; then those who perform miracles, followed by those who are given the power to heal or to help others or to direct them or to speak in strange tongues. b. Acts 14:23 In each church they appointed elders, and with prayers and fasting they commended them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 3. Determining the gift in your life a. Are you able to _________________ ideas, tasks, people, and time for Christian service b. Are you able to make effective plans to accomplish goals? c. Do you have a sense for _________________ important tasks to the right people at the right time? d. If a group you are in lacks organization, do you have a desire to step in to help it to run more effectively e. Do you _________________ bearing responsibility for the success of a particular task within the church? f. Are you able to analyze facts in order to plan for successful completion of a project? 4. Growing the gift a. Being an effective administrator requires attention to the basic quality at the core of this gift - that of directing. The Greek word for “administration” is kubernesis and it means “piloting or steering.” A good pilot is ever vigilant to steer his ship away from harm and catastrophe of Titantic proportions. Developing the means by which to watch over church affairs in areas of involvement is a matter of attention to detail, record-keeping, and keeping sight of chosen goals. Learn how to do these things more effectively. b. It is the Lord who directs his church, and thus we want to follow his plan, not ours. To avoid the danger of drifting in the wrong direction, learn to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and on prayer rather than your own devices. Learn to pray before acting. c. People are more important than projects. They need love and support; they do not want to feel used. Learn how to be sensitive to the needs of all those with whom you are working and put people first. d. Avoid the danger of “over managing” or “taking over” in such a way to exclude the contributions, ideas, and concerns of others. Remember that the Holy Spirit works through us in community - we need each other to get the whole picture that God has in mind for us. Learn to listen for the “still, small voice of God” by allowing periods of silence so that those with less aggressive natures can make their contributions comfortably. e. Read and meditate on Exodus 18: 13-27 to learn how Jethro understood the use of the gift of administration. Seek out other readings about good administrators to learn how they proceeded, methods they used, and initiatives they took to help build up the enterprise. Look for new approaches that will help make things work better, always striving for improvement. 5. Using Your Gift a. Personally: organize family devotions, help a friend develop a family budget, organize a Bible study at work b. Within the church: superintend the Sunday school, direct a program, or chair a committee c. Within the wider community: organize fund-raising campaign, serve on board of home for the aged, organize a rally The Pastor 1. Description of the gift a. The gift of Pastor: the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to assume a long-term responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of believers. It involves _________________ the spiritual lives of others and care for their spiritual needs by teaching and guiding them toward maturity. The believer with this gift will have the confidence, capability and compassion to provide spiritual leadership and direction for individuals or groups of individuals. “ Pastoring” comes from the Greek word “poimen.” It refers to service in a caring, _________________, feeding and leading function. In the New Testament, the gift appears in connection with the work of elders, shepherds, overseers, and presbyters. Sometimes this gift is referred to as “shepherding.” Which is a near translation from the Greek. One who has this gift may be an ordained pastor; however, a person may have this gift and not be theologically trained or ordained. The person who has the gift of pastor must feed (Acts 20:28b), guide (John 21:16), and protect (Acts 20:28a) others, be a teacher (1 Tim. 3:2), give doctrinal instruction (Tit. 1:9), and enable others to mature in their faith. This gift can function in informal as well as official ways - in the role of counseling and spiritual direction to help others build a spiritual foundation for their lives 2. Scripture a. Ephesians 4:11 - It was he (Christ) who “gave gifts to mankind”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. b. 1Peter 5:1c-3 - I appeal to you to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock. c. 1 Timothy 4:12-15 - Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity. Until I come, give your time and effort to the public reading of the Scriptures and to preaching and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you, which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all. 3. Determining the gift in your life a. Are you concerned to see the spiritual needs of believers met and are willing to be _________________ involved in nurturing and discipling ministries b. Do you sense in yourself a _________________ instinct when you know of Christians who need spiritual counsel? c. Do you _________________ responsibility when you see a Christian being led astray? d. Have you helped individual believers by guiding them to _________________ portions of the Bible and praying with them? e. Do you _________________ to care for the spiritual welfare of a group of young Christians, shut-ins, or people in pain? 4. Using Your Gift a. Personally: strike up spiritual _________________ with family or friends b. Within the church: become a youth counselor or spiritual director for a person who has that need c. Within the wider community: conduct a jail ministry; volunteer for a child guidance clinic; lead a campus Bible studies group 5. Growing Your Gift a. Study scriptural examples of _________________ to see how the gift is exercised: John 10:1-18; Ezekiel 34:1-6,15; 1 Peter 5:1-11; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9. b. Understand the _________________ within which you will be able to exercise your gift of pastoring, and determine how best to utilize the gift - in an entire congregation or in a cell (a care group). Make a list of possible ways to minister using your gift of pastoring: visitations, counseling, Bible teaching, some new initiative to help others with spiritual direction. c. Learn about the various discipline and spiritual direction programs that are available for churches, and develop expertise in helping people to deepen their spirituality and enhance their Christian lifestyle. 6. Growing Your Gift a. Seek ways to increase the opportunity for personal spiritual development of church members, and spearhead the implementation of programs that will promote spiritual growth and wellness (small group home meetings, prayer chains, retreats, renewal weekends, revival meetings, personal devotions b. Work on increasing your sensitivity to the spiritual needs of individuals. Participate in a listening workshop. Make known your availability for spiritual conversation, and then be available to meet pastoring needs that arise. c. Build a library of spiritual literature that can be lent out to persons you are shepherding to help in their spiritual development. Take the time to discuss these materials with the person you are helping afterwards as the basis for spiritual conversation. d. Read about shepherding to understand better what is asked for in a shepherd.