Videos on Church Administration and other matters

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Biblical Administration, Conference Administration, Discover and Serve, Equipping, Meetings, Planning, Spiritual Gifts, Time Management
Several months ago I was asked to prepare some videos for the Newfrontiers Bible School in Nigeria. I realise I never made these more widely available but think they would be of great help to many people working in church administration. They appear in my YouTube channel Feeding 5000 is no picnic….. There is associated reading with some of the talks, as shown in the side panel. Here are the links: The Gift of Administration Administration in the Bible is a spiritual gift. It is a ministry that not only helps a church to function effectively but also helps liberate leaders and members to serve and realise their potential according to their talents and spiritual gifts Event Management - Jesus style When Jesus fed the 5000 he modeled how to…
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Discover and Serve pt 34 – The Book and the Course

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Serving, Volunteers
The Book I have now shared with you the burden of my heart in helping people to find their place of service in the church. As I have already mentioned the material is embodied in the 100 page book Discover and Serve. This includes not only the teaching but all the materials you need to run a course in your church, including extensive Appendices which can be photocopied, and is available from me at £5.99 plus postage. The Course The best way to run the course is over a 3-week period, probably in the evenings. There needs to be time for ‘homework' between each session. On each occasion there is teaching about different aspects of serving and the unique characteristics and qualities a person has to offer, as we have…
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Discover and Serve pt 33 – Developing a Serving Profile 4

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Serving
The final part of our Serving Profile considers Temperament and Spiritual Maturity. Temperament This has already been considered in Part 27. People are asked to indicate where they feel they come in considering the following statements by placing X in the box at the appropriate point along the 4-point scale. 1. I prefer working on a project/with people. 2. When carrying out a task I am a better sprinter (i.e. short term motivation)/long-distance runner. 3. When considering a situation I see the detail/broad concepts. 4. I am a better initiator/responder. 5. When carrying out a task I work better alone/in a team. 6. I prefer to act spontaneously/with pre-planning. The results of this help when considering what part they might play in a team as their particular temperament can complement…
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Discover and Serve pt 32 – Developing a Serving Profile 3

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Serving
As we continue to develop the Serving Profile we shall now take three aspects that are closely related. Calling, Heart's Desire There is often a strong link between Calling and Heart's Desire. We have already seen how some people are passionate about a specific issue or have a strong sense of specific calling. Others may be more laid back and have seen their calling as more general if, indeed, they have defined it at all. To help people think this through there is another simple self-assessment form I use which gives people the opportunity to reflect prayerfully on any area that God might reveal to them. It also allows them to consider their strengths and weaknesses. Self-assessment As people meet with their facilitators this assessment form provides a very helpful…
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Discover and Serve pt 31 – Developing a Serving Profile 2

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Serving, Spiritual Gifts
What is a Serving Profile? We shall be constructing a Profile which will provide the basis of a prayerful discussion with the two facilitators to help find a satisfying and fulfilling place to serve in the church. It has the seven elements we have been considering throughout this series: • Skills/Talents • Spiritual Gifts • Calling • Heart's Desire • Temperament • Time • Spiritual maturity Skills and Talents There is, of course, a huge range of possible skills and talents to consider; that is inevitable since we are made in the image of an infinite Creator! If you were to list all the types of employment people have in your church and then add their interests and recreational activities you would find an awesome variety of possibilities. In our…
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Discover and Serve pt 30 – Developing a Serving Profile 1

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Serving
Application Over recent months we have seen how valuable it can be to identify the elements of someone's personality, gifting and availability in determining how they may best serve in the church. But how do we apply this practically? Holy Spirit leading First, and most important, what is the Holy Spirit saying to an individual? It would be easy to become somewhat administrative in trying to identify someone's ‘best fit' for serving but that should not be the first route of discovery. Administration can be vulnerable to focusing on the task before the individual. The danger of this is that one can just be looking for volunteers to get a job done. I hate this! Hearing leaders ask for volunteers to get a job done tells me that they are…
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