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 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 22 – Spiritual Gifts 11. Tongues, Voluntary poverty, Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Spiritual Gifts
In the concluding part of this section on Spiritual Gifts we consider four more. Tongues A Spirit-inspired ability to speak spontaneously in a language, whether human or angelic, without having learnt it. This gift differs from all the others in that it may be used in two ways, one of which is for the benefit of the bearer of the gift. When spoken privately the gift is for self-edification; if spoken publicly in a gathering of the church, it is to be interpreted and is for the building up of the Church. It is a gift to be prized and used. Paul said, ‘Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy' (1 Cor. 14:5) and ‘I thank God that I speak in tongues more…
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Discover and Serve pt 21 – Spiritual Gifts 10. Prophecy, Serving, Teaching

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Spiritual Gifts
As we continue to look at the various components that contribute to a person's 'serving profile' in the church we come to the penultimate part in this section on Spiritual Gifts. Prophecy Spirit-inspired speaking out of God's immediate mind and counsel for the strengthening, exhortation and comfort of His people, and also, on occasion, to an unbeliever e.g. to warn or convict him of sin. Paul's letters to the Romans and the Corinthians give us insight to this gift as used in New Testament times (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 12:10; 13:2). It is one of the gifts most commonly referred to in scripture, one not to be despised, but weighed and tested in the light of Scripture (1 Thess 5:20-21), and by those able to discern (1 Cor 14:29). It…
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Discover and Serve pt 20 – Spiritual Gifts 9. Martyrdom, Mercy, Miracles

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Spiritual Gifts
As we continue to consider spiritual gifts and their place in our serving profile we come to three ‘Ms'. Martyrdom Ability to suffer voluntarily/willingly and joyfully for the Lord - even to death. When Paul urged us to ‘earnestly desire' spiritual gifts this would probably not be the top of many people's lists! And yet in 1 Cor 13:3 we read ‘If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing'. I think we would all be aware of people down the ages who have laid down their lives for the gospel and great blessing has resulted. I think of men such as Jim Elliott and Nate Saint whose deaths, along with two others, significantly contributed…
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Discover and Serve pt 19 – Spiritual Gifts 8. Hospitality, Interpretation of Tongues, Leadership

Discover and Serve, Equipping, Spiritual Gifts
Hospitality Ability to welcome and to serve, perhaps providing food and shelter to guests or strangers with love and liberality and graciousness, so that they feel ‘at home' Hospitality is referred to in Rom. 12:13 shortly after the list of spiritual gifts. Although it is not explicitly listed as a spiritual gift, it is generally recognised as such and its specific mention in the context of gifts in 1 Pet. 4:9-10 supports this view. This is a gift that many do not recognise they have. They assume that everyone is hospitable, just as they are. And yet it is one of the most valuable gifts, especially at the ‘front door' of the church, both literally and figuratively. It is a gift that communicates love and concern to the stranger and…
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