Planning and Implementation – Pt 7 – Creating a timeline

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Conference Administration, Equipping, Planning
Continuing the series on Planning we will now look at creating timelines. Timelines A timeline is a critical ‘driver' in achieving the end goal. Like a map it provides a constant reference against which progress towards a target can be measured at any point in the journey. It is a monitoring tool. And so it is worth taking sufficient time and effort in creating it to ensure that it is realistic. There are various ways of producing a timeline but I will consider two here: an Activity Table and a Bar Chart. I have found that the first helps me with planning an event where there are critical dates by which certain activities must be achieved, such as a conference. The second is more visual and is valuable where there…
Read More

Effective Meetings pt 3 – Types of meeting

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Conference Administration, Equipping, Meetings
In the last blog we looked at some of the core characteristics that are common to all meetings. Now we shall look at the different types of meeting. Types of meeting The types of meeting I attend fall into three categories: 1. Informal and often spontaneous 2. One in a defined series towards a particular goal 3. On-going for the purpose of conducting ‘general business’ Informal and often spontaneous These describe many of the meetings which I attend and may number just 2 people or a few more. Called to discuss a particular point they do not carry the need for agendas and minutes, about which I will say more in subsequent blogs. However, it is important that everyone knows the purpose and expected outcomes, as discussed previously. One in a series towards…
Read More

Effective Meetings pt 2 – Characteristics of a meeting

Administration in the Church, Equipping, Good Practice, Meetings
I am involved in many different types of meeting. Not all have the same structure or importance but listing them may give you a point of identity from your own scene, so I will discuss them briefly in the next blog. First, however, all need to have certain characteristics or questions answered. Characteristics 1. What is the purpose? 2. What are the expected outcomes? 3. What is the status e.g. does it have a legal standing as part of the management of the church/charity? Purpose This defines the structure on which to hang topics to be handled. So, the purpose of one group could be ‘to govern the church’ (i.e. elders’ meetings), ‘to organise a conference’ (e.g. the annual Newfrontiers conference ‘Together on a Mission’) or ‘to manage and strategise for the family…
Read More

Meet Dr Shana

Agriculture, News, One to One interviews, Together on a Mission, Zimbabwe
We are very privileged to have Dr Goodwill Shana (who likes to be addressed as ‘Shana’) as a speaker at this year’s Newfrontiers leadership conference, Together on a Mission (TOAM). Shana is President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) and has played a key role in bringing the church in Zimbabwe into a significant place of influence in this turbulent era in Zimbabwe’s history. Recently I visited Zimbabwe and had the pleasure of meeting Shana once again. On this occasion I was able to interview him on camera, although his tight schedule and the context gave conditions which were far from ideal for a high quality video. This interview gives us an opportunity to meet the man who will be speaking to us in Brighton. I encourage all Newfrontiers…
Read More

Biblical Administration part 5 – Knowing the Leader’s heart

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Christian ministry, Conference Administration, Equipping, Planning
The right context Knowing the Leader’s heart is a vital key to effective administration. When we looked at the spiritual gift of administration in 1 Cor 12:28 we saw how the Greek word kubernesis, the root of ‘administrating’, equated to the pilot of a ship in New Testament times. He was responsible for the ship’s welfare and a successful voyage but was also physically close to the merchant who had hired him as he was travelling on board. Just picture how, during the voyage, much discussion would have taken place, the vessel being small, and the ‘pilot’ would have learnt much about the Merchant’s business and expectations. Maybe he was even able to suggest helpful ways of increasing the Merchant's trade from the knowledge he had gained during his sea-faring…
Read More