The Ministry Staff Member by Douglas Fagerstrom, is an excellent book that is designed to help create a clear picture on the role and responsibilities of ministry leaders and volunteers (paid and not paid). The book is practical and relevant to every single person wanting to be involved in a church. I am currently a children’s pastor, and I found valuable information under every part and page of the book that I wish I had known about a year ago. Not only does this book contain content that is valuable and relevant, but it also highlights the importance of financial and personal integrity in ministry relationships.
Part 1: Establishing Your Ministry Identity The first chapter “The First 100 Days” is one of the main things I wish I knew when
…show more content…
Last semester, I planned my first outreach event at the church. We had bounce houses, face painting, food, games, and candy. I worked so hard to get this put together and even members of the church used their own money to purchase things to make this event happened. There was door to door evangelizing going on in the surrounding neighborhoods to get the word out, and there were only two people in the community that showed up. Two people. To say the least, I felt like a failure and that I had wasted people’s time and money. Reading this chapter helped me realize that it is important to learn through a failure (Fagerstrom 126). Failures happen in ministry often, and the way you respond to the failure is important. Chapter fifteen, “Developing a plan for lifelong learning”, is essential for effective leaders. Per Fagerstrom, there are four areas that need constant attention: skill (competency), wisdom and knowledge (learning and thinking), spiritual formation (godliness), and personal development (focus on the word personally) (Fagerstrom 129). It is important to find a balance in all four of these areas and learn to grow in each of them to become an effective and intentional leader. This is something that needs to be done on a constant basis, it is not just a “one time and done lesson” it is a lifelong …show more content…
We are all God’s stewards of time and money. Time and money are gifts from God, and they are also gifts from your ministry for your ministry so it is imperative that it is spent wisely (Fagerstrom 255). The things that guide your personal finances will more than likely be the things that guide your ministry finances (Fagerstrom 230). It is important to be a giver and not a taker. Having a spirit of hoarding resources and money are the people/ministries that you often see struggling. However, having a spirit of giving cultivates others to do the same and gives God room to supply other needs. Ministers need to learn to be content with what they have and learn to follow the budget set for them with accountability. The way you handle money can have an impact on your personal integrity, and how the leadership in the church respects you and your ability to make decisions. Fagerstrom listed some helpful tips on how to gain respect from the church leadership in regards to money: Communicate with someone in leadership before making a big purchase, regularly ask the treasurer for updated records on your balance, make requests far in advance, pray about money, try to seek the best prices, apologize immediately if a purchase is too big or goes over the allotted budget, and never have surprise expenditures (Fagerstrom
This book is a great inspiration for the women that are having doubts about going into the ministry or marrying a preacher. The book covers equipment to help us once we are in the ministry and new to a congregation, how we should adjust to moving and leaving everything behind. For instance, we as wives will sense we are so alone and have nobody to talk to you while our husband is at work. Another great lesson we learn in this book as wives is how to work together as a team with our husbands. “Where your treasure is, your heart is also” (15). This is a major subject, we absorb in this book that a preacher’s family is not rich and a preacher’s family is certainly the most watched, but ignored family there is in most of the occasions. And, we see the qualifications the preacher’s wife should have or develop in order to help her spouse and help her in situations that she may find herself. She must be a happy, outgoing, positive minded, caring and last but not least a loving person.
Before taking the StrengthsFinder® assessment I didn’t know what type of leader I was, but I felt I had leadership traits that I could not describe. After answering several questions from the Clifton StrengthsFinder® 2.0, I found out my top five strengths. These strengths consist of individualization, arranger, learner, input and responsibility. The purpose of this paper is to go over my top five strengths to talk about which four domains of leadership these strengths fall under, how class material is applied, and the actions to best utilize my strengths.
First when a leader focuses on the strengths of the employees the odds of the employee being engaged will increase dramatically. This compares to chapter one of our text book in that it says an effective leader is one who helps group members attain productivity. The second key is that the most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and maximize their team. The book suggest when leaders try to be good at everything they will not be great at anything. Although it is often preached to be well-rounded this results in mediocrity. So instead trying to be good at everything, find and know your strengths and hone those skills to be a more effective leader. The authors say there are four domains of leadership with thirty-four themes that break-down under the domains and these explain the actual strengths of the leader. The domains are executing, influencing, relationship building and strategic thinking. In our text book all but influencing are listed as one of the ten roles of leadership. ...
Protestant churches managing finances are not provided with specific biblical instruction for their modern fiscal situations. Sound financial practices inspired by biblical commentary decreases the impact of this problem, however, as decisions can be gleaned from the Bible’s moral principles. This white paper delves into five different concepts protestant churches would benefit from. For those looking to scripture for specific “best practices” in church finances, they might be somewhat disappointed.
...agreed with, some that frustrated, and some that embarrassed me when my personal preferences defied logic or biblical mandate. I would recommend this reading to any who impact church worship (employee or volunteer). Not as a firm guide, but as thought-provoking advice on how corporate worship can impact an ever-changing culture. I think any worship leader would be impacted by Dawn’s questions:
Third, every pastor should make sure that there are rules and regulations in place for both employees and volunteers that are regularly enforced. Fourth, since priests are stewards of parish assets, they have the responsibility of taking care of those resources by making sure that they are not squandered.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”1 This means that the job of the church staff is to equip the church members for ministry. In other words, that is the staff’s primary ministry and job. In as much as prayer, preaching, counseling, hospital calls appear to be the job of the ministers, that is not the whole job for those called by God to lead the church. In addition, many people on staff in churches do their entire ministry alone and never get around to helping church attenders be the ministers in their neighborhood, work or family. One of the reasons this happens is because staff
Satterlee Anita. (2013), Organizational Management and Leadership: A Christian Perspective. 2Ed. Synergistics International Inc. Raleigh, NC
This post started because my friend Jesse Phillips tweeted an intriguing thought, he said, "I'm sorry, tithing to support a building & paid staff simply is not Biblically mandated. Otherwise Paul, Peter & Jesus were way off."
Entering ministry through this door affirms both the diversity and distinctiveness of all ministries. It speaks to the relational character of ministry which "offers a way forward, providing a potentially fruitful language with which to address the theological, pastoral, institutional, and liturgical questions facing new and old ministries." The development of the Second Vatican Council's vision of the church community is contained in various documents of the Council. The teachings contained in these documents provide an alternative to the dividing-line model of ministry.
Last Sunday , my church hosted an annual homeless hypothermia program. They provide a place to stay, and food for those in need. I was fortunate enough to help out and pack bags with blankets, hats, and other things to retaliate the cold. It showed me that when we succeed in using our gifts many people equally benefit from
Don 't do anything from selfishness. This is the church today. Everything is about me. Give me what I want, let my desires be fulfilled, and if the church can 't do that then I am leaving. That is selfishness. Paul says don 't do anything with the purpose of being selfish. We see it all over the church today. Ministries because of what we want, we want to self exalt ourselves, self-promote ourselves, instead of doing it for the glory of God and for the sake of helping other people in the church.
Young, D. S. (1999). Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Sheperds By the Living Springs. Scottdale: Herald Press.
The parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30) illustrates the power of being a faithful manager. With each level of responsibility, the amounts given to the servants differed, but each was entrusted with something. The rewards were not based on the amounts given, but rather on the increase that resulted from the amount given. God gives you responsibility based on what you can handle. You have been given something that is important to God; you can please Him through being faithful with what He has provided and called you to
In every area of the ministry it is important whether it be your kicken area , your maintence, nuring department. In every area you will havea a department person to make sure that each aea is run well. I have learn to make sure that who I put in those area that they are able to supervision those area my administration skill have to come up to what it should be this one of the impact that have tough my mind you think you are doing ok in that area but you are know so I will work on my administration skill. And 0n given I need to teach more on titles and offering and show the people when you give to the ministrie of God that they are bless, We have know when you give to the ministries you’ll not give to man or women but you are given to promote the ministirs of Jesus Christ. Also I trying to improved in my teaching that’s why I desided to get in a bible school to be able to reach all people, whether they are a doctor a Law or any profession. We as minister have to be able to meet people with the word of God on their level.When I took the analysis the savey show me my weakness and my strength which will help me to improve the ministries as a whole. If you want to improve your ministries you will use it as a guide line to help you remember the area you need to work on . And not be affended by but use for your improved. In being a server you want to have wisdom in that as the analysis say you don’t want the devil take your work and turn to something evil. I will use to what I have learn to improve thing in the ministries. I will also teach other as I inprove. This has had a great impact on my gifts that’s in my life so that I can grow more in the minitris in helping other and teach them the way of Christhave on your involvement in ministered God. . How might your