The Gift of Administration
(1)
A gifted story: The church school was in need of
a new director, but it seemed as if everyone who knew anything about
education had already been enlisted to teach. A whole lot of telephone
calls had been made to try and find a good volunteer for the job,
but it seemed that no one would come forth and give it a try. Then
the pastor suggested that they try to find someone with the gift
of administration, rather than looking for someone with the gift
of teaching. Someone remembered that Sue was a person who was good
at visualizing and implementing plans. Sue was asked, and she accepted
immediately and gratefully-- this was something she felt she could
do and do well.
Biblical references:
1 Cor. 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.
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.
Definition and comment:
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. The ability to organize and guide human activities in such
a way that Christ’s program is carried out.
As a spiritual gift, administration has to do with guiding the affairs of the
church and kingdom. The person with this gift has management 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. 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 “how
to” person. 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.
Affirm that you have this gift; questions
to ask yourself:
1. Are you able to organize ideas, tasks, people, and time for Christian service?
2. Are you able to make effective plans to accomplish goals?
3. Do you have a sense for delegating important tasks to the right people at
the right time?
4. If a group you are in lacks organization, do you have a desire to step in
to help it to run more effectively?
5. Do you enjoy bearing responsibility for the success of a particular task
within the church?
6. Are you able to analyze facts in order to plan for successful completion
of a project.