MINISTERS CHURCH MANAGEMENT SEMINAR.

Venue: VictoryLand Apostolic Chapel Ibooro, Ogun State.

Date: Saturday 19th March, 2022

Theme: CHURCH MANAGEMENT (Part 1)

Topic: Effective Church Management.

Text: Romans 12:11, Luke 19:10-23, Nehemiah 11:16-22 , 2Chronicles13:10, John 21:15-17, 1Corinth.12:4-21.

THE CHURCH AS A "BUSINESS" 

The church is like any other business but it is an ecclesiastical business with heavenly mindedness and earthly concerns. The church is a spiritual business with diversities of integral parts/factors — spiritual, social, financial and others. That was why Jesus made the statement: “I must be about my father’s business” -Luke 2:43-50 [verse 49]. The church must be treated like any other serious business, if there will be significant growth and development. Jesus delivered His Father’s business to us (as Ministers of the New Testament) when He was going back to heaven, under the supervision and direction of the Holy Spirit; Hence He said “Occupy till I come” --Luke 19:12. He also said “I must go about My Father’s business while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work” -- John 9:4. God is the owner and Jesus Christ is the head of this business called “Church”_1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 1:18-23.

For any business person who wants to survive, proper harnessing/management of all resources is key and this must be done with all sense of accountability and perseverance to succeed. No business person that wants to profit at the the end of a business session will toy with proper management.  Our God is the first and best manager and He is interested in the proper management of all the resources He has bestowed upon the Church.

WHAT IS EFFECTIVE CHURCH MANAGEMENT? 

Church Management consists in harnessing all resources — Spiritual, Financial, Intellectual, Human and Non-human inherent in a church, qualitatively and quantitatively, towards the growth and development of the church, for the glory of God. Effective Church Management focuses on high efficiency in church management for fruitful and productive results; That is, harnessing these vast resources for maximum gains into God's kingdom. Romans12:1, 5-12, 11*, 1Corinthians 12:4-22, Ephesians 4:8-13 [Managing Spiritual Gifts], Acts 6:3, 1-3, 1Chronicles 26:19-30 [Human Resource Management]. The ministry is a serious business and must be treated so and managed well; Romans 12:11. Jesus Christ Practised Effective Human Resource Management- Luke 9:12-17. And He also practised Resource/Material Management. (John 6:1-14). Effective Resource Management was also practised in the old testament 1 kings 18:8, 1 kings 4:38, Luke 9:12-17. The Church is God’s own business & property and must be managed well.

Within Effective Church Management, there are diversities of Gifts, differences of Administration and diversities of operations–But the same Lord & the same spirit -1Corinthians 12:4-9. Like any other business, satisfaction and profit making are the ultimate aims of the business (management) called the Church. The profits here are the souls won into the kingdom of God. The diverse Gifts and other resources bestowed on the church by God must be properly managed for the expansion and advancement of His kingdom. The human elements involved in church management are headed by the pastor in every assembly. All assemblies under a ministry are headed by the superintendents or General Overseer (G.O). Of all these, Human & Financial Resources are the most difficult to manage [Gen 6:5-6, 3:1-24]. Even God Himself has a tough time managing “man".

It is foolishness for any church not to practise Effective church management. A church that is poor in management will be limited in quality membership, growth and development.