Series: Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gift
#15: The Gifts of Spiritual Roles: Leader/Administration
Romans 12:6-8; First Corinthians 12:28; First Timothy 3:1-7; First Peter 5:1-4 (ESV)
By John Gill ~ September 17, 2023

In the year 1936, the Chicago-Kent College of Law graduated 176 students with law degrees. The top student that year was a blind man named Thomas Overton. Thomas happened to be blind – having lost is sight at age 20.

As he gave his valedictorian speech, he invited his friend and fellow student, Stanley Kaspryzak, to come on stage, explaining that that Mr. Kaspryzak deserved half acclaim and should be his co-valedictorian. Stanley had tragically lost both his arms in terrible accidents.

Thomas Overton went on to recount the first time they had met one another in school. As the crowded classes were being let out one day, the blind Overton found himself trying to negotiate a downward flight of stairs. The armless Mr. Kaspryzak then guided the blind Mr. Overton down those stairs, helping him to steer clear of the crowd around him.

The chance meeting quickly developed into a solid friendship and a healthy example of interdependence – interdependence, because the blind man would carry their books to class. He would take notes in lectures using a Braille punch card system and use them to type out notes on a typewriter which his friend could read.

The armless friend would read those notes and books aloud so his friend could study for their exams.

Because of their cooperation, each overcame their own individual deficiency by relying on the particular abilities of the other. Their teamwork and partnership worked so well in pursuing their education, that after their graduation, they made plans to practice law together.1

For the past fifteen weeks, we have been focusing our messages on “Unwrapping our Spiritual Gifts.” When we become believers, the Holy Spirit gifts each of us with many and varied “gifts” we are to use in our Christian lives to advance the cause of Christ through his church. We each have unique gifts, but none of us have all the gifts. Every gift is essential for God’s mission to be fulfilled. Paul, in several places, compares the Spiritual Gifts to the variety of body parts that make up the human body – each part designed to perform an important and essential function so that the body is whole and healthy.

Like the friends, Overton and Kaspryzak, we as the congregation must rely on one another if we are to live out our church’s vision of being “a visible and active presence of Christ in our community.” When we work interdependently, we overcome our own deficiencies, and the church flourishes.

So far, we have looked at the Gifts of Spiritual Qualities, as well as many of the Gifts of Spiritual Roles. This morning, we continue by considering two related, but distinct gifts: Leadership and Administration – and see what they might tell us about God’s plan for the working of his Church.

Next Sunday afternoon is our congregation’s annual “Church Conference.” One of the items of business we will vote on is the election of our leaders for 2024 – so it seems especially appropriate for us to focus on the gifts of leadership and administration this morning. Of course, not all of us are called to be leaders or administrators, but we all relate to those who are. Therefore, whether or not you have the gift of leadership or administration, it is important that we all gain a better understanding about these two gifts.

As I said, all gifts are interrelated and required for a well-functioning body of Christ. Today’s focus isn’t so much on individual “parts” as it is on how the whole body is designed to function together: Within our church, we have three groups – those with the gift of Leadership; those with the gift of Administration; and then all the other varied gifts.

But, it all starts with the Gift of Leadership. The definition of “leadership” is this: “The gift to set goals in accordance with God's purpose for the future and to communicate these goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God; one who casts the vision, takes leadership, and inspires others to follow.” Or as our scripture from Romans (12:8) puts it, “the one who leads, (must lead) with zeal.”

Leaders are passionate, but in their passion they must lead in such a way that others will follow.

There is a story about the great orchestral conductor, Arturo Toscanini, who was known to have a short temper. One time, out of frustration with his musicians, he blew up. Then he apologized by saying, “the trouble is, God keeps telling me how this music is to be played, and you keep getting in the way!”

Those whom God gifts with leadership are able to catch God's vision. They can then communicate that vision, determine the ultimate destination, and set goals, (yes). But she or he must also motivate people to follow.

Another way to better understand this gift is to consider the Greek word for this gift that appears in our scripture this morning. It has been translated “leader” of course, but also “ruler, overseer, ringleader, bishop, or “guarian” - in other words, “one who superintends with zeal and singleness of mind.” The English Standard Version we read this morning chose the word “overseer.”

Leaders are like a compass – they point true north. They help the church get its bearings so it can move forward confidently in the direction God would have us to go.

Churches are in desperate need of “leaders.” Many congregations have lost sight of the vision of the Kingdom of God. They have allowed themselves to be captured and coopted by cultural and political movements whose purposes may not coincide with the way of Christ and his teachings; or may even be in direct conflict with the Kingdom of God. Sometimes it is because they have been led astray by so-called “leaders” who have lost sight of the purposes of the gospel – but often it is because people are not being led at all, and they have drifted off-course out of ignorance or laziness. They are only going through the motions of “church,” yet would be hard-pressed to tell you where the Church is going or what our goals are. Without strong and godly leaders pointing the way, churches can easily drift aimlessly, lose momentum, and fizzle out.

But leadership alone can’t make a vision a reality. Knowing the destination is no good at all unless you have someone who can show you how to get there. Those with the Spiritual Gift of Leadership also need those with the Gift of Administration.

There are some spiritual gift inventories that will combine these two gifts – leadership and administration – into one – and they certainly are complementary. Yet, the original Greek text uses two completely different words for the two – each with very distinct meanings:

We have already looked at the definition of “leader” or “overseer.” So, what is the definition of “administrator?” It is: “The gift to understand clearly the immediate and long range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals.” In fact, the Greek word translated “administrator” comes from the field of sailing ships. It literally means “helmsman or pilot.” In other words, once a destination is determined, the person with this gift maps out the course; once the goals are set by the leader, this person is gifted in developing a strategy to accomplish them. If the Leader is the compass, the Administrator is the map. On a ship, this person gifted in administration is the Captain – the one who acts as the bridge between the owner of the ship and the crew sailing the ship; In the church, he or she is the bridge between a visionary leader-pastor and the congregation, mobilizing them for ministry.

Leaders need administrators, and administrators need leaders. But both need lots of followers! You can say that there is a tried-and-true formula for success: Leaders + Administrators + Followers = Success. Unless all three are functioning according to their gifts as a team, the vision can never become reality.

This principle isn’t only for success in churches, but is true for every organization:

· In shipping, you need: the owner; the helmsman/pilot; and the crew.

· In a business, you need: a CEO; management; and workers.

· In pro-sports, you need: an owner; a coach; and players.

· In the military, you need: a President; generals; and soldiers.

Each play a unique and vital role in the success of their endeavor. In any organization that falters and fails, one or more of these three elements is not functioning.

The same is true in the church.

· Pastors and Key Lay-leaders – cast God’s vision

· Church and Ministry-leaders – translate that vision into programming

· Congregation Members – eager to use their God-given gifts, do the work of ministry

Without any one of the three, NOTHING is accomplished:

· Without Leadership, churches drift aimlessly off-course – they may appear to be busy, but they are only spinning their wheels – not going anywhere that counts.

· Without Administrators, churches experience frustration, because there is no mechanism in place to make the vision that has been cast a reality, and no way for people to utilize their gifts.

· And without People Utilizing their Gifts in Ministry, all the vision and planning in the world is a futile exercise – congregations become “Sunday-only” churches, people become inactive – and life drains out of the congregation.

Why do some churches fail? I think there are two reasons that both relate to the formula for success we just considered:

Some churches don’t function well because of the way they view their pastor’s role. Rather than considering their pastor the “chief leader,” they expect the pastor to be their “chief administrator.”

Now, it is great if your pastor has some administrative skills – but if the pastor is primarily involved in the nuts-and-bolts of keeping the church running, he or she is neglecting time for prayer and personal study. They become so busy that they can’t see the big picture – they no longer can see the forest for the trees. Their leadership will suffer, and the congregation will be spiritually adrift.

Other churches don’t function well because they see their pastor as the “chief minister,” hired to do the congregation’s ministry for them. Now, certainly pastors are to minister to the needs of others, but spending his or her time doing the church’s ministry must not be his or her major role. The pastor should be the coach, calling the plays – not playing the game. Paul in Ephesians says that the role of the pastor/leader is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.” He or she can’t be “the chief minister.”

Still other congregations fail because they still think of the pastor as the “chief chaplain.” Churches with this kind of mindset will always remain small and fail to grow. Why? Because the focus is inward, not outward. A clergy who functions primarily as a shepherd spends all his or her time in tending sheep already in the fold. But, if the expectation of the pastor is to be a “leader,” then growth is inevitable, because his or her attention is focused on the horizon, looking for the lost sheep. When pastors are freed to practice their Spiritual Gift of Leadership, all the other parts of the Body are encouraged to function, as well.

Now, don’t assume that all pastors have the same gifts. Certainly, all pastors need some level of the gift of Leadership, and some may have also been blessed with the gift of Administration. But not necessarily! Throughout the years, as I have taken Spiritual Gift Inventories, I have discovered (what I instinctively suspected): I score high in Leadership, but low in Administration. All you have to do is look at my desk to see that I am not “organized!” Wise pastors know their limitations and weaknesses, and so they surround themselves with others whose gifts complement their own. I have always tried to seek out staff and volunteers who are much better in administration than I am. That way, my visions for the church are much more likely to become a reality than if I left the implementation to my own devices. Whenever I have been able to do this in my churches, good things happened in the congregation.

So, what about Tomoka? How well does our congregation function? Do we have a healthy balance between the gifts of Leadership, of Administration, and all the other gifts?

I believe our congregation is blessed to have all three! So much is happening here at Tomoka, it’s hard to keep track of all the excitement! We are blessed with great visionaries who use their leadership gifts to see the big picture and to cast a vision for us as we move into God’s future. We have terrific folks gifted in administration – who know how to organize and strategize to make that vision a reality. And we have lots of people utilizing their spiritual gifts in ministry. It’s an exciting time to be a part of Tomoka UMC!

Much of our vision is already a reality. But, of course, we could always do better.

In the formula for success, which is our weakest link, do you think?

Leaders + Administrators + Followers = Success

If I had to pick, I’d say we could do better in Administration. We have great vision, and a very active congregation doing ministry. What I think we lack (somewhat) are those with the gift to create and implement a plan to make the visions we have a reality. How many times have we come up with a great idea with lofty goals – only to see them fizzle and die. Visions are just nice words on paper if we don’t have mechanisms in place to mobilize the congregation for ministry.

You may not realize it, but our congregation has a Strategic Leadership Team that I as pastor call together from time to time to brainstorm and cast a vision for the future of our church. These folks are key lay leaders in the administrative structure of our congregation, plus others who have perspectives that the pastor thinks may be helpful. This group has no authority on its own to approve or implement anything – it is a task force. This group has met in the past few months to explore creative new ways to involve families with children, attracting them to be part of our congregation. It has become clear to all of us that, despite our valiant efforts, the programs that we have offered are not meeting the needs of families in such a way that they connect with our congregation. We need to do new things – to approach families in different ways – if we hope to grow in that demographic.

Our Strategic Leadership Team is actively exploring a completely novel approach – thinking “outside of the box.” The concept is to offer an alternative informal worship option on a weekday evening, geared to meet the needs of busy families. This would be casual worship around tables in Bleekman Hall that would include a simple free meal that mom and dad don’t need to cook. Families (and anyone else) who may not be drawn to our Sunday morning traditional worship/Sunday school offerings would be invited to come to the church for a free meal and to worship together as a family. The worship elements would be intergenerational and kid-friendly, and “messages” would be conversational in nature. For families that participate, this one event would function as their worship for the week and family devotions (there would be no expectation that they would also attend on Sundays). Families would be fed physically and spiritually, and connect with one another and with our congregational members who participate.

So far, this is in the conceptual stage. As you can imagine, this lofty vision will require the skills of those with the gift of administration – to develop strategies, plans, and time-lines to make such a vision a reality. If you find this an exciting idea and have the gift of administration, see Pastor Bob Williams. He is spearheading this initiative. Once the concept and plans are finalized, the Strategic Leadership Team will make a presentation to our Administrative Council. Only then will the plan go into effect.

The vision is being cast. But it will take all of us working together – utilizing all our gifts – to make this a reality.

So, let us consecrate ourselves as we claim our Spiritual Gifts. Those who lead us can have inspired visions, and others can have wonderful organizational skills. But without the rest of the Body – without each one of us being willing to utilize our gifts, nothing will happen in this church.

Many years ago as I was serving a different congregation, we held a retreat focused on spiritual gifts, one of our members did a devotion based on 1 Corinthians chapter 12, where Paul talks about the church being a body made up of many different parts. Of course, the point the Apostle Paul make is that it takes all parts working together in concert for the world to see the Body of Christ in the Church. But then, she pointed out something I had not thought about – and I’d like to leave this with you as I close: When any one member of the Body of Christ is missing, or not functioning as God intends, the “Body of Christ” that the world sees – is a crippled body.

This morning, what kind of body of Christ do we at Tomoka show the Ormond Beach community – a vital whole body, or a crippled and lame body? May each of us vow to do our part in making Christ’s body “whole.”

1 trove.nla.gov.au

1 also, in illustrating the interdependence of one another’s spiritual gifts in a local church, Gary Inrig, in Life in His Body shared this story. https://bible.sabda.org/illustration.php?id=3695

2023 by John B. Gill, III