The Spiritual Gift of Administration

Some people walk into a mess and start seeing steps. Who needs a phone call, what has to happen by Thursday, where the money will come from. In a church, they're often the ones running the things everyone else assumes just happen.

Paul's Greek word, kybernēsis, is related to kybernētēs, the pilot who steers a ship (Acts 27:11). Like every gift, it's given "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). A clear volunteer schedule lets more people serve, and it frees pastors and teachers for the work God gave them.

Moses was hearing the people's disputes from morning until evening when his father-in-law Jethro told him, "the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone" (Exodus 18:18). Moses appointed capable, trustworthy men over smaller groups, and they shared the load (Exodus 18:21-26).

In Acts 6, when widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution, the church chose seven men "full of the Spirit and wisdom" to take over the work (Acts 6:3). Paul later left Titus in Crete to "set in order what was unfinished" (Titus 1:5).

• You build the volunteer schedule, and nobody gets double-booked.
• You turn your pastor's big idea into dates, a budget, and a list of who does what.
• You remember details others forget, like who has the key to the fellowship hall.
• You write a process down so clearly that a new volunteer never has to call you.

• Caring more about the plan than the people it's for.
• Impatience with people who don't work at your pace.
• Making decisions that belong to your pastors or elders.
• Carrying every detail yourself until you wear out (Exodus 18:18).

• Organize one event from start to finish, like a church potluck.
• Ask a ministry leader which administrative task drains them most, and take it.
• Set up a meal sign-up when someone in your group has surgery or a new baby.
• Pray for the people whose names are on your spreadsheets.