Messengers or Managers?

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"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14)

The temptation for pastors and preachers to involve themselves directly in administrative matters is simply too strong. Many powerful messengers have become managers in Churches and ministries. The saddest fact is that because administration is not their calling their performance is awful. The gifting of "apostles, prophets and teachers" is essentially different from the gifts of "helps and administrations" (1 Cor 12:28). Rarely do we come across ministers gifted in both areas. Even in such cases, unless the order of priority is definitely established both will suffer. History tells us that the ministry of the Word has lost more ministers to administration than vice versa.

It's unfortunate that many senior pastors and preachers have not understood the need or learnt the art of delegation. The plain truth is that they are afraid. They are tormented by a feeling of insecurity. They keep on excusing themselves that they have not found reliable and suitable persons yet. Did not Jesus know that Judas was a thief from the beginning? His faith in the sovereignity of His Father was so strong that He entrusted Judas with the moneybag! He had assuredly known that at the maximum Judas would run away with the money but he could never steal the ministry!

Several well-meaning Christian leaders persuaded me to rethink when my wife and I decided in 1987 to leave the central administrative responsibilities of Blessing Youth Mission, which I had founded, to the secondliners so we could spend a couple of years in each of the non-Tamil States where our missionaries had been placed and minister as part of the field teams. My reply to those well-wishers was, "People grow when you trust them." I have found this principle working all along and I have no regrets for my decision. Jesus trusted an unsteady Peter with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. He later proved to be a rock (Mt 16:18,19).

The early apostles refused to abandon their responsibilities of preaching and teaching the Word of God in order to administer the food distribution programme. They urged the disciples to assign this task to seven trustworthy men so their ministry of prayer and preaching would not be disturbed (Acts 6:1-7). When preachers are bogged down with administration, they invariably lose spiritual freshness which is indispensable for receiving messages from Above. Finding long hours for unhurried study of Bible Commentaries and Reference Books becomes almost impossible. The congregations will starve!

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