07Jan 2010 by Nigel Ring

Time Management pt 2 – God’s perspective and cultural differences

Administrative Skills, Christian ministry, Equipping, General, Time Management
What does God think? Before we discuss specifics about Time Management I want to take just one posting to consider briefly what God’s view of time is. In Ps 90 the psalmist tells us to ‘number our days’ (v12) having already told us in verse 10 that ‘the years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty’. I once spoke to a Godly ‘elder statesman’ who took verse 12 literally, telling me the exact number of days since he started praying for revival, which coincided with the number of days since he became a Christian! 70 years is 25,567 days. How many of those have you had? Use the diagram to work it out. Verse 12 continues ‘…that we may get a heart of wisdom’. The…
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29Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Administration in the Church and Ministry with the Poor: Index ~ June – December 2009

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, General, Good Practice, HIV, India, Kenya, Ministry Report, Poor, Zimbabwe
I have been writing this blog for about 6 months and am aware of a growing following, so some may have missed the early material. To help you find that material it seems appropriate at the turn of the year to Index these 6 months. Clicking on the Topic will take you to the first in the series. There have been 3 main series on Biblical Administration and The Poor. There are also some Ministry Reports and National Reports, and two on Conference Administration which punctuate these Series. Series June 17th – Aug 29th Lessons from Jesus the Administrator in Mark 6. Jesus - The Administrator! Sept 3rd – Oct 22nd Some ‘good practice’ Indicators when ministering with the Poor. The Poor deserve the Best - part 1 Oct 26th -…
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15Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Biblical Administration part 12 – Qualifications of an Administrator – Dignified and ‘open’

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, Leadership
1 Tim 3:8-13 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. (9) They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. (10) And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. (11) Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. (12) Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. (13) For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. In recent postings we have been looking at the qualifications for overseers that Paul includes in 1 Tim 3:1-7.…
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11Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Biblical Administration part 11 – Qualifications of an Administrator – Life at home

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, Leadership
1Tim 3:4-7  He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, (5) for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? (6) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. (7) Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Having seen some of the disqualifying characteristics in 1 Tim 3:3 we will return to the positive actions and attributes, and warnings. ‘…manage his own household well…’ The standard set in verse 4 is high. There is an unassailable logic to Paul’s argument – home is…
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08Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Biblical Administration parts 10 – Qualifications of an Administrator – positive and negative characteristics

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, Finance, Leadership
1Ti 3:2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (v3) not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. In our quest to understand the character qualifications of a deacon we continue to examine those laid down for an elder. ‘..respectable..’ This is the next characteristic in verse 2. It has nothing to do with wearing a suit to church in Sundays! Quite simply this refers to someone who is worthy of respect – literally ‘able to be respected’. No leader can be effective in leading people if they cannot respect him. There are those leaders who see this as an opportunity or excuse to be ‘put on a pedestal’ but emphatically this is…
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04Dec 2009 by Nigel Ring

Biblical Administration part 9 – Qualifications of an Administrator – Personal Morality

Administration in the Church, Biblical Administration, Christian ministry, Equipping, General, Ghana, Leadership
1Ti 3:2  Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach Continuing to look at the character qualifications related to an Administrator the next phrase in this verse is: ‘.. the husband of one wife..’ Although this should need little exposition in the context of the western world it does become a real issue in some nations where polygamy is practised. What is permissible for a man who has many wives once he is converted? Can he become an overseer? A friend of mine, John Kpikpi, who leads the Newfrontiers church in Ghana and is planting churches in 7 West African nations, has written particularly helpfully on the subject of marriage in an African context in his excellent book God’s…
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