THE CHURCH WORKER Foundation Scripture: Numbers 11:10-17,24-30 2 Corinthians 6:1-
The Origin of The Concept of Church Workers. • The concept of church workers originated first from a leader’s complaint of the work being too burdensome (Numbers 11:14 NASB) and secondly from God’s responsive promise that leaders will/do not have to bear the burden of the work all alone (Numbers 11:17). • The church ministries are increasingly being filled with people full of complaints, ingratitude, indifferent spirits and innumerable diverse desires and expectations. • These attitudes can bring untold frustrations, bitterness and devastation into a leader’s life. This is seen in the life of Moses, one of Israel’s most renowned leaders (Numbers 11:10-15).
LESSON 1 Why Church Workers? There are specific reasons stated in the Bible why we need workers in the church. These reasons must be fully comprehended so as not to believe that the concept of church workers is a human idea meant to drag church members into jobs that are not meant for them and the fact that many might not be rewarded monetarily as only a few are actually paid in this business. Below are the biblical reasons why we need workers in the church. • The church needs workers because the church is a body.
There are two unique things about a body. First, a body has many members (1 Corinthians 12:12,14,20,27). Second, every member of a body contributes to the healthy growth of the body (Ephesians 4:16). • The church needs workers because the church is God’s visible manifestation of God’s kingdom and every kingdom needs representation in life – 2 Corinthians 5:20; 8:23. • The church needs workers because the church as a local assembly has vision and every living vision must be shared with others – Habakkuk 2:2; Isaiah 29:11-12; Psalm 68:11. • The church needs workers because the work is more than what a person can execute – Exodus 18:13-18.
• The church needs workers because the work needs more participation for it to be successfully completed – Numbers 3:1-9; Matthew 9:36-38. • The church needs workers because Jesus Christ - the head of the church designed and commenced this work as a teamwork – Mark 3:13-19; Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-2. • The church needs workers because the early apostles started and grew the church with workers – Acts 6:1-7; 14:21-23. The Apostle Paul also called certain individuals as fellow workers (Romans 16:3; Philippians 4:3; Philemon 23-24).
LESSON 2 Who Is A Church Worker? Biblically, a church worker is the following: • A church worker is a helping hand to the church leader - Numbers 11:17. • A church worker is a person called to help share the leader’s burdens (responsibilities) - Numbers 11:17. • A church worker is a person who can stand before the Lord’s presence - Numbers 11:17,24. • A church worker is a person who can be possessed (filled) and controlled by the Spirit, that is, he / she leads a yielded life - Numbers 11:17,25.
• A church worker is one who has the same spirit as the leaders - Numbers 11:17,25. • A church worker is a follower of the leader - Numbers 11:16,30; Mark 3:14. • A church worker is one who is responsible to the leader - Numbers 11:24,26-28; Mark 3:13.
LESSON 3 PREREQUISITES OF A CHURCH WORKER These prerequisites are the fundamental requirements for becoming a church worker. These are general in the sense that certain jobs in the church needs additional requirements for one to qualify for such jobs. But on the overall, these are fundamentally mandatory for all church workers. Must be a true follower of Jesus Christ – Luke 9:57-60. Must not be a new convert – 1 Timothy 3:6 cf Acts 1:21-22.
Must be God fearing – Exodus 18:21 cf Proverbs 8:13; 1 Samuel 8:1-3. Must have a good reputation and testimony both within and without the church – Acts 6:3; 16:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:7. Must have a compelling love for God and His work – 2 Corinthians 5:14- 15; John 21:15-17. Must be chosen and accepted by the church leadership – Acts 6:5-6; 13:1- 3; 15:24-25. Must have a good reputation and testimony both within and without the church – Acts 6:3; 16:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:7.
Must have a compelling love for God and His work – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; John 21:15-17. Must be chosen and accepted by the church leadership – Acts 6:5-6; 13:1-3; 15:24-25. Must be willing to serve both the church leadership and membership – Mark 10:42-45; Luke 9:61-62. Must be willing to risk your life for the work – Acts 15:25-26; Romans 16:3-4.
LESSON 4 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHURCH WORKERS 1 Corinthians 16:10 Primary Responsibilities The duties of every church worker are both vertical and horizontal. Vertically, all church worker’s duties are primarily toward God (1 Corinthians 4:1). Horizontally, church worker’s duties are toward the church visible, human leadership and membership (2 Corinthians 4:5). On both fronts, every church worker is required to be faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Vertically, every church worker is required to maintain a vibrant walk or relationship with Jesus Christ – the head of the church through a personal devotion of prayer and the study of the Bible. This will enable him/her develop a receptive heart and listening ear to receive the needed strength to accomplish his/her assigned task. The success of every church worker on his/her job is determined by his/her ability to maintain this most vital relationship. If and when any church worker is unable to maintain this vital relationship with the head Christ, failure on the job is inevitable.
Jesus commands every church worker: “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5 NKJV). Remember the order is that, Jesus Christ called to himself those he wanted and then appointed them that they might be with him first before he can then send them out to work for him (Mark 3:13-15). Only church workers who have been with Jesus can actually be effective and efficient on their jobs (Acts 4:13).
Horizontally, every church worker owes it to the church leadership and membership to be committed and faithful to his/her assigned duties. Normally, the actual duties of any church worker have to be spelled out in a job description based on the nature of such work. Unfortunately, most works in the church lack value jobs descriptions. This makes it very difficult for church workers to do self-assessment and also for church workers to be objectively assessed based on the set goals and objectives of the church. This is essentially due to assumption on the part of leadership that the people ought to know what to do
Where jobs descriptions are lacking, especially for key leaders of most church departments, I advise that immediate and urgent steps be taken to implement such as these will inject dynamism into the system. In both the Old and New Testaments, the jobs of most appointed leaders in the kingdom of God are explicitly described for our learning. For instance, the jobs of the leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens in Exodus 18 are clearly spelled out in Exodus 18:20-22,25;
The duties of the priests and Levites are also clearly spelled out in Numbers 3:1- 4:49 and others; while the duties of the first church deacons were explicitly spelled out in Acts 6:1-4. In like manner, when Jesus sent out his disciples to the lost sheep of Israel, he gave them a description of their job (Matthew 10:5-15). Personal and collective success is seldom realized in churches where jobs descriptions are in the minds of individuals. In the meantime, whilst we await departmental job descriptions, every church worker owes the following duties in lesson 5 to the church leadership and membership.
LESSON 5 GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CHURCH WORKER 1. To work in partnership with the Leadership of the church in actualizing the vision, goals/objectives of the church through my contributions, efforts, suggestions etc. 2. To render qualitative service(s) to the best of my abilities/strength (Ecclesiastes. 9:10; Philippians. 2:20). 3. To work towards the maintenance of the church building, facilities and surroundings thereby facilitating an Atmosphere congenial to worship. 4. To pray personally and collectively for the progress of the Commission and local church i.e., spiritually, numerically, financially etc.
Your prayers should also cover the plans/programmes of the church, Lead Pastors/Ministers/Leaders/Workers and all members of the church (Col.4:12; Rom.15:30). 5. To contribute actively towards the projects of the church, in terms of its expansion/maintenance and its other Kingdom Initiatives i.e., planting churches, outreaches etc. (Phil.4:15-19; Lk.8:2-3). 6. To be generous towards Church Ministers and their families (Gal.6:6; 1Cor.9:11). 7. To be an Ardent Soul Winner and a Passionate Witness for Jesus Christ. As a Worker, I should be involved in sharing my faith with other people, tract distribution, regular invitation of others to our Services, attend Evangelism Campaign/outreaches and other evangelistic efforts (Lk.9:1, 6, Mk.6:7,12).
8. To work in partnership with other Workers to fulfil the mandate, vision, goals and purpose of the church. 9. To use my gifts, talents/skills/resources to add value to the church to the best of my ability (Mk.14:3-7). 10. To represent well, defend, protect and promote the good name of the church/her leader at all times and wherever I go to minister/serve (1Tim.4:12). 11. To be my brother’s keepers. To care and be interested in the welfare/wellbeing of your fellow worker (Acts 15:36).
12. To maintain an absolute sense of confidentiality about information/details about the church/members/workers or private matters as much as possible. You are not supposed to be a gossip or rumour monger. 13. Keep Leadership informed about incidences/actions of members/workers that can be inimical or injurious to the church. 14. To honour the day and time that you are scheduled to minister as a worker. 15. To be punctual and committed towards all the meetings/programmes of your Teams/Ministries (Lk.2;36-37). 16. To abide by the rules/regulations guiding the operation of your Respective Teams/Ministries (Acts 16:4-5).
17. To love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and to also love my fellow workers/members (Matt.22:37-40). 18. To be punctual/regular at all the services/programmes/events. In cases where this will be a challenge, proper permission should be obtained from Leadership. (1Sam.21;8, Rom.12;11). 19. To contribute actively and positively to the growth/progress of the church by every possible means (Acts 11:24; 6:7). 20. To assist and endeavour in helping new converts/members to settle down well in the church i.e. become fully integrated/assimilated into the body Life of the church through Visitation/follow-up, reaching out for them etc. (Acts 9:22-28).
21. To share and help in carrying the burden/Responsibility of Leadership. As a worker, you are supposed to be a helping hand to your Leader (Num.11:17; Rom.16:3). 22. To attract and enlist more people to be involved in God’s work. It’s our job to get more people involved with the Kings Business (Matt.9:38: 4:18- 22; Acts 16:1-3). 23. To be punctual/regular at your duty post/Assignment (1Sam.21:8; Rom.12:11). 24. To be faithful/loyal to my church/Leadership (1Cor.4:2; Pro.28:20). To stand together with Leadership (1Sam.22:14: 29v3) and not to rebel or stand against Leadership.
25. To work/serve in the areas where I can make the greatest impact/contribution. Do the things you have capacity for (1Cor.7:20, 9). 26. To be sensitive to the leader’s needs and responsive to the leader’s call – Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Samuel 23:13-17. 27. To be committed financially to the work – Matthew 6:21; 19:27-30. This is an inevitable test of every true and committed church worker. Persons who cannot commit their finances into the work are unfit to be church workers. They can’t be trusted with great responsibilities in the church (Luke 16:10-11).
LESSON 6 UNDERSTANDING OUR VISION (Prov. 16:22: Hab.2:1-3). INTRODUCTION A vision statement details where the organization aspires to go. A mission statement defines the organization's business, its objectives, and how it will reach these objectives. (Day to day Activities) Every Ministry/Church has its own Mandate/Mission i.e. there are various reasons why God sets up different Ministries/Organizations (Heb.5:4: Acts 9:15-16:). Therefore, there is a divine Vision that God has given to Dayspring Chapel Ministries and it’s important for us all to understand this if we are to run with the Vision (Pro.29:18: Ps.119:144).
A. OUR VISION: To BE/RAISE an Apostolic Generation. (To Be Like Jesus/Apostles) B. HOW? (MISSION) Raise a People of Power and Praise walking in the Spirit of Christ C. OUR CORE VALUES Core Value speaks of a principle or belief that a person or organization views as being of central importance. This Core Values are there to guide our behaviour, choice, and our surrounding culture.
1. True Spirituality: To live a life that is pleasing to God with eternity in view. To be a True example of a Christian (1Tim.4:12, Jam.1:27). 2. Honesty: To live with a sense of Sincerity of heart/purpose in all that we do/say. For our Words and Actions to Agree or Match up. To speak and live by the Truth (Ps.15:4, 25:21, Pro.11:3). 3. Excellence: To strive to be the Best in all that we do and who we are. Creativity and Innovation to be our Watch Word (Pro.31:29, 1Cor.14:12). 4. Love: To embrace/imbibe the Genuine Selfless and Unconditional Love of God (Rom.12:9, 1Cor.13:1-8, 16:14).
5. Respect: To treat everybody right and with dignity. To create a culture where everyone is duly appreciated (1Pet.3:8, 4:9, 1Cor.10:24). 6. Diligence: A culture where commitment to our Work and getting the desired results matters (Rom.12:11, Pro.10:4, 22:29) 7. Stewardship: A culture of Faithfulness/Accountability. To strive to manage effectively whatsoever that has been committed into our Hands (1Cor.4:1-2, Lk.16:1-8, Matt.25:14-30).
LESSON 7 THE ATTRIBUTES OF A TRUE WORKER (2Cor.6:1, Col.4:11). INTRODUCTION You can recognize a true Worker by the kind of fruits he/she bears (Matt.7:16, 20). A true Worker has certain Qualities/Characteristics that is discernible (2Cor.11:13: Col.4:11). 1. Diligence. A true Worker is Diligent. They are not Lazy but do their Assignment when they ought to do it. They don’t leave their work unattended to or undone (Pro.12:24: 1Cor.15:10: Acts15:40-41:). 2. Promptness. A true Worker is Punctual. They are not latecomers. They work with a sense of Timeliness (1Sam.21:8: Rom.12:11:). They don’t dilly-dally nor procrastinate their Work (Gen.39:11).
3. Faithfulness. A true Worker is Faithful. They are Dependable/Reliable. You can count on them to get the Work done (1Cor.4:2, Eph.6:7, 9, Neh.7:2, Acts15:36-39, 2Tim.4:11). 4. Teachability. A true Worker is Teachable. They are willing to Learn, unlearn or relearn. They are willing to take correction in order to serve better (Pro.29:1, Acts18:24-28, Matt.4:19,). 5. Humility. A true Worker is Humble. They are submissive and not domineering in nature. They are not proud or arrogant (Pro.16v18: 18:12: 11:2, 1Pet.4:6,). 6. Truthful. A true Worker is Sincere and Forthright. They do not lie neither are they deceitful (Col.3:9: Pro12:17, 19, 22: 2Cor.11:13). They speak the truth always (Eph.4:14, Acts24:16, 2Cor.4:1-2).
7. Accountability. A true Worker is Accountable to God/Man. They don’t just live anyhow (Rom.14:12, 2Cor.8:21, Matt.25:14, 19,). They are not afraid of rendering their stewardship. 8. Committed. A true Worker is committed to God and the Work. They are sold out to God’s purposes and he’s Kingdom. They are Passionate about the Kingdom (1Cor.15:58, 2Cor.12:15,). 9. Selfless. A true Worker is not seeking their own Glory or personal interests. Their quest is God’s glory/his kingdom (1Cor.10:24, Rom.15:1-2,). A true Worker is not living for themselves. 10. Persistent. A true Worker never gives up. They persevere to the end. They are relentless in their pursuits of the Kingdom (Matt.10:22: Heb.10:3, 6:12, 15,).
11. Sociable. A true Worker is someone who is able to interact/relate with all kinds of people. How well do you relate with others? (2Cor.6:11-13, 1Cor.9:19-23,). 12. God Fearing. A true Worker fears the Lord indeed. They are not men pleasers but God pleasers (Exo.18:21, Acts6:3,).
LESSON 8 THE CHURCH WORKER CODE OF CONDUCT CLASS DISCUSSION 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 6 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.