Agents of Revival, Techniques and Strategies- the Role of theOrganizing Secretary.
Thursday, June 9, 2022
INTRODUCTION
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana in its theme for the year 2022 is making a clarion call to God Almighty to revive the church again through healing. This is a call to the originator of the Christian faith to restore the fortunes of the church to the “good old days.”
This call is an honest plea of someone who has come to the realization that things are not as they used to be in some time past. The focus of this lecture is on the role that leaders will have to play in bringing about the much-desired
revival.
Revival is the process of restoring something to its original state or make it better. A call for revival is an indication of deterioration. The purpose of a revival is to bring back to life something that has lost its usefulness.
There are a lot of revival services in our of our congregations in the past twenty years than any other period in the history of the Church. The question is are we deriving the desired benefits from these services? Does the growth our church reflect the work of numerous revival services? Does the life of members show any change in their walk with Christ? And when changes occur how long do they last?
In most instances, the ministers in charge of revival services take centre stage.
The services normally become an avenue for the ministers to ‘exhibit’ their spiritual gifts and powers. This showcase has rendered the congregations very dependent on the need for frequent revival services. For instance, a congregation that is declining in membership and benefitted from such services
still goes back to old ways.
It is very important for people in leadership to know what is expected of them in their line of duty. There is however an important dichotomy between leadership and management when it comes to the running of organizations or institutions. It is worth noting that the strength of an organization or an institution is in the
quality of its leadership. Leadership provides a formidable direction for the growth of every organization.
This to a large extent implies that organizations. that are lagging behind their peers would have to take a second look at the scope
of their leadership.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Leadership is simply put the art of getting others to want to do something that you are convinced should be done, according to Vance Packard. In the words Dr. Myles Monroe (2009), leadership is the function of the designated position
and the exercise of the responsibilities involved in that position (Psalm 23).
In short leadership is associated with taking an organization into the future,
finding opportunities that are coming at it and successfully exploiting those opportunities, according to Dr. John Kotter. Thus, leaders make things happen in organizations.
On the other hand, management is a set of well-known processes which help an organization to predictably do what it knows how to do well. Management helps you to provide goods and services as you have promised, of consistent quality,
on budget day after day.
Thus, management allows companies to maintain their
credibility and follow-through on their claims and promises.
The following table illustrates some differences between leadership and
management:Leadership,Management, Originates ideas, Imitates ideas, Challenges the status quo, Accepts the status quo, Takes advantage of change, Resists change
Looks for better solutions and innovations.
The fear of the unknown cripples
their desire to try new things
Focuses on people (customers/clients) Focuses on systems/structures
Inspires trust, Relies on controls/policies
Motivates, Controls,Architects, Builders
Creates vision, clarifies the big
picture and sets strategies, Establish objectives, sets timetables
and allocates resources,Make things happen,Watch things happen, Inspects team to perform, Expects team to deliver.
Source: The Art of Leadership and Management on the Ground.
III. IMPORTANT BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
A) Leadership Model: The Joseph Phenomenon
Joseph happened to be the favourite son of Jacob. He exhibited a lot of
leadership tendencies at an early age. The most outstanding were his visions of
the future (Genesis 37:1 - 10).
His elder brothers out of envy sold him into slavery to Egyptian masters. Joseph
found himself in the service of Potiphar, a military officer of Pharaoh (Genesis
37:10 - 36).
In the service of Potiphar, Joseph was made the overseer of the household
(Genesis 39:1 - 6). He rose to this position because his master realized that his
household was prospering from the time he put Joseph in charge. Even though
the success was largely as a result of the favour of God, the leadership qualities
of Joseph also contributed.
In Genesis 39:20 - 23, Joseph was imprisoned upon a false accusation. Yet in
incarceration, he was placed in charge of other poisoners. He made use of his
leadership abilities to provide solutions to his colleagues where necessary.
Eventually, Joseph was freed from prison and he rose to become the Prime
Minister of Egypt at the age of thirty (30) in Genesis 41. With some of the
qualities discussed earlier, Joseph was able to conquer famine in the
Mediterranean region and Palestine for seven good years.
Some leaders in this category include Joshua, Caleb, David, Solomon,
Nehemiah, Stephen and Peter.
B) The Management Model: the Moses Conundrum
Moses was a Levite who was brought up as a grandson of Pharaoh (Exodus 2).
Moses was raised as a prince of Egypt who could assume leadership roles when
the need arose.
Being a sympathizer of the Hebrews, Moses committed murder in favour of the
Israelites and had to run for his life. God called him after forty (40) years of
hiding in the wilderness to lead the children of Israel out of slavery. Moses
initially gave all the excuses he could think of in order not to be the leader of
God’s people (Exodus 3: 6 - 16). In the long run, Moses could not lead the
Israelites to the promise land (Deuteronomy 34:1-8)
Despite the inability of Moses to provide the needed leadership for the people,
he was an excellent manager throughout the wilderness experience. He ensured
that children of Israel keep to the statutes of Jehovah. And to this day, the Torah
(the first five books of the Bible) is sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses
(Daniel 9:11, Luke 2:22, John 1:17).
Other leaders in this category include Jephthah, Samuel, Saul and Jeremiah.
IV. CONSEQUENCES OF MEMBERSHIP DISSATISFACTION
The members of EPCG and EPSU are VIP clients. And their interest or wellbeing is paramount as far as the Church is concerned. They deserve all the care
and respect of leadership in all matters.
Membership dissatisfaction has far-reaching effects on the church because
members will not patronize programmes and services they do not trust. Take
note of the following:
➢ Only 4% of dissatisfied members will complain to leadership.
➢ 90% of dissatisfied members goes and never returns.
➢ Every dissatisfied member shares anger with eleven (11) persons.
➢ Acquisition of new membership becomes six (6) times greater than the cost
of maintaining existing members.
➢ In all, satisfaction in the group or the church is shared with only three (3)
persons.
V. USEFUL GUIDELINES FOR THE EPSU ORGANIZING
SECRETARY
The role of the organizing secretary is a very important leadership position in
the Union. The organizing secretary is in charge of the physical presence the
union especially at the time the members have to congregate at a venue.
1. Acquisition of relevant skills
Every leader should as a matter of urgency develop his or her capabilities in
order to remain relevant in the work he or she does as a leader. And as an
organizing secretary the following skill sets are necessary among others:
a) Organizational skills
b) Communication skills
c) Interpersonal relations
d) Crisis management
2. Mentorship
This is a relationship between two persons where one of them is more
experienced and knowledgeable in a particular field than the order. The process
of mentorship allows the mentor to pass on a wealth of knowledge by directing
his or her mentee in a chosen field of expertise.
Mentoring is therefore the process of receiving advice or directions from an
experienced person in a particular field. Mentors influence the personal and
professional growth of mentees.
It is important to note that mentorship does not impose the personality of the
mentor on the mentee. Every individual is unique and that uniqueness should be
maintained.
3. Knowledge of Events and Venues
The organizing secretary can liken to a site engineer who makes sure everything
is in place before every programme begins. It is important for him or her to do
the following:
• Have adequate knowledge of programmes and activities to be held.
• Outline various logistics and materials needed for a programme, like chairs,
computers, canopies, public address system etc.
• Ensure the logistics are available before the start of a programme.
• Have adequate knowledge about venues: location and landmarks.
• Be able to provide direction to venues.
4. Use of Technology
In a fast-growing world where people communicate with the speed of light, a
very organizing secretary should make use of various technological tools in
carrying out his duties. The following points will be helpful:
• Learn and improve IT skills.
• Acquaint yourself with software and applications.
• Use software applications that are common to the general membership.
5. Innovation
• Come up with new and interesting ideas.
• Seek the view of members about new ideas.
• Make the members own what you do.
6. Make yourself useful to the Church
• Offer your services to the church
• Assist others in their line of duty
• Just don’t on the fence
CONCLUSION
The real story is that the two labels are not mutually exclusive. Both leaders and
managers have their strengths which are absolutely necessary and useful. It is
important for everyone in an organization to constantly analyse their strengths
and evaluate where they need growth.
That is not to say that leadership and management have distinctly different
implications and meanings. But the assumption that they are as in-mixable as oil
and water is a faulty assumption.
As this Zulu saying goes: “Ubuntu ngumtu ngabanye abantu” meaning a
person is a person through others or I am because we are, the has to be a blend
of both leadership and management in every organization.
Above all, both leaders and managers need the grace of God in order to succeed
as stated in Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the
Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Presented by:
Rev. Frank K. Azorlibu
EPCG Tafi District
Contacts: Mobile- 0242675114 / Email- frankmenelik@gmail.com