9) Administration Gift – Organization 10%

Rom 12:8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

The word that Paul uses for "leads" is proistemi: pro "front" or "fore" + histemi "to stand or abide" = hence one who stands before another, the leader. The word originally means one who pilots or steers a ship. That certainly refers to the same concepts of leading.

The gift of administration is the special ability to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ, and to devise and execute plans for the accomplishment of those goals. They are the planners of the congregation and thrive on coming up with solutions to problems, for they have the desire to map out solutions.

Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, demonstrated this gift in Exod 18:17-24
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ "You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ "Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you...²⁴ So Moses listened to his father-in-law, and did all that he had said."

Gamaliel demonstrated this gift in Acts 5:34-40
But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. ³⁵ And he said to them...⁴⁰ And they took his advice..."

The Apostles demonstrated this gift in Acts 6:1-7

"Now at this time while the disciples were increasing {in number,} a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic {Jews} against the {native} Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving {of food.} ² And the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables...⁵ And the statement found approval with the whole congregation... And the word of God kept on spreading..."

Signs of Maturity

1. Planning
   1. They are charters and statisticians.
   2. They are accurate in assessment.
   3. They are goal orientated.
2. Pace
   1. They desire promptness.
   2. They desire preparedness.
   3. They desire completeness.
3. Participation
   1. They are leaders.
   2. They are organizers.
   3. They are problem solvers.

Signs of Immaturity

1. Personality
   1. They tend to be pushy.
   2. They tend to be insensitive.
   3. They tend to be know-it-alls.
2. Perfectionism
   1. They tend to be over competitive.
   2. They tend to be over planned.
   3. They tend to be overdriven.
3. Pride
   1. They tend to be slow to admit mistakes.
   2. They tend to be overconfident.
   3. They tend to be self-centered.

Some ways to obtain joy with this gift

1. Be the one to volunteer to gather information for the work of the church.
2. Teach a class on personal finance for Christians or a similar theme denoting organization.
3. Make yourself available to others for problem solving.
4. Analyze data and research concerning the spiritual gifts for the equipping of the saints.
5. Be an organizer for VBS, Bible Bowl or some other type of church children’s ministry.
6. Be involved in the budgeting of the church or volunteer to be church treasurer.
7. Be a chairperson for various church committees or deaconships.