Romans 12:8 “…he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind.”
Administrators= are the shoulders of the body
The administrator is a born leader. They will emerge into leadership, just as Joseph did. There are several other words that could be used for this motivational gift: facilitator, organizer, ruler, leader, superintendent. According to Strong’s, in the Greek the word is proistemi; from the verb “to stand before” or “to preside”.
Nehemiah was one of the best administrators in the Bible.
The Greek word for this is spoude which is translated “diligence” in the KJV and in Wuest “intense eagerness and effort”. Strong’s also says that the word encompasses the ideas of speed, dispatch, earnestness, haste, intense effort and determination.
Administrators will not put off to tomorrow what can be done today.
Characteristics of Administration
- Is highly motivated to organize that for which they are responsible. Administrators love challenge (Nehemiah 3:1-32). They break major goals into smaller more manageable tasks.
- Expresses ideas and organization in ways that communicate clearly. These people are excellent communicators. Use charts, diagrams etc.
- Prefers to be under authority in order to have authority. These people understand honor, and respect authority structures. (Matthew 8:8-9) They want to know their limits and they will respect those limits.
- Will not take authority unless delegated by those in authority. (Nehemiah 5:1-13)
- Will assume responsibilities IF NO specific leadership exists.
- Especially enjoys working on long range goals and projects. (Nehemiah 5:1-13)
- Is a visionary person with a broad perspective. Proverbs 29:18 tells us “where there is no vision the people perish.” (Nehemiah 1:2-3, 2:5)
- Easily facilitates resources and people to accomplish tasks or goals. (Nehemiah 2:6-8)
- Enjoys delegating tasks and supervising people. They love to tell people what to do! (Nehemiah 4:13) They know which jobs need to be done and who best to do it. (Nehemiah 3:28)
- Will endure criticism in order to reach an ultimate goal. (Nehemiah 4:8-18)
- Has great zeal and enthusiasm for whatever they are involved in. Nehemiah 2:1 He was never sad and the king noticed) Enthusiasm emanates naturally from the administrator (Nehemiah 4:14)
- Finds greatest fulfillment and joy in working to accomplish goals. (Nehemiah 7:1-2, 8:1-18) They love seeing all the parts come together.
- Is willing to let others get the credit in order to get a job done.
- Prefers to move on to a new challenge once something is completed. (Nehemiah 7:1-2)
- Constantly writes notes to self. (To- do lists)
- Is a natural and capable leader. Has a strong motivation to lead and often does not get along with other leaders.
- Knows when to keep old methods going and when to introduce new ones. When an administrator is placed in leadership they may see that changes are necessary.
- Enjoys working with and being around people. They are great observers of human behavior and are constantly learning how to work with people more effectively.
- Wants to see things completed as quickly as possible. Don’t like red tape.
- Does not enjoy routine tasks. Boring!
Misuses/Problem Areas
- Becomes upset when others do not share the same vision or goals. The single most important quality to administrators is loyalty.
- Being unresponsive to suggestions and appeals. Easily develops outer calluses.
- Using people to accomplish their own goals. Sees people as pawns on a chess board.
- Taking charge of projects which were not God’s direction.
- Delegating to much to work to others. People feel like they are doing all the work.
- Failing to give proper explanations and praise. Too focused on end goals that they fail to give praise along the way.
- Tends to drive self and neglect personal and family needs. Priorities! That’s what administrators need to keep in mind. Proverbs 31:16 is excellent advice for them.
- Neglects routine home responsibilities due to intense interest in “job”. These people are often married to their jobs. Workaholics!
Biblical examples of Administration:
- Joseph is a great Biblical example of someone with the motivational gift of administration. (Genesis 30-40) What would have happened to Egypt if God had not created him with this inherent gift? His farsighted leadership saved millions of people.
- Nehemiah – Nehemiah 1-7
- Deborah – Judges 4-5
- David – 1 Samuel 16-31; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings 1-2; 1 Chronicles 10:13-29; 1 Chronicles 30
- Annas – Luke 3:2; John 18:13-24; Acts 4:5-6
- James (Brother of Jesus) – Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Acts 12:17, 15:13, 21:18; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galations 1:19, 1:29
- Jairus – Matthew 9:18, Mark 5:22-43; Luke 8:41-45
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The Dinner Party
You are having a dinner party with seven quests each having a different one of the motivational gifts.
At the end of the meal you begin clearing the dinner plates and begin to serve desert. As you are bringing out a tray with the desert plates on it, you accidentally trip, sending the deserts flying and crashing to the floor.
The guest with the gift of prophecy proclaims, “I could see this coming. You can’t clear plates and bring desert at the same time.” (The motivation is to correct the life of the waiter.) The guest with the gift of mercy quickly follows, “Don’t worry; it could have happened to anyone.” (The motivation is to relieve embarrassment.) The one with the gift of serving jumps up and begins cleaning the mess. (The motivation is to fulfill a need.) The one with the gift of teaching analyzes the situation and responds with, “The real reason the tray fell was due to the equilibrium. See, of the seven deserts, five were on one side and only two on the other.” (The teacher’s motivation is to discover why it happened.) The guest with the exhortation gift pipes up, “It’ll be alright, next time serve desert with the meal.” (The motivation is to correct for the future.) The one with the gift of giving thinks a moment. Noticing the carpet needs to be professionally cleaned and the plates are shattered, responds with “Here is $100 to cover the cost of the dishes and carpet cleaning.” (The motivation is to give to relieve a need.) Finally, the administrator begins calling out directions. “Kris, could you go grab some paper towels? Sally, would you mind getting some more deserts put together. Molly, get the vacuum!” (The motivation is to keep things moving in the right direction.)
Which person are you? |
