The Gift of Administration

When you see this spiritual gift, it might make you think of the gift of being able to type, answer the phone, and take dictation. But it is anything but this. Take a look at the following definition of the spiritual gift of administration:

“The gift of administration gives an individual the ability to be a master at multi-tasking. In other words, this person is a natural born leader. If this is your gift, figure out what you're most passionate about. Perhaps you feel compelled to become more involved within your youth ministry because you love working with children. Or maybe you're a writer and you want to inspire those who read your words. Seek out ways you can lead other people within your passion. Strive to use your leadership as a tool to inspire others to pursue their goals and aspirations.”

This gift is seen in people who can’t help but lead. It is something that they are naturally drawn to do. And the people who follow them are drawn to them because of their passion. Having this gift calls a person to be able to see how to get from A to B to Z, and to have the directions for getting there every step of the way. Having a person with this gift in your life means that you can look to them for inspiration and feel the energy they bring to everything they do. And if you are the person who has this gift, it is your task to bring people along with you.

For those of us who do not have the spiritual gift of administration, we are still called to exercise this gift with the possibility of gaining skills in this area. So here are four ideas to ease us into opportunities to lead with the God-given spiritual gifts we do have:

1. Get It in Gear

Think of an idea that you are passionate about and something you want your church to participate in. For instance, I wanted to start making prayer shawls for people. So, I got permission to gather a group of people who liked to crotchet and knit. I told them what my idea was and explained how other churches had started this ministry. It takes one person to start the ball rolling with a plan in mind for how things might progress.

2. Uncover the Secret

Think about someone inside or outside your church that you think has the spiritual gift of administration. Ask them to get together with you over a meal or cup of coffee. Then ask some questions of them as to how they approach a project or a problem. Have them break it down for you so you get a feel for how they work best. If you have a project you would like to pursue, ask them to walk along side you helping you plan, and think through all the details that are needed for the project.

3. Group Admin

You may not feel you are able to exercise this gift especially if you do not have it. Ask a group of people to meet and as a group become the “administrator” for each other. Between the people in the group, you can together help work on one member’s project at a time. This way you don’t have to hold all the information by yourself but together can help develop a clear plan of action.

4. Break It Down

I have heard from many family and friends that they feel paralyzed by a task or problem, and it seems to overwhelm them. So, break it down into small steps. Step 1 is getting down all the steps that it will take to make things happen. Don’t worry if you miss getting a detail down, it will become apparent, and you can add it to the plan. Then looking at the steps one at a time, complete the first, then the second, and so on. As the old joke goes: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.