Reporting Your Ministry

As we have seen this week, others need to know what you are doing. Specific reports such as attendance figures and financial statements are certainly necessary. It is also important that you present reports at church evangelism councils and church boards. While a verbal report may touch briefly on the main points, a written report that contains as much detail as possible should be handed in.

Not only will this information keep people interested in your ministry and make it easier to encourage involvement, it will directly enhance evaluation and future planning and direction.

Make sure that your reports are given with reference to the overall evangelism plans of the church. Explain how your ministry is part of a strategy that is contributing to the achievement of church goals.

Challenge yourself regarding your motivation for reporting. To what extent are you focused on the will of God for your church and the saving of souls?

Discussion Questions:

   Go back to the last question on Tuesday. How do we report “bad news”? It’s only natural that we talk about the successes we experience. People do that even in the mundane things of life. But what about in the work of evangelism? What do we do if a church program isn’t working? How should it be discussed and reviewed in ways that will bring about needed changes? Also, discuss this question: If we attribute success in evangelism to the Lord, whom do we blame if things aren’t going so well? 

  Think about the issue looked at on Thursday regarding the change in attitude that the Jewish believers needed in regard to the work among the Gentiles. Look around at your own church, culture, and society. However much we might dogmatically assert our belief that the gospel is for all the world, in what ways might our own cultural and social prejudices need the same kind of shift experienced by these early Jewish believers?  

  Although this week’s context was about reporting evangelistic activities, think about the whole concept of giving any kind of report in any kind of situation. How can we make sure that we are always honest and truthful and not dishonestly slanting information in ways that will give us what we want, regardless of how skewed our words are? Why is that so easy to do, and why is it so easy to fool ourselves as we do it?

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