Dear Friends,
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:6–7
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
Those involved in church administration often carry more than others realise. We see the details, the gaps, the deadlines and the things that might go wrong. We want to serve people well, support our leaders and make sure that nothing important is missed.
That sense of responsibility can be a gift. But it can also tempt us to believe that everything depends upon us.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that gospel ministry involves human responsibility, but it never depends upon human ability. Paul planted. Apollos watered. Both had work to do but only God could produce the growth.
There are two simple encouragements I want us to take from this.
1. Recognise your limitations
You are limited and that is not a failure.
You have limited time, limited energy, limited knowledge and limited capacity. You cannot answer every email, solve every problem, anticipate every risk or meet every need. You cannot keep everyone happy, and you cannot hold every part of the church together.
That can be difficult for administrators because we are often the people who notice what is missing. When something has not been done, our instinct is often to step in and carry it ourselves. Before long, we can begin carrying responsibilities that God has never asked us to carry.
Recognising our limitations is not an excuse for carelessness. Paul still planted, and Apollos still watered. They worked faithfully. But they understood the limits of what their work could accomplish.
There will always be another task you could complete, another process you could improve and another person you could help. At some point, faithfulness means prayerfully saying, “I have done what I can do today. The rest belongs to God.”
2. Trust God to do what only God can do
Paul could plant the seed, and Apollos could water it, but neither of them could make it grow.
The same is true for us.
We can organise the meeting, but we cannot create unity.
We can develop the process, but we cannot change hearts.
We can prepare the budget, but we cannot provide every resource.
We can manage the programme, but we cannot produce spiritual fruit.
We can support the ministry, but we cannot build Christ’s Church.
Only God can do those things.
This truth does not make our work unimportant. It gives our work its proper place. We work carefully, diligently and wholeheartedly but we do so prayerfully, knowing that the final outcome rests with God.
That means we do not need to carry our responsibilities with anxiety. We can bring our plans, pressures and unfinished tasks to God and say, “Lord, I have planted. I have watered. Now I am trusting You to give the growth.”
So, as you serve, remember these two things: recognise your limitations and trust God to do what only He can do.
Be faithful with the task God has given you. Serve diligently. Plan carefully. Communicate clearly. But do not carry the weight of believing that everything depends upon you.
It does not.
Christ is building His Church. God is at work in His people. And while He graciously chooses to use us, the work ultimately belongs to Him.
Let’s pray:
Father, thank You for the privilege of serving Your Church. Help us to work faithfully without believing that everything depends upon us. Teach us to recognise our limitations, to bring our burdens to You and to trust You with the results. Give us wisdom for the work You have given us and peace concerning the work that only You can do. Amen.
With every blessing
Gavin Smith
UCAN Board Director & Manager Member
Do you have an encouragement to give or an interesting story about church administration to share? We'd love to hear from you and share more voices from the UCAN community. Get in touch with us via info@churchadministrators.net for more details!