Abstract
The purpose of this study is to suggest a paradigm shift that will enable the traditional pastor to effectively mobilize his congregation. An in depth look at the early history of the pastor of the Carletonville-AFM congregation and his idea of the ministry was undertaken. Due to certain frustrations he experienced trying to do everything himself, the Body of Christ model was proposed for the congregation whereby every member of the congregation has a function in fulfulling the Great Commision.
Certain statistics of the Carletonville-AFM congregation were analysed to obtain information about membership involvement in service ministry. It became clear that a process for the mobilisation of the congregation was needed. Mobilising the congregation should be seen as the purpose of the pastor and considered to be very important. The pastor’s managerial approach was scrutinized from the paradigm shift of ‘purposefulness,’ and the recommendation made that as the leader, he should build a strong team around himself to whom he can delegate work, thus making his work load lighter. This will empower him to concentrate on the purpose of mobilising the congregation.
The study argues that there is no such thing as an untalented member, in other words, everybody has received a talent to do service ministry. The potential in people must be developed by way of equipping the members. The pastor is responsible for this development and equipping of the members. This study is a contribution that endeavours to focus the managerial approach of the pastor in the mobilisation of the Body of Christ.
Prof. W.J. Hattingh