Delegation

Communication | Deacons | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Growth | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding | Transition

Shady Acres — The First New Shepherds Orientation Workshop in an Interim Church
ByJerrie Barber December 18, 2017December 19, 2017

We met at the Drury Inn in Sikeston, Missouri December 8-10 for the 9th New Shepherds Orientation Workshop. In other workshops, I came to a church knowing little about them except email correspondence. I have been with Shady Acres nine months. We are beginning to get acquainted. We knew each other well enough to discuss…

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Communication | Conflict | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Goals | Growth | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Listening | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding

Fairlane — the Church that Started New Shepherds Orientation
ByJerrie Barber November 20, 2017November 27, 2017

In the fall of 2013, Henry Wilhoite, an elder at Fairlane Church of Christ in Shelbyville, Tennessee, called. He said, “We’ve recently appointed five elders. Four of them have never served before. Could you put something together to help us get started and be more effective?” We met in Henry’s cabin in Gatlinburg November 1,…

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Communication | Conflict | Deacons | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Goals | Grace | Gratitude | Grief | Growth | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Listening | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding

Culturally Diverse Church in Raleigh, North Carolina
ByJerrie Barber September 5, 2017September 5, 2017

We had a hard working group for the 7th New Shepherds Orientation Workshop. It was a beautiful drive around the Northern border of the Smokies the weekend of August 25-27. This is one of the most culturally diverse congregations I’ve visited. The Spanish and English worship together. Their website is in both English and Spanish….

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Conflict | Deacons | Delegation | Grief | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Sheep | Shepherding

“Bless Our _______ as They Make Their Decisions”
ByJerrie Barber July 4, 2017July 31, 2025

One of the frequent petitions I hear about elders in public prayers is, “Lord, bless our elders as they make their decisions.” I often cringe when I hear that. What about, “Bless our elders as they shepherd the flock; bless our elders as they set examples of excellence, dedication, service, and holiness; bless our elders…

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Communication | Conflict | Deacons | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Goals | Gossip | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding | Termination

Excited and Growing Church in Washington State
ByJerrie Barber May 16, 2017May 16, 2017

The sixth New Shepherds Orientation Workshop was with the Puyallup Church of Christ in Puyallup, Washington. We had the training sessions in the Holiday Inn Express in Seattle, Washington. I was touched and encouraged. Although two of the elders were involved in deaths close to them, they were present for most of the training. One…

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Communication | Conflict | Deacons | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Goals | Gossip | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding

New Shepherds Orientation Workshop, Smyrna, Tennessee
ByJerrie Barber April 4, 2017April 4, 2017

The fifth New Shepherds Orientation Workshop was conducted with the elders, ministers, and spouses of the Smyrna Church of Christ, Smyrna, Tennessee, February 23-25. We met at NHC in Murfreesboro Friday night and Saturday. We enjoyed a delicious meal together at The Chop House Saturday night after closing the workshop at 5:00. I stayed over…

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Communication | Deacons | Delegation | Growth | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Overseeing | Shepherding

One Way to Recruit and Train More Shepherds
ByJerrie Barber February 21, 2017February 21, 2017

People often ask, “How can we encourage more men to become elders?”. For several years, I saw something at the Central Church of Christ in Dalton, Georgia, that was effective. We had a good group of elders and deacons. Elders delegated, empowered, and let deacons deak. They were also good at showing appreciation. One of…

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Communication | Conflict | Delegation | Goals | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership | Listening | Sheep | Shepherding

7 Ways to Deal with the Pain of Being a Shepherd
ByJerrie Barber February 7, 2017November 3, 2021

I’ve worked with many shepherds who start with a great vision of their work. “We want to get out of management, details of the business, caring for the building, controlling finances, and become shepherds. We want to know the sheep, lead them, help them, and encourage them.” Often within three months the shepherding goal is…

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Deacons | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Overseeing | Shepherding

What Have You Quit Lately to Become a Better Leader?
ByJerrie Barber September 6, 2016September 5, 2016

The response of the apostles in Acts 6 amazes me. When there was criticism because Grecian widows weren’t getting their fair share of food, the apostles replied, “We won’t be going to the grocery store to get food for our Christian sisters.” Can you imagine that attitude from men Jesus taught and trained to be…

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Communication | Delegation | Giving | Goals | Grace | Growth | Individual Responsibility | Leadership

How Do You Set the Budget?
ByJerrie Barber July 5, 2016December 22, 2022

How do you present the budget in your congregation? Is it simply a business transaction? Do we do it as we’ve always done it — look at last year’s budget, increase it by 7-10%, and tell everyone what they need to give this year? Gail and I have been living on a budget for nearly…

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