UNITED LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY – PAULINUM

COURSE: CHURCH ADINISTRATION PMN 4141

NAME OF STUDENT: NDILIMEKE IMBILI
NAME OF LECTURER: REV. DR. JAMES TJIBEBA
DUE DATE: 04 APRIL 2023

ASSGNMENT # 1

There is a serious conflict in your congregation, consequently the parish council

and the financial committee resigned. You are the chairman who has to come up
with practical ways to solve the problem.

a. Draw up an agenda for the meeting

b. Define, identify and portray the serious conflict
c. Write narrative minutes of the meeting
d. Discuss ten (10) characteristics of a good chairperson.
e. Discuss ten (10) characteristics of a good secretary.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. AGENDA..............................................................................................................................................3
1. OPENING PRAYER & DEVOTION: REV. N. IMBILI..................................................................3
2. WELCOMING REMARKS: REV. N. IMBILI.................................................................................3
3. MEMEBERS PRESENT & APOLOGIES......................................................................................3
4. QUORUM...........................................................................................................................................4
5. DEFINE, IDENTIFY AND PORTRAY THE SERIOUS CONFLICT............................................4
6. INTERVENTIONS BY CONGREGATION MINISTER REV. N. IMBILI.....................................5
7. FINAL DELIBERATIONS FROM THE FLOOR...........................................................................6
8. MEETING ADJOURNED & NEXT MEETING DATE..................................................................6
B. DISCUSS TEN (10) CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD CHAIRPERSON..............................6
C. DISCUSS TEN (10) CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SECRETARY...................................8
D. REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................8

NARRATIVE MINUTES OF EXTRAORDINARY MEETING: KATUTURA PARISH

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DATE: 04 APRIL 2023
VENUE: KATUTURA PARISH
TIME: 16H00

A. AGENDA:
1. Opening Prayer & Devotion
2. Welcoming Remarks
3. Members Present & Apologies
4. Quorum
5. Define, identify and portray the serious conflict
6. Meeting Adjourned & next Meeting Date

1. OPENING PRAYER & DEVOTION: REV. N. IMBILI

Rev. Imbili opened the meeting with a prayer and a short devotional scripture
from 1 Cor. 12: 12 – 27 themed: “We are all parts of one Body of Christ”. She
encouraged all that each and everybody is a special creation of God and has
received different gifts and talents. God’s intention is for all of us to live together
peacefully and appreciate each other’s talents and most importantly work
together in order to complement one another.

2. WELCOMING REMARKS: REV. N. IMBILI

Rev. Imbili thanked all for making time to come to the meeting and welcomed all.
She requested that everyone who wishes to contribute does so in a constructive,
humble and respectful manner. Rev. Imbili also encouraged that no stone should
be left unturned and everyone should feel free to speak what is on their mind. No
personal attacks on other’s characters will be tolerated, however the meeting
should strive to tackle and find a solution for the problem on hand. Hence all
were encouraged to tackle the problem and not the person.

3. MEMEBERS PRESENT & APOLOGIES

PRESENT
Rev. N. Imbili: Chairperson
Mr. A: Congregation Secretary: Minute Taker

Ex Financial Committee Members Ex Congregation Council Members

Ms. B: ex Chairperson
Mr. C: ex Vice Chairperson
Ms. G: ex Secretary
Ms. J: ex Treasurer
Ms. K: ex additional member
Mr. D: ex Chairperson
Mr. I: ex Vice Secretary
Ms. F: ex Treasurer
Ms. H: ex Additional Member
Mr. G: ex Additional Member

Apologies
Ex Financial Committee Members Ex Congregation Council Members
Ms. L: ex vice secretary Mr. N: ex Vice Treasurer
Mr. M: ex additional Member Ms. O: ex Vice Chairperson

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 Absent without apology
Ex Financial Committee Members Ex Congregation Council Members
Mr. P: ex vice Treasurer Ms. Q: ex Secretary

4. QUORUM
Each committee has 8 members, hence a total of 16 members, are expected. 10
members are present, plus 4 apologies received, Totaling 14. The minimum of 8
for a 50% quorum is reached.

5. DEFINE, IDENTIFY AND PORTRAY THE SERIOUS CONFLICT

Sharing of background information of how the problem started
Mr. D, the ex Chairperson of the Elder’s Council took the floor first and gave the
following background. His fellow council members have been complaining that he
had been the chairperson for the last 12 years. Even though new council
members join the council, the council is divided in 2 groups and it seems the one
group dominates the council and keeps voting Mr. D in the position of
chairperson. It is noted that the congregation has been stagnant for the last 6
years and no new projects are introduced.

Ms. G. also took to the floor and mentioned that certain congregation members
have suggested that the council should preach more on servanthood and
educate the congregation about tithing, however, the council has internally
argued that these are teachings done by Pentecostal churches who preach more
about the prosperity gospel and used to rob the poor of their little income, whilst
the ministers and council become richer, at the expense of the poor.

Ms. K. also elaborated that the dominant group shuts down many proposals
coming from the congregation or fellow council members, when the proposals do
not originate from one of their group members, even if such proposal is in the
best interest of the congregation. One such proposal was the organization of a
business expo, where business members could pay for exhibition stalls to the
congregation, transact business activities and after completion, donate a sum of
their choice as their tithing to the congregation. This idea was suggested for the
past 8 years, has however never succeeded to take place.

Mr. D. also informed the meeting that another suggestion was received to offer
free seminars with various teachings to the congregation, as a way of educating
the congregation, especially the youth and young adults, and a way of giving
back to the congregation, however this suggestion was never implemented, even
if the person who made the suggestion was willing to do all the groundwork
herself.

Mr. G. added that the treasurer of the finance committee as well as the council
have served for more than 10 years and such practice is not generally accepted
in any institution.

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 According to Ms. H. minutes of meetings are not written regularly, nor shared
with committee members to be discussed in every meeting and follow up to tasks
that were supposed to be done, etc.

In conclusion, it seems the entire congregation administration is in shambles,

congregation members and committee members speak to one another as they
please, to the extent of swearing at each other.

6. INTERVENTIONS BY CONGREGATION MINISTER REV. N. IMBILI

Rev. Imbili thanked all for feeling free to raise their views in a respectful and
contrastive manner. She further encouraged all to take these point as in the best
interest of the congregation and the church and should not be take and personal
attacks.
It is important for our congregation to grow and be self-sustainable. This means
that as she alluded in the opening devotion, “We are all parts of the same body,
with every one having received different talents and gifts from God.”
It is therefore important that that we all pool our resources, by working together
towards the same goal of uplifting the house of the Lord, the poor materially and
spiritually.
In Mathew 22:35 – 40, Mark 12: 28-34, Luke 10:27, Jesus teaches about the
greatest commandments: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind' and 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself'.
She noted that her observations were that the congregation council and well as
finance council have little love, for the Lord, they claim to be the head of their
church and well as even less love for their congregation members and fellow
Christians.
Rev. Imbili asked how such a congregation is expected to grow and prosper,
when it does not fear the Lord.
How would such a congregation expect to reap from the Fruits of the Spirit?
Rev. Imbili then asked for 5 minutes of silence, meditation and self-introspection;
then prayed with all a prayer for God to forgive all, for we have sinned to God
knowingly and unknowingly. Rev Imbili prayed that God helps the ex committee
members to identify their skills and talents individually and how they can combine
their skills and talents to work together in working for God as well as how they
can together help uplift others in the congregation.
After the prayer Rev. Imbili allowed another 3 minutes of further meditation and
after which the committee members started to sing praise and worship songs.

Rev. Imbili concluded with the below remarks: ‘Brothers and Sisters, if we follow
these commandments, we will naturally fear God in all we do as well as love and
respect others. We will not be greedy, but live according to the Fruits of the Spirit
in Galatians 5: 22-26.’

Rev. Imbili in conclusion invited all to surrender their lives to God and to continue
serving the living God.

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 7. FINAL DELIBERATIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Ms. K took to the floor and thanked Rev. Imbili for her deliberations and allowing
the Holy Spirit to use her as a servant of God. She pledged to avail herself again
to serve God.
Many of the ex-committee members followed her example.

8. MEETING ADJOURNED & NEXT MEETING DATE

Meeting adjourned at 18h00.
The next meeting was agreed to take place with the Congregation on 10 April
2023, where the congregation will be briefed about this meeting’s minutes and
allowed to nominate new council and finance committee members, including the
previous ones, who will avail themselves again.

B. DISCUSS TEN (10) CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD CHAIRPERSON

It is God who sought out and appointed leaders.
A good chairperson is/has a:

1. Blameless
According to Titus 1:6, Paul is not talking of perfection but of having a
good reputation for being blameless.

2. Good at governance
Needs to be able to effectively govern the company/congregation. They
should be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of the
company/ congregation and its shareholders/members. They should be
aware of the different laws and regulations that apply to the company/ the
constitution of the church, and they should make sure that the company is
compliant with all of them/ the congregation operates with the constitution
of the church.

3. Must have a healthy marriage and a well-managed home

He must be the husband of one wife, a one-woman man. He must be
faithful to his wife. It speaks of moral purity. According to 1 Tim 3: 4, he
must manage his own family well and must see that his children obey him
with proper respect. A man’s home and children are a reflection of his
maturity and ability as a leader.

4. An overbearing personality
Peter describes such in 2 Peter 2:10. He must not be self-willed- wanting
to follow his own way, to do as he pleases. An overbearing person tends
to be arrogant. He considers others to be in the wrong, while he is in the
right. He does not listen to others. He will be a dictator and bring disunity.

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5. A quick temper & violent
Titus 1:7, not quick tempered. A quick-tempered person easily loses
control and often strikes out at others verbally. He is not able to deal with
ordinary frustration and is not emotionally stable. He, hurts others, hinders
spiritual growth and causes problems in the ministry. It is wrong for a
Christian to be always angry, but a quick-tempered person is a Christian
out of control.
Titus1:7; not violent. A violent person physically wants to hit another
person. Striking out verbally is just as bad. Words can leave more scars
than physical violence. The leader is to be gentle not quarrelsome.

6. Uses a lot of Alcohol

According to Titus 1:7, not given too much wine. Christians should not be
controlled by anything that will hard his body (even food) or affect his
thinking or spoils his testimony for Jesus Christ.

7. Materialistic and hungry for money

According to Titus 1:7, not pursuing dishonest gain. Titus was to appoint.
leaders who would not chase material things. Those who emphasize
material things earn a bad reputation. The love for money is evil, not
money itself. According to Galatians 6:6, it is not wrong for spiritual
leaders to accept money for their work and effort, however, according to 1
Peter 5:2, money should not be the reason why leaders do their work. The
danger is that a man can become dishonest in handling the money of the
church. The thing which discourages giving in the church by church
members the most is when they do not trust a person who cannot be
trusted with money
8. Someone who can easily charm and inspire people.
They should have the ability to energize a room and make people believe
in their vision. They need to be able to capture people’s attention and get
them excited about what they’re working on. They need to equip
congregation members to do the work of ministry. To be able to gain the
confidence of congregation members

9. Able to gain congregation members’ confidence

They should be able to communicate their vision for the company and
explain how they plan to achieve it. They should also be able to provide
regular updates on the progress of the company and answer any
questions that shareholders may have.

10. Able to get to the key issues quickly

Needs to be able to quickly identify the key issues facing the company.
They should be able to sift through all of the information and find the most
important issues that need to be addressed. They should then be able to
develop a plan of action to address those issues.

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 C. DISCUSS TEN (10) CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SECRETARY
1.  Organized and detail oriented
2.  Puts the church / congregation / boss's and company's "best foot forward" since
he/she is most likely be in contact with clients before the boss does.  Also known as the
gatekeeper.
3.  Answers the phone and greets guests with a smile on his/her face and in his/her
voice.
4. Has up-to-date skills and the ability to learn new skills and procedures with ease.
5. Knows when to keep his/her mouth shut and when not to.  
6. Listens well and presents solutions rather than mull over on problems. Always a few
steps ahead than other people.
7. Presents a professional appearance and attitude at all times. Doesn't bring personal
problems to work.
8. Follows through quickly and efficiently with all tasks.
9. Terrific spelling and grammar skills, and knows how to interpret the boss's scribbles!
10. Remembers the pressures the boss is under and doesn't bother the boss with every
little problem.

D. REFERENCES

Class notes
Bible
10 qualities you should have to be a good secretary (linkedin.com)
10 Traits of Effective Church Leaders - Characteristics of Christian Leadership that
Inspires Others - Sharefaith Magazine