One of the absolutely best things about being a ministry assistant is the opportunity the position gives to serve—and by your service to make a real difference in the lives of people. Your work has the potential to be more than a fulfilling job. Because working in the church requires skills beyond spelling and grammar, it really can be ministry in the best sense of the word.

While your work is more than managing records, fielding phone calls, scheduling events, and producing publications, how you manage those routine tasks is the heart of your responsibilities. Being involved in ministry does not justify being less than professional in your performance.

Your technical and organizational skills are vitally important.

One meaningful way to show people how much you care for them is to be conscientious in your service to them, to deliver excellence. And yet, in too many offices no one is evaluating administrative effectiveness.

A recent discussion turned to annual job evaluations. “I think I am doing a good job,” remarked one office professional, “but I suppose I don’t really know. We’ve talked about doing evaluations in our office, but no one is interested enough to set them up.” [Read more...]