DUTIES OF AN OUTREACH DIRECTOR
J. T. PUGH
Dear Outreach Director:
Christian greetings!
Congratulations ! You have entered into perhaps the most worthful period of your life. The Home Missions Department welcomes you to the fellowship of eight hundred missionaries and over one thousand other workers who are busily engaged in attempting to reach the people of the North American continent We are glad to have you as a member of the Home Missions family.
Your appointment as Outreach Director has accented your role as a soulwinner. Heretofore, your obligation has been a moral one, but to that has now been added your need to be an example. Your ability and activity as a soulwinner will encourage those you will be leading.
If you have not already, you will find that what you do yourself may not be as important as what you are able to get others to do. Here is where the artful skills and ability of leadership must be employed to advantage and carry forward the work of God.
We have included some information which we trust will be helpful to you. You will find instructions on setting up and maintaining a prospect file. There will be a chapter on how to conduct an assignment service Also you will find helpful hints on tract distribution, working with the pastor, and other helpful instructions on leadership techniques.
You will need to be acquainted at some time with all of the information contained in this book. We urge you to read it through twice There are some particular chapters you may find yourself referring back to. We of the General Home Missions staff have included everything we could think of to help you as a local Outreach Director do your job to your very best ability. Our prayers also will be with you. May our dear Lord bless you.
Yours in Christ’s service,
J. T. Pugh, Director
GENERAL DUTIES
1. Maintain open and constant contact with the pastor on all phases of the Outreach Director’s duties.
2. Consult with all departments of the local church as to their evangelism outreach and coordinate the efforts.
3. Establish a total-balanced plan of outreach to include every person in the church in as many forms of outreach as possible.
4. Establish an effective tract ministry.
5. Maintain contact with the ushering staff to see that all visitors receive a card, that the cards are collected and given to the proper person.
OUTREACH PROGRAM
1. Direct the Census/Witness Saturation Visitation Program.
2. Direct the maintenance of an up-to-date prospect file.
3. Direct an effective effort of follow-up visitation.
4. Direct a persistent Home Bible Study Program, using as many methods as possible.
5. Schedule a Soulwinners Training Course each year with the pastor.
6. Plan and conduct the assignment services weekly.
HOME MISSIONS GIVING
1. Promote the monthly home missions offering in the local church in every way possible.
2. Maintain, through a secretary, a flow of missionary correspondence to and from the home missions field.
3. Assist in special projects, both near and far, by organizing fund-raising, labor, visitation, and other special helps to pioneer
works.
4. Promote the Christmas For Christ Offering yearly.
5. Publicize home missions work and giving through bulletins, posters and other methods.
SPECIAL MINISTRIES
1. Establish and maintain a ministry to the deaf.
2. Establish and maintain a ministry to the blind.
3. Establish and maintain a prison ministry.
THE OUTREACH DIRECTOR AND HIS PASTOR
It may be will that the Outreach Director consider in high priority, among his other responsibilities, his responsibility to his pastor. The pastor occupying the position which he does in the church, of course, must be properly related to if the program of soul winning is forceful, effective and lasting.
THE POSITION OF THE PASTOR
The pastor is an executive, administrator, spiritual motivator and speaker rolled all into one But more than this, he is a man with the call of God upon his life. The worth of this particular call, of course, sets him apart. No other leader on earth is set apart. He is God’s anointed. Upon him rests, first of all, a responsibility to God and, secondly, to the church which he is attempting to lead.
Because of this peculiar call which the Lord has laid upon him, he is a recipient of special promises and provisions which enable him to better discharge the responsibilities of his office.
The pastor is not only called of God, but he is made responsible by this call for a portion of the most precious thing in the world. This, of course, is the church. It is stated that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it The grave charge of keeping the church and at length presenting this church at the judgment seat of Christ to the Lord rests heavily upon the heart of the conscientious pastor.
The pastor is an overseer of every department of the church He is pastor of every facet of the church’s activity. Every officer or department head is directly responsible to him in church service He has the right to enter any time he chooses into any operation of the church. By virtue of his office he is chairman of every board and every committee whenever he chooses to enact that right.
WHAT DOES THE PASTOR WANT!
It may be will for us to consider what the pastor wants. First of all, we could safely say that he wishes to see the church grow. When this happens, of course, he feels that he is adequately fulfilling his duty. Growth in the church compliments his spiritual leadership. Growth means the accomplishment of the charge which is given to every Christian and to the pastor particularly. This is the spreading of the gospel and reaching the lost.
The pastor knows also that growth is conducive to harmony and peace in the church. There is nothing that will solve internal
problems like a great flow of evangelism, sweeping through the church When the sinner repents, the wandering son comes home and the wicked are changed, even the hardest of hearts are melted and flow together.
The pastor wishes to have peace in the church he pastors. He, of course, is fearful of a leader who would fall into a personality clash with another leader of the church or any other member therein. The personality of some people causes them to work well on a lower level of service, but when they are exalted into a place of leadership or authority, certain peculiar traits of their life bring them into conflict with others. For the sake of peace the pastor, of course, does not want this. While he would like to open a door of larger endeavor perhaps to some members of the church, for the sake of the whole he knows that he cannot afford to.
The pastor is also fearful of a leader who would allow those under him to fall into personality clashes. If wise management is not exercised in various departments, this can happen. Blessed is the leader who knows how to capitalize on the better traits of individual’s lives so that they flow together in one common purpose. Blessed is the leader who has enough drive, foresight and persistence to keep an active, forward-moving program ever before those he is attempting to lead.
Inactivity, stagnation and quandary always lead to internal problems. In the light of peace and harmony in the church, there are many things the pastor has to weigh out in his selection of a leader.
The pastor wishes the church to grow in a strong, balanced way. If the church is to be sound and healthy, he knows that no one facet of the work should be allowed to take precedence or crowd out another. To avoid this it is needful that every leader in the church feel himself a part of a team. He must be able to get along well and work with other leaders of the church It does not matter how worthy a particular program is, its effectiveness is automatically nullified if personality clashes develop within it or between It and another program of the church “The fruits of righteousness are sown in peace of them that make peace.”
THE OUTREACH DIRECTOR IS A SERVANT
Thus the pastor is greatly concerned that no leader who is appointed assumes the place of strong pre-eminence in the church. The instruction of Jesus Christ was that he who would be the greatest among us should be the servant of all. Any leader serving in the church has been commissioned to the royal place of servanthood.
Another version of this particular quotation from Jesus states that a leader should be everybody’s slave.
Rapport and understanding must exist between the Outreach Director and the Pastor. The Outreach Director must hold in mind that though his Pastor occupies a high office and has a high call, he is still human. If there are times when suggestions from the Outreach Director or reports which are given to the Pastor do not seem to receive the proper recognition or understanding, it may be well for the Director to remember the many responsibilities which the pastor has.
The problems which have arisen in one particular week or even on one particular day can greatly effect the attention which any leader is able to give to a given situation.
It is good also to hold in mind that the pastor is answerable for the overall welfare of the church. The proper balance between the strength of each Department, the correlation of all together, and the internal personnel situation within each, is his immediate concern and responsibility. This being true, it is advantageous for the entire Outreach program to attempt to see things through the eyes of the pastor. If each person who attempts to work with another can do so with the feeling that he is understood, many potential problems are at once alleviated.
TRUE COMMUNICATION IS ALWAYS “TWO-WAY”
Of course, there can be no understanding or progress without communication. Good leadership knows that communication must be had. It will be to the advantage of Outreach program for the Director to receive instruction from the pastor on every new step which is undertaken. He should attempt to follow the instruction he receives to the very best of his ability. This, itself, is not enough unless a report on progress is made back to the pastor.
A notation should be laid on the pastor’s desk each week stating the total number who attended visitation, the name of each, the total contacts made and various other items of interest. It may be that the pastor will be able to attend all of the visitation assignment services himself. However, there may be times when this will not be possible. In any event the information stated above is helpful if the pastor is to support the program and give it the necessary emphasis from the pulpit.
No change either in policy or procedure of the Outreach program should be made without first discussing it with the pastor. In these sessions which the Outreach Director has with the pastor, he should prayerfully attempt to transmit the feeling and burden of his heart. If the pastor feels that the Outreach Director is competent, caring and willing, you can be sure that his support will be behind the Director.
HONOR IS DUE THE PASTOR
The pastor is due the honor and respect of every leader in the church When sessions are held from which he is absent, he
should be referred to as “our pastor.” When various suggestions are surfaced in the meeting for changes in procedure, etc., it
should be made clear that this would be cleared through the pastor. When the pastor is present in the meeting, he should be invited to take charge. If he does not accept this invitation, acknowledgement should be made that he is there and expression
of appreciation extended. If he does choose to take charge of the meeting, the preparation which the Outreach Director has made
should be made available to him. Any tips which can be extended through the Director which would make him more knowledgeable of the present situation should be given.
Most every pastor is very happy for a competent, trustworthy leader to take hold of a responsible situation and carry it forward. Happy relationships between the Pastor and the Outreach Director will bring the Director into an area of closer communication, enlarged understanding, and open the door for more worthful Christian service
