18/05/2026
MONDAY MENTORSHIP IN MINISTRY:
18-05-2026:
TODAY'S TOPIC:
THE 8 TYPES OF CHURCH MEMBERS YOU MUST BE GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR HAVING:
You may not know how blessed you are to have them. Until you lose them.
They are your real disciples.
Sometimes we forget they are the reason why everything is working together for the good of the church.
Cherish them and love them.
They are not easy to come by.
NOW THE 8 TYPES OF CHURCH MEMBERS YOU MUST BE GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR HAVING:
1. THE MEMBER THAT IS NOT FINANCIALLY OKAY, BUT WILL NEVER GO TO ANY CHURCH THAT THEY ARE GIVING FOOD STUFFS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT OR ANY FORM OF WELFARE PACKAGES TO: The easiest thing to see in ministry now is losing members to those pastors who share rice and welfare packages every week. To have a member who can't feed very well and still keep faith with you, is a big blessing. Don't rush to even go and start sharing rice. There are members that can collect your own rice and still go and line up somewhere to collect their own rice also. You are blessed if you have a member not doing very well, yet no one can use welfare packages to sn**ch them away from you.
I once lost a family of seven to where they share bread every Sunday morning. They have now left bread for where they share both bread and school pack for children every morning. For a member driven by welfare packages, no church is a permanent dwelling place. He will continue to move until he or she meets his maker.
2. THE MEMBER THAT PASSES MANY GOOD AND GREAT CHURCHES VERY CLOSE TO THEM, BUT TRAVEL VERY FAR TO ATTEND SERVICE WITH YOU WEEKLY:
You won't appreciate these kinds of members until you visit them. A few weeks ago in warri I went to pray for a member that is challenged.
I got there after 30 minutes of driving in the same Warri. When I wanted to complain about distance, I told myself if she can come from here weekly to attend service, it is a very big sacrifice. With the cost of fuel at the moment. Sometimes visit your members where they stay, to appreciate what they have to go through to come to church. You have many of such members, they are a gift to your ministry.
3.THE MEMBER THAT IS AN ORDAINED WORKER, THAT IS NOT A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CHURCH, BECAUSE OF HER POSITION AS AN ORDAINED WORKER:
This person may be a Pastor, Deacon, Deaconess or HOD, If he or she doesn't understand the purpose of ordination, they will bring reproach to your ministry.
It is better never to ordained than to ordain the wrong person. How do you manage a situation where your Pastor or Deacon is a member of another church? The Ordination you cannot recall. You either release him to go or you find a way to manage your self inflicted error. According to scriptures, you are ordained to be with the one who ordained you, otherwise, it becomes a curse. Never worship in two churches as an ordained worker, unless you have your Pastors blessings to go. The oil poured on you, may fight you.
4. THE MEMBER THAT KNOWS ONE CHURCH WHERE THEY ONLY COLLECT OFFERINGS ONCE, BUT STILL LOVE YOU THAT TAKES TWO OFFERINGS IN ONE SERVICE: These are your real disciples. Whoever has conquered greed and money has conquered everything. People only see when the pastor collects offerings, no one sees when he returns back the offerings to the same people in the name of church management and welfare. I gave a protocol member that is marrying next week a million naira just last Thursday. How many churches will do that? The church where they collect offerings once, they have done so many business investments with initial church offerings that have now helped them in making so much money outside the offering basket. Your church will also get that level. But while waiting to get there those who joyfully give more than once are the gift God gave to you in ministry. In present day church operation, two offerings in a service is not too much. Even a church that collects one offerings, also collects two on either the first Sunday or last Sunday.
5. THE MEMBER THAT WILL NEVER GET OFFENDED AND WALK AWAY FROM THE CHURCH FOR WHATEVER REASON: I was told the other day of a member who stopped coming to church because the church did not follow him to bury the father who is not our member. How do we bury a man we don't know from Adam? What we owe you is appointing a member or two in your department to go with you. The person you even complained to, has done several burials of non church members, who the church did not announce or attend as a church. Yet he is still coming to church. But in your own case, you are not a member of any department.
I once sent a Pastor to a village in Edo state to bury a young man that is not our member, after the burial the family still left, on the ground that I did not attend myself. I discovered in ministry those who genuinely love you will stay even when offended, those who don't love you, will walk away even if not offended. Don't joke with your offended sheep that is still serving joyfully under you.
6. THE MEMBER THAT HAS MADE COMING TO CHURCH A MUST EVERY TIME THE CHURCH DOORS ARE OPEN: You can count on these ones. They are your stable, dedicated and committed flocks. There are three categories of members on this table. Those you are sure of seeing every service day, don't play with them. Those you are only sure of seeing on Sundays. They are your second assets. Thirdly those you are not sure of seeing on Sundays and week days. Be careful with them not to create problems for your first two groups mentioned above. Whoever gives you hundred percent punctuality, has given you what money can't buy.
7. THE MEMBER THAT HAS COME TO ABIDE IN THE HOUSE FOREVER: Nothing can take this one away. Not Air conditions in other churches, Not the crowd they see in other churches, Not the money they share in other churches, Not even the possibility of getting married in other churches where men are many. This one is a sheep that knows her shepherd. Never joke with this one. This is the kind of member we call a stake holder member.
8. THE MEMBER THAT PREFERS TO BE WITH YOU, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT AMONG THE BIG NAMES IN TOWN: The mystery of church operations is that you can be a member in a very big church with a pastor with a very big name. Yet live a life of continuous struggles. Another person is in a church not too big, with a pastor not among the big names in town, yet you are very successful. It is not the church you like to go, it is about the pastor that God gave you.
May God bless and honor these eight types of members serving in all churches.
They are very rare. If you have one, hold that one very well. They are your most understanding flocks. They prefer to stay with you in your failure than to abandon you and look for one successful pastor in town.
I love those under my spiritual care who represent the qualities mentioned above.
You are forever loved.
Be blessed.
You will be fine.
Irabor Wisdom.
Presiding Bishop Answer's Assembly Warri Delta State Nigeria.
