Utawala wa Kanisa kwa Usharika na Mfumo wa Kibaptisti — Sehemu ya 8: Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya ShemasiCongregational Church Government and Baptist Polity — Unit 8: The Deacon Family Ministry Plan

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Mimi ndimi mchungaji mwema; nawajua kondoo wangu, nao wanijua mimi." (Yohana 10:14, SUV)"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own." (John 10:14, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kufafanua Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi (Deacon Family Ministry Plan) na kueleza tatizo ulilokusudiwa kutatua.1. Define the Deacon Family Ministry Plan and explain the problem it was meant to solve.

2. Kutaja na kueleza alama nne za Mpango: ufikiaji kamili, huduma ya kibinafsi, utumishi wa kujali na uongozi wa mchungaji.2. Name and explain the four marks of the Plan: total coverage, personal ministry, caring service and the pastor's leadership.

3. Kueleza maswali matano ya vitendo ambayo kanisa lazima lijibu ili kupanga Mpango.3. Describe the five practical questions a church must answer to organize the Plan.

4. Kueleza huduma za kuendelea za shemasi za kutembelea na kuomba, na kazi yake ya kufundisha wanafunzi na kuinjilisha ndani ya familia zake.4. Explain the deacon's ongoing ministries of visitation and prayer, and his work of discipleship and evangelism within his families.

5. Kutaja na kujibu pingamizi kuu dhidi ya Mpango, na kueleza jinsi kanisa dogo au la vijijini linavyoweza kuurekebisha.5. State and answer the main objections to the Plan, and explain how a small or rural church may adapt it.

Tulipo Katika KoziWhere We Are in the Course

Vipindi vya 6 na 7 vilielezea nafasi ya shemasi, tabia yake na wajibu wake. Kipindi hiki kinaonyesha njia moja iliyopangwa ya kuweka wajibu huo kazini kati ya familia za kusanyiko. Kinafupisha Vipindi vya 4 hadi 7 vya kozi ya CTS ya Dkt. Wayne Cook "Deacon Family Ministry Plan." Kozi hiyo inapendekezwa kama mwandani wa hii, na wanafunzi wanaopanga kutumika kama mashemasi au kuwafunza mashemasi wanapaswa kuichukua yote. Hapa tunatoa mistari mikuu na kuuliza kile ambacho kozi ya taratibu za kanisa inapaswa kuuliza: Mpango unaingiaje katika nafasi za kanisa?Units 6 and 7 described the deacon's office, his character and his duties. This unit shows one organized way of putting those duties to work among the families of a congregation. It condenses Units 4 to 7 of Dr. Wayne Cook's CTS course "Deacon Family Ministry Plan." That course is the recommended companion to this one, and students who plan to serve as deacons or to train deacons should take it in full. Here we give the main lines and ask what a polity course must ask: how does the Plan fit the offices of the church?

Tatizo Ambalo Mpango UnajibuThe Problem the Plan Answers

Kila mchungaji anajua huzuni ya mlango wa nyuma. Familia iliyokuwa ikija kwa uaminifu inakosa Jumapili moja, kisha mbili, kisha mwezi. Hakuna anayepiga simu, kwa sababu katika kanisa lenye shughuli nyingi hakuna anayejua ni nafasi ya nani kupiga. Wakati mtu anapotambua, familia imeondoka. Sababu mara chache ni ukatili. Ni kupuuzwa polepole kunakotokea pale hakuna aliyepewa jukumu la kutunza.Every pastor knows the sorrow of the back door. A family that once came faithfully misses a Sunday, then two, then a month. No one calls, because in a busy church no one is sure whose place it is to call. By the time anyone notices, the family is gone. The cause is rarely cruelty. It is the slow neglect that comes when no one has been assigned to care.

Maandiko yalijua hatari hii. Mungu aliwakemea wachungaji wa Israeli waliojilisha wenyewe lakini hawakutafuta waliopotea. Alisema hawakuwatia nguvu dhaifu wala kuponya wagonjwa wala kuwarudisha waliofukuzwa, "Wakatawanyika, kwa sababu hapana mchungaji" (Ezekieli 34:5). Bwana aliahidi kufanya yale ambayo wachungaji hawakufanya: "Nitamtafuta yeye aliyepotea, na kumrudisha yeye aliyefukuzwa, nami nitamfunga yeye aliyevunjika, nitamtia nguvu yeye aliye dhaifu" (Ezekieli 34:16).Scripture knew this danger. God rebuked the shepherds of Israel who fed themselves but did not seek the lost. He said they had not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or brought back what was driven away, "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd" (Ezekiel 34:5). The Lord promised to do what the shepherds had not done: "I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick" (Ezekiel 34:16).

Paulo anasema mwili unapaswa kufanya kazi vilevile: "ili msiwe na faraka katika mwili; bali viungo vitunzane kwa usawa. Na kiungo kimoja kikiteseka, viungo vyote huteseka pamoja nacho" (1 Wakorintho 12:25-26). Katika kanisa dogo hili hutokea kwa kawaida. Katika kanisa kubwa zaidi mchungaji hawezi kutembelea kila nyumba, kukaa na kila familia inayoomboleza, au kutambua kila hitaji la kimya. Utunzaji lazima upangwe, la sivyo washiriki wanaosahaulika kwa urahisi zaidi watasahaulika.Paul says the body should work the same way: "that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it" (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). In a small church this happens naturally. In a larger church the pastor cannot visit every home, sit with every grieving family or notice every quiet need. Care must be organized, or the members most easily forgotten will be forgotten.

Suluhisho lililotolewa na Matendo 6 halikuwa kuwafanyisha mitume kazi zaidi bali kuzidisha huduma kupitia watumishi waaminifu. Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi unatumia jibu hilo. Ulitengenezwa na kutumiwa sana kati ya makanisa ya Southern Baptist, na ulikuzwa kupitia Sunday School Board ya mkutano mkuu, ambayo sasa inaitwa Lifeway, kama njia ya kuwaita mashemasi kutoka chumba cha bodi kurudi kwenye kazi ya utunzaji. Unatumia Matendo 6, Ezekieli 34 na Yohana 10.The solution given by Acts 6 was not to work the apostles harder but to multiply the ministry through faithful servants. The Deacon Family Ministry Plan applies that answer. It was developed and widely used among Southern Baptist churches, and promoted through the convention's Sunday School Board, now called Lifeway, as a way to call deacons back from the boardroom to the work of care. It applies Acts 6, Ezekiel 34 and John 10.

Mpango Ni NiniWhat the Plan Is

Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi ni njia ya kupanga utunzaji wa kusanyiko zima kwa kumpa kila familia na kila mtu binafsi shemasi, ambaye ana wajibu wa kuwajua, kuwaombea, kuwasiliana nao mara kwa mara na kuwahudumia katika kila wakati wa uhitaji, vyote chini ya uongozi wa mchungaji.The Deacon Family Ministry Plan is a way of organizing the care of an entire congregation by assigning every family and individual to a deacon, who is responsible to know them, pray for them, keep in regular contact and minister to them in every time of need, all under the leadership of the pastor.

Ufafanuzi huo una alama nne.That definition has four marks.

Ufikiaji kamili. Kila familia imepangiwa na hakuna anayeachwa. Nia njema hufunika watu wanaosema. Mpango unafunika kila mtu, wakiwemo waoga, wasioweza kutoka nyumbani na wanaoteleza mbali. Hii ndiyo hoja ya Matendo 6, ambapo wale Saba waliwekwa ili hakuna mjane hata mmoja apuuzwe.Total coverage. Every family is assigned and no one is left out. Good intentions cover the people who speak up. The Plan covers everyone, including the shy, the shut-in and the drifting. This is the point of Acts 6, where the Seven were appointed so that not one widow would be overlooked.

Huduma ya kibinafsi. Kila familia hupewa si kamati wala programu bali shemasi mahususi, mtu mwenye jina na uso. Hii ndiyo sababu idadi huwekwa ndogo. Mtu hawezi kujua kaya mia mbili, lakini anaweza kujua chache. Makanisa mengi humpa kila shemasi familia kumi hadi kumi na tano hivi, ingawa idadi lazima ilingane na kanisa.Personal ministry. Each family is given not to a committee or a program but to a particular deacon, a man with a name and a face. This is why the numbers are kept small. A man cannot know two hundred households, but he can know a few. Many churches give each deacon about ten to fifteen families, though the number must fit the church.

Utumishi wa kujali. Kazi ya shemasi kwa familia zake ni utunzaji, si utawala. Hufahamiana, huomba kwa majina, huwasiliana, hutembelea katika ugonjwa na huzuni, husaidia mahitaji halisi na hufurahi nao katika furaha zao. Mashemasi wanapokutana, mkutano ni zaidi ripoti kuhusu roho. Utunzaji wao ni taulo, si nyundo ya mwenyekiti.Caring service. The deacon's task toward his families is care, not governance. He gets acquainted, prays by name, keeps in contact, visits in sickness and sorrow, helps with real needs and rejoices with them in their joys. When the deacons meet, the meeting is chiefly a report on souls. Their care is the towel, not the gavel.

Chini ya mchungaji. Mpango unapanua uchungaji wa mchungaji na haubadilishi. Paulo aliwaambia wazee wa Efeso "Jitunzeni nafsi zenu, na lile kundi lote, ambalo Roho Mtakatifu amewaweka ninyi kuwa waangalizi, ili kulichunga kanisa la Mungu" (Matendo 20:28). Shemasi ni msaidizi wa mchungaji. Huleta mahitaji ya kina kwa mchungaji, ili mchungaji ajitoe kwa maombi, Neno na kesi zinazomhitaji. Hii hulinda dhidi ya mashemasi kulichukua kanisa kutoka kwa mchungaji, na dhidi ya mchungaji kubeba peke yake mzigo ambao hakuna mtu anayeweza kuubeba.Under the pastor. The Plan extends the pastor's shepherding and does not replace it. Paul told the Ephesian elders to "take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God" (Acts 20:28). The deacon is the pastor's helper. He brings deeper needs to the pastor, so that the pastor can give himself to prayer, the Word and the cases that require him. This guards against deacons taking the church from the pastor, and against the pastor carrying alone a load no man can bear.

Jinsi Kanisa Linavyopanga MpangoHow a Church Organizes the Plan

Maono ni ndoto tu hadi mtu afanye kazi ya vitendo. Kanuni ya Paulo inatumika: "Lakini yote na yatendeke kwa uzuri na kwa utaratibu" (1 Wakorintho 14:40). Utaratibu ni mtumishi wa upendo, si adui wake. Kanisa lazima lijibu maswali matano.A vision is only a dream until someone does the practical work. Paul's rule applies: "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). Order is the servant of love, not its enemy. A church must answer five questions.

1. Nani atahudumiwa? Kipimo ni familia au kaya, ili mume, mke na watoto wapewe wote kwa shemasi mmoja. Kaya hufafanuliwa kwa upana wa kutosha ili mtu anayeishi peke yake, mjane, mwanafunzi aliye mbali na nyumbani na asiyeweza kutoka nyumbani kila mmoja awe wa mtu. Washiriki ambao wamehamia mbali mara nyingi huwekwa kwenye orodha tofauti ya kuwasiliana kwa barua au ujumbe.1. Who is to be served? The unit is the family or household, so that a husband, wife and children are given whole to one deacon. The household is defined widely enough that the person living alone, the widow, the student away from home and the shut-in each belong to someone. Members who have moved far away are often kept on a separate list for contact by letter or message.

2. Wangapi kwa kila shemasi? Gawanya idadi ya kaya kwa idadi ya mashemasi walio hai. Ikiwa idadi ni kubwa sana kwa huduma halisi, kanisa limejifunza kwamba linahitaji mashemasi zaidi, watu waliothibitishwa kwa tabia kama katika Kipindi cha 6. Halipaswi kurundika familia zaidi kwa walio tayari. Mfano ni wa zamani: Yethro alimshauri Musa aliyelemewa kuweka watu wenye uwezo juu ya vikundi vya ukubwa unaoweza kudhibitiwa (Kutoka 18:21-22).2. How many to each deacon? Divide the number of family units by the number of active deacons. If the number is too high for real ministry, the church has learned that it needs more deacons, men proven in character as in Unit 6. It should not pile more families on the willing. The pattern is old: Jethro advised the overloaded Moses to appoint able men over groups of manageable size (Exodus 18:21-22).

3. Kwa njia gani? Hakuna njia moja aliyoitoa Mungu. Baadhi ya makanisa hupanga kwa mpangilio wa herufi, ambao ni rahisi na wa haki lakini hupuuza watu wanapoishi. Mengi hupanga kwa mtaa, ambao ni wa vitendo kwa kutembelea. Mengine hupanga kwa darasa au urafiki, na mengi huchanganya njia. Kanisa linapaswa kuanza na mgawanyo rahisi na wa busara na kuurekebisha, kwa kuwa mistari inaweza kuchorwa upya siku zote.3. By what method? There is no single God-given method. Some churches assign alphabetically, which is simple and fair but ignores where people live. Many assign by neighborhood, which is practical for visiting. Others assign by class or friendship, and many blend methods. A church should begin with a simple, sensible division and adjust it, since lines can always be redrawn.

4. Inarekodiwa na kuhifadhiwa vipi? Ofisi ya kanisa huweka orodha kuu ya kila familia na shemasi wake, na kila shemasi huweka orodha yake mwenyewe yenye majina, anwani, njia za mawasiliano, maelezo ya familia na mahitaji maalum. Washiriki wapya lazima wapangiwe haraka, kabla hawajateleza. Mtu fulani, awe shemasi mkuu, mchungaji au ofisi, lazima apewe jukumu la kuweka orodha ya kisasa. Yule anayeweka orodha analinda ahadi ya Mpango kwamba hakuna atakayesahaulika.4. How is it recorded and kept current? The church office keeps a master list of every family and its deacon, and each deacon keeps his own list with names, addresses, contact information, family details and special needs. New members must be assigned promptly, before they drift. Someone, whether a head deacon, the pastor or the office, must be charged with keeping the list current. The one who keeps the list guards the Plan's promise that no one will be forgotten.

5. Familia zinatambulishwa vipi? Mchungaji anaueleza Mpango kwa kanisa zima. Kila familia inaambiwa shemasi wake ni nani, kwa barua, kadi au neno la binafsi. Kisha shemasi hufanya ziara ya kwanza au simu, si kutatua tatizo bali kupata marafiki. Kwa njia hii uhusiano uko hai kabla ya shida.5. How are the families introduced? The pastor explains the Plan to the whole church. Each family is told who its deacon is, by letter, card or personal word. Then the deacon makes a first visit or call, not to solve a problem but to make friends. In this way the relationship is alive before the crisis.

Fikiria mpeleka barua: kila nyumba katika mtaa ina mpeleka barua, kwa hiyo hakuna inayorukwa, hata ile isiyoomba barua kamwe.Think of a mail carrier: every house on the street has a carrier, so none is skipped, even the one that never asks for mail.

Utunzaji wa Kuendelea wa ShemasiThe Deacon's Ongoing Care

Utambulisho ni mwanzo tu. Utunzaji unaokuja tu katika shida ni mdogo mno na umechelewa mno. Uhusiano lazima uhifadhiwe hai kati ya shida ili shida inapokuja, shemasi awe rafiki anayeaminika na si mgeni.An introduction is only a beginning. Care that arrives only in a crisis is too little and too late. The relationship must be kept alive between troubles so that when trouble comes, the deacon is a trusted friend and not a stranger.

KutembeleaVisitation

Kutembelea kumo ndani sana katika Maandiko. Yakobo analifanya moyo wa dini safi: "kuwatazama yatima na wajane katika dhiki zao" (Yakobo 1:27). Paulo alifundisha "nyumba kwa nyumba" (Matendo 20:20). Shemasi huenda kwa sababu Bwana wake alikuja kwetu. Kuwepo sebuleni, kwenye kitanda cha hospitali au nyumbani mwa mazishi kunaonyesha upendo wa Kristo kwa njia ambayo kadi haiwezi.Visiting runs deep in Scripture. James makes it the heart of pure religion: "to visit orphans and widows in their trouble" (James 1:27). Paul taught "from house to house" (Acts 20:20). The deacon goes because his Lord came to us. To be present in the living room, at the hospital bed or in the funeral home shows the love of Christ in a way that a card cannot.

Hutembelea familia zake zote mara kwa mara, kwa uangalifu maalum kwa wagonjwa na wasioweza kutoka nyumbani, waliofiwa, wasiokuwepo na wanaoteleza mbali, wageni wapya na wapweke, na pia wakati wa furaha, kwa kuwa anapaswa "kufurahi pamoja nao wafurahio" (Warumi 12:15). Mdundo hutofautiana lakini lazima uwe thabiti. Ziara ya kawaida, wakati hakuna kitu kibaya, ndiyo inayofanya ziara ya dharura ikaribishwe.He visits all his families regularly, with special attention to the sick and shut-in, the bereaved, the absent and drifting, the newcomer and the lonely, and also in times of joy, since he is to "rejoice with those who rejoice" (Romans 12:15). The rhythm varies but must be steady. The ordinary visit, when nothing is wrong, is what makes the urgent visit welcome.

Ziara hufanywa vizuri shemasi anapokuja kama mtumishi na si mkaguzi. Husikiliza zaidi kuliko kusema. Huleta neno la Maandiko na sala fupi. Hulinda siri na anajua wakati wa kuondoka. Huepuka kuchunguza na uvumi. Na ziara haiishii mlangoni: hubeba hitaji kwenda kuliombea, kulitaja kwa uangalifu kwa mchungaji, na kurudi na msaada.A visit is done well when the deacon comes as a servant and not an inspector. He listens more than he talks. He brings a word of Scripture and a short prayer. He guards confidences and knows when to leave. He avoids prying and gossip. And the visit does not end at the door: he carries the need away to pray over it, to mention it with care to the pastor, and to return with help.

CTS inaongeza neno la wazi kuhusu busara, ambalo ni ushauri wetu wenyewe na si sehemu ya kozi ya asili. Inapowezekana, mashemasi wanapaswa kutembelea wawili wawili, au kuwa na mwenzi au mshiriki mwingine anayeaminika awasindikize, hasa wanapomtembelea mtu wa jinsia tofauti aliye peke yake. Hii inalinda familia na jina la kanisa.CTS adds a plain word on prudence, which is our own advice and not part of the original course. Where possible, deacons should visit in pairs, or have a spouse or another trusted member accompany them, especially when visiting a person of the opposite sex who is alone. This protects families and the church's name.

MaombiPrayer

Kama kutembelea ni kazi yake inayoonekana zaidi, maombi ni yenye nguvu zaidi. Shemasi huomba kwa kila familia kwa jina, jambo linalohitaji ajue mizigo yao. Huomba nao wakati wa ziara, kando ya kitanda na katika shida. Mitume waliweka maombi kwanza kati ya kazi zao wenyewe (Matendo 6:4), na Samweli alihesabu kuwa dhambi kuacha kuwaombea watu (1 Samweli 12:23).If visiting is his most visible work, prayer is his most powerful. The deacon prays for each family by name, which requires that he know their burdens. He prays with them in the visit, at the bedside and in the crisis. The apostles named prayer first among their own tasks (Acts 6:4), and Samuel counted it sin to stop praying for the people (1 Samuel 12:23).

UaminifuFaithfulness

Hatari kwa utunzaji unaoendelea mara chache ni mwanzo mbaya. Ni kufifia polepole. Neno la Paulo ni tiba: "Tusichoke katika kutenda mema; maana tutavuna kwa wakati wake, tusipolegea" (Wagalatia 6:9).The danger to ongoing care is rarely a bad beginning. It is a slow fading. Paul's word is the cure: "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9).

Kufundisha Wanafunzi na Kuinjilisha Ndani ya FamiliaDiscipleship and Evangelism within the Families

Shemasi si mtembeleaji rafiki tu wala mfanyakazi wa kijamii mwema. Lengo lake la ndani kabisa ni la kiroho. Anatamani kuona waumini katika familia zake wakikua kama wanafunzi na waliopotea miongoni mwao wakija kwa Kristo. Kozi ya CTS huchukua alama tatu za mwanafunzi kutoka Mathayo 10:The deacon is not only a friendly visitor or a kind social worker. His deepest aim is spiritual. He longs to see believers in his families grow as disciples and the lost among them come to Christ. The CTS course draws three marks of a disciple from Matthew 10:

• Kujitolea (Commitment). Mwanafunzi humpenda Bwana kwa moyo wake wote, na kujitolea kwake ni kwa vitendo, kwa furaha na kwa uaminifu kwa kanisa lililokusanyika. Shemasi hufundisha hili hasa kwa mfano wake mwenyewe.• Commitment. The disciple loves the Lord with all his heart, and his commitment is active, joyful and loyal to the gathered church. The deacon teaches this chiefly by his own example.

• Kuungama (Confession). Mwanafunzi humkiri Kristo waziwazi, kwa maisha yake na kwa midomo yake (Mathayo 10:32-33).• Confession. The disciple owns Christ openly, by his life and by his lips (Matthew 10:32-33).

• Gharama (Cost). Mwanafunzi yuko tayari kubeba gharama ya kumfuata Yesu, ambayo inaweza kugusa familia yake, masilahi yake ya kidunia na hata maisha yake (Mathayo 10:34-39). Mafundisho ya uaminifu kuhusu gharama ni tendo la upendo lenyewe.• Cost. The disciple is willing to bear the cost of following Jesus, which may touch his family, his worldly interests and even his life (Matthew 10:34-39). Honest teaching about the cost is itself an act of love.

Shemasi pia huwatafuta waliopotea. "Mwana wa Adamu alikuja kutafuta na kuokoa kilichopotea" (Luka 19:10). Watu wengi huja kwa Kristo kupitia rafiki, na shemasi, ambaye ameshapata uaminifu, ndiye rafiki huyo. Huwaombea wasiookoka kwa majina, hujenga uhusiano, husema juu ya Kristo wazi na kwa upendo, na, kama Andrea aliyemleta ndugu yake Simoni kwa Yesu (Yohana 1:41-42), huwaleta kwa Mwokozi. Kazi ni ya uvumilivu; Mungu huokoa, lakini hupendezwa kumtumia rafiki mwaminifu.The deacon also seeks the lost. "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Most people come to Christ through a friend, and the deacon, who has earned trust, is that friend. He prays for the unsaved by name, builds the relationship, speaks of Christ plainly and lovingly, and, like Andrew who brought his brother Simon to Jesus (John 1:41-42), brings them to the Savior. The work is patient; God saves, but He is pleased to use a faithful friend.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

"Mpango unageuza utunzaji wa roho kuwa programu ya kimakanika." Pingamizi ni la haki, kwa sababu mpango wowote unaweza kuwa mfumo usio na upendo. Kozi ya CTS yenyewe inaonya kwamba moyo ukisahauliwa Mpango huwa mashine. Lakini jibu si kuacha utaratibu. Kanisa lisilo na mpango halitunzi kila mtu kwa hiyo. Linatunza watu inaowatambua tu. Utaratibu ni mfereji wa upendo."The Plan turns care of souls into a mechanical program." The objection is fair, because any plan can become a system without love. The CTS course itself warns that if the heart is forgotten the Plan becomes machinery. But the answer is not to abandon order. The church that has no plan does not therefore care for everyone. It cares for the people it happens to notice. Order is the channel of love.

"Uchungaji ni wa mchungaji na wazee peke yao, kwa hiyo mashemasi wanavuka mipaka." Matendo 20:28 na 1 Petro 5:1-2 huwapa wazee usimamizi wa mchungaji. Tunakubali, na ndiyo sababu Mpango hufanya kazi chini ya mchungaji. Shemasi hafundishi mafundisho kwa mamlaka, hawarekebishi washiriki wala hashauri juu ya migogoro mikubwa ya kiroho. Anatoa utunzaji wa vitendo na urafiki ambao kila mshiriki anadaiwa na mwingine (Wagalatia 6:2), uliopangwa na uliotajwa, na anarejesha mambo mazito kwa mchungaji."Shepherding belongs to the pastor and elders alone, so deacons overstep." Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-2 assign the shepherd's oversight to the elders. We agree, and that is why the Plan operates under the pastor. The deacon does not teach doctrine with authority, discipline members or counsel on deep spiritual crises. He gives the practical care and friendship that any member owes another (Galatians 6:2), organized and named, and he refers weightier matters to the pastor.

"Kanisa letu ni dogo mno, au limetawanyika mno, kwa mpango kama huo." Katika kanisa la thelathini, mchungaji na mashemasi wawili wanaweza kugawanya familia alasiri moja tu. Pale washiriki wanaishi mbali, panga kwa eneo na utumie njia zilizopo: ziara inapowezekana, ujumbe, simu, barua inayopelekwa na mtu anayeenda upande huo. Kanuni ni kwamba kila familia ina mtu aliyetajwa anayewajibika. Ukubwa wa kanisa hubadilisha njia, si kanuni."Our church is too small, or too spread out, for such a plan." In a church of thirty, the pastor and two deacons can simply divide the families in an afternoon. Where members live far apart, assign by area and use the means that exist: a visit when possible, a message, a call, a note delivered by someone going that way. The principle is that every family has a named person who is responsible. The size of the church changes the method, not the principle.

"Mpango haujaamriwa katika Biblia." Kweli; njia hasa ilitokea katika maisha ya kisasa ya Kibaptisti. Lakini Biblia huamuru utunzaji ambao njia hiyo inautumikia. Mpango ni chombo, kinachobadilishwa kisaidipo."The Plan is not commanded in the Bible." True; the exact method arose in modern Baptist life. But the Bible commands the care the method serves. The Plan is a tool, changed when it does not help.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Wewe ni mchungaji wa kanisa la washiriki wapatao tisini katika mji unaokua. Wanaume watano hutumika kama mashemasi, lakini mara nyingi hukutana kujadili jengo. Wiki iliyopita ulijua kwamba familia iliacha kuhudhuria miezi mitatu iliyopita na kwamba mwanamke mzee anayeishi peke yake alikuwa hospitalini kwa siku mbili kabla hujasikia.You pastor a church of about ninety members in a growing town. Five men serve as deacons, but they mostly meet to discuss the building. Last week you learned that a family stopped attending three months ago and that an elderly woman who lives alone was in the hospital for two days before you heard.

Mchungaji mwenye hekima huanza polepole. Hatangazi programu. Kwanza anawafundisha mashemasi kutoka Matendo 6 na Ezekieli 34, na anakiri kwamba yeye pia ametosa watu. Kisha anapendekeza jaribio rahisi: mashemasi wagawanye familia kwa mtaa, kila mmoja akichukua sehemu yake, labda familia sita hadi nane, na ofisi ya kanisa iweke orodha moja kuu. Anawaomba kila shemasi afanye mawasiliano ya kirafiki ya kwanza ndani ya mwezi ujao. Anawaomba wakutane kila mwezi na, katika kila mkutano, waanze kwa kuombea familia zao kwa majina kabla ya shughuli yoyote. Kisha anaeleza mabadiliko kwa kanisa zima ili washiriki wajue shemasi wao ni nani. Baada ya miezi sita anawauliza mashemasi kwa uaminifu: ni familia zipi zimefikiwa, zipi zimekosa, na nani anahitaji msaada? Anatarajia makosa na kurekebisha. Lengo si orodha bora bali kanisa ambalo hakuna anayesahaulika.A wise pastor begins slowly. He does not announce a program. First he teaches the deacons from Acts 6 and Ezekiel 34, and he confesses that he too has missed people. Then he proposes a simple trial: the deacons divide the families by neighborhood, each taking his share, perhaps six to eight families, and the church office keeps one master list. He asks each deacon to make a friendly first contact in the next month. He asks them to meet monthly and, at each meeting, to begin by praying through their families by name before any business. He then explains the change to the whole church so that members know who their deacon is. After six months he asks the deacons honestly: which families have been reached, which have been missed, and who needs help? He expects mistakes and adjusts. The aim is not a better list but a church where no one is forgotten.

MuhtasariSummary

Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi ni njia ya kupanga utunzaji wa kusanyiko zima kwa kupangia kila familia shemasi chini ya uongozi wa mchungaji. Unajibu tatizo la kupuuzwa katika makanisa yanayokua kwa kutumia Matendo 6, Ezekieli 34 na Yohana 10. Alama zake nne ni ufikiaji kamili, huduma ya kibinafsi, utumishi wa kujali na uongozi wa mchungaji. Kanisa huupanga kwa kuamua nani atahudumiwa, familia ngapi kila shemasi atabeba, njia ipi itazigawanya, jinsi kumbukumbu zitakavyowekwa na jinsi familia zitakavyotambulishwa. Shemasi huwatunza familia zake kwa kutembelea na kuomba kwa uthabiti, na hufanya kazi kufundisha wanafunzi wenye alama za kujitolea, kuungama na gharama, na kuwashinda waliopotea. Mpango unajibu pingamizi za haki: unalindwa dhidi ya makanika tu na upendo, unafanya kazi chini ya usimamizi wa mchungaji, unaweza kurekebishwa kwa makanisa madogo na yaliyotawanyika, na ni chombo, si amri. Kozi kamili ya mashemasi ya CTS, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan," inapendekezwa kama mwandani wa kipindi hiki.The Deacon Family Ministry Plan is a way of organizing the care of the whole congregation by assigning every family to a deacon under the pastor's leadership. It answers the problem of neglect in growing churches by applying Acts 6, Ezekiel 34 and John 10. Its four marks are total coverage, personal ministry, caring service and the pastor's leadership. A church organizes it by deciding who is to be served, how many families each deacon will carry, which method will divide them, how the records will be kept and how the families will be introduced. The deacon cares for his families through steady visiting and prayer, and works to make disciples marked by commitment, confession and cost, and to win the lost. The Plan answers fair objections: it is guarded against mere mechanism by love, it operates under the pastor's oversight, it can be adapted to small and scattered churches, and it is a tool, not a command. The full CTS deacon course, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan," is the recommended companion to this unit.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Dkt. Wayne Cook, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" (Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi) (CTS), Vipindi vya 4 hadi 7 (kozi ya mwandani inayopendekezwa).• Dr. Wayne Cook, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" (CTS), Units 4 to 7 (the recommended companion course).

• R. B. C. Howell, The Deaconship (1846) (Ushemasi), katika marekebisho ya CTS, hasa sura kuhusu wajibu wa jumla na ushirikiano (kitabu cha lazima cha kozi hii).• R. B. C. Howell, The Deaconship (1846), in the CTS adaptation, especially the chapters on general duties and cooperation (required textbook for this course).

• Dkt. Wayne Cook, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" (Mpango wa Huduma ya Familia ya Shemasi) (CTS), Kipindi cha 3, kwa historia ya nafasi hiyo katika maisha ya Wabaptisti wa Kusini.• Dr. Wayne Cook, "Deacon Family Ministry Plan" (CTS), Unit 3, for the history of the office in Southern Baptist life.

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867) (Mwongozo wa Kanisa), chanzo cha msingi cha Kibaptisti.• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867), a Baptist primary source.

Wasilisha mtihani na uone kama umefauluSubmit Exam & Check Pass Anza upyaReset