Q & A: Resources needed for proofing communications in the church office
QUESTION: Do you have any recommended resources that you would recommend that I can give to our church’s admin assistant to improve her proof reading skills? question sent by a pastor via email ANSWER: Proofing publications is critical and horrible; important and irritating. One of my favorite quotes on this topic is: “The urge in [...]
Being a Better Office Manager, part three
Ed. note: This is the last week of a great series on How to be a Better Office Manager and this week she concludes with some excellent advice: As an effective manager, you will: • Learn all you can about the church, the denomination, office administration, management principles—every subject related to the work of the [...]
Being a Better Office Manager, part two:
Ed. note: Last week Gayle introduced the topic of How to be a Better Office Manager and this week she continues with some excellent advice on: The Five basic functions of management are planning, staffing, organizing, directing, and evaluating. • planning Planning is the first step in constructively moving from where you are to where [...]
Setting Goals—The main thing is to keep the main thing the MAIN THING, part one
Ed. note: No matter what time of year you read this, you will always be tempted to think that you don’t have time to follow the advice in this article on goal-setting. But to make the most of all your days, you need to make the time to do it. It would take a hundred [...]
Church Office Organization 101: to make your work more productive and enjoyable
Organization: to pull or put together into an orderly, functional, structured whole. Experienced ministry assistants agree organization is a primary requisite for effectiveness. Who would know better? In the midst of what often seems the classic definition of disorganization, you are the one responsible for a well functioning office. Here are six simple steps to [...]
Church offices: How to get ready for Fall 2011
Ed. note: another school year is about to start and 2011 is almost three-quarters gone. It’s easy to panic about all the things we have to do and all that is ahead in the many church demands of the fall. Gayle’s wonderful article will give you the encouragement you need to make the most of [...]
Administrative Assistants: 25 Things your boss wants you to know, part two
Ed. note: After reading part one of this list, you might feel like you can’t measure up. But this second part starts out with great encouragement—Be resilient! This article continues with great advice to help you be all you can be in the church office. Administrative Assistants: 25 Things your boss wants you to know, [...]
Administrative Assistants: 25 Things your boss wants you to know, part one
Ed. note: Though the job description under discussion here is for an Administrative Assistant, the characteristics would serve all of us well. No matter what your position in the church office, these characteristics reflect those of a servant of Jesus—enjoy the article and be inspired. Wanted: administrative assistant. Excellent interpersonal and technical skills required; friendly [...]
Handy Hints From Office Pros by Gayle Hilligoss
Ed. note: It seems at times that people assume if their life is chaotic and stressed that it shows they are doing something important. Reality is far from that—it usually means the person who is chaotic and stressed is simply undisciplined and disorganized. When I am honest with myself I know that is often my [...]
How to get better technical support
Ed. note: As always, lots of great tips here and one of my favorite is at the very end—how easy it is with technology to forget that real people are at the end of our tech traumas. Gayle helps us remember and respond with grace. Sooner or later, it will happen! Your computer is humming [...]
