Preparing a Church Leadership Devotion

Choose a passage before choosing a slogan

Use this original IndiaPCG resource to prepare a short devotion for a leadership or volunteer gathering. Its purpose is to help the team hear Scripture and consider how it shapes their service. A devotion can be brief without becoming a disconnected quotation. Begin with a manageable passage, read its setting, and choose one clear point.

For this worked example, read Mark 10:32 to 45. Bring a KJV Bible and write the speaking outline on a single sheet. Plan about seven minutes. If the group uses more than one language, allow time for interpretation and shorten the amount of material. A clear explanation of one passage will serve the team better than several unexplained references.

Understand what is happening in the passage

Jesus speaks about his coming suffering before James and John ask for places of honour. The other disciples are displeased. Jesus then explains that greatness among them takes the form of service, and he grounds that teaching in his own mission. His giving of his life is central to the passage, not an illustration added to a general lesson about management. ¹

Read the verses around the sentence you plan to emphasize. The flow of a biblical book and the author’s argument matter to interpretation. A similar sounding phrase from another passage should not replace that immediate setting. ³ PCG recognizes Scripture as the governing authority for Christian faith and practice. ² A devotion therefore needs to be answerable to the passage it explains.

A preparation sheet to copy

Complete these prompts before writing the speaking notes. Use plain words. If an answer remains uncertain, limit the claim or consult a reliable source. You do not have to solve every scholarly question to explain what this scene clearly presents.

1. Passage and surrounding paragraph: ____________________.
2. Who is speaking and to whom: ____________________.
3. The problem or question being addressed: ____________________.
4. The central action or statement: ____________________.
5. One sentence explaining the main point: ____________________.
6. A reasonable application for this team: ____________________.
7. A claim I should avoid because the passage does not establish it: ____________________.
8. The practical response I will invite: ____________________.

A seven minute outline

The timings below are suggestions. Keep the opening short so the passage receives the most attention. A leadership devotion should not become an indirect speech about someone’s recent mistake.

1. One minute: introduce the shared question, “What does greatness look like when we follow Jesus?”
2. Two minutes: read Mark 10:35 to 45 and explain the preceding announcement of Jesus’ suffering.
3. Two minutes: show how Jesus answers the desire for prominence with service and with his own mission.
4. One minute: offer one specific application to the team’s shared responsibilities.
5. One minute: invite a brief response and pray for grace to act faithfully.

A worked speaking outline

You could begin: “Some responsibilities are visible and others happen quietly. It is easy to value a task according to how many people notice it. In this passage, two disciples ask for prominent places. Jesus has just spoken about suffering. Their request reveals how differently they are thinking about greatness.” Read the selected verses before continuing. ¹

Then explain: “Jesus does not simply tell them to become more modest about their ambitions. He describes leadership through service and points to the giving of his own life. His mission supplies the direction for ours. Our task is to ask how a responsibility can serve people faithfully, rather than how it can make us appear important.” This is a proposed explanation of the passage, not a quotation from a PCG policy document. ¹

For application, choose a shared need: “Before our next gathering, we will check whether the people doing quiet work have the information and help they need. Each of us can ask one teammate, ‘What would make your task easier to carry out responsibly?’ We will listen to the answer before deciding what to offer.” Keep the invitation realistic and voluntary.

Speak to the whole team with care

Do not use the devotion to target a person through an unnamed example everyone recognizes. A concern about someone’s conduct belongs in an appropriate direct conversation. Teaching Scripture should help the group understand its calling, rather than make them guess who is being criticized. If you use an illustration, make it clearly hypothetical or obtain permission for an actual account.

Explain older KJV expressions without suggesting that the text is too difficult for ordinary people. Read a short sentence again and state its meaning plainly. Invite a question if the setting allows it. Avoid filling the devotion with language claims or historical details you have not checked. A listener should be able to see how your explanation follows from the verses.

A response that fits the passage

Invite a brief prayer for humility, love, and faithful service. PCG’s description of the church connects the Spirit’s gifts with building up Christ’s body and witness. ² Let spiritual expectancy lead toward practical care for the people the team serves. Do not measure the devotion’s value only by how emotional the room becomes.

At the next gathering, ask whether the practical response helped anyone and what needs attention. You can learn from an application that was too ambitious or unclear. The point is continuing obedience to Christ, not completing a form. Keep the original passage available so the team can return to what it actually teaches.