In an article written by Pastor J. Mark Jordan entitled, “Passing the Usability Test”, a brief collection of criteria is set forth to help leaders select individuals to use in the church. Jordan states, “Generally speaking, those who choose participants for worship services or ministries operate on a set of criteria that is the same for everybody.  If you want to be used, you should prepare to pass the usability test.” Following are highlights from the list:

Ability.  Do you have the ability? Let’s face it: if you have little or no talent or innate ability for music, teaching, leadership or whatever traits are necessary for a given ministry, give it up.  Don’t make yourself and everyone else miserable by pretending to have some ability when you really don’t.  If you are being used and someone comes along who has more ability than you, gladly and graciously surrender your position for the good of the whole church.

Availability.  Do you have the time?  If you have a sporadic work schedule or are faced with some other situation you can’t control, then availability may pose a problem for you.  Anyone who professes to have a ministry must make it a priority.  That means you must sacrifice other activities you would like to do because of a ministry you are called to do.  If ministry is truly a priority for you, then it is up to you to make yourself available.

Reliability.  Do you have the commitment?  “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).  Once you make a commitment to do ministry, your faithful execution of the task becomes paramount.  Most leaders will tell you that nothing is more important than faithfulness.  If you are asked to do something two or three times but fail to show up, you probably won’t be asked again.

Other points in his list are Teachability, Accountability, Sociability and Possibility. To view the full list of “usability criteria”, check out Pastor Jordan’s article here: http://jonathanjordan.squarespace.com/journal/2009/12/28/passing-the-usability-test.html

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