Church Administrators Society of Nigeria (CASON) has intensified its campaign for effective church administration even as the body celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The President of the Organisation, Pastor Seyi Oladimeji stated in an interview with Church Times that the church cannot run effectively if it lacks the capacity for good governance.
Oladimeji who also talked about a one-day seminar on professionalising Church Administration, taking place on Monday, September 25, said CASON was established to build the knowledge gap that exists between church managers and their counterparts in the cooperate world.
The aim according to him is to achieve effective management of resources available to churches and other faith-based organisations.
According to him, all the management principles used in many corporate organisations are taken from the Bible
He noted however that the church that is supposed to take advantage of the principles is not using them.
Giving a background on how CASON began, he said, “The body was established by the graduates of our training programmes. It was not originally my idea. Those who benefited from the training organized by Church Management Consult the parent body of CASON, were the ones who suggested the idea of a yearly conference to talk on issues that are critical to the survival of the body of Christ.”
Oladimeji said the body has since grown beyond the yearly seminar. “We now run courses and membership of CASON operates on three levels. There are student members, there are affiliate members and there is certified membership. It is a nondenominational body and it is open to qualified applicants from all walks of life.”
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He said the organisation in collaboration with Babcock University runs an executive programme in Church Administration.
On the yearly seminar, he said CASON has over time treated critical issues on effective church administration. “The first seminar we had was addressed by Pastor Sam Adeyemi. Interestingly the topic treated in 2014 was on Succession plans. It is amazing that we are still grappling with that issue in the church today.
“In 2019 just before Covid 19, we addressed the topic of the Church of the Future. Ironically, it was the following year that we had a covid-19. People were wondering if we had seen COVID-19 in a vision.”
The 2023 seminar holding on Monday September 25 will be addressed by an array of professionals and church leaders They include the President/Vice Chancellor of Babcock University, Professor Ademola Tayo, Lead Pastor of Global Impact Church, Pastor Yemi Davids, Mrs. Funke Amobi, Deputy Head of Operations, Stanbic Bank Plc and a host of others.