The Role of the District
Superintendent
Mark Louw
DS Retreat 06 September 2010
The Church of the Nazarene
25. The Church of the Nazarene is composed of
those persons who have voluntarily
associated themselves together according to
the doctrines and polity of said church, and
who seek holy Christian fellowship, the
conversion of sinners, the entire sanctification
of believers, their upbuilding in holiness, and
the simplicity and spiritual power manifest in
the primitive New Testament Church,
together with the preaching of the gospel to
every creature.
Article I. Form of Government
28.1. We are agreed on the necessity of a
superintendency that shall complement and
assist the local church in the fulfilling of its
mission and objectives. The superintendency
shall build morale, provide motivation, supply
management and method assistance, and
organize and encourage organization of new
churches and missions everywhere.
Article I. Form of Government

28.2. We are agreed that authority given to
superintendents shall not interfere with the
independent action of a fully organized
church. Each church shall enjoy the right to
select its own pastor, subject to such
approval as the General Assembly shall find
wise to institute. Each church shall also elect
delegates to the various assemblies, manage
its own finances, and have charge of all other
matters pertaining to its local life and work.
Article III. District Assemblies

30. The General Assembly shall organize the
membership of the church into district
assemblies, giving such lay and ministerial
representation therein as the General Assembly
may deem fair and just, and shall determine
qualifications of such representatives, provided,
however, that all assigned ordained ministers
shall be members thereof. The General
Assembly shall also fix the boundaries of
assembly districts, and define the powers and
duties of district assemblies. (200-5.6)
DENOMINATIONAL STRUCTURE
LOCAL CHURCH
DISTRICT
GOVERNMENT
GENERAL
GOVERNMENT
Fields, Regions, and Global Ministry Center in
relationship to the government of the Church of the
Nazarene
Regions
General
Government
Fields
District
Government
Local
Church
GMC
Fields, Regions, and Global Ministry Center in
relationship to the government of the Church of the
Nazarene
Regions
Fields
General
Government
District
Government
Local
Church
GMC
Regions, Fields, and
GMC are the
scaffolding that
supports the structure
of the Global Church
THE REGION

345. Origin and Purpose. In the growth of the
church worldwide, there has developed a
grouping of several organized districts into
geographical areas identified as regions. A
cluster of districts amenable to the general
government of the Church of the Nazarene
and having a sense of area and cultural
identification may be formed into an
administrative region by action of the General
Board and approval of the Board of General
Superintendents.
The Region: Reason for its existence
A region exists to facilitate the development
of the Church of the Nazarene in all its levels
in all world areas so that those levels of
organization of the Church of the Nazarene
(local churches and districts) can effectively
relate to the general government of the
Church of the Nazarene. (A mission
development role).
Roles of the Region





Missionary: To implement the mission of the
Church through and with the existing backbone
of the church
Strategic: To develop strategies that will help the
church fulfill the Great Commission
Administrative: To assist in the administration of
the missionary enterprise of the Church of the
Nazarene
Developmental: To develop and empower the
indigenous Church of the Nazarene to be part of
the global Nazarene family
Jurisdictional: To facilitate the jurisdictional role
of the BGS as requested by the JGS
The Field as a Strategic Hub

The field is a facilitating entity of the
global and regional missionary strategy

The field is not another layer of authority
in the structure of the church and, as
such, it is not location-bound but it acts
primarily as a service hub for a specific
geographical area
Roles of the field

To facilitate the global, regional, and
field missionary strategy of the church

To facilitate the development of districts
helping them become self-sufficient

To serve the church development needs
of the various mission areas of
coverage
Fields, Regions, and Global Ministry Center in
relationship to the government of the Church of the
Nazarene
Regions
Fields
General
Government
District
Government
Local
Church
GMC
Regions, Fields, and
GMC are the
scaffolding that
supports the structure
of the Global Church
Relationships between Mission
Leaders (RD/FSCs) and Districts
Phase 1
District
Supervisor
FSC
Phase 3
District
Partial
Strategic
Director
Mission Director
provider
Coordinator
Evaluator
Strategy Director
Mission Director
Delegated
Joint
Delegated
Provider
RD
Phase 2
District
Coordinator
Strategy
supervisor
Strategy
Facilitator
Evaluator
Mission Director
supervisor
(with the DAB)
Mission Facilitator
Strategy
Facilitator
Resource Enabler
Partner
Mission Facilitator
Resource Enabler
Jurisdictional
Leader (recruited)
Facilitator
Resource Enabler
Strategic Partner
The District Superintendent

Everything rises and falls on leadership

Everything rises and falls on the DS*

The successful implementation of the
Global and Regional Strategy will
depend on you

Are you a bottleneck or a conduit?
The District Superintendent
Duties
Categorized as follows:
Pastoral
 Leadership

 Vision Casting
 Apostolic

Administrative
What do you spend most of your time on?
A Word of Caution
Leaders are not managers
 Leaders perform some management
functions
 Managers perform some leadership
functions
 But true leaders know the difference
and are not managers
Lunch Break
What now?
You are the Key!
 You are the key facilitator of the vision,
mission, objectives and strategy of the
Region
 You are the key to its implementation,
embodiment and embracing by all
Nazarene leaders on the Region
 You can help move the Region forward
or you will result in its status quo.

Strategic Questions

What was?
 Don’t

dwell there
What is?
 Don’t

be satisfied
What can be?
 Don’t
be deceived by what appears to be
important

How should things be?
 God’s
blueprint as seen in the Acts
What now?
So what?
Embrace what is in your hand
Exodus
2: 23-25
3: 4
3: 7-8
3: 10
Moses’ Excuses:
3: 11 (12)
3: 13 (14)
4: 1 (2, 6)
4: 10 (11)
4: 13 (14)
Embrace what is in your hand
“You shall speak to him and put words
in his mouth. I will help both of you
speak and will teach you what to do. He
will speak to the people for you, and
it will be as if he were your mouth
and as if you were God to him. But
take this staff in your hand so you can
perform miraculous signs with it.”
Ex 4: 15-17
What now?

Put into action that which the Region has
embraced.

Embrace what you have in your hand

How you do this is what we are about this
session. Each of you needs to develop
tactics or action plans. It’s here where I’d
like to help you with tools to succeed in the
implementation of the Regions goals.
What is in your hand?
Small Groups
What is in my hand?
1
4
2
3
Nazarene
identity
Human
resources
5
Evangelism Discipleship
6
Education
How do you use what’s in your
hand?
Small Groups
How do I use what’s in my hand?
5
2
1
Personal
profound
revival
Continual
system of
leadership
training
3
A flexible and
technological
system of
communication
at all levels
4
Decentralized and A holistic
continual strategies of plan of
evangelism
holiness
discipleship
Implementation Chart
WHAT
Strategic objectives
Personal profound
revival
Continual system of
Leadership training
Decentralized and
continual strategies of
evangelism
A Holistic Plan for
Holiness Disciples
A flexible and
Technological
System of
Communication
At all levels
WHO
HOW
WHEN
INDICATOR
Implementation Chart
WHAT
Strategic objectives
WHO
HOW
WHEN
INDICATOR
Personal profound
revival
Fruit and Power of
the Spirit in the
church
Continual system of
Leadership training
Multiplication and
quality of leadership
Decentralized and
continual strategies of
evangelism
New church growth
A Holistic Plan for
Holiness Disciples
Large percentage of
retention of converts
A flexible and
Technological
System of
Communication
At all levels
Communication that
flows and is
transparent
Through Him, we can do it!
Successful leaders don’t start out asking,
“What do I want to do?” They ask, “What
needs to be done?”
Then they ask, “Of those things that would
make a difference, which are right for me?”
They don’t tackle things they aren’t good at.
They make sure other necessities get
done, but not by them; they appoint
someone else.
Successful leaders make sure that they are
effective. They are not afraid of strength in
others.
Conclusion
Andrew Carnegie wanted put on his
gravestone, “Here lies a man who knew
how to put into his service men more
able than he was himself.”