Outsource admin work? Outsource sermon research?

Has anyone looked into this much? Or used it? What’s the reality like? What are the pros and cons? Legalities and ethics? Hints and tips?


I have gotten to know an entrepreneur over the last year who has often pitched to me the value of offshore outsourced admin agencies such as Zirtual.


And the other day, I laughed at the comment thread in this post. You see Mark Driscoll claims on Twitter to spend 1-2 hours on sermon preparation. But as someone in the comment thread clarifies:



[Driscoll] has used Docent communications for years, which prepare sermon briefs. He does have a nearly photographic memory, but I know for a fact that he spends a lot of time reading and preparing for messages. He not only utilizes the research from Docent but he also uses much of what he’s reading that week. If he’s saying he sits down and takes 2 hours to write an outline, etc. maybe that’s what he means. But it’s not true that he only takes 2 hours to prepare for the sermon, because he not only has the help of Docent but he does take time each week to read and pray which is a part of the sermon preparation process.



What do you think about outsourcing sermon research? Surely there is plenty of humdrum in sermon research preparation, that is not directly engaging with the text, or even theologians, but rather thumbing through dictionaries or Bible Software tabs…


Maybe we can all outsource our ministry work to someone in Indian who outsources all their work to someone in Afghanistan?







via Blog - Christian Reflections http://genevapush.com/blogs/xian_reflections/outsource-admin-work-outsource-sermon-research (NB: to comment go to thegenevapush.com/xian_reflections)