Servants’ meetings and their problems

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the secret of successful servants’ meetings in Sunday schools and service churches: that the secret of success is not only in the meeting’s form but in its spiritual and organizational effectiveness, and that meeting failures are due to specific causes that can be avoided.

Core elements for a successful meeting

• The meeting should be useful and rich in content (educational, doctrinal, lives of saints, spiritual training, service).

• There should be a known, organized program in advance and distribution of topics to speakers so they attend prepared.

• The meeting must not be limited to administrative matters only; it should include a spiritual word or hymns that prepare the heart for prayer.

• Ensure the speakers’ competence and have substitutes (two for each topic) to avoid stopping the meeting if one is absent.

Causes of meeting failure and how to remedy them

• Meetings full of dispute and long discussions tire souls and weaken benefit — it is preferable to postpone side questions to after the meeting or regulate the type of discussion.

• Exclusive administrative focus (arrangements, schedules, trips) bores attendees if not accompanied by intellectual and spiritual nourishment.

• Church politics or talks unrelated to personal salvation occupy consciences and keep some away from attendance.

• Lack of unity and love among servants and their division into groups weakens the meeting; unity, love, and sincere friendships are necessary.

• Poor treatment from those in charge toward beginners deters them from attending; kind and encouraging treatment is required.

• Uncoordinated or excessively long times, or clashes with students’ exams, affect regular attendance — coordination is needed.

Specific practical recommendations

• Prepare a studied program for servants’ meetings that benefits everyone, and benefit from other branches’ experiences by exchanging speakers and expertise.

• Ensure there is always a recorder or an emergency speaker ready if the other is absent.

• Make each meeting conclude with a spiritual ending: a short word or hymns that transfer the meeting from administrative tone to spiritual tone before prayer.

• Improve scheduling and agree on times between different parties so the servant need not choose between his duties.

• Encourage humility among seniors and kind treatment of beginners to ensure the spiritual growth of servants and their continuity in service.

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