Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 303

Why Churches Talk the Great Commission but Don’t Do It

By Chuck Lawless

In seventeen years of doing church consulting, no church leader has said to me, “Our church really doesn’t want to do the Great Commission.” I’ve worked with many churches, though, that proclaim the Great Commission but never get around to doing it. Here are my conclusions about why churches so often fit this description.

Church leaders talk the language without letting the biblical texts “sink in.” They speak about the Great Commission because the Bible so obviously commands it (Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8). I suspect many leaders, though, echo the words out of evangelical habit more than out of heartfelt burden. When we proclaim the message without obeying the command, the words have not settled firmly in our heart.
Pastors are themselves not committed to this task. Again, leaders whose ministries are built on the Bible often do proclaim the mandate. I cannot say these words strongly enough, however: I have never seen a Great Commission church led by a pastor who was not himself deeply committed to the task. Unless a pastor bleeds for his neighbors and the nations to know Christ, the church he leads will not live out this burden, either.
Churches see the Great Commission as a task for full-time ministers or missionaries. This finding is reflective of a problematic clergy/laity divide in many churches, but we church leaders must take some responsibility here. Because we so often choose not to make disciples and delegate responsibilities, we propagate the idea that only “paid folks” can do this work.
Churches do not really believe nonbelievers are lost. If you want to find out what your church members believe, survey them anonymously. Ask them if they believe good people without a relationship with Jesus will go to heaven when they die. Find out what they believe about the fate of those who die without hearing about Jesus. You might discover many church members have a theology that does not require taking the gospel to the nations.
Some leaders settle with partial obedience to the Great Commission. The Great Commission passages resound with proclaiming the Word, making disciples, teaching obedience, reaching the nations, and relying on the Spirit. Some churches focus, though, on evangelism while failing to teach believers. Others emphasize discipleship but do not evangelize. Some influence their community but never touch the nations; others focus on global needs but miss their local community. These congregations may be partially obedient to the Great Commission – but partial obedience is also disobedience at some level.
Churches tell members to do the Great Commission without teaching them how. Most churches are guilty here. We tell folks to share the gospel with their neighbors but seldom train them to do so. We speak about discipling others, yet expect members to learn on their own how to do it. Likewise, we challenge folks to go to the nations without adequately assuring them of training and support. When we tell without teaching, we shouldn’t be surprised when our churches only talk about the Great Commission.
Church members fail to see the world around them. The world is among us – as our neighbors, our co-workers, our store clerks, our teachers – but we fail to see them as sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36). Somehow, we hear the words of the Great Commission without recognizing the opportunities around us to develop gospel-centered friendships. At a minimum, seeing our neighbors with God’s eyes should cause us to pray for the world represented among us.
Church members don’t know missionaries. We know that mission work matters – after all, the Bible tells us so – but many church members have never “put on a face on” that work. They know no international missionaries. They seldom even think about “missionaries” serving in North America. Thus, they know few stories of the amazing work of God around the world. Frankly, I lay this responsibility at the feet of church leaders as well: Great Commission pastors will introduce their church to Great Commission people.
Churches confuse “sheep swapping” with the Great Commission. Transfer growth among churches is not always negative, but it is seldom Great Commission growth. If a church is not reaching non-believers, baptizing them, teaching them to obey Jesus’ commands, and taking the gospel to the nations, they are not doing the Great Commission.  They may, in fact, be only talking about it.

Which of these reasons most reflects your church? What other reasons would you add?  

Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Seven Ways to Hurt Your Pastor

If you really want to hurt your pastor, then this blogpost is for you.

This past week alone, I had conversations with dozens of pastors. These pastors love their churches and the members. They are really committed to their callings.

But they are real people who can really be hurt.

The pastors I spoke with this past week shared with me seven common themes of the things that hurt them the most. So, if you really want to hurt your pastor, follow these guidelines carefully.

Criticize the pastor’s family. Few things are as painful to pastors as criticizing their families, especially if the criticisms are related to issues in the church.
Tell the pastor he is overpaid. Very few pastors really make much money. But there are a number of church members who would like to make the pastor feel badly about his pay.
Don’t defend the pastor. Critics can be hurtful. But even more hurtful are those who remain silent while their pastor is verbally attacked. Silence is not golden in this case.
Tell your pastor what an easy job he has. It can really sting when someone suggests that the pastor really only works about ten hours a week. Some actually believe that pastors have several days a week off.
Be a constant naysayer. Pastors can usually handle the occasional critic. But the truly painful relationships are with church members who are constantly negative. How do you know you’ve succeeded in this regard? The pastor runs the other way when he sees you.
Make comments about the pastor’s expenditures. I heard it from a pastor this past week. A church member asked, “How can you afford to go to Disney World?” Wow.
Compare your pastor’s preaching and ministry unfavorably to that of another pastor. Many times the member wants you to know how much he or she likes that pastor on the podcast compared to you. If you really want to hurt your pastor, you can make certain he knows how inferior he is.

So, if your life’s goal is to hurt your pastor, one or more of these approaches will work just fine.

But, if you are like most good church members, you want the best for your pastor. So just do the opposite of these seven.

And if you are worried that your pastor will not remain humble unless someone puts him in his place, don’t worry. There will always be plenty of those other church members around.

Do you identify with these seven items? What would you add?

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Pray for Calvary Baptist Church

Location: Carthage, North Carolina

Pastor: Bill Cooper

Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: Calvary Baptist Church is over 100 years old, ministering to people in a rural area of the NC Piedmont region. Though it’s a moderately sized church of about 100, Calvary is actively ministering and reaching out to the community, sharing God’s love and gospel with any and all. Please pray for their upcoming Vacation Bible School, August 4-8, 2014. Prayers are also appreciated for God to use them in greater ways to reach the community for Him. Pray for the pastor and other church leaders to have wisdom to lead and disciple the parishioners. Pray that God will give them wisdom to move and change as He would have them to do. Pray that God will keep Calvary growing in Him and not grow complacent.

Website: CBCCarthage.com

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.

If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, download this information form and return it to the address on the form.

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Nine Issues to Consider for Church Staff Meetings

The first church where I served as pastor many years ago only had seven regular attending members in the early stages of my ministry there. I still had church staff meetings, even though I had no paid staff, and I was a bi-vocational pastor. At the onset, there were three of us: the lone deacon who served as worship leader; his son, the Sunday school director; and me. We met monthly unless we had a pressing need to meet more often.

I took the principles I learned from the staff meetings of that small church and applied them to future churches where I served as pastor, as well as other places where I had a leadership role. Keep in mind that there is no perfect formula for these meetings. I have, however, found these nine key issues to be applicable in almost every leadership situation.

Keep a regularly scheduled meeting on the calendar. That meeting may be weekly or less frequently. But let the staff know of its priority. Establish an estimated length of meeting so that time will be on their calendars well in advance.
Request all participants to submit agenda items prior to the meeting. Give a specific deadline for the submission of the agenda items. It is helpful for the participants to estimate how long each item will take. That will help the leader know more precisely how long the meeting should be.
Begin all meetings with prayer. If God is not leading church staff meetings, they should not be held.
Begin on time. End on time. Meetings are subject to scope creep and meandering conversations. The leader should keep the meeting moving. Be committed to beginning on time, even if all participants are not present. And respect each participant’s schedule by ending on time.
Understand the difference between strategic items and tactical items. A strategic agenda item is a major initiative or direction. A tactical item reflects the details of how we carry out strategies and responsibilities. I like to have separate meetings, if possible, for strategy. I had at least two such meetings a year when I was a pastor. Our weekly staff meetings dealt primarily with tactical issues.
Don’t let “working the calendar” dominate staff meetings. I have seen too many church staff meetings become simply a review of the church calendar. There is a place to review the calendar, but it should not be the sum and substance of the meeting.
Don’t meet just to meet. While there should be ample reasons to meet on a regular basis, there may be times when the agenda is light or empty. On those occasions, cancel the meeting and give the team their time back. Hopefully, there won’t be too many times when there is really nothing important to discuss.
Decide what tactical issues should be on the agenda. There are no template solutions, but here are a few tactical areas often covered by church staff:



Discussion and evaluation of the most recent worship services. Note specific areas to adjust or improve.
Ministry follow-up items. Keep a running list of tasks assigned, to whom they were assigned, and the status of each assignment.
Discussion of Sunday school classes, small groups, or other groups. Healthy churches have healthy groups. Some meetings should discuss attendance, material taught, and opportunities to create more groups.
Areas that need remedial work or adjustments. The possibilities are endless: greeter ministry; sound equipment; preschool and nursery issues; deacon and elder matters; and many more.
Prayer needs of the congregation and community. This item should always be present on the agenda.
Guests to the worship services. Specific attention should be given to follow up. Make specific assignments with timetables.



Conclude the meeting with specific action items. Don’t conclude the meetings until there is clarity on what action items need to take place during the week, who is responsible for them; and the timetable to get them done.

I hope this framework helps. And I hope you can add to it and improve it through your comments.

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Pastoral Advice – Rainer on Leadership #059

Podcast Episode #059

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From time to time, we wind up with a backlog of questions to cover on the podcast. This week, we chose some that relate to general pastoral advice.

CHRIS – BREAKING ATTENDANCE BARRIERS

Dr. Rainer, I have enjoyed the podcast and many of your books about the church. I pastor a church in a rural community and I am curious about the different attendance barriers. I have seen things on the 200 barrier but what about some of the other barriers. The church I am in seems to hit about 90 and go back down to 65-70. What kind of barriers are there around the 100 range?

DAN – GENERATION GAPS

Our church is an older congregation and we are a church of 100 or so. I am always struggling as pastor to find places of ministry for people who want to serve, younger as well as older people. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions of ministry ideas? I sometimes suggest tasks and sometimes it makes others who are already serving in those areas like they are not needed. I try to let them know it is a team effort. Thank you for any help you and your team could be.

JAKE – WHEN TO LEAVE

How do you know when to vacate the pulpit? How do the church leaders do that? How are other staff members involved in that process, if at all? Love the blog & podcast, thanks for all the hard work. Sincerely, a simple church youth guy at a 150 year old traditional church, stuck in the biggest rut ever!

BEN – FORMER PASTOR STILL THERE

I am beginning my 2nd year as pastor of a small rural church that includes the former pastor of 20 years. I am now the 4th man to pastor this church since he retired. This pastor is a good man, is emotionally supportive, and gives lip service to my leadership. How do I, as the new guy, lead a church to make some very necessary changes while the patriarch looks over my shoulder?

LENNY – DECEASED CHURCH

It looks like we are headed for a deceased church, with the majority of members over 70 years old and less than ten children still coming. Is there any hope for the church or are we putting too much effort and money into a dying church?

COLLIN – STAFF DEMANDS

How does one separate being a church staff member from being an active Church Ministry member?

BRIAN – CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

My church constitution and by-laws read that new members may be admitted to our church by transfer of letter from a church “of like faith and order.”  Many churches I am sure have the same language.  And in years past, that was easy to decipher:  Southern Baptist churches move letters to other Southern Baptist churches.  But in this day of a lack of denominational allegiance, many people are members of many denominations and/or “non-denominational” churches, that line has become blurred.  What do you perceive to be the essential issues that would be “of like faith and order?”

JUSTIN – PASTOR SALARY

How do you know when a pastor is getting overpaid? What If he is getting paid a lot but church is not having people come to Christ or being baptized?

KEN – GROUPS MATTER

Our church does pretty well with Sunday worship and small group discipleship.  How important is one-on-one discipleship for church health and how would I develop it?

Episode Sponsor

This podcast was brought to you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program. If you want more out of your ministry, want to study with a world-class faculty and need to stay where you currently serve, the DMin at Southeastern is the answer for you. Visit SEBTS.EDU/DMIN for more information.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Resources

Autopsy of a Deceased Church
Simple Church 
Growing Up
Explore the Bible
Gospel Project
Bible Studies for Life
Discipleship in Context
Groups Matter

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Friday Is for Freebies: Autopsy of a Deceased Church

This month, my giveaways are featuring my new book, Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

For more than twenty-five years, I’ve helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and autopsied those that have died. From my experiences, I have discovered twelve consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it’s not gloom and doom because from those twelve themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged.

Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.

Also included is the black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Study Bible, a comprehensive, easy to read, and easy to use Bible, with features and formats specifically designed to enhance your Bible study experience. You can also go to MyStudyBible.com and dive right in for a complete digital experience.

This Bible has a retail price of $79.99 and features 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

Enter this week’s Friday Is for Freebies giveaway

To enter this week’s giveaway, fill out the form below. Entries will be closed at midnight Saturday night. We will contact the winner via email on Monday morning. Entrants may receive occasional promotional emails from ThomRainer.com.
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Ten Observations on Day 2 of the SBC Annual Meeting

As I indicated in yesterday’s post, I am taking two days to share about the annual meeting of my own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Again, thank you to all of you readers outside the SBC for being patient while I have this family conversation.

Again, my observations, for better or worse, are my own. They reflect how I saw things on this second day. So bear with me as I write from my hotel room as the midnight hour approaches,

A more prayerful convention. There was more time spent in prayer during the meetings than I recall in the past. I hope this emphasis continues in the future.
A more hopeful spirit. I heard more optimism about the future than I heard in the past. That optimism was not only for our denomination, but for the impact of Christianity in the United States and around the world.
An emphasis on both church planting and church revitalization. I am hopeful that the SBC sees more than ever the importance of both. I heard that emphasis expressed in resolutions, in informal conversations, and in messages from the platform.
The return of the reunion spirit. One important facet of our annual meeting is the opportunity for friends to reunite and enjoy fellowship. That seemed to be taking place in greater numbers with greater emphasis,
The powerful statements by Russ Moore and the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission. Particularly poignant were his recognitions of the Green family, the owners of Hobby Lobby, and Saeed Abedini, an American pastor who is imprisoned for his Christian faith in Iran.
The heartfelt convention sermon by John Meador, pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. His passion to reach the world for Christ is obvious and contagious.
The excellent presentation of “Groups Matter” by Eric Geiger and Ed Stetzer. Of course, I am biased because this emphasis was part of LifeWay’s presentation. But these two men did an outstanding job of reminding us how critical it is for our churches to move members toward regular involvement in groups.
The spirit of unity among the six seminaries. The presidents of our seminaries not only highlighted their own institutions; they commended their sister SBC seminaries as well.
The concluding gavel by Fred Luter. He was certainly a historic president, because he was the SBC’s first African-American president. But he was an incredible president because of his leadership and love of people. Thank you Fred. You served us well.
The next SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The significance of the next convention is that we return north of the Mason-Dixon Line. We are the Southern Baptist Convention in our heritage more than our present reality.

Thank you again for allowing me these two brief reports on the SBC annual meeting. I met three pastors at the SBC who specifically asked me to write about church staff meetings. I address that topic this coming Saturday.

Let me hear from you!

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Ten Observations on Day 1 of the SBC Annual Meeting

On occasion I report on developments in my own denomination. I am fully aware that nearly half of my readers are not a part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), so I appreciate their patience as I share “family” matters.

For the uninitiated, the SBC annual meeting is a two-day gathering. My friend, Adam Greenway, described the event as “the world’s largest deliberative assembly.” Because of our congregational polity and open microphones at the convention, anything can happen. And it usually does.

We all see events through our own lens, and my article is no exception. Here are the ten observations of developments that were most meaningful to me.

The tone set by Barry McCarty, convention parliamentarian, in his tweet from the platform. “May everyone at #SBC14 – messengers, officers, staff – do what God would have them do for his glory and his glory alone.” Thank you, Barry.
The election of Ronnie Floyd as SBC president. Ronnie is a godly leader and brilliant strategist. He will lead the convention well. And he will think outside the box.
A tone of cooperation that has not always been present in our meetings. Where two or more Southern Baptists are gathered in His name, there are at least three or more opinions. We are a lively and opinionated group. That will never change. But there seems to be a growing awareness that we must work together for the sake of the gospel. Too much is at stake.
Baltimore as host city. I really appreciate this town and the environment it has provided for our annual meeting. The downtown and harbor areas are beautiful. In the past, I have just been in and out of the city. I am grateful I’ve had the opportunity to see more of this beautiful place.
The number of young people attending the SBC. I am certainly among the senior members who attend this annual meeting. I am delighted to see more young people who are making an investment of time and resources to reach people with the gospel.
The growing importance of ancillary meetings around the SBC. There are so many good meetings that take place around the proceedings of the SBC. I was delighted to see a packed house for LifeWay’s Gospel Project breakfast. And I was honored to be on the panel of B21 with Matt Chandler, Al Mohler, David Platt, and Danny Akin. The place was standing room only of well over 1,000 people, most of them young adults. And I am still hearing ladies rave about the luncheon with Priscilla Shirer. She rocks!
The farewell presentation of Tom Elliff, president of the International Mission Board. Tom is a gracious and godly leader. He will be missed in this leadership position. The importance of selecting the next leader cannot be overstated. This is the largest mission-sending agency in the world.
The report by Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He reported on 1,105 new church plants in 2013 and the emphasis of starting congregations among ethnic groups. He further noted that churches planted in 2010 have a 91 percent survival rate. Incredible.
The transformational robot at the LifeWay Research booth. Hey, more people had their photo made with him (it?) than anyone else. Just sayin’ . . .
The best line of the day. Again, Kevin Ezell of NAMB gets this recognition: “At this time, Mr. President, I will answer any questions. But I prefer not to.”

I will provide one more update tomorrow. And, as always, I am delighted to receive your comments.

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A Challenge to Tell Your Story

By Chuck Lawless

What’s your story?

Here’s mine:

I was not raised in a Christian home. I grew up in the Midwest, but I never owned a Bible until I was thirteen years old. I first heard about Christ when God planted in my seventh-grade classroom what I call “a crazy, fanatical twelve-year-old Pentecostal preacher” who made it his goal to win me to the Lord. His approach was simple: he met me at the classroom door each morning and told me, “Chuck, it’s a good thing you lived through the night….” He would then continue, “if you hadn’t, you’d be in hell right now.  But . . . you can receive Jesus into your heart right now.” His technique was not the best, but somewhere in the midst of that message God drove truth into my heart—and several months later I trusted Christ and turned from my sin. Now almost forty years later, my life has never been the same. I’m learning daily that grace really is amazing.

I ask you again, “What’s your story?”

See, that question is not an insignificant one. The Bible is filled with people who reached out to others simply by telling their story. Andrew told Peter he had met the Messiah (John 1:40-42), and Philip echoed a similar story to Nathaniel (John 1:43-45). The man born blind told all he could tell after meeting Jesus: “Once I was blind, but now I see” (John 9:24-25). The apostle Paul told his story more than once (Acts 22:1-21, 26:1-23).

Why It’s Important

Why is our story so important? First, everybody has one. Every follower of Christ has a story to tell that includes sinfulness, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Second, nobody needs special training to tell his or her story. Training can be helpful—for example, we can learn how to tell our story clearly and concisely in different circumstances – but we can tell our stories simply because they are ours. Third, our stories are evidences of grace. Some may seem more dramatic, but all are stories of grace-saturated life transformation.  

Even the very ordinances Christ gave the church are designed to tell the story. Through believer’s baptism, we illustrate our trust in Christ’s death, our personal death to self, and our belief in resurrection and eternal life. When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we remember what Christ did for us, reflect on and renew our commitment to Him, and look forward to the day when He will come again. Our sharing in these events shows that the story has now become our story; the gospel has become intensely personal and real.

Why We Don’t Share Our Stories

Yet, most of us don’t tell our story much, even to other believers. My evidence is purely anecdotal, but here’s my experience from studying hundreds of churches over the last fifteen years:

Pastors tell their story in the call/hiring process, but many newer members have never heard that story. The longer a pastor leads the church, the more likely it is some of his flock won’t know his story.
Some unbelieving spouses have never heard their own spouse’s conversion story.
Children and teens often know nothing of the events surrounding their parents’ or grandparents’ turning to Christ.
Some adult children don’t learn the details of their elderly parents’ conversion until late in life – sometimes not until making funeral preparations.
Small group members have sometimes never heard the story of the leader who facilitates their group each week.
Church-going couples sometimes get engaged without knowing each other’s conversion story.
Many faithful church members have never been privileged to learn God’s grace story in the lives of their congregation’s staff, elders, and deacons.
Most church members know the stories of only a few—if any—other members.

Here’s my question: if we take seriously the Great Commission to reach our neighbors and the nations (Matt. 28:18-20), how will we tell non-believers our story if we don’t even tell it to brothers and sisters in Christ?

In fact, this issue is not an either/or issue. By telling our stories within the Body, we glorify God and encourage others. We also learn to tell our story in a “safe” place. By telling our story to a lost world, non-believers come to know the Redeemer. It’s really that simple.

So, what’s your story? Take a few minutes here to tell us your story. Find a way to tell it to other believers. Church leaders, plan times for members to tell their stories. Teach them to tell them often – to believers and non-believers alike.

Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Ten Tips to Becoming a More Productive Pastor

The work of pastoral ministry is a joy, but it’s also demanding. Every pastor is on call 24/7. Expectations of members are high and sometimes unreasonable.

Pastors are thus expected to “run the race” constantly. But how can a pastor keep the pace in this marathon of ministry without burning out? How can a pastor remain productive with such demands? Allow me to offer ten tips to becoming a more productive pastor.

Be spiritually disciplined. Pastor, you cannot lead God’s people spiritually if you are spiritually depleted. Find a time to pray and to read God’s Word every day. Don’t let it become an afterthought. Pick a time of day and stick with it. For some of you, it’s first thing in the morning. For me, it’s the quiet of late evening.
Pray for the day ahead. There is obvious overlap between the first two, but I want to remind pastors to pray about three specific things before you begin the day. First, pray for God’s wisdom for all the conversations and situations you will be facing. Second, pray for His grace. You will hear from critics and high maintenance people. It’s not always easy to be gracious to some. Third, pray for opportunities to show and share the love of Christ during the day. I am always amazed how He answers that prayer in my life.
Be physically disciplined. As you set aside a time of the day for spiritual discipline, also set aside a time of day for physical discipline. You may think you don’t have time to do both. You can’t afford to neglect either. I love the advantages of technology. My iPad, headphones, and treadmill are daily companions.
Make appointments for sermon preparation. How long does it take you to prepare a sermon? Take that time plus one hour and put it on your calendar each week. Don’t try to do sermon preparation in the margins of your life; it’s too important to minimize. You may not always get to keep those appointments, but you have a better chance if they are on your calendar.
Determine one to three priorities you will accomplish for the day. If possible, don’t take on any other tasks until those items are completed.
Get sufficient sleep. Hard workers often like to brag about how much they work and how little sleep they get. If their lack of sleep is a reality, they are becoming less productive and more unhealthy. Sleep is not a luxury; it is a gift of rest and recovery given directly from God.
Make appointments on your calendar for strategic vision. Perhaps once a month, set aside a day to get away by yourself, pray, seek God’s face, and dream about the future of the church. Take notes that day, either electronically or on paper.
Laugh and have fun. Sometimes I have a bad attitude about my work and ministry and say I have to do something. My attitude should be that, by the grace of God, I get to do His work. We who are in vocational ministry often need to lighten up and laugh more. Not all ministry could be described as “fun,” but much of it is if we have the right attitude.
Have a right attitude. Speaking of attitudes, productive pastors rejoice more. They learn greater gratitude. They see setbacks as temporary and opportunities as never ending. They see themselves as co-laborers with God Himself.
Work hard; rest intentionally. There are a few pastors who need to improve their work ethics. Are you truly laboring for God? But there are more pastors who need to rest and relax more. You are not omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.

Thanks for letting me share these ten tips with you.

What would you add to my list?

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