Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 310

Friday Is for Freebies: Preaching the Farewell Discourse

In honor of Good Friday, this week’s giveaway is a new book from B&H entitled Preaching the Farewell Discourse by L. Scott Kellum as well as a copy of the HCSB Minister’s Bible.

Through the lens of John the Apostle’s Farewell Discourse found in John 13:31–17:26, Kellum provides a step-by-step illustration of how to produce an expository sermon series in Preaching the Farewell Discourse.

Kellum begins with foundational tools that will aid the journey from text to exposition and then describes how to employ discourse analysis to a hortatory document (like the Farewell Discourse) or an expository document.

The latter part of the book finds Kellum implementing the theory on the Farewell Discourse of John’s Gospel, examining the process in three sections: analyzing the text, interpreting the text, and preaching the text.

Also included is a two-tone simulated leather version of the HCSB Minister’s Bible. This newly designed edition is ideal for pulpit use with its large type, wide margins, and extensive ancillary notes from many of today’s top preachers and church leadership voices.

Some features of the Bible include:

Where to Turn When . . .
Plan of Salvation
Four-color presentation page
Various wedding and funeral outlines by Jim Henry
“8 Traits of Effective Church Leaders” by Thom S. Rainer
“21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry” by James T. Draper
“Four Kinds of Expositional Preaching” by Ed Stetzer
“30 Keys to Giving an Invitation” by O. S. Hawkins
“Leading a Child to Christ” by Bill Emeott
“Reaching Students with the Gospel” by Lynn H. Pryor
“The Importance of Baptism and Communion” by Rick White
Commitment Counseling
The Christian Year and Church Calendar
The Apostles and Their History


Enter this week’s Friday Is for Freebies giveaway

To be eligible to win, answer the following question in the comment section below:

What are your Easter plans?

The deadline to enter is midnight CST this Saturday.  We will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.

By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

The post Friday Is for Freebies: Preaching the Farewell Discourse appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Notable Voices – April 17, 2014

Four Ways to Improve Your Church Website  – Pastors Today

I’ve written on the perils facing most churches when it comes to their website. This article provides four simple steps to making your church website more effective.

 

Would Paul Have Used Video? – Aaron Armstrong

With the popularity of Secret Church, Aaron wonders what the Apostle Paul would have done with video technology had it been available to him.

 

3 Bad Tests Pastors Use to Measure Ministry – Tony Morgan

In Transformational Church, Ed Stetzer and I talk of the need for a new scorecard for churches. Nickels and noses just don’t do it anymore. Tony’s article confirms that need.

 

Releasing an Employee for Less Obvious Offenses – Ron Edmondson

Sometimes you have employees who are good people but bad employees. So when it’s time for the company to move on without them, that can be an extremely difficult situation for a leader. So what are you to do? Ron shares three examples to consider.

 

Look Smart: Don’t Make these Dumb Writing Mistakes! –  ShortStack Lab

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Ten Reasons Some Pastors Don’t Desire to Go to an Established Church

In an earlier article this week, I shared several trends in the employment of pastors. There was some discussion and interest in my comment about established churches having greater difficulty finding pastors who meet their criteria. In this post, I want to open that discussion a bit more.

Please hear me well. I have a heart for the established church. Indeed, I see one of God’s callings in my life to have some influence in the revitalization of established churches. But we can’t begin to address issues until we have honest and transparent discussions. In that light, I offer today some of the reasons pastors have shared with me, explicitly or implicitly, why they don’t see God calling them to established churches.

We don’t celebrate the victories of established churches and their pastors. There are some very good established churches led by godly and gifted pastors. But you don’t hear much about many of these pastors and churches, and they often receive little recognition. Many of us, including me, bemoan the state of churches, without offering stories of some of the great ways God is working in these settings.
Church culture is increasingly negative, and some established churches have followed this trend. The reasons are many, but we Christians often fight among ourselves and criticize each other.  We often seem to ignore the commands of Jesus who said we must love one another (See, for example, John 13:34-35). That critical and divisive spirit has made its way into some established churches. A number of pastors have thus made the decision to go places where their ministries will not be dominated by conflict.
Some pastors have the “grass is greener” syndrome. No church is perfect. No work of any kind is perfect. It can be tempting to move on to another church if the pastor is dealing with conflict and criticism on a regular basis.
We have failed to equip many pastors in leadership and relational skills. Too many pastors are thrust into positions of leadership for which they are ill-equipped. They find themselves to be leaders of a few hundred volunteers, and they don’t have the skill sets or training to respond well. This scenario can be especially pervasive in established churches.
There is often a chasm between the expectations of pastors and the expectations of the congregations. The resume of the pastor indicated he was a great preacher, extraordinary leader, compassionate caregiver, and personable extrovert. The search committee (or its equivalent) indicated the church was ready for change and would easily adapt to leadership initiatives. Neither party was intentionally lying; and neither party had expectations met.
The Internet age makes information readily available. Pastors are able to see openings in other churches, and they are often tempted to move from the challenges of the established church. Some pastors make daily journeys to sites that have pastor and staff openings.
Established church members often compare their pastors to gifted orators on podcasts and other media. A pastor of an established church recently contacted me. He was frustrated. For the fourth time in one week, he had been compared to some well-known pastors. And each time he was told how he fell short of those men. He was ready to give up the church if not ministry altogether.
More pastors are tempted to move campus pastor roles at multi-site churches. They would rather have accountability to one senior pastor rather than an entire congregation.
More pastors are tempted to start new churches. They feel like they will not have to deal with long-standing issues of established churches. They similarly feel that the new church is a chance to start fresh.
Giving is declining in many established churches, reducing the availability of resources the church once had. The established church pastor thus does not have the availability of an assistant or other staff. Some pastors in established churches struggle financially because the church is unable or unwilling to compensate them adequately.

I know. The picture I just painted is pessimistic and gloomy.

Indeed, I am contributing to perception problems just by writing this article. In the future, I plan to address some of these issues from a positive and proactive stance. I plan on making some key decisions in this direction no later than early 2015.

In the meantime, please share with me your thoughts in the comment section below. I am always encouraged by the wisdom of the readers at this blog.

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Six Leadership Tasks for Easter

By Chuck Lawless

This coming Sunday, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter – perhaps better understood as “Resurrection Sunday.” Some believers will celebrate with meals and family get-togethers. Some will gather with the largest church crowds they’ve seen all year; others will join small groups to rejoice quietly in places where gathering is life threatening.

I wonder, though, if we sometimes celebrate the resurrection one Sunday a year and really don’t let its truth affect our lives. Here are six steps Christian leaders might take this week as we focus on Easter and live out its truths.

Spend one day in prayer meditating on what we do. I remember well the first time I watched a church member die. I sat by her bedside until her body relaxed after its final breath. I was just a 20-year-old pastor, and I wasn’t sure what to do next. What I did understand, though, was that something significant had just happened. A believer had entered heaven – and I realized then that ministry deals with the eternal. Take time this week to read the narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection in the gospels. Meditate on them. Weep over them. Rejoice in the victory. Because of the resurrection, what we do really does matter.
Reach out to another church leader who has seemingly lost hope. They are all around us, frankly. Hurting. Alone. Wounded. Hiding . . . and hopeless. They are like the bewildered followers of Jesus post-crucifixion but pre-resurrection. Some will preach this coming Sunday about resurrection, but the story will mean little to them. Their present-tense pain overshadows any sense of future-tense hope. Find one of these leaders, and be a model of resurrection hope this week. Take somebody to lunch. Offer a prayer. Be a light to somebody wandering aimlessly in the darkness.
Give somebody a second chance. Most of us have a Simon in our life – someone who once loved us, but who hurt us deeply. Sometimes no repentance has taken place, and no reconciliation has occurred. At other times, though, our Simon has been broken over his/her wrong, but we remain angry and distant. Our own pain becomes an idol. If that’s where you are, take a page from the resurrection story. Simon Peter denied Jesus, but Jesus never took His eye off the disciple (Luke 22:61). The angel at the open tomb made certain Peter heard the truth of the resurrection (Mark 16:7). The fallen fisherman, still one of the family, had a second chance. Give somebody that same chance this Easter season.
Serve with renewed vigor, even if you seem to be serving among the dead. Many of us have been there. Nobody seems to be listening to your teaching. Months, or even years, have passed since someone showed significant life change through your ministry. Sunday is more a chore than a day of worship and celebration. If you’ve lost your passion for the people you serve, let the truths of the resurrection sink in. God is not dead. The days seemingly in the tomb only make the day of resurrection that much brighter – and that day will come. Even if you think you’re the only person in your congregation doing so this week, serve the Lord with resurrection steam. You might be pleasantly surprised by the response of your people.
Teach the Word clearly and concisely. This task might seem almost too simple, but here’s the point: we have an opportunity this week to preach the gospel to many who haven’t heard it in awhile (perhaps since last Easter) – so we simply must do it well. Our job is to communicate the Word, not impress with our knowledge or oratory skills. Just because we can preach an hour doesn’t mean we always should. So, study hard this week, but present the Word in a way that the smallest child or the oldest adult understands it. Our responsibility is to point all people of all ages to the resurrected Lord, not to us.
Let God surprise you. Sure, the disciples heard Jesus talk about His death and resurrection. They knew what He had said, but still they were surprised – and ultimately filled with wonder – when the resurrected One stood before them. The resurrection reminds us that God operates outside of our boxes. He is hardly limited to our boundaries. Frankly, it wouldn’t hurt most of us if God did something in our lives not already planned in our church bulletin.

Church leader, let the resurrected Lord surprise you with His glory this week. He is risen indeed!

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.

photo credit: Avondale Pattillo UMC via photopin cc

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Ten Trends on the Employment of Pastors

The verbiage is different for different churches and pastors. Some pastors speak of a call. Others, particularly in some denominations, refer to their appointment to a church. Some pastors deal with pastor search committees and congregational votes. Others receive notice from a bishop or some other authority that they are being sent to a new church.

But in all of these situations, there are disruptive trends taking place. I don’t necessarily use the word disruptive negatively; I am simply saying that practices in employing pastors are changing rapidly in the American landscape. Allow me to share with you ten of these major trends.

Church consolidations means more pastors will report directly to another pastor. The trend of smaller churches being acquired by larger churches is accelerating. Many of those smaller churches once had complete authority to call or hire their pastors. Now the larger churches make the decisions, in many cases the pastor of the larger churches.
Multisite and multi-venue churches will increasingly hire more pastors. The trend of multisite churches is pervasive and growing. For the same reasons as noted in church consolidations, this trend means that many of the hiring decisions reside in the home or original church.
Established churches will have greater difficulty finding pastors that meet their criteria. I see this trend particularly in pastor search committees. Their criteria are sometimes unreasonable and unrealistic. And many of their potential candidates are opting to plant a church or to work in a system of consolidated and multisite churches.
There will be an increased demand for bivocational pastors. Frankly, the economics of many churches will mandate this reality, both in established churches and in church plants.
More churches will partner with seminaries to “raise their own” pastors. Many pastors will thus opt to become a part of a church training or apprenticeship approach.
More pastors will be gauged by their social media involvement in the pastor selection process. I have particularly noted this development from a negative perspective. A prospective pastor who is argumentative or controversial in social media is often eliminated from consideration. Social media background checks are becoming as common as legal and credit background checks.
There will continue to be growth in the number of megachurch pastor position openings. This trend is fueled by two simple realities. First, the number of megachurches continues to grow. Second, many of these megachurches are led by aging boomers.
Pastoral tenure will move in two different directions. I am monitoring now an anecdotal trend: increase in pastoral tenure at multisite churches. But there is an opposite trend in established churches where pastoral tenure continues to be brief and declining.
Pastoral mentoring will grow. Millennials pastors seek it. Boomer pastors desire to provide it. These mentoring relationships often evolve into employment recommendations.
Denominational influence on pastor placement will continue to wane. Denominational leaders and organizations were once the primary gatekeepers in recommending pastors to churches. That influence has waned significantly and will continue to decline.

How do you view these ten trends on the employment of pastors? What would you add?

photo credit: seagers via photopin cc

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Pray for FBC Scott City

Location: Scott City, Missouri

Pastor: Jeremy Sells

Worship Time: 10:45 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: This small-town church is committed to the greater Scott City area. Pray for Pastor Sells and the congregation as they have recently launched a Sunday Night Children’s Church. The church uses two 15-passenger vans to go out and pick up kids for a meal and lesson at the church. FBC is also prayerfully considering launching a Saturday Evening Service in order to reach more of the unchurched in its community and to help increase the connection rate of our members.

Website: FirstBaptistScottCity.org

“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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Seven Reasons Pastors May Need a Virtual Assistant

Many business persons, particularly small business entrepreneurs, are moving toward engaging virtual assistants as vital components of their enterprises. The more I hear and read about virtual assistants, the more I am convinced that pastors and other church staff may benefit as much as anyone from this practice.

A virtual assistant is not an employee of the church. This person likely lives in another part of the country, or even the world, and carries out specific duties for the pastor. For those pastors and church staff who currently have a great assistant, be thankful! This article is likely not for you.

But many pastors do not have the benefit of either a full-time or part-time assistant. By the way, I distinguish between a secretary and an assistant. I will clarify that issue in the second point below.

As a point of full disclosure, I have never used a virtual assistant. I am blessed to have an incredibly capable assistant who works 50+ hours a week and has a productivity of 80 hours a week. This article is based on the experiences of some people I know personally, and others about whom I have only read. I will mention a couple in this article. For now let’s look at seven reasons a pastor or other church staff member may benefit from a virtual assistant.

Pastors need to be able to focus on their major roles of ministry. I have sadly seen pastors become so inundated with routine tasks that they neglect major functions of ministry and their families. A virtual assistant can take much of that burden away. There is almost no limit to the type of virtual assistant one can engage. They can take care of email, answer the phone, do your calendar, book travel, notify you of urgent ministry matters, conduct research, handle projects, respond to salespersons, produce prayer lists, work on the church’s website, and so many more possibilities. Granted, it is unlikely to find one virtual assistant who can do everything, but you can find one to meet your greatest needs.
The classic secretarial role is fading. Those who serve leaders in offices must become more like assistants than secretaries. The traditional secretary typed letters, took dictation, and often worked as a receptionist as well. Advances in technology and changes in efficiency practices demand a new role with new responsibilities. Most pastors need an employee assistant or a virtual assistant.
Church budgets are tight. A virtual assistant can be retained to work only a few hours a week, typically as few as ten to fifteen, or to be a fulltime assistant. In other words, the virtual assistant can fit most budgets. Also, the church is not responsible for all the headaches and costs of salary and benefits administration.
You can easily fire a virtual assistant. If the virtual assistant is not meeting expectations, or if the church chooses not to continue to pay for the service, all you have to do is notify the company that provides the services. You can also request another virtual assistant if the current person is not satisfactory. It is so much easier to “fire” a virtual assistant than a person on the church’s payroll.
A virtual assistant position can be adjusted to meet the nontraditional schedule of a pastor. Almost every pastor or church staff member has a schedule that does not fit the template of 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. The pastor can thus contract for a fixed number of hours per week with a virtual assistant that best fits a more nontraditional schedule.
You can hire virtual assistants for ongoing work or for fixed periods for special projects. Many virtual assistant organizations offer persons for short-term needs, not just ongoing responsibilities. This approach can fit most any church budget to best help the pastor and the congregation.
A virtual assistant takes stress off the pastor. This person is able to accomplish the tasks the pastor should not do, does not want to do, or is unable to do. The result is a pastor with less stress and more energy to do ministry that really makes a difference.

There are many resources available on virtual assistants. Those with which I have familiarity are more for the small business person or entrepreneur. But they can easily be adapted for the pastor. As a reminder, I have never used a virtual assistant, so I offer these as resources but not necessarily an endorsement.

Michael Hyatt has written much on his use of virtual assistants. There are some very helpful posts at MichaelHyatt.com on October 8, 2011, January 24, 2012, May 7, 2012, August 28, 2012, July 29, 2013, and April 4, 2014. He recommends and uses a company named eaHelp. He also wrote an ebook, The Virtual Assistant Solution, available on Kindle for $2.99.

A recent book on the topic is Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker. Again, it is written for the entrepreneur, but it can easily be adapted for the pastor. I finished the book last night. It is a fun read filled with many ideas and solutions.

Have you ever tried a virtual assistant? What has been your experience? What are the resources can you recommend?

Photo credit – MichaelHyatt.com

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Eight Struggles Pastors Face – Rainer on Leadership #050

Podcast Episode #050

Subscribe via iTunes • Subscribe via RSS 

This week, Jonathan and I review a recent blog post on the struggles pastors face. I also tell the story of a certain gift basket delivery I received on a recent speaking trip. The eight struggles we cover are:

Criticism and conflict
Family problems
Stress
Depression
Burnout
Sexual problems
Financial problems
Time management

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by the HCSB Bible. Taking into account the significant advancements in scholarship, translation theory, and contemporary English usage, the HCSB will satisfy both those new to the faith and seasoned scholars. Visit HCSB.org 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 autographed copy of I Am a Church Member.

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Friday Is for Freebies: Recovering Redemption

My giveaway this week includes a new book and Bible study from Matt Chandler, Recovering Redemption.

The Bible is clear from the beginning that God intends for His people to experience life abundantly. So why are things such a mess–even for Christians?

In this 12-session Bible study, Matt Chandler gets to the root of brokenness and our destructive patterns of behavior. With relentless grace, Matt unpacks true repentance and the doctrines of justification, adoption, and sanctification with remarkably practical application. It’s time to start living like we believe in the ongoing power of redemption.

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. Names and addresses are deleted each week and are just used to select a winner. RSS and email subscribers should click through to the website to enter.

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After submitting your entry, you will be directed back to the ThomRainer.com homepage. By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

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Notable Voices – April 10, 2014

4 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves Every Week – Art Rainer

Leaders must constantly conduct self examinations to maintain a high level of leadership. Art provides four questions for leaders to use to determine how they are progressing as leaders.

 

5 Mistakes Pastors Make on Easter (and How to Avoid Them) – Brandon Hilgemann

Resurrection Sunday is next week. It will be a big day in churches around the world, so be careful to avoid these five mistakes pastors can easily make.

 

10 Ways To Sink Your Sermon Series – Tony Morgan

Whether you preach expositionally or topically, most of us preach in a series format. So as you plan your sermon series, consider these 10 warnings.

 

9 Unintended Benefits of Small Group Life – Ben Reed

Preaching is important to the life of the church, but we must not forget that groups matter, too. And while we can list numerous specific benefits of groups, Ben shares nine unintended benefits you might not have realized.

 

Churches & Technology: Four Keys to Success – Pastors Today

Earlier this week I wrote on why churches need social media directors. This article explains how social media and other technology are setting the course for how churches will communicate with members and the public in the near future.

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