Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 332

10 Reasons Church Leaders Should Continue Their Education

By Chuck Lawless

I admit my bias here. I am a seminary dean and professor, and I believe in education. Students help to pay my salary. They have become my friends, my mentees, my children in the faith. Graduates make me proud.

My reason for writing this post, though, goes beyond these thoughts. If we are doing the work of God, we must give our absolute best. I desire to be part of a team that trains and sends out the strongest leaders in the world—leaders who make a difference in the kingdom of darkness. Those leaders never stop learning.

With those thoughts in mind, here are ten reasons why leaders should continue their education:

1. The Christian life is about growth. We are babies in Christ at new birth, yet called to continual growth and maturity (Heb. 5:12-14). Always, we are to be in the process of God’s conforming us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). If we reach the point of assuming we’ve “arrived” and need no further training, we are instead neglecting our Christian responsibility.

2. A willingness to learn is a sign of humility. Education is seldom easy. An openness to become a student again, to be held accountable for assignments, and to be evaluated by others is a sign of the kind of humility all leaders should exhibit. We need no more arrogant leaders, and the education process can sift out our pride.

3. We always face theological issues. The authority of the Word of God, especially when evaluated against sacred documents of other world faiths, continues to be an issue. We must increasingly defend the truth that a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to God. The doctrine of the Trinity is at times an issue when evangelizing around the world. Continued education can help us be better prepared to respond to these types of significant issues.

4. We continue to confront new ethical and moral issues. When I started in ministry over thirty years ago, I did not imagine ministering in a culture that affirms same-sex marriage. Internet pornography was not even an option. Never did I envision ministering to Sally, who actually began life as Sam. Issues like these are not, of course, separated from our theology, and further education equips us to minister in this changing culture.

5. The people we lead are frequently still learning. At least in North America, we often minister to educated parishioners. They are teachers, engineers, physicians, and accountants. Many of our congregations include professionals for whom continued education is assumed, if not required. Thus, they recognize the value that continued training offers for their spiritual leaders.

6. Distance learning options allow us to continue education without leaving our ministry. Gone are the days when education required students to move to a campus. Today, the Internet offers unprecedented opportunities for continued training without evacuating significant ministries. Southeastern Seminary (where I serve) now offers masters and doctoral degrees – including the PhD – that do not require full-time residence in North Carolina. The relocation obstacle to continued education simply doesn’t exist anymore.

7. Learning within a group of peers is important. Many opportunities for advanced training include small group, peer-to-peer learning that focuses on particular aspects of leadership. Few educational options are as valuable as these. Each student brings his/her own knowledge to the classroom, helping to build a community of scholars. Peers become not only classmates, but also prayer partners. Education thus becomes not only content-based, but also life-on-life.

8. We often learn better after leadership experience. Learning apart from practical experience is not insignificant, but it risks becoming only theory rather than life application. Frankly, it’s easy to decide how to be a leader until you actually have to be one. The best students I know are those who leadership experience gives them a grid through which to evaluate concepts and programs. These students are those who choose to continue their education throughout their ministry.

9. The discipline of learning is important. Let’s be honest: even leaders sometimes get lazy. We rely solely on yesterday’s learning to face today’s issues. We talk more about what we have read than about what we are reading. Personal preparation for daily ministry becomes more surface review than intense study. Continued education, on the other hand, challenges us to return to rigor and discipline.

10. Continued education stretches our faith. The obstacles to further training are real. Too little time. Too few dollars. Too many years out of school. Too many other responsibilities. Too much risk of failure. Here’s the bottom line, though: sometimes we just have to trust God to help us do what He expects us to do.

What are your thoughts about continued education for church leaders?

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.

Three Business Books I Recommend to All Pastors

Pastors typically—and hopefully—spend much time in the Bible. That is good; Bible reading should be a high priority. Many pastors spend much time reading Christian books, particularly weighty books on theology and doctrine. That too is good and should be a priority for the pastor.

But should pastors read secular books? I do believe there are a number of secular books that would truly be good resources for the pastor. There are three business books I regularly encourage pastors to read. Those who lead our churches unfortunately have little leadership training. These three classics are incredible leadership resources for pastors to savor and read slowly.

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

This book has been around for almost half a century, and it is still powerfully relevant today. Drucker identifies five essentials necessary for leadership effectiveness:

Managing time.
Choosing what to contribute to the organization.
Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect.
Setting the right priorities.
Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making.

Every pastor could look at this book as a course in practical leadership training. Rarely are these topics taught in Bible colleges or seminaries.

Leading Change by John P. Kotter

Probably the best book on change leadership, this book has not lost any of its punch since it was first published in 1996.  Every pastor will lead a congregation to some type of change. Kotter offers an eight-step process for leading change in any organization, including a local congregation. This book became a precursor to other books on change and innovation.

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Though this book was published in 2001, it continues to be a best-seller today. Every chapter has valuable insights for the pastor, but the chapter on Level 5 Leadership is my favorite. Though Collins makes no claims of being a Christian, there is much about this book that has biblical themes throughout. A pastor will find this book invaluable for both organizational leadership as well as personal leadership development.

There are probably 25 business books I could recommend to pastors. But these three are the only ones in that genre that I read every year. And every time I read the books again I learn something new.

I would love to hear what you think of these three books. I would also like to hear about any secular business or leadership books you would recommend for pastors.

Pray for Front Street Baptist Church

Location: Statesville, NC

Pastor: Tim Stutts

Sunday Worship Time: 10:30 AM Eastern Time

Recent, tragic events have thrust Front Street Baptist Church into national news. Located 40 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina, the church has a tight knit group of senior citizens who participate in the Young at Heart ministry. Last week, the group enjoyed a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Unfortunately, on their way home, the bus blew a tire and was involved in a terrible accident.

Front Street Baptist Church lost six church members in the crash. Two additional people were also killed, and several others were injured, some critically. Please pray for Pastor Tim Stutts and his congregation as they heal through this tragedy. In a press conference on Friday, Pastor Stutts said, “Our hearts are broken, but our faith is strong.” Pray for him as he ministers to others in this devastating time.

Church Website: FrontStreet.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.

Five Stages of a Pastor’s Ministry

For more than two decades I have studied, contemplated, and written about the tenure of a pastor. Why is pastoral tenure relatively brief on the average? Does that tenure contain common and distinct stages? Is there a particular point in the tenure when more pastors leave the church?

The more I study the phenomenon of pastoral tenure, the more I am convinced there are distinct stages with clear characteristics. Certainly I understand that there are numbers of exceptions to my delineations. I am also fully aware that the years I designate for each stage are not precise.

Nevertheless, I have some level of confidence in my findings. Though I have attempted to name the stages in the past, I offer in this article the “why” behind each stage.

Year 1: Honeymoon. Both pastor and church have a blank slate and they enter the relationship hoping and believing the best about each other. Perhaps the pastor was weary of his previous pastorate, and perhaps the church was happy to replace their former pastor. For a season, neither can do wrong in the other’s eyes. That season does not usually last long.


Years 2 and 3: Conflicts and Challenges. No pastor is perfect. No church is perfect. Each party discovers the imperfections after a few months. Like a newlywed couple, they began to have their differences after a while. The spiritual health of both the pastor and the church will likely determine the severity of the conflicts and challenges.


Years 4 and 5. Crossroads, Part 1. This period is one of the most critical in the relationship. If the conflict was severe, the pastor will likely leave or be forced out. Indeed, these years, four and five, are the most common years when a pastor leaves a church. On the other hand, if the pastor and the church manage their relationship well, they can often look forward to some of the best years ahead.


Years 6 to 10: Fruit and Harvest. My research is not complete, but it’s more than anecdotal. A church is likely to experience some of its best years, by almost any metrics, during this period of a pastor’s tenure. Indeed, in my interviews with both pastors and members, I have heard this theme repeated. Both parties have worked through the tough times. They now trust each other and love each other more deeply.


Years 11 and beyond: Crossroads, Part 2. During the first crossroads era, the pastor decides to stay or leave. Or the congregations may make the decision. During this relatively rare tenure beyond ten years, the pastor himself will go down one of two paths. He will be reinvigorated as a leader and ready to tackle new challenges and cast new visions. Or he will be resistant to the change around him, and then become complacent. I have seen both extremes, but I am still struggling to understand why pastors go down one path versus the other.

Pastoral tenure matters. It is far too short in many churches. I do think it is critical for us to understand tenure, because the health of the church is directly impacted by it. I will continue to study the issue and report to you as I have more pertinent information.

So what do you think of these stages of pastoral tenure? What has your experience shown?

The Number One Reason for the Decline in Church Attendance – Rainer on Leadership #025

Podcast Episode #025

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Church membership and attendance have become frequent topics both at the blog and on the podcast. In this episode, we highlight a recent post on how church attendance has declined in recent years, the main reason why, and how we can fix it.

While I don’t want to suggest there is a magic bullet to this problem, we discuss five approaches to address a low view of church attendance and membership. These five have proven to be the most helpful in hundreds of churches:

Raise the expectations of membership.
Require an entry class for membership.
Encourage ministry involvement.
Offer more options for worship times.
Monitor attendance of each member.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Ministry Grid, a leadership training platform which will launch on 11/12/13. Ministry Grid will feature over 1,500 videos, including more than 200 free videos, and will be fully customizable to the needs of your church with the option for you to add content, create tracks for different ministries, and track the progress of participants. Ministry Grid will offer training for all areas of ministry from the parking lot to the pulpit. It’s training made simple. For more information and to check out dozens of free videos or to visit our blog, go to ministrygrid.com.

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.

Resources

I Am a Church Member
High Expectations

Friday Is for Freebies: Seasons of a Leader’s Life

This week’s giveaway includes a pair of ministry resources. First is Seasons of a Leader’s Life by Jeff Iorg. It identifies Peter from The Bible as someone who lives through all three seasons in the New Testament. In the Gospels Peter was a learner. In Acts he was a leader. In 1 and 2 Peter he wrote his legacy. Looking through that lens, Iorg blends scripture with leadership principles while prompting readers to see a bigger picture: Which season are you in right now? What should you be learning? How can you improve what you are doing? What will you leave for future generations?

Also included is a black, genuine 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

To be eligible to win, answer the following question:

How many hours of sleep do you typically get?

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

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

Notable Voices – October 3, 2013

10 Ways to Become A Better Preacher — Justin Buzzard

Justin shares ten quick thoughts on how to become a better preacher.

 

5 of the Worst Leadership Traits I’ve Observed — Ron Edmondson

Leadership has its positives and its negatives. As is normally the case, you want to limit the negatives—like these five traits Ron lists.

 

How To Create a Church Culture of Generosity — Lance LeBlanc

A growing church is typically a generous church. But that culture of generosity doesn’t just happen. It must be fostered by the leadership. Lance highlights three areas on which to focus to help create a culture of generosity in your church.

 

3 Positives from Church Conflicts — Aaron Earls

Conflict in the church is inevitable, but it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Sometimes there are actually positives that result from conflict in the church.

 

Five Reasons People Aren’t Volunteering at Your Church — Mac Lake

I have yet to visit a church or talk with a pastor who wasn’t in need of more volunteers. Sometimes there is a reason people aren’t volunteering. And it’s likely one of these five reasons.

 

The Number of Hours Pastors Spend on Sermon Prep — Eric McKiddie

My recent Twitter poll indicated 70% of pastors spend 10-18 hours per week on sermon preparation. Here is a quick look at some more well-known pastors and how long they take to prepare.

Five Reasons Pastors Have Guest Blindness

In my blog I have referred many times to my days of church consultation, particularly those experiences where we sent one of our consultants to be a first-time guest in a church. He or she would return with a report of those experiences, and the report would eventually be consolidated with other information for the church.

I have nearly 300 of these “mystery guest” reports. Both Chuck Lawless and I have posted about them on this blog.

In the past, the mystery guests would “grade” the visit based on several criteria. Less than 20 percent of these reports were graded “B” (good visit) or higher.

The Recent Surprise about Guest Visits

In light of the woeful reports from mystery guests, I was very surprised at one facet of some recent research we conducted as we interviewed pastors across America.* One of our questions asked if the pastor’s church does a good job of meeting the needs of first time guests. Surprisingly, 90 percent of the pastors said “yes.”

Did you get that? Less than 20 percent of the guests said their visit was good, but 90 percent of the pastors perceive the opposite, that most guests have a good visit.

Why is there such a discrepancy between the pastors’ perceptions and the real experiences of the guests? May I suggest five reasons many pastors have blindness regarding the first-time guests?

Gradual slippage is hard to detect. The pastors see the church almost every day. Daily deterioration of the facilities and slight slippage in ministries are almost impossible to detect. Over time, though, the slippage can become a major deficiency.
Relationships can blind them to reality. The pastor has many good relationships in the church. The people he knows are friendly to each other and to him. He does not perceive that they are not so friendly to strangers.
The pastor has received positive feedback from some guests. But the pastor rarely hears from those who have had a bad experience.
The pastor does not intentionally ask for feedback from all guests. There is no system in place that attempts to hear from everyone who visits.
The feedback from members is positive. Pastors and members often feel positive about the friendliness of members to one another. The pastor then assumes the members’ attitude and friendliness to each other is the same for guests.

Two Possible Approaches

When I was a pastor, I took two approaches to keeping myself grounded and aware of how our church was perceived by guests. I subsequently used it as a church consultant with a lot of success.

First, I hired two mystery guests to visit our church. Each visit was six months apart. I paid them a small stipend for their efforts. One of the guests would be a Christian and a regular churchgoer. But he or she could have never been to our church before. The other person was not a Christian and, likewise, never visited our church. I gave them a form to complete and left room for open comments. Their insights were invaluable.

Second, each guest who was willing to complete a guest card received a letter from me. Included in the letter were a $10 gift card to Baskin Robbins and a stamped response form. We specifically asked them not to use their names, and to write frankly about their experiences at our church. We often received many of these evaluations back; they were of tremendous value in helping us discern how guests perceived us.

So why do you think pastors have such a positive view of the guest experiences of their church? What would you do to stay better informed?

*LifeWay Research conducted a telephone survey of 1,007 Protestant pastors from September 4-19, 2013. The calling list was a stratified random sample of all Protestant churches. Each interview was conducted with the senior pastor, minister, or equivalent. Responses were weighted to reflect the geographic distribution and denominational (or non-denominational) groups of Protestant churches. The complete sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +/- 3.1%.

9 Lessons for New Christians . . . And Old Ones

By Chuck Lawless

It’s been a long time since I became a Christ follower (39+ years ago), but I still think about what I wish I had known back then. You see, my first years as a believer were not easy. My family was not a Christian family. I was in my early teens, wanting to be faithful to God but also seeking to fit in with my peers. My church loved me, but discipleship was not intentional. I wish someone had helped prepare me for the journey.

If I were writing a new believer’s guide today for people like me, I would include a simple “lessons learned” section with at least these lessons:

It’s okay to be a baby in Christ. Everybody in my Bible study class knew all the answers, it seemed. I watched as others found the Bible passage while I pretended to know the right page. Others knew the song lyrics by heart, and they knew exactly what to do at every church event. I didn’t know any of that – and I was both awkward and ashamed. No one told me that every believer begins as a baby in Christ.
The Bible is not always easy to read. I was fascinated when I first started reading the Bible. Genesis was great, because I knew nothing about the beginnings of the world. The book of Exodus was equally exciting, filled with burning bushes, judgment plagues, dividing seas, and shaking mountains. But, then I reached Leviticus. . . . and I quit reading. I needed someone to help me when the reading became difficult.
The Christian life will have ups and downs.  We usually learn this lesson the hard way. Because I did not know Christianity has mountains and valleys, I assumed that the “down” moments were the result of a lack of faith or an unconfessed sin. Sometimes that was the case, but sometimes God was stretching and testing my faith. Even the obedient believer can wrestle with a thorn – but I didn’t know that.
You are not alone in your struggles. I was sure nobody else battled with temptation like I did. Nobody had sin lurking in the shadows like I did. Surely every other believer had conquered sin – at least, it seemed that way on Sunday. I was so certain of that truth that I didn’t dare talk to anyone about my struggles. The result in my life was continued failure and increasing defeat.
The devil is real. In my young mind, the devil was a Halloween character rather than a supernatural enemy against God and His people. Because I didn’t recognize the reality of the devil, I thought I could win spiritual battles in my own power. Prayer was not important, and cries for the power of God were non-existent. I was losing a war I didn’t even know existed.
Many people don’t pray well. The only prayers I heard then were prayers from the pastor, a deacon, or a Bible study teacher. The petitions were polished, eloquent, and deep (or so I thought then). I didn’t always understand the words used, and I was certain I’d never reach that level of praying. Little did I know these same folks often struggled in their private prayer life, and perhaps we could have helped each other grow in prayer.
Some people won’t share your excitement. My Christian conversion was powerful. A friend had shared Christ with me, and I couldn’t wait to tell others about Him. I was at times obnoxious with my evangelism. Rude, even. I just couldn’t understand why anybody would choose not to follow Jesus. Had I known then that not everyone listens, perhaps I would have felt less defeated in my evangelism efforts.
Churches are not perfect. I was unprepared for the tares among the wheat, the sin in the camp, the arrogance among the redeemed. It was years of discouragement before I realized that Jesus Himself had a fake in His group, and the apostle Paul loved a church as messed up as the church at Corinth. It took some time for me to learn that the church exists for the sick and the needy – that is, for people like me.
God will always be faithful. Perhaps you learn this lesson only through the years, but I wish someone would have challenged me then to trust – and even memorize – these words: “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread” (Psa. 37:25). God really does take care of His own. Always.

If you were writing a new believer’s guide, what lessons would you include?

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.

Seven Responses to Prevent Pastor Burnout

In my blog post Saturday, I noted seven reasons pastors burn out. I was delighted to receive a full response to my post from Lee Haley, executive pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I offer his response in full below:

With over 40 years in the ministry, nearly 15 in an itinerant ministry, I have seen the challenges of many pastors who burn out. I offer the following seven responses for churches to consider:

24/7 mentality. In single-pastor churches, have deacons (or their equivalent), share the ministry load. In multi-staff churches, make sure pastors rotate this responsibility. Pastors should have one weekday off during every week. Typically that day is either Friday or Monday.
Conflict. Have a written conflict policy and utilize it. Peacemaker Ministries is a great resource.
Expectations. Have a clearly written job description. Have quarterly status meetings between the pastor and church leadership. Assure the pastor the church is supporting him.  Take your pastor to lunch, get to know him and listen.  Did I mention listen?
Unwillingness to let go. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the pastor. This exercise should be established at the beginning of the pastorate. If it was not, make it a priority and begin the process at once.  Positive interaction between church leadership and the pastor is vital.
No friends. The best friend a pastor may have is a church member who loves unconditionally, listens, and does not betray confidences. Some make friends easier than others. Encourage your pastor to develop friendships. Make sure he has time to develop and maintain them.
Not suited for some tasks. Churches must have a clear understanding of their pastors’ strengths and weaknesses. Tools such as DISC, Predictive Index, and Spiritual Gift assessments should be requirements. Church staffs should be built to balance spiritual gifts, personality types, and skill sets.  Pastoral assignments should be based more on skill sets and less on job titles.  In single-staff churches, members should assist the pastor in his area of need.
No life outside the church. Churches should provide for vacation time, insist that pastors utilize their time off, and provide sufficient resources for the pastor to get away. Churches should develop a paid sabbatical leave policy. There are things about the pastoral ministry that are unique to it and only a few other professions.  The work of pastoral ministry is 24/7 and consumes the vast majority of a pastor’s life.  It is his work, it is his play, it determines many of his friendships and, as such, it never stops. Sabbaticals are an important way pastors can remain effective.

Plus one: Support your pastor’s wife.  If a pastor is burning out at church, you can be assured his home life is suffering. Treat your pastor’s wife with the highest level of respect. Respect her time with her husband and family. Design times of refuge, rest, and relaxation for her.  Ladies should take her to lunch and listen.  If your pastor’s wife has a well-balanced life, it will go a long way toward the balanced life your pastor deserves.

What are your thoughts about Lee Haley’s recommendations? What would you change?