Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 367

With Thanksgiving

On this day where we typically spend meals and time with families in a spirit of thanksgiving, I want to express my thanksgiving to you, the readers of this blog. The growth in the number of readers has exceeded my greatest expectations. I do not take for granted that you take time to read my articles. I often pray that God will provide me the content for people like you who visit my blog on a regular basis.

It is my prayer that this Thanksgiving Day will be especially meaningful to you this season. And it is my prayer that our Lord will continue to demonstrate His sufficiency for all your needs.

I do not know most of you, but I do sense a camaraderie with you. Please let me know how I can serve you better. And please let me know of issues and ideas you would like for me to address on this blog.

Thank you friends. Have a great Thanksgiving Day. Blessings to you. Blessings to your families. Blessings to your ministries. And may you be a blessing to many.

Entitlement and Thanksgiving

If I feel entitled, I complain about my job.
If I am thankful, I am grateful to have a job.

If feel entitled, I complain about the meal I’m eating.
If I am thankful, I am grateful to have food on the table.

If I feel entitled, I complain that the government does not do enough for me.
If I am thankful, I ask what I can first do for others.

If I feel entitled, I complain about my spouse.
If am thankful, I express gratitude that someone has put up with me all these years.

If I feel entitled, I complain about living paycheck to paycheck.
If I am thankful, I am grateful simply to have a paycheck.

If I feel entitled, I complain about what’s wrong with my church.
If I am thankful, I am ever grateful for the freedom to worship.

If I feel entitled, I complain about the deficiencies of different family members.
If am thankful, I am grateful that I have a family that loves and cares for me.

If I feel entitled, I complain about the lousy weather we’re having.
If I am thankful, I am grateful to be a free person regardless of the weather.

If I feel entitled, I complain to God about why He is treating me so unfairly.
If I am thankful, I know that I deserve nothing good, that all gifts are an act of grace.

Dear Lord, forgive me for my sense of entitlement. Remind me to rejoice in all things, and in all things to be thankful. Remind me to count my blessings. And remind me when my heart begins to stray from thanksgiving to entitlement.

Special Black Friday Deals from LifeWay Christian Stores

When you think of LifeWay as a company, what comes to mind initially? Do you think of LifeWay as a publisher? A curriculum provider? A conference center operator? An event host? A technology developer? A research provider?

While LifeWay is all of those things—and more—many of you probably immediately think of LifeWay as a retail store. With more than 160 locations throughout the United States, it's quite likely that you are within an hour or two of one, if not more, of our stores.

And it's no surprise that this week is a big one for our retail stores. As I type this, hundreds of employees are checking stock, preparing displays, and getting stores ready for the biggest shopping day of the year—Black Friday.

So today on the blog, I wanted to highlight a few of the special deals that might be of interest to my readers in our 2-Day After Thanksgiving Sale. These are only a few of the items available, but you can download a full PDF of the mailer here.

$1.99 Books

Character Makes a Difference by Mike Huckabee The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren God's Story by Max Lucado

$5.00 CDs and DVDs

Tim Tebow: On a Mission (DVD)Christmas: God With Us by Jeremy Camp (CD)Gravity by Lecrae (CD)Insanitized by Tim Hawkins (DVD)

$5.00 Books

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones The Resolution for Men The Resolution for Women Crazy Love by Francis Chan Multiply by Francis Chan Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

$7.99 CDs and DVDs

Acoustic Sessions by Casting Crowns (CD)October Baby (DVD)Eye on It by TobyMac (CD)Miracle by Third Day (CD)Chris Tomlin 3-CD Boxed Set (CD)

Special Deals on Bibles

$10.00 HCSB Study Bible$19.99 NKJV Gaither Homecoming Bible$19.99 Chronological Life Application Study Bible$19.99 KJV Study Bible

When Leaders Lead Change Too Quickly

Ron Johnson is not off to a good beginning. The former Apple retail leader is now CEO of J. C. Penney. The most recent quarterly results are not encouraging. After making wide, sweeping changes, same store sales have dropped 26 percent and stock prices are at a three-year low.

Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, is attempting a turnaround at Hewlett-Packard. The challenge is daunting. Though she has a long-term strategy in place, many people believe she is moving too slowly.

A pastor of a large church recently resigned after leading the congregation in several major changes. Attendance at the church dropped precipitously as many members voted against the changes with their feet.

At another large church just twenty miles away, the pastor is moving so slowly that people are also moving out. They are waiting on this leader to provide visionary leadership, but he is simply too reticent to move forward.

Volumes have been written on change, the pace of change, and the consequences of change. In simplest terms, leaders move at a perfect pace, too slowly, or too rapidly. In this brief article, I address what fast-paced leaders should consider. I offer five basic issues these leaders should grasp.

Understand the Change Tolerance of Those Directly Impacted

Some fast-paced leaders look at the organization only from their perspective. They fail to put themselves in others’ shoes to consider what this change might feel like to those directly impacted. These aggressive leaders need to ask more questions and listen more carefully. They may be surprised to hear how those directly impacted will respond to the proposed changes.

Understand That Change Tolerance Is Contextually Driven

I have seen too many leaders move to a new area and assume that change tolerance would be very close to their previous place of leadership. If they came from an organization that dealt well with change, they might assume that the same leadership pace would work at the new organization. Unfortunately, many leaders have been burned when they discover their assumptions to be wrong. Many contextual factors affect the tolerance level of change. Again, it is incumbent upon leaders to know their contexts and how to lead in those contexts. Listening to the stories of those in the organization is vital to this process.

Understand That Most Change Resistance Is Emotional, Not Rational

Such is the reason that well-thought, calmly-presented, rationally-explained reasons for change might not be well received. The leader must understand the hearts of those impacted, not only the heads. Why are they so emotionally attached to the status quo? What stories can the leader share that would address the hearts of those feeling the changes?

Understand That Leaders Must Have Sufficient Tenure to Deal with the Change

Too many leaders initiate change but fail to see the obstacles before them. As a consequence, they often leave before the changes are fully implemented. The organization is thus left with frustrated people and a void of leadership. If a leader is seeking to lead change, he or she must be willing to stay at the organization a sufficient time to see the change accomplished, and to deal with any aftermath caused by the change.

Understand That Leaders Must Understand Themselves in Leading Change

Self-awareness is vital here. If you are a slow-change leader in a fast-paced organization, you will likely encounter frustration and impatience. If you are a fast-paced leader in a slowly-moving organization, you will likely encounter resistance and resentment. A good simple exercise is to rank yourself on your comfort with the pace of change on a scale of one to ten. Then do the same for the organization you lead. If you have a gap greater than two, you have major work to do before you even begin to lead change. Sometimes the work must be done on yourself. At other times, there is greater work to do in the organization. The gap must be closed or the leader will find himself in a position of frustration and, ultimately, failed leadership.

Pray for . . . Three Rivers Community Church

Location: Rome, Georgia

Pastor: Mitch Jolly

Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: Pray for TRCC to succeed in her desire to be a missional church; a church that has at the very core of her being the drive to communicate and demonstrate the glory of God in the image of Christ, across all cultures, to all people.

Website: http://www.threeriverscc.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 your church to be featured in “Pray for . . .” contact Steve Drake, director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com.

Fifteen Funny Tweets about Pastors

Curiosity pushed me to do a search of the word “pastor” on Twitter. Some of the tweets were not out of the ordinary. But some of them were just fun to read. Here are fifteen fun tweets about pastors I discovered:

1. Pastor mobbed by congregation after a visiting Japanese member identified his “'speaking in tongues'” as the Japanese National Anthem.

2. Megachurch pastor says Obama reelection begins the reign of the antichrist.

3. Criticize your pastor on Facebook and bring a curse on yourself

4. Tonight my pastor said something about not having idols or worshiping them or something like that and literally my whole family looked at me.

5. I love how you can look at a pastor and almost guess what translation of the Bible he is going to read from!

6. Why does my pastor tell me that my treasure is in heaven, while his own private jet, mansion and investments are on earth?”

7. Pastor Tip: Preach while holding a kitten. People will do anything you tell them if you're holding a kitten.

8. Apparently 6 a.m. is "too early" to call the pastor with prayer requests.

9. What's the difference between a pastor and a youth pastor? Generally, about 40 pounds.

10. Sorry worship pastor. The only time I clap is if I want the lights on.

11. Pastor always dresses up a little more after a James Bond movie comes out.

12. Pastor just put his sermon to bed. Sunday it will put us to sleep.

13. That awkward moment when your pastor talks about how desperate the women are on “The Bachelor” and I'm covering my face.

14. Read your pastor’s lips. If he is talking more of prosperity than salvation, unfollow him.

15. We're playing football at youth and I dropped the ball and said, " oh golly" and then the youth pastor said "hey none of that language." omg

Do you have any pastor tweets you would like to add?

Pastor to Pastor is the Saturday blog series at ThomRainer.com. Pastors and staff, if we can help in any way, contact Steve Drake, our director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com . We also welcome contacts from laypersons in churches asking questions about pastors, churches, or the pastor search process.

Friday is for Freebies: Church Resources

My giveaway this Friday is a pair of resources for the church

First, Exemplary Life articulates Luke's vision for life together in a local church using key passages from Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35; and 5:12-16 (known as "summary narratives") as the starting point of reference. Although Luke is rightly acclaimed as the church's first historian, he was a powerful writer and theologian as well. He also planted churches with Paul and had definite convictions about what life together in the church should look like. Yet, Luke's theology of church life is underemphasized in modern scholarship, downplayed by issues rising from the historical-critical method. However, when the summary narratives are studied through the lens of narrative and rhetorical criticism, Luke's strategy is unmistakable.

Also included is the latest HCSB study Bible from B&H, the Mission of God Study Bible. Edited by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation, the Mission of God Study Bible encourages followers of Jesus Christ to see their everyday life from God's perspective and have His heart for people. It's a reminder that we live around people in desperate need of redemption and reconciliation with God, which can only be found in Jesus. The mission of God has never been just for specialists; it is for all believers to live out through their daily lives and by sharing the good news of what God has done through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus.

To be eligible to win, tell us how long the typical sermon is at your church.

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

Notable Voices (November 15, 2012)

Sex Is Cheap in Birmingham -- Collin Hansen

Collin Hansen chronicles a recent undercover prostitution sting in Birmingham that netted 35 arrests including a local pastor and examines why sex has become so cheapened and frivolous in our society.

3 Questions to Ask of Your Sermon -- Trevin Wax

Pastors can easily get in a rut when it comes to sermon preparation. Trevin provides a short checklist to keep you centered on the cross when preparing to proclaim the Word.

How to Create a Disciple-Making Culture in Your Church -- Justin Buzzard

Discipleship doesn't happen in a vacuum. It requires relationships. Justin shares an example of how he has modeled personal discipleship within his church.

Is the Religious Right Over? -- Dan Darling

Dan reflects on the recent election and the continued decline of evangelicals' influence on culture. With each passing day, America appears headed toward a post-Christian culture.

How Social Media is Changing the Publishing Industry -- Katie Leimkuehler

Social media has changed a host of industries including publishing. As technology evolves, so do the ways we consume, produce, and promote content.

What Does Your Church Bulletin Tell You About Your Priorities? -- Anthony Ferriell

Like church budgets, church bulletins are convenient indicators of what is important to a church. Read Anthony's post and consider what your church bulletin says about your local faith fellowship.

Adultery and Leadership

It’s somewhat surprising that the media is making a fuss about the David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell affair. After all, adultery is normative according to most media standards. This time, however, there is the potential damage of compromising highly sensitive security information. And there are the unanswered questions of “Who knew?” and “When did they know?”

But the spectacle does raise the question: What is the impact on a leader and his or her leadership when he or she is involved in an affair? I have been disgusted as I heard different pundits attempt to answer this question.

It’s Not a Private Matter

The typical perspective regurgitated about the Petraeus and Broadwell affair is that, outside of the security concerns, it’s really no big deal. After all, it is argued, this relationship is a private matter between two consenting adults.

That’s garbage.

It is not a private matter. Their two spouses are undoubtedly wounded and humiliated. Children are innocent victims who try to grasp with the strains and perhaps destruction of the secure world they knew when all was well with their parents. Other family and friends are hurt as well.

One television commentator this week cheered the actions of adulterous men, celebrating their testosterone levels and manhood. One is left to wonder if he would cheer similar actions of his own wife, and celebrate her own hormonal drives and femininity with other men.

It’s Not Endemic to All Great Leaders

I have heard more than one pundit opine that uncontrolled sex drives are just part of the nature of great leaders. They have such a great drive, we are told, that it is only natural that such drives include unfettered desires for sexual conquests. I even heard a commentator cite adultery as a common characteristic of our great American presidents. The more anemic presidents tended to be those who were faithful to their wives.

Adultery is not a sign of strength. It is a sign of weakness. Adultery is not an indicator of healthy adulthood. It’s an indicator of juvenile behavior. Adultery is not a sign of self-controlled leaders. It’s a sign of out-of-control leaders. Adultery is not the badge of great leadership. It’s the badge of failed leadership.

It’s Not a Matter of Triumph

Ultimately adultery is not a matter of triumph; it’s a matter of failed trust. An adulterous man or woman once stood before God and human witnesses and pledged his or her lifelong commitment to another person. Indeed he or she entered the sanctity of marriage as a promise that neither would ever break trust with the other.

Adultery is failed trust; it is therefore failed leadership. How can we trust a leader who failed to keep trust with the person to whom he or she has devoted his or her life? How can we believe what that leader says when he has deceived and lied to the person who is supposed to be closest to him?

Don’t read me wrongly. Adultery is not unforgivable. I am reminded of an adulterous woman about to be stoned to death only to see her life spared. There was no one around without sin to cast the first stone except Jesus. And He showed grace.

But please don’t take adultery as lightly and with such frivolity as much of the media and society. The breach of trust is indeed forgivable. But the consequences are deep and far reaching. Great leaders keep trust at all levels: in their friendships; in their business dealings; in their organizations and, above all, in their marriages.

Discipleship: In Context

“I wish we could go deeper.”

If you serve on a church staff, especially as a pastor, you know the frustration of hearing those words. That frustration is compounded if you press the maker of the above statement a little harder, asking them a simple follow up question: “What do you mean, 'deeper?'”

That’s when the issue gets complicated. Sometimes by “deeper” people mean intellectually deeper. In that instance, they’re asking that a certain amount of Greek and Hebrew words should be included in every sermon. Others might mean a depth of obedience, and they want more specific and directed challenges issued to the congregation. Still others might mean a depth of relationship, and they are asking for increased opportunities and environments for authenticity and vulnerability.

But most of the time, when you probe the issue, you don’t get a response at all. “Depth” is something we all want, but find a difficult time articulating. It points to the Christian desire for real and transformational discipleship, the kind of life where we are walking and growing daily with Jesus.

But how, as a church leader, can we help to facilitate that kind of growth? Is it classes? Sermons? Programs? One on one meetings? The answer is yes and no. Before we get down to those specific implementations, a church must, I think, embrace and understand that they are a unique expression of the Body of Christ.

Every church is unique. Sure, they all have common traits and common purposes. But those traits and purposes are being fleshed in a unique community. With unique people. And unique leadership. Understanding those traits of uniqueness can launch us on the road to better implementing not just a discipleship plan, but a discipleship plan that fits for an individual church.

Here, at LifeWay, we are striving to recognize the uniqueness of a given church. Part of that recognition is an initiative that we are very excited about. It is specifically designed to be able to interface with a given church at an individual level and deeply understand and embrace those elements which make that church unique.

It’s called Discipleship in Context. Through this initiative, we are working with unique churches to custom design curriculum just for them. Written with their church culture and structure in mind. Aligned with their core practices and doctrine. Lifting up key initiatives from their church body. Even built around the sermon series being preached. It’s a unique approach to Bible study that, until now, you could only have with a full-time writer on your church staff.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can build Bible studies like these, those that provide trustworthy content in a way that embraces the uniqueness of a given church, visit the Discipleship in Context website at discipleshipincontext.com.