Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 371

Pray for . . . Covenant Church

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Pastor: Paul Sagan

Weekly Worship: 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: Covenant Church seeks to minister to Fayetteville and the greater Northwest Arkansas area while reaching out to the campus of the University of Arkansas through its denominational campus ministry. They also have a strong commitment to support world missions through an annual missions conference and faith promise giving. Please pray for Covenant’s new church plant in Ft. Smith, for their partnership with Christian Witness to Israel (an evangelistic ministry to Jews), and for Trey Bundrick, their new minister to college students.

Website: http://www.covenantchurchpca.org

Pray for . . . Covenant Church PCA

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Pastor: Paul Sagan

Weekly Worship: 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: Covenant Church seeks to minister to Fayetteville and the greater Northwest Arkansas area while reaching out to the campus of the University of Arkansas through its denominational campus ministry, Reformed University Fellowship. They also have a strong commitment to support world missions through an annual missions conference and faith promise giving. Please pray for Covenant’s new church plant in Ft. Smith, for their partnership with Christian Witness to Israel (an evangelistic ministry to Jews), and for Trey Bundrick, their new minister to college students.

Website: http://www.covenantchurchpca.org

Ten Things Pastors Like about Pastoring

In a previous post, I noted ten things pastors don’t like about pastoring. Though my surveys are not scientific, they do seem to have spoken to several pastors and other church leaders. The responses were fascinating.

I took the same approach for this post, but this time the responses were positive. We wanted to know what pastors like about their ministry. Here are their top ten responses listed in reverse order, followed by a comment from a representative pastor.

10. Counseling. “I really like helping people by counseling them. My masters degree at seminary focused on counseling, so I feel equipped to help all but the most serious needs.” (Interestingly, this one item was the only one that appeared on both the “like” and “don’t like” list.)

9. Funerals. “It seems to me that people are more receptive to the gospel and other important Christian matters at funerals. I think that they get an idea about how brief life is, so they really listen to the message and they are tuned in the entire service.”

8. Casting a vision. “I love most aspects of leadership in the local church. A major part of that is helping define a preferred future for the church. I spend a lot of my time working with key leaders to see where God is leading us toward His future.”

7. Leading international mission trips. “It is absolutely amazing to see how our members have a whole new perspective on life and ministry when we go on a mission trip. We actually travel the Amazon and get involved in places where few people go. It has become life-changing for so many of our members.”

6. Ministering in the community. “I prayed that God would give me a love for the community when I became pastor and He did. One of the things I enjoy most is getting involved in our community and ministering to the people.”

5. Teaching. “When I get the opportunity to teach, I really get fired up. I teach a small group several weeks out of the year. I find myself eagerly anticipating each time I get to teach, regardless of the number of people.”

4. Sharing the gospel. “One of the things that amazes me is how many people actually come to me asking me questions about heaven, hell, and other eternal matters. I am able to share the gospel almost every week. I don’t understand how some churches have zero conversions each year. People show up in my office asking questions about the gospel.”

3. Studying the Bible. “I am so blessed. I have a job where I’m supposed to spend time every week studying the Bible. Whether I’m preparing a sermon, a funeral message, or a Sunday school lesson, I get to study the Bible. I love it!”

2. Mentoring/discipling one-on-one. “After twenty-seven years of ministry, one of the most rewarding things for me is to see people I have discipled making a difference for Jesus. I love to take someone under my wing one-on-one for a year or so. Many of them are now pastors, missionaries, and strong Christian businessmen.”

1. Preaching. “My sense of God’s call to ministry was a call to preach. It’s still what I love to do more than anything. There is nothing that energizes me more than preaching.”

Pastors will typically find joy when they are involved in these ten activities. Conversely, pastors can become greatly frustrated if other demands of ministry keep them from doing these things that bring them great joy.

What do you think of this list? What would you add?

Friday is for Freebies: Manage & the Apologetics Study Bible

The first item in this week's giveaway is Manage, a Bible study that takes a practical, but scriptural approach to using God's gifts to us: money, time, relationships, and the environment. This four-session Bible study helps you understand how to manage and leverage resources for God's mission faithfully. Manage is an invaluable small group experience that helps you understand your role in biblical stewardship.

The second is the hardcover version of The Apologetics Study Bible. This Bible features more than 100 key questions and articles placed throughout the Bible about faith and science which prompt a rewarding study experience at every reading.

To be eligible to win, tell us what your first pet was.

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

Notable Voices (October 11, 2012)

I Want to Die in the Trench -- Sam Rainer

Sam writes "Let’s stop pretending our churches are polished platforms of sanitized morality, speaking sentimentality apart from Truth. Let’s burn the preferences of wooden traditionalism. Let’s quit the silly game of worship experience one-upmanship. Let’s elevate spiritual grit above smooth and seamless operations. We’re in the middle of a serious war. Let’s get real about what we believe and who we’re really following."

10 Statements Church Visitors Never Want to Hear -- Ben Reed

There are some definite turn-offs to visitors of your church that can be avoided. Ben lists 10 things no visitor wants to hear when he or she visits your church.

The Pastor’s Guide to Twitter: 10 Tweets to Impact Your Church -- Eric McKiddie

Twitter can be used in a variety of ways within the church context. Eric provides a great list you can use as a starting point for your ministry.

10 Questions to Ask Your Wife … If You’re MAN enough! -- Men Stepping Up

Communication is key to growing any relationship. This list of 10 questions from Tom Elliff to ask your wife will provide an opportunity to model courage, leadership, and vulnerability in your marriage.

The Clues of Creation: God Is Not Hiding -- Jared Wilson

In this excerpt from The Gospel Project, Jared explores the depths of general revelation that is shown through the vastness, beauty, complexity, and power of creation.

The Rise of the Nones: Some Reflections on the New Pew Forum Data -- Ed Stetzer

Ed shares his reaction to the data Pew Research released this week showing "the number of Americans with no religious affiliation is climbing." This "Rise of the Nones" has been well-documented over the past decade and should serve as a call for increased evangelism in the church today.

Seven Reasons Why Evangelism Should Be a Priority of Your Church

Evangelism is dying in many churches today.

No, that’s not an overstatement. I am not speaking hyperbolically.

Evangelism is dying.

Look at the data. Measure almost any group of churches today versus thirty years ago. You’ll likely find that only one person is being reached with the gospel for every forty to sixty church members. You will find that conversions have declined precipitously. And where you find numerical growth, you are more likely to find that the growth is transfer of Christians from one church to another. That’s not evangelism. That’s sheep shuffling.

Pastors and other leaders must fall on their faces before God and ask Him to reignite their congregations with an evangelistic passion. When evangelism dies as a priority in the church, the church has already begun to die.

So why should evangelism be one of the highest priorities in your church? Though the reasons are many, allow me to share seven of them.

Because Christ commanded it. We typically refer to the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 as our evangelistic and disciples-making command. But there are many other places in the New Testament where the priority of evangelism is clearly evident. Christ commanded it. We must do it. Because Christ is the only way of salvation. There is no way around it. Salvation is exclusive. There is only one way. Jesus could not have made it clearer in John 14:6: “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” Jesus had an urgent message. He had an exclusive message. We must be conveyors of that narrowly-defined hope. Because Christ died for the world. There is a reason John 3:16 is the most familiar and most quoted verse in the history of humanity. Jesus died for the world. He is the only way, but He has provided a way for everyone. That is a message that is urgent and worth telling. Indeed it’s the greatest message ever. Because churches that are not intentional about evangelism typically are weak in evangelism. Many pastors and church leaders will affirm this article. They will give mental assent to the priority of evangelism. But they do not practice the priority of evangelism in their churches. What are you doing today to make certain evangelism is a priority in your church? Because churches tend to obsess inwardly when they fail to move outwardly. Where has a lot of your church’s energy been expended lately? Rancorous business meetings? Expressions of petty church preferences? Worship wars? Power struggles? Those are inward obsessions. Lead your church to an evangelistic priority and watch the focus shift for the better. Because churches become content and complacent with transfer growth. Some churches are growing. Others are adding members without significant numerical growth. But many in both categories are growing at the expense of other churches. Some may be reaching unchurched Christians. That’s good, but that’s not evangelism. We can fool ourselves into thinking we are evangelistic when we are simply recirculating the saints. Because evangelistic Christians actually grow stronger as better discipled Christians. Those who are evangelistic are obedient to Christ. Being obedient to Christ means that we are following His teachings and becoming a better fruit-bearing disciple.

Most churches are busy with activities, programs, and ministries. Few churches are truly sending out their members to evangelize those in their communities. The Great Commission has fast become the Great Omission.

Evangelism is dying.

Churches are dying.

People are going to hell without Christ.

It is perhaps the greatest tragedy today.

What are you doing to lead your church to become more evangelistic?

Creature of the Word: Leadership Simulcast

Do you want your church to be a more Jesus-centered church? Two weeks from today on October 23, LifeWay will be hosting a special simulcast event specifically geared for church leaders and leadership teams in which you will have an opportunity to interact with the authors of Creature of the Word—Matt Chandler, Eric Geiger, and Josh Patterson. You'll enjoy three different teaching sessions, as each author addresses one particular topic from the book as well as be able to submit your specific questions for a Q&A session at the end.

For more information, you can visit the simulcast page at LifeWay.com. To give you a sample of the type of content which will be covered, below is an excerpt from the book on gospel-centered leadership.

Most Christian approaches to leadership simply find good and bad examples of leaders in the Bible and say, "Be like this," or "Don't be like that." Although the Bible certainly provides great examples of leadership, these approaches often assume the Bible is a book primarily about you and what you are to do, rather than primarily about God and what He has done in Christ. Gospel-centered leadership does not begin with the command to imitate, but with the good news that God is gracious and has sent His Son to take our sins and give us life.

So, yes, gospel-centered leadership may end up looking like Nehemiah or Moses, but that's because it's grounded in being united to the One toward whom they point: Jesus. When you're united to the One who died on the cross and rose from the grave, then your life (and your leadership) is shaped by dying to self and allowing Christ to live in you.

In light of all of this, how can we best understand defined leadership, specifically gospel-centered leadership? Jesus-centered leadership is God-focused, Christ-exalting, and Spirit-led influence toward a kingdom agenda. Gospel-centered leadership is inextricably linked to the work of a triune God in redemption. The gospel is Trinitarian. The Father sends, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies. Thus, gospel-centered leadership is marked by its redemptive influence and kingdom initiatives.

This definition is in accord with the theological grid distilled from the Scriptures. Gospel-centered leadership focuses on the glory of God and is grounded in God's reign and rule. Gospel-centered leadership aims to exalt Christ Jesus in all things and is sourced in His person and work. He is the Chief Shepherd, the Senior Pastor, and the Head of the body. Gospel-centered leadership recognizes that we cannot afford to be self-directed in our influence; rather we must be Spirit-led. All of our influence and inertia is toward advancing the kingdom of God by pushing back the darkness.

Communication, Leadership, and the Presidential Debate

At 57-years old, I have memory of all the televised presidential debates. Admittedly I was young during the Kennedy/Nixon debate, so I can’t honestly say if I recall it or if I have seen it replayed so many times that I think I recall it. It is probably the latter.

Still the presidential debates have become critical to the outcome during the age of early television to today. From my perspective, we have had three very good presidential communicators take the stage: John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Though my political views did not always align with the better communicator, I have been able to learn much from these skilled orators.

The truism has been repeated so many times that it may seem trite to say it again: Great leaders should strive to be the very best communicators possible. A leader can have a wealth of knowledge and a great strategic mind, but if he or she cannot communicate well, those assets may be of little value.

I admit surprise at how well Mitt Romney did in the first presidential debate. Whether this initial debate becomes the turning point in his election remains to be seen. For this article, however, my focus is not on politics and government, but communication and leadership. While the most recent debate is still fresh in my mind, I am attempting to learn, at least from a communication perspective, why Mitt Romney did so well. Allow me to share seven lessons I learned.

He had confidence in his message. Those who hear us are perceptive. Most can tell if we are communicating something as spin, or if we really believe what we are saying. I recently made a leadership decision to change a direction in a strategy because I was not convicted about the direction we were headed. I knew if I stood before constituents, board members, customers, and employees, I would appear disingenuous. And I would be. We communicate well when we really believe our own message.He was enthusiastic and energetic. I wouldn’t describe Mitt Romney’s presentation to be akin to a cheerleader yell. What I did observe was one who had good energy and excitement about his message. I was engaged with what he said because his enthusiasm was contagious.He had good body language. I am not an expert on body language. I have listened to some of the pundits describe the technical aspects of good body language. But from my perspective Governor Romney’s body language hit on two vital points: it was natural and it was consistent with his message. Four years ago, Senator John McCain was criticized in a presidential debate for smiling while talking about hunting and killing terrorists. That was neither natural nor consistent with the message.He made consistent eye contact. When Governor Romney spoke to President Obama he looked him in the eye. He did likewise with the moderator and the audience. He connected with the television cameras as well so those of us watching the debate felt as if he were speaking directly to us.He used humor appropriately. This facet of the governor’s presentation helped us to see his humanity. He seemed real instead of wooden and rehearsed when he spoke of his sons and how they sometimes would stretch the truth. He did not go overboard with his humor, but there were some key points in the debate where he used it well.He connected with his audience. This statement may seem redundant, but it’s worth noting as an item in itself. Governor Romney did not use words that the audience wouldn’t understand. He did not speak in acronyms. Good communicators should be constantly asking themselves if the audience is really listening, or if they have tuned out. Good communicators can usually tell even as they are speaking. Others may need constant feedback.He was concise. Great communicators can say a lot in a few words. They don’t need dozens of visuals and tens of thousands of words. We should be able to explain our most powerful and convincing arguments in just three or four minutes. The governor was able to do so. Whether he made himself do so due to debate rules or not, he was still very effective in cogent and concise presentations.

Presidential debates are incredible classrooms for those of us who lead and need to communicate effectively. I have learned much from many candidates on both sides of the aisle. In this last debate, the most effective communicator was clearly Mitt Romney. As in previous debates with other candidates, I learned much from him.

Pray for . . . Big Sky Christian Fellowship

Location: Big Sky, Montana

Pastor: Doug Timm

Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM Mountain Time

Fast Facts: This church is located in a resort area in Montana. Pastor Doug Timm often ministers on the ski slopes to local residents, workers from the resort, and people who are vacationers. However during a recent routine medical procedure, an unexpected complication arose and threatened Pastor Timm's life. During his extended convalescence, the elders led the church in ministry and preaching. I am glad to report Pastor Timm has made a full recovery and is once again ministering to those in Big Sky.

Website: http://www.bigskychristianfellowship.com/

Ten Things Pastors Don't Like about Pastoring

The expectations of a pastor are endless. Many members expect them to be omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. But different pastors are wired differently. One pastor may get great fulfillment out of counseling, while another dreads every minute of it.

So I did an informal and unscientific survey of pastors. I asked them a simple question: “What do you like least about being a pastor?” The question was opened-ended and they could give more than one response.

I learned two things from this survey. First, pastors can have strong opinions about what they don’t like. Second, pastors are really different. The responses were wide-ranged and often in opposition to each other.

So here are the top ten things pastors don’t like about pastoring. I’ve listed them in reverse order. I then follow each dislike with a comment from a representative pastor.

10. Dealing with budgets and finance. “I have a pastor friend who has a finance major. He was in business before he went to seminary and he loves working with numbers. Not me. I get nauseas at the thought of working on the church budget.”

9. Weddings. “Emotions are usually high at weddings. Some people are difficult to handle. Plus the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception take away my whole weekend. I wish we could pass a law that no weddings can take place during college football season.”

8. Announcements in the worship service. “This past Sunday I was asked to announce that one of the older Sunday school classes was having a garage sale to raise money to repair the pipe organ. Their hearts were right, but I had to talk about a garage sale and a pipe organ right before I preached.”

7. Persistent critics. “You have to deal with critics if you are a pastor. I just struggle with those who are always on me about something. They never let up. It can be demoralizing.”

6. Anonymous critics. “I shouldn’t even let anonymous critics bother me. If they don’t have the courage to use their name, I have no reason to dwell on it. But, I’ve got to admit, it really bugs me. I find myself wondering throughout the day who it might be.”

5. Counseling. “I really envy those pastors who are counselors. They get energized by listening to people at their points of need and hurt. I have to admit that my mind wanders and I watch the clock. I don’t think I really help anybody when I counsel.”

4. Treating spouses like they are paid staff members. “I really hurt for my wife because we have one church member that expects her to put in the same amount of hours at church as I do. My wife is taking care of our three preschool children at home, but she feels guilty every time the church member talks to her.”

3. Supporters who don’t support pastors publicly. “One guy was ripping into me at our last business meeting. But he didn’t bother me as much as my so-called supporters who remained silent the whole time. They’ve told me that they are behind me, but they weren’t there for me when I needed them the most.”

2. Funerals of non-Christians. “I’ve been a pastor for nearly thirty years, and I still struggle when I’m asked to do the funeral of someone who never professed Christ. Most of the time my funeral message is directed at the family, and how God will comfort them. It’s still not easy.”

1. Business meetings. “Let me know if you come across a pastor that actually likes church business meetings. I want to find the secret to his moments of delusion.”

What do you think of this list? What would you 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.