E-Bay store

As I mentioned last month, I have an E-bay store where we offer quite a few items for sale.  For many years my wife collected Boyd's Bearstones and plush bears.  She is ready to sell off her collection, and we've listed a number of items in our store.  In addition, I have a number of books that I am ready to sell, plus we have found a number of new books that we are making available.  Here is just a sample of what we've listed.

Intentional growth

As some of you know, I enjoy coaching ministers, especially bivocational ministers.  Usually when one asks me to coach them it is because they are feeling stuck.  Often, their church has plateaued or started to decline, or they may feel they are stuck personally and having difficulty sorting out what they need to do next.  In either situation, having a coach to guide you through the process of getting unstuck and moving forward can be very helpful.

Most of us do not drift into better behavior.  Several years ago I had a bass boat that I enjoyed a great deal.  The funny thing is that the only times I ever got into trouble in that boat was when I was drifting.  One day I got caught in some logs that were submerged in the river because I drifted into them.  I was afraid I would break my props if I started the engine so it was very difficult to get my boat loose.  The current had jammed me into those logs and brush pretty good.  Not once did I ever get into trouble when I had either my big motor or the trolling motor running.  The reason is that when my motors were running I was moving towards a destination.  I was intentional about where I wanted to go.  However, when the motors were off I was willing to allow the current to take me whereever it wanted, and sometimes that wasn't where I wanted to be.

I find the same principle is true in our personal growth and in church growth.  To achieve the best for ourselves we must be intentional about where we want to go and what we want to achieve.  That is where coaching can benefit us the most.  I experienced first-hand the benefit of coaching when I had some decisions to make.  I worked with a coach for most of a year sorting through my options, and with my coach's assistance I was able to make some decisions that I felt honored God and enabled me to move forward with my life.  One of those decisions was to return to school and earn my Doctor of Ministry degree, and I am now planning my oral defense with an expected graduation in May.

Coaching was so instrumental in helping me get unstuck in my own life I determined to coach others who were ready to move forward in their lives as well.  Since being trained as a coach it has been my privilege to coach a number of bivocational and fully-funded ministers.  In fact, my DMin project involved me coaching five bivocational ministers and reporting on how the coaching helped them move forward in their lives.  Each of them were required to report on their experience, and every one of them reported that it was helpful in numerous ways.

If you think having a coach would benefit you to take some intentional actions to help you or your church move forward, please contact me.  My fees are much less than those charged by most life or executive coaches because I see this as part of my ministry.  The initial discussion doesn't cost anything, and it might help you decide whether or not coaching would be right for you.

Budget reserves

Budget time in smaller churches is often a time of great tension.  The way it is done in many small churches is to see how much was spent last year, add a little to it for inflation, and present it to the congregation for approval.  There is seldom a lot of reflection on how the budget will impact the ministry of the church.  The mindset is often that the budget needs to be kept as low as possible so it can be approved.  I remember one year when I was a pastor that the congregation rejected the proposed budget believing that it was too much.  The finance committee pencil-whipped the budget by lowering the budgeted amount of a few items until they thought it would be approved.  There was no real thought that went into the reductions; they were made to satisfy those who wanted to see a lower number, and the revised budget did pass.

There are at least two problems with such an approach.  The first is that the budget should reflect the vision of the church and the anticipated ministry plans for the upcoming year.  The most honest way to prepare the budget might be to begin each year with zero amounts for every item and determine as accurately as possible what will be needed to fulfill the ministry each item represents.  The budget should be a statement of the ministry the church believes it will perform in order to fulfill the vision God has given it.

The second problem with the way many small churches prepare their budgets is that it should include some reserves.  Some might argue that does away with faith, but I disagree with that argument.  In times of plenty it seems to be good stewardship for a church to put some money away for when the times are not so good.  I know of few churches that actually have a line item in their budget for reserves that will be set aside for a later time when they might be needed.

In our current economic situation many churches are really struggling financially.  I personally know a number of pastors who will not receive any salary increase this year.  Some have had salary or benefits cut, and several I know have been told they will have to pay more towards their health insurance.  Churches are cutting ministries because they can't afford them.  Some of this could have been avoided if these churches had built reserves into their budgets when the economy was stronger.  They would have resources they could tap into now to maintain their financial strength.

How much should be set aside?  Each church would have to answer that for themselves.  A place to start might be to consider following the advice that Christian financial counselors sometimes give their clients.  They tell their clients that the first 10% of their income should go to their churches as a tithe and the second 10% should go into a savings/retirement account.  They can then live on the remaining 80%.  I often recommend that churches give 10% of their offerings to their denominational mission funds.  As a pastor I believed our church could not teach our members tithing if we as a church were not tithing our income, and the easiest way for a church to tithe is to give to mission support.  What would happen if we then set aside another 10% of our offerings to go into a savings account of some type?  It would just be added to the budget.  People would see the total amount that needed to be raised each week and would soon forget that 10% of that is going into a reserve fund.  By putting 10% of the offering into a savings fund each week, a church would soon build up some reserves it could use during financial challenges.

This will probably require a shift in some people's thinking, but it seems to be a matter of good stewardship to save some money during more prosperous times that can be available for ministry during challening times.  For those who say a church should just have faith that they will be able to raise the money they need regardless of financial conditions I would ask if it is faith that leads a church to cut the pastor's salary and benefits when the church faces financial shortages?  If a church should just have faith that God will always provide then it should be willing to give the pastor a respectable salary increase each year regardless of the economic conditions.

Discipleship

I recently met with a pastor who was leaving his church after a five year ministry there.  I wanted to know what he thought the primary issues were that the church needed to address.  One of the issues he mentioned was discipleship.  He said that most of the people in the church were content to attend services when convenient with little or no interest in growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  From talking to others in the church, and from my own personal knowledge of the church, I know he's right.  I also know this problem isn't limited to this one church but is common to many of our churches.  What can be done to correct this?

First, we have to accept the fact that some people in our churches will never be interested in growing as disciples.  Pastors can only love these people, minister to them, try to keep them from leadership positions in the church, and invest themselves into the lives of persons who are interested in growing.  If spiritually immature people are already in leadership positions when the pastor gets there, the pastor can encourage them to grow, but certainly will not be able to force that growth.  Again, you love them, minister to them, but invest yourself in those who do want to grow. 

Second, identify what you want to see developed in the life of a disciple.  Have you ever sat down to consider what a disciple should look like?  How should a disciple treat his or her spouse?  What parental qualities should a disciple have?  What kind of employer or employee should a disciple be?  What do you want to see in the lives of the people who are discipled in your church?  Once you answer that question you can begin to develop the kind of discipleship program that will produce those qualities in people.

Third, I think its time to look at what tools we are using to develop disciples.  For most smaller churches the primary tool is Sunday school.  I have to ask, how is that working for you?  Is it producing the kind of disciples you want to develop in your church?  Our mindset is that knowledge produces disciples, and it really isn't working for most churches.  Knowledge is important, and too many believers are woefully ignorant about the primary teachings of the Bible, but knowledge alone does not make disciples.  It is only when we apply the knowledge we have that discipleship begins to occur.

A disciple-making church needs to find opportunities to allow people to minister to others.  Which do you think will be more likely to produce a disciple: sitting in an air-conditioned Sunday school room reading statistics about hunger in the world or spending Saturdays working in a center feeding homeless people?  Churches that challenge people to be involved in ministry are more likely to produce growing disciples of Jesus Christ than those who simply want to provide information to their members.

Interview in Baptists Today

The February issue of Baptists Today carries a two page interview John Pierce,editor of the magazine, did with me about bivocational ministry.  He asked questions regarding the numbers of bivocational ministers currently serving in churches and the unique challenges and opportunities associated with such ministry.  I appreciated the opportunity to respond and to have bivocational ministry highlighted in this publication.

What excites me is the growing awareness of the important role bivocational ministry provides to the Kingdom of God.  When I began as a bivocational pastor in 1981 bivocational ministry was largely ignored.  Persons who served in such ministries were often looked down upon by others in ministry.  Denominational leaders seemed to have little interest in bivocational ministers and the churches they served.  Resources were developed only for the larger churches.  That is all changing now.

More and more we see articles like this one.  I have already been contacted by three judicatory leaders from two different denominations about speaking at their annual meetings this year, and none of these leaders are from the denomination in which I serve.  Denominational leaders are looking at how they can better identify persons called to this ministry and the best ways to provide training for those who want it.  Resources are being developed specifically for bivocational ministers and the churches they serve

There are several reasons for this interest in bivocational ministry, but one of the important reasons is the quality work that many of you are doing in your churches.  Your ministries are being noticed.  People see the dedication you bring to your work; they see the love you have for the people you serve; and they see the results of your efforts, and no longer can anyone say that bivocational ministry is a lesser ministry.  The Kingdom of God is advancing through the efforts of both bivocational ministers and fully-funded ministers faithfully living out God's call on their lives, and people in leadership positions now see that it takes both to have the greatest impact on our world.  To all my bivocational friends, keep up the good work and one day you'll hear the sweetest words you could ever hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant...."

If you are interested in reading the article the magazine is now available or you can subscribe to the electronic edition at http://www.baptiststoday.org/ and read it there.

Cell phone courtesy

Please allow me a little rant, but first a disclaimer.  I have a Blackberry that I dearly love.  It gives me my e-mail while I'm away from home.  If I'm away from my computer and need to check something I can go on-line and get the information I need.  It contains my calendar and contact information.  I can even use it as a phone!  It is a great tool that helps me be more productive.  But, it doesn't control my life.

Is there any real reason people must be available every moment they are awake?  And if there is, why can't some people learn to put their phones on vibrate when they are in a meeting or public event?  Last night I attended a church gathering, and during the prayer someone's phone started playing a tune.  During the prayer we could hear the phone being turned off. Beep - Beep - Beep - Beep.   Saturday I attended an estate auction and someone sitting behind me not only received a phone call but answered it and carried on a conversation without ever leavinghis seat.  And don't even get me started about people driving 30 miles an hour down a highway while trying to talk on their phone!

Common courtesy should tell people that leaving your phone turned on while in a meeting with other people is simply rude.  Quite frankly, I don't think most people are that important.  I know I'm not.  I will often leave my phone in the car when I go into a meeting, and if I do take my phone with me I make sure it is on vibrate, and I don't check it while someone is talking to me.  Again, that should be common courtesy.

When I lead a workshop the first thing I do is ask people to put their phones on vibrate.  I make a little joke of it so as not to upset anyone, but I just believe it is rude to the presenter and to the others who are there to have some song start playing during the presentation.  Now, I have no problem with someone receiving a vibrating call who needs to leave the room to answer it.  That's no more disturbing than someone who needs to go to the restroom, and I know there are people who are anticipating possible emergency or very important calls who do need to answer their phone.  I've taken such calls like that myself during meetings and left the room to answer them, but my phone was always on vibrate. 

If I was pastoring I would have an announcement on the screen or in the program every week reminding people to put their phones on vibrate.  It's only courtesy to others attending the service.  I don't want to be in the middle of a prayer and have someone's phone start playing a ring tone by Snoop Dog or have someone struggling with making a response to the message and being interrupted by a phone playing the theme from the Lone Ranger.

Cell phone technology has provided us with some great tools, but let's be courteous to one another how we use those phones.  I think the Golden Rule could certainly apply here.  End of rant.

Faithful

I am a big fan of Southern Gospel music.  For several years my wife and I held permanent seats at the Southern Gospel Quartet Convention held in Louisville.  We would attend at least five of the six nights the convention was held.  We would sit there for six hours every night listening to some of the top SG performers in the country.  Although I enjoyed most of the groups my all-time favorite was the Cathedrals.  I was sitting in my seat the year the Cats came out without Glen Payne.  We were told he was in the hospital.  During their set he called the stage, talked with George Younce, the bass singer for the Cats, and then sang a verse and chorus of a song.  Although he was in the hospital and singing over a telephone, his song touched every person in that huge arena.  Many were crying by the time he finished.  A few weeks later Glen Payne passed away.

I don't think I heard anything from the next group as I sat there thinking about the faithfulness of Glen Payne and George Younce.  They had been together for years travelling the country singing Southern Gospel music.  They had already announced they would retire at the end of the year.  Never was there one word of scandal or accusations of poor behavior.  Although they were now at the height of popularity, there had been many lean years, but they had remained faithful to the calling God had on their lives.  As I sat there I felt the Lord saying that He wanted that same faithfulness from me.  It was a holy moment in my life.

The next year at the Quartet Convention a print of Glen and George was made available.  It would be signed by George and Glen's widow.  I immediately went to the display area and stood in line for a copy.  I paid more for that print than any I had ever bought up to that time, and later paid about the same amount for a frame.  It hangs in front of my desk as a reminder of that night when God challenged me to a life of faithfulness.

He wants that for you as well.  Your calling may at times be challenging, and sometimes you may wonder why it is so hard to be faithful in doing what God has called you to do.  You may question if you have even understood God's call on your life.  After all, shouldn't it be easy to follow God's will for your life?  No, not always.  I tell pastors in my workshops that sometimes being in the middle of God's will is the toughest place you can be, but it is also always the best place.

I miss the Cathedrals.  They are still my favorite group even though they did retire at the end of that year.  George is now gone as well, but their music lives on.  So does the inspiration to remain faithful in the calling God has placed on my life.  Stay faithful my friends.