Protecting the unborn

Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would have required medical care for babies born after a failure attempt to abort them. This bill should have been a no-brainer, but 44 Democrats voted against it. They claim the bill was unnecessary as laws already require medical treatment for any baby born after an abortion attempt. Still, one must wonder why they would vote against this bill. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Ben Sasse, said voting against the bill was a vote for infanticide.

I find it ironic that this same week the new leader of the Democrat party Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned whether people should have babies any more. The factors she listed as concerns were global warming and college debt. It seems like some people want to do anything they can to stop babies from being born.

This isn't a political rant or an attack on any political party. These are facts, but the primary reason for this post is to give a call for the church to become more aggressive in speaking for the sanctity of life. I fear that many Christians and churches have become silent on this issue. As a result, our nation is incredibly divided on the issue of abortion including many within our churches. We are allowing the politicians and media to set the parameters for the discussion around sanctity of life issues. They would prefer the Christian community stay out of the conversation, but since the Scriptures have much to say about the sanctity of life, the church cannot keep silent.

When abortion was first legalized much of the church rose in protest. Sanctity of Life Sundays were a big deal. Ministers were bold to preach about the sanctity of life. Denominations published materials to educate their members about the issue. However, in the last few years much of the passion around the issue has been lost. Perhaps it is because many have believed the debate was lost and it was pointless to pursue it any further. We became weary in well-doing.

The church also made another big mistake in the abortion debates. Too often we attacked those who made the decision to have an abortion. I still remember early scenes of Christians lining the walkways to abortion clinics shouting at the women entering and waving signs condemning them for the choice they were making. Too many pastors railed against the people who made the choice to end their pregnancy often not realizing that some of the women they were denouncing were sitting in front of them, hurting over the decision they had made but fearful of telling anyone. When it came to this issue we forgot the mantra of how God hates the sin but loves the sinner. These attacks turned a lot of people against the church's position on abortion.

Pro-life people warned that the legalization of abortion was the first step down a slippery slope. It appears we have continued to slide further down that slope with this latest action by the Senate.

Let me suggest three things the church needs to do. First, we need to continue to speak for the sanctity of life. Every life is precious in God's sight. Secondly, we need to understand that many of the women who have chosen abortions did so for reasons we might not understand. Some felt at the time they had no choice, but now realize how wrong they were. I have talked to several who told me how much they now regret it and the pain they feel when they think about that choice they made. They do not need to be condemned but reminded of the grace of God. Thirdly, we need to pray for revival. Any nation that does not protect its most innocent and defenseless is a nation that is facing God's judgment. Our nation desperately needs revival.

There is one other thing that we as individuals need to do. I am not a one-issue voter, but I would never vote for any candidate who supports abortion. The 44 Senators who would not vote to protect the life of a live baby should never receive one vote from a Christian who believes life is precious. It's time Christians made their beliefs known at the polls, and if this issue doesn't make that happen I don't know what would.

Older pastors

As a younger pastor my judicatory leader told me that I should be where I wanted to serve out my active ministry by the age of 55. He assured me that once you were older than that many churches would not consider you for their open pastoral positions. Later, when I served as a judicatory minister I found how right he was.

I would meet with pastor search committees and repeatedly hear they wanted a young pastor who could bring new ideas for ministry. Never mind the fact that many of these churches never heard a new idea they liked, this was the mantra I heard over and over again. A common joke is that churches are looking for a 35-year-old pastor with 20 years experience, but the joke isn't too far off in some cases.

There is a misconception that every young pastor has new ideas for ministry. While some do, many younger pastors are still trying to get over their seminary education. Depending on where they attended seminary this might take ten years or longer! It's often several years before some ministers set aside the ministry theories they learned in school and settle in for the real task of leading a church.

Some of the sharpest, forward-thinking ministers I've known have been much older than what many churches are looking for in a pastor. These individuals have been through the trenches, they have learned much, and have the scars to prove it. Now, when they can really provide the help many churches need, they are considered too old. They are relegated to the retirement farm. The only time they hear from anyone is when they get a letter inviting them to the "Retired Pastor's Dinner" the denomination holds each year.

I've written much in this blog about the challenges smaller churches have in finding pastors. One way to overcome some of this challenge is to look at some of those older pastors who still have much to offer. Don't assume that because they have retired that they are not interested in serving a church. Perhaps they have retired because no church has expressed an interest in them.

I should also note that it's not only the smallest churches that could benefit from calling an older pastor. I know some older pastors who could serve churches of 150-200 people and do them a good job.

One last benefit of calling an older pastor. You don't have to worry about them looking to climb the next rung up the "ministerial ladder of success." They are not going to be looking to move to a bigger church in 2-3 years.

If you are having problems finding a pastor I suggest you look at any age limitations you might have. Calling an older minister might be the best thing you could do.

Small churches need to focus on health

If you serve in a smaller church and you are not reading Karl Vater's blog you are making a mistake. Karl writes a blog for Christianity Today that focuses on small church ministry. His blogs are right on target for small church leaders and are important reading for judicatory leaders who serve those leaders and their churches. Here is a link to a recent article about how we often fail smaller churches.

My best selling book to date is The Healthy Small Church: Diagnosis and Treatment for the Big Issues. Judicatory leaders have ordered copies for all the pastors serving in their associations, regions and districts. Churches have ordered copies for each of their member families, and some have worked through the book as a congregation. Out of the various seminars I have done for various denominations this book serves as the foundation for the one that is most requested. I've had the privilege of teaching hundreds of small church pastors the keys to helping their churches become healthier.

As Karl writes, so much of our emphasis is on encouraging our churches to become bigger, and if it isn't growing then something is wrong. I want to see every church grow, but if an unhealthy church grows it is apt to grow to become even more unhealthy. We don't need more unhealthy, large churches. We need healthy churches, both small and large, to do the work of the Kingdom.

In 1995 when Rick Warren wrote
The Purpose-driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message And Mission he claimed "The key issue for churches in the twenty-first century will be church health, not church growth." He was right on target. Church health can lead to church growth, but church growth does not necessarily lead to a church becoming healthier. Sometimes smaller churches believe if they could just grow larger their problems would go away, but that's often not true.

As pastors and lay leaders of smaller churches we need to seek ways to help our churches be healthy. We need to do a diagnosis of every aspect of our church's ministry to see what things are healthy and what needs attention. It will often be helpful to bring in someone from the outside to help perform that diagnosis. That might be a leader from your judicatory, a consultant, or someone else who understands the dynamics of a healthy church.

Once the diagnosis is completed we need to identify the steps needed to help the problem areas become healthier. Sometimes, like in our physical health, the remedies are not pleasant, but they are necessary if we want to regain health. It might mean some temporary discomfort will be needed to become healthier, but that will be a small price to pay to become the church God intended for us to be.

The final chapter in my book is designed to assist with your diagnostic work. I encourage your church to complete a diagnostic check-up annually so if there are any problems you can catch them early when they are easier to fix.

I doubt that anyone would question God's desire for our churches to be healthy so let's get to work on making that happen.

The isolation of bivocational ministers is not a good thing

Last week I had a great meeting with an individual who has served as a bivocational pastor of a larger church. He has currently stepped aside from pastoral ministry but is quite interested in finding ways to help develop bivocational pastors in his denomination. Although he lives several states away, he was in my area on business and wanted to meet me and discuss ways to provide training for those bivocational ministers who lack formal ministerial training.

One of his frustrations is that when training events are offered to bivocational ministers very few attend. Having been a bivocational pastor he understands the time constraints but still does not understand why more do not take advantage of the training opportunities provided them. I assured him it is a common problem across denominations, and no one has found a solution to it.

Part of the problem, I explained to him, is that many of us are used to being isolated in our ministries. As a bivocational pastor I seldom attended ministerial meetings. They were often held at times when I was at work, and even when they weren't I didn't feel I fit in with the fully-funded ministers who would be there. Their world was much different than mine, or at least that's what I thought at the time. I later learned that wasn't always true.

Some of that isolation is a learned response. For many, their denominations hardly know they exist. One bivocational minister I was coaching was seeking a new place to serve. I asked if he had talked to his judicatory leader about his interest in moving. He said he had been in his current church for five years, and his judicatory minister would not know him if he walked in his office. He had never met the man nor spoken to him. Unfortunately, that is not an unusual situation. When pastors do not believe they receive much support from their denominational leaders they are not likely to be interested in attending the denominational events either.

Because of my twenty years as a bivocational pastor, when I became a judicatory leader I was well received by the bivocational ministers in the area I served. They often attended events I hosted because "I was one of them." Once several bivocational ministers traveled nine hours one way to attend a seminar I led in Canada. I was astonished that anyone would make that commitment to attend my seminar. I was even more amazed the next year when I was invited to lead the same seminar in another province in Canada, and they showed up again.

Bivocational ministers need to attend such events, not just for the learning that is available, but for the fellowship and the relationships that can develop when we are with other like-minded people. Isolation is not a healthy thing. It can lead to great discouragement and even depression. When we isolate ourselves from others it allows the devil to begin speaking lies into our minds making us believe we are all alone. We can begin to feel like Elijah, that we alone are left doing the Lord's work.

Find one or two training events that seem to speak to your needs this year and attend them. Go to a local ministerial meeting or your denominational events. If nothing else, call some other bivocational ministers in your area and plan a time to get together. Just don't isolate yourself.

Keeping the main thing the main thing

For years we've heard the importance of keeping the main thing the main thing. All that it means is that we need to keep focused on doing what's really important and refuse to allow ourselves to get sidetracked on lesser things. For those of us in leadership roles this is especially important. If we allow ourselves to get involved in lesser things it will affect our entire organization.

Congress has lost sight of this imperative. They have spent two years investigating the president and any involvement he may have had with Russia that might have influenced the election. Since the latest report from the Senate Intelligence Committee seems to vindicate the president it appears this has been millions of dollars and hours wasted for political purposes. Congress continues to promote policies regarding tighter gun laws that are unnecessary and have no chance of passing. Congress was willing to shut down the government over funding for a wall that would cost a minimal fraction of the total budget. Newly elected members of Congress continue to promote radical agendas that the nation cannot afford and does not need. To read and listen to the news one would think these are the most important challenges facing our nation.

At the same time we have military men and women fighting and dying in wars across the globe, homeless people living on the streets in the midst of a frigid winter, veterans who cannot get into VA hospitals for the assistance they need, children who are going hungry, an infrastructure that has long needed attention, an education system that often fails its students, a drug epidemic that is creating more and more crime and probably partly responsible for an increase in suicides, gang violence that is in both large and smaller communities, prisons that are overcrowded, and the list goes on. Can anyone tell me one thing our government "leaders" have done to address any of these issues in recent memory?

The only thing these "leaders" want to do is to promote their own political agendas. Let the nation go down the tubes as long as they get their way and keep the other side from "winning." Long ago they lost the idea of keeping the main thing the main thing. What is good for the nation is a long-forgotten concept in the minds of many of our "leaders."

Before anyone accuses me of going political, I'm blaming everyone in office, and this is not a political problem, it is a moral problem. Everyone of the issues I listed above is a moral issue. Building a wall is no more immoral than locking one's doors at night. But, ignoring the many problems I mentioned above while focusing all one's attention on "beating" the other side is a moral issue.

I don't expect the hardliners of either party to change. They live in districts that will re-elect them regardless of what they do or don't do. They've never had the good of the nation in mind anyway. I also have little hope that some of the more outspoken newer members of Congress will change. I can only hope their radical agendas and statements will make them one-term members of Congress. What I would like to see are the moderate voices of both parties begin to say "Enough is enough." It would be great for them to speak out and challenge their "leadership" to begin to address the real issues facing our nation. It would be even better for them to begin to work across the aisle to find common ground that would address some of these issues. I know that's not how our government works anymore, but but the fact is our government hasn't worked in years. Maybe we need some people with the courage to make it work like it is supposed to.

Millennials and evangelism

For years churches have focused on reaching millennials with the gospel. This was the age group many churches wanted to reach. For some, it was the desire to carry out the Great Commission to this age group. For others, their efforts to reach this age group was for the hopeful survival of their church.

In a recent Barna study nearly three-fourths of millennials believe they know how to respond if someone asks about Christianity, However, nearly half of the millennials who responded said it was at least somewhat wrong to share their faith with a person of another faith in an effort to convert that person to Christianity. This was four times higher than Boomers who responded the same way.

This reflects the mentality that many millennials have that if someone disagrees with you it means they are judging you, and young people do not want to be accused of judging anyone. This makes evangelism a challenge to many in this generation.

It also reflects a serious problem. Our culture and educational system is having a greater impact on the thinking of young people than the church. In a society in which there is no absolute truths how can anyone justify professing that they have the truth. It becomes even more difficult to tell others that they not only have the truth, but they know the Truth, and His name is Jesus. This type of conversation isn't acceptable in our politically correct society that values diversity more than truth. When everyone has their own truth, to make such statements does come across as judgmental.

Many Christian millennial leaders place the blame for their generation's views on evangelism on the church. They believe the church needs to do more to disciple this age group so they have a better understanding of their faith and the importance of evangelism. There's been a great deal of emphasis on getting them in the church and less of an emphasis in discipling them. As one millennial wrote, "The data here strongly suggests that Christian millennials are being catechized by their colleges, not churches."

For several decades we have seen a steady drop in the number of people coming to faith in Christ and becoming members of churches. The latest studies do not suggest that this is going to improve unless the church recaptures the mission God gave it which is found in the Great Commission. Until the church takes this mandate seriously and begins to teach its members the importance of evangelism and equips them to do it, this decline is unlikely to improve.

Leaders and change

Growing leaders grow churches. Growing leaders grow other people, especially other leaders. Growing leaders can expect greater opportunities to serve because they can be trusted with greater responsibilities. Growing leaders get to enjoy the joys of leading. Obviously, if these are true, each of us should seek to grow as leaders. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

For some reason many ministers are not interested in personal growth. They are content to continue doing the same things they've done throughout their ministries. They never examine their leadership styles to determine if they remain effective. They still preach exactly like they did when they were trying to impress their preaching professor. They continue to operate with the same church structures they have always known without ever looking into other structures that might be more effective. When they retire their ministries look very much like it did when they began their ministry.

In order for growth to occur change is required, and many ministers are not too fond of change. It's kind of interesting because many of us talk about change from the pulpit, but the context is always in the church changing, not us. Maybe our congregations are not interested in changing because they never see any change in us or the way we approach ministry.

What needs to change for growth to occur? Basically...everything. The way we think about ministry, the way we go about ministry, and the way we lead. By saying everything has to change I am not necessarily saying that everything we are doing is wrong. I am saying that nearly everything we have been taught in the past about ministry can be improved upon.

An article in the Harvard Business Review has said that the skills learned while seeking a bachelor's degree used to provide enough basic training to last during our career. Today, that education is good for about five years. In other words, much of what we learn in college will be outdated before we pay off our student loans. I doubt that a seminary education has any greater shelf life. If we want to continue to grow as leaders and enjoy the most productive ministries we can we must be committed to lifelong learning that will allow us to grow as ministers and as human beings.

As we are exposed to new learnings we will have to make the decision about whether we are willing to change what we have been doing to be able to incorporate the new knowledge into our leadership. New information is only useful if it changes the way we function. Those changes will never be comfortable either to ourselves or those we lead, but they are necessary. And the bad news is that those new changes will soon have to be replaced again by newer knowledge and skills we acquire. Growth is a never-ending circle of making constant improvements in how we minister based on what we are continual learning.

If we are unwilling to do this we are not fully committed to God's call on our lives. If we are willing to only do the minimum required to get by we dishonor our calling and shortchange the people we have been called to serve. At the end of each year we should be able to look back and see areas in our leadership and ministry in which we have grown.

In closing, it must be admitted that change is never pleasant nor easy. It often creates pain both within ourselves and those we serve. There is always a risk in change, but it is a risk we must be willing to take if we want to remain effective in our calling. As painful as it might be to make the changes we need to make in our own leadership, there will come a day when we realize the pain was worth it.

Politics and the pulpit

One of the most controversial questions in the church today revolves around the topic of politics and the pulpit. Should pastors talk about political issues, politicians and political parties from the pulpit? People have strong feelings on both sides of this issue. Churches have been threatened with the loss of their 501(c) 3 status if they engage in political issues. Various organizations have discussed how far churches can go without running afoul of these rules. Some churches avoid any discussion of political issues while others seem to be highly engaged in helping their preferred candidate be elected.

I'm no expert on the law, and I don't pretend to be. In this blog I can only talk about what I've done and believe. As a pastor I avoided publicly supporting any candidate although in private conversations I would talk about my preferences. When my father was running for a county office several years ago I would not even allow him to put a sign in my yard. I told him I would certainly vote for him and encourage others to do so, but I felt a campaign sign in my yard was something I was not comfortable with as a pastor.

I avoided political issues unless they were moral issues, and many of them are. I never had a problem speaking out against abortion as this is a moral issue, not merely a political one. The same would be true of other moral and justice issues. The church must take a stand on the moral issues of the day regardless of whether they are supported by Democrats or Republicans. I can criticize either party equally when they support things that run counter to scriptural teaching.

A few years after I resigned from the church I served the church was going through another pastoral change. A few months into that transition my father called quite upset. He and his wife had got up during the sermon and walked out. His voice was still shaky when he called me. He could not believe he would ever have done that, but he said he was so tired of hearing the interim pastor condemn the political party he had supported his entire life. No, he didn't agree with everything that party supported, but he said it was also not the evil monstrosity the interim pastor accused it of being every week. He said what I believe many Christians feel: He did not go to church to listen to political speeches but to hear the Word of God.

When Jerry Falwell started the Moral Majority he, and many others, felt that it would bring about a moral revival in America. A lot of money and time was spent trying to influence elections and laws enacted in Congress. While the Moral Majority was welcomed to the political table by one party, it's influence within that party was minimal. Falwell was not a person who easily surrendered, but I think he finally realized that the answer to America's problems was not through the political process. In the late 1980s he returned to focusing his attention to the pastoral work to which he had been called.

The 2020 election cycle has already started. It will be tempting for church leaders and ministers to begin taking sides and supporting their preferred leaders. I just encourage caution. In the 2016 election I found a lot of the political rhetoric coming from Christians, especially on social media, to be very unhelpful to the work the church is called to do. We don't have to talk about individuals or parties. I believe speaking to the moral issues will help people determine who they should support in the upcoming elections.

Great way to look at bivocational ministry

Several years ago I led some workshops for an annual denominational gathering. Also leading a workshop was Nelson Searcy, pastor of The Journey Church in New York. Both of us had books released in the months prior to the conference, and we were leading workshops built around those books. My workshop was held in the morning, and Nelson's was held later. I attended his workshop and was very impressed by the material he presented. Since then he has released a number of books, most of which I own.

This year his newest book The New You: A Guide to Better Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness was released. I am finding it a very helpful book for anyone and especially for those of us in ministry. Our personal well-being will directly impact our effectiveness in life and ministry. Many ministers I know are much better at caring for others than they are in practicing good self-care. I am one of those ministers. In this book he and Jennifer Dykes Henson offers very practical steps to take to become healthier in each of the areas listed in the subtitle.

In my reading this morning I came across a statement in the book that I thought was especially relevant for those of us in bivocational positions. He referred to a friend who runs the New York City Marathon each year. His friend has commented that life is a marathon, a statement with which Nelson disagreed. He wrote, "Life is not a marathon, and it shouldn't be looked at as one. Life is better viewed as a series of short sprints with periods of rest in between."

What a great way of thinking for bivocational leaders! I've written elsewhere about the danger of allowing our lives to get out of balance. With all the various demands on our time, this is easy to do. We can very quickly fall into the trap of believing that we have to respond to every request, every demand, and allow ourselves to get overloaded, overworked, and overscheduled. No one can keep up that kind of life style for very long. Trying to do so can lead to various health issues, both physical and emotional. I've been very open about my battle with depression during the mid-1980s, and much of that was directly due to trying to live life as a marathon.

We should not forget that God created the universe in six days and then rested for a day. You are not a slacker for taking time away from your responsibilities. Each of us needs time for refreshment and renewal if we want to live peak lives. But, I can guarantee that if you do not intentionally schedule such times they will not happen. Somebody, somewhere will need you to do something. I got to the point where I wrote on my calendar date nights for my wife and me. If somebody asked me to do something at that time I just told them I already had an appointment. It was NEVER a problem.

I have also appreciated the chapters on diet and exercise. They provided me with information I did not know about eating healthier (which I needed to know!), and I have already began implementing these changes into my life. I am currently about half done reading the book. I normally do not recommend books until I've finished them, but I want to encourage you to read this one. The material you'll find asks you to take small steps towards becoming healthier in every aspect of your life. Any of us can take small steps, and most of us need to.

The ministry of prayer

Earlier this week I was sitting in the car waiting on my wife to get off work. A young couple came out of the store pushing a cart. She was pregnant. I began to pray for them and for the unborn child. I prayed the child would be healthy, and I prayed that, if the couple did not know Christ that He would reveal Himself to them. I prayed that the child would grow up in a godly home.

This was something I had not done before. Often, when I see an accident on the highway I'll pray for the people involved and the first responders. I've prayed when I've seen older people struggling to get across a road or into a store. I've prayed for people who had asked me to look at items they were considering selling in my auction. You would be surprised at some of the stories I hear in those settings. Not once has anyone refused to allow me to pray for them when I've asked. However, this was the first time I had prayed for a young, pregnant couple walking to their car.

Throughout my ministry I've had people tell me they don't know how they could minister to other people. I've often heard this from older persons who feel their best years are behind them. Maybe you can't go on a mission trip or be involved in an outreach ministry, but anyone can pray. Intercessory prayer is a ministry that anyone can do.

I've read that when Corrie ten Boom was bedfast her caretaker brought her mail every day. Corrie would read the cards and letters and then pray for the sender. No longer able to travel and speak she was still involved in the powerful ministry of praying for others. This same ministry is possible for each of us.

I can imagine that when I get to heaven I will find out a lot of people have prayed for me over the years that I never knew about. You will probably learn that people were praying for you as well. As wonderful as that is, think how you'll feel when someone you've never met comes to you to say that they've learned that you prayed for them one day in passing and God marvelously answered your prayer.

Let's look for opportunities to pray for one another. We all need prayer, and we all need to be praying more than we do.

Action, not mere words, are needed

I did not watch the State of the Union address this week. In fact, I stopped watching them several years ago. It has been reduced to political theater with both parties inviting spectators that might embarrass the other side, the president's party applauding every few moments while the other party sits on their hands, and a lot of words that seldom are translated into action. Personally, when the Speaker refused to allow the STOU to be delivered in the House chambers during the government shutdown, I was hoping the president would deliver it from the Oval Office. Then he would have been speaking to the people without the political spectacle. I would have watched it if that had occurred because it would have seemed to have more meaning.

During the SOTU, and most political speeches, many words are spoken. What one needs to check out is what happens when the cameras stop rolling. Is there actually any action taken on anything that was said? The president called for unity. Will that happen? Can that happen? I would say not as long as both parties refuse to yield on anything substantial, and it doesn't appear that is going to occur.

The president talked about the dignity of every person, including the unborn. He asked Congress to pass a bill that would ban late-term abortions. This excited his political base, but will this translate into any action? From past experience, and the response of the Democrats in the House, it's unlikely. More talk, no action, and this action on many of the issues facing the nation continues to bring harm.

Of course, this isn't much different that what occurs in many churches. Churches talk a lot about growing, but many of them will oppose anything that is new that might lead to growth. There is much talk about evangelism, and little evangelism actually taking place. There are many sermons on the importance of prayer, but few in the church pray with any consistency, and if the church even still has a prayer service during the week it will be the poorest attended service in the church. The church talks a lot about the importance of making disciples, but few have any idea of what a disciple might look like nor do they have plans for how to help people grow into discipleship.

Talk is cheap in the political and church arenas. It's easy to say the words that will fire up the base, but it's much more difficult to put those words into action. There are always those who prefer the status quo because that is where they are the most comfortable. If nothing is done, nothing changes. Everything continues as before, but in time everything becomes less effective, less relevant, and less likely to address the changes occurring in our world.

Anyone who attempts to actually do something will have their critics, but again, their words are cheap and meaningless. When Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem he had his vocal critics who tried to discourage the people and halt the work. He refused to listen to them, and he refused to allow them to stop the work.

Ann Coulter, once a strong supporter of President Trump, has become just as vocal in her current criticism. Some have suggested that if she feels she could do better she should run for the office. Recently, she told Bill Maher there's not a chance she would run. Of course not. If she was elected then she would have to do something besides offering her trade-mark flamethrower criticisms. She well knows that it's much easier to criticize, to offer up talk, than to actually accomplish something. Unfortunately, talk alone doesn't bring about the changes we need in our churches and our nation.

Freedom that destroys

States such as New York are rapidly loosening their abortion laws making it possible for even more women to terminate their pregnancies while people in the senate chambers applaud. Bookstores openly display books containing  vulgar language in their titles. Many television stations no longer bleep out vulgar language in the movies they show. Christian owned businesses are forced out of business for refusing to sacrifice their personal beliefs.What used to be hidden in the backrooms of society now marches down Main Street proud and legal. This is what freedom now looks like in America.

As a nation we have been on this downward path for some time, but it seems that we are now in a full gallop towards our own destruction. Like the Roman empire of old, we are self-destructing from within. While Congress is locked into looking at possible Russian influences, while these "leaders" are bent on taxing the wealthy to pay for their extravagant spending, while people appear to wake up looking for what might offend them today, while our national media is trying to find ways to shape the news to fit their desired ends, a blind eye is given to the internal destruction that is occurring. This destruction is caused by a false understanding of what freedom is.

In his excellent book, Last Call for Liberty: How America's Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat, Os Guinness writes  "Much of the way Americans now think of freedom is unrealistic and unsustainable. And worse, certain movements launched in the name of freedom represent a political and cultural counterrevolution that openly breaks with freedom as the American republic has known it. They claim they are righting wrongs and expanding freedom to ever-new levels, but in the eyes of their critics their 'total' or 'absolute freedom' is nothing less that 'the destruction of freedom in the name of freedom.'"

The demand for absolute freedom in our entitlement-driven society cheapens life and devalues all of humanity. It leads to chaos and violence. If everyone is free to do whatever they want then no one is free, and when these "freedoms" bump against each other chaos and violence is certain to erupt.

Guinness reminds us that our craving for absolute freedom has made us less free than ever before. We are a nation that is dying through our addictions and compulsions. In 2015 more people died of drug overdose that by guns or car crashes combined. Our compulsions have led us to extreme levels of personal indebtedness. No one controlled by their addictions and compulsions can claim to be free.

The Bible teaches us that when we sow to the wind we will reap the whirlwind, and the whirlwind is what we now have. We have sought unlimited freedom only to become less free than ever before.

In John 8 Jesus tells His listeners, and us, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free..Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." In other words, true freedom doesn't come from the stroke of a governor's pen or the latest pronouncement from some courthouse. It comes from a much higher power than either of these.

True freedom comes when we place ourselves under God and His teachings. It comes when we seek to live according to His standards and not according to the changing dictates of whomever happens to be elected to office at the time. America will never again know what freedom is until it rediscovers God. It is the task of the church to keep preaching the salvation and freedom that is found in a relationship with God through Christ. May we strive to proclaim this message of hope.

Why pastors lose passion for the ministry

One important key to success in any endeavor is passion. If one does not have passion for what he or she does it's unlikely they are going to enjoy the level of success they could have. I spent eleven years working on an assembly line. It was a good job that provided well for my family, but I never felt passion for anything I did. I enjoyed the people I worked with, I mostly enjoyed the work I did, but there was never any passion. When my shift ended I was glad to go home.

Ministry has been different. Yes, there have been difficult times and even times when it has been unpleasant, but I've always felt passionate about this call God has on my life. Since much of my ministry has been done as a bivocational person passion has been something much needed. I cannot imagine doing bivocational ministry and not feeling passionate about what I was doing.

In my book The Bivocational Pastor: Two Jobs, One Ministry I include a chapter on the importance of passion in ministry. That chapter includes some reasons why some pastors lose that passion, and I will be pulling some thoughts from that chapter to this post.

One primary reason many pastors, bivocational and fully-funded, lose passion for the ministry is fatigue. Pastors are notorious for not practicing good self-care. We overbook ourselves, leaving no room for margin, and then struggle when unexpected events demand even more of our time. I'm reminded of the acts on the old Ed Sullivan show that featured an individual who kept several plates spinning on slender rods. He had to run from one to another to keep them spinning. That describes the way many ministers approach their ministries. We run from one thing to another trying to keep them all going. For the bivocational minister especially, trying to maintain balance between our ministries and other jobs plus managing everything else we need to do can be very tiring and a major drain on our passion for ministry.

Another factor that can drain us of our passion is pressure. Ministers face many pressures related to ministry. The pressure of loneliness, the pressure of expectations, the pressure of relationships, and the pressure of feeling inadequate for the job are just a few of the pressures we may feel.

In the book I discuss how to identify if you are losing passion for your ministry and some ways to recapture that passion. Our churches quickly reflect the personality of their pastors, and if the pastor has little or no passion for ministry, neither will the church. If passion is missing I highly recommend the ministry seek someone to talk to. This might be a denominational leader, another pastor you trust, or even a counselor. Your church deserves to have a pastor with a passion for serving them so make sure you maintain that passion.

Realistic expectations for smaller churches

While serving 14 years as a Resource Minister with our judicatory I had the opportunity to work with dozens of churches seeking new pastors. Many of these churches were smaller. A common problem I found in many of them was that they were still structured, and wanted to do ministry, as larger churches. Often, they were still using the same structure they had when they were larger and didn't realize that this structure would not serve them well now that they were smaller.

It is difficult to find pastors for smaller churches, and this does not look to improve any time in the near future. There are many reasons for this which I've addressed in some of my books on bivocational ministry. The one reason I want to address in this post is that these churches often have unrealistic expectations for their pastor.

Having been out of active ministry for a couple of years now I decided to look at ads churches were putting on the Internet for pastors. I found the same issue I had experienced when I tried to help smaller churches find a new pastor. Many of these churches were averaging 20-50 people in attendance, and they expected their pastor to preach on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday evening in addition to doing all the pastoral care and administrative duties many churches expect of their pastor. Even when the ad said they were looking for a part-time pastor (their words, not mine) the job description sure didn't sound part-time.

I realize many churches still think they must have Sunday evening services and mid-week services, but if they insist on having them I would suggest having lay people lead them. It is usually not a good use of the pastor's time to have to prepare and present three messages a week in smaller churches. It also seldom adds anything to the church's ministry.

Bivocational pastors must be very conscious of how they use their time, and the time they give the church must be productive. To expect them to meet the job descriptions I referred to above is not an productive use of their time and will add very little to the overall health of the congregation. Potential pastors will avoid churches with these type of expectations.

One other thing I noticed in some of the ads concerned the salary. The ad would include something like this: "Although the church cannot afford to pay much in the way of salary, the pastor can expect his salary to increase as the church grows." I heard this more than once from search committees I worked with. My response was usually this: "So you are not really looking for a pastor. What you want is a commissioned salesperson." This response was always met with resistance, but I would point out that this is exactly how commissioned salespeople are hired. They would be paid very little, but if they brought in the business they could earn more. Search teams did not especially like me pointing this out to them, but this was the mindset they had.

Smaller churches should offer the absolute best salary package they can afford without apology. If the cash salary must be minimal, then offer additional benefits such as more time away or something else that would appeal to the candidates. Try to tailor your salary package to the candidate to make it fit well with his or her needs. Certainly, as the church grows the salary can be improved, but don't put it in those terms when you are interviewing candidates.