There were times during my 20 years as the bivocational pastor of our small church that I felt very alone. Working a full-time job, pastoring a church and going to Bible college while trying to be a husband and father left little time for anything else. There certainly wasn't time to attend clergy meetings or denominational events. I was fortunate to have Area Resource Ministers who were always ready to answer my questions, but I also knew they had other churches to support as well. It would have been nice to have had someone else to talk to, someone to bounce ideas off of and sometimes have someone else to vent to.
I'm afraid our spouses end up being that person, and that's not fair to them. Many of them already feel like they are living in a glass house with everyone judging their every move and comment. Dumping our stuff on them isn't fair and doesn't make for a healthy relationship.
Although I was never reluctant to talk to my Resource Minister, when I entered that ministry after leaving my church I learned that many pastors are afraid to share too much with their Resource Ministers. They are concerned that if they reveal their frustrations and fears it might affect their future ministry. Perhaps the Resource Minister will be less likely to assist them in finding a new place to serve if and when that time comes.
Every minister, and especially bivocational ministers, need safe people to talk to. We need people who do not know us, our churches or our situations. We need people who will not judge us when we admit our weaknesses. We need a coach who can come alongside us to both encourage and challenge us.
When I began my ministry there were no life coaches or ministry coaches. Now, it is not uncommon for CEOs of large corporations to have an executive coach as one of the perks offered by the company he or she leads. Many people today hire financial coaches, exercise coaches and life coaches to help them grow and move forward in their lives. As is often the case, the church trails the rest of society in this, but we are now seeing more and more ministers having coaches to provide the listening ear they need. And these coaches are doing more than just listening. They are assisting these ministers in their own personal growth as well as the growth of their ministries.
My last book, The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide, came out of my doctoral dissertation on "Coaching Bivocational Ministers for Greater Ministry Effectiveness." In that project I coached six bivocational ministers in the US and Canada and reported on the impact it had on those ministers. For the book I added four more ministers I had previously coached and reported on those experiences as well. Each of the ones I coached was required to write a two-page report on how the coaching experience impacted their lives and ministries. Each of them reported very positive changes.
Coaching is done at times convenient to the person being coached. Often it is done over the telephone which means they don't have to take time to drive to some destination to meet someone or sit through a seminar that might or might not address their needs. As part of my coaching training I had a coach and found it to be an experience that enabled me to grow as a person and a minister. Since then, I've enjoyed coaching other persons in the hope they would experience the same thing in their lives.
If you would like to know more about how having a coach could benefit you, please DM me so we can discuss it further. I do not coach too many at one time so if you think you might be interested I encourage you to contact me soon.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Earning the trust to lead your church
Yesterday's post looked at the importance of pastors providing strong leadership to their churches. I'm sure some of my readers, especially those serving in smaller churches, felt frustrated at their inability to provide such leadership. Perhaps they've tried and found out the church didn't want strong leadership from the pastor. This often happens in smaller churches. However, it doesn't mean the pastor will never be able to provide such leadership.
Many smaller churches have a revolving door of pastors. The average tenure, depending on what study you read, of many pastors is less than three years. That's the average; in some cases it's much shorter than that. When I became pastor at Hebron Baptist Church the average tenure for their pastors for many years was 12 months. Some pastors didn't stay much longer than 6 months.
This does at least two things to a church. First, they wonder what's wrong with them that a pastor will not stay. Secondly, they must protect themselves from the new ideas a pastor presents when they know he or she isn't going to be there long enough to fully implement them. The true leaders in these churches are the laypeople who are invested in the church, and they are not going to share that leadership with anyone until that person earns their trust and the right to lead.
It takes between 3-11 years for a pastor to be able to truly lead a church. The smaller the church and the more frequent the pastoral turnover has been, the longer it takes to earn the trust of a congregation to be able to lead them. For me, in that church, it took seven years before I was able to provide the leadership I wanted. Sometime in that seventh year the people gave me permission to lead them. I had earned their trust which gave me the privilege of leading that church.
How does a pastor earn the trust of a congregation? Two things are required: competence and character, and the most important of the two is character. Believe me, I wasn't that competent when I first went to that church! However, I did try to exhibit character in everything I did.
Character was demonstrated when I stayed longer than previous pastors. After a while no one doubted that I truly loved that church and wanted the best for it. I wasn't interested in climbing the ministerial ladder of success by looking for a bigger church. I wanted to serve that church because I loved the people there. Character is also demonstrated when you do what you say you are going to do. A third way character is demonstrated is by apologizing when you make mistakes, and I had many opportunities to do that during my time there.
Smaller churches are much more interested in your character than they are in your competence. However, it is important to grow in competence if you want to lead well. After going there as pastor I enrolled in a Bible college. I read everything I could get my hands on trying to learn how to be a better pastor. I met with other pastors and our regional ministers to learn how to handle various issues. I was committed to life-long learning to be the best pastor I could be.
Years later, while serving as a regional minister, I had a phone call from a young pastor who wanted me to help him find another church to serve. He had been at his church eleven months and was frustrated that the church wouldn't do anything he said. I asked him why he felt that they should given that he had been there such a short time. He believed that since he was the pastor he was automatically the leader. I explained it didn't work that way, and he would have to earn the right to lead. I also explained that it might take a few years before that happened. He was insistent that I help him find another church, and I finally had to tell him I would not do that until he had been at the church for a longer time. He did find another church, stayed there about a year or two, and then left the ministry.
Leadership is a privilege that must be earned. The way one earns the right to lead is by doing the things necessary to earn the trust of the congregation. The two most important things one can do is to be competent in what you are doing and be a person of character. Doing these two things consistently plus time will earn you the right to lead your church.
Many smaller churches have a revolving door of pastors. The average tenure, depending on what study you read, of many pastors is less than three years. That's the average; in some cases it's much shorter than that. When I became pastor at Hebron Baptist Church the average tenure for their pastors for many years was 12 months. Some pastors didn't stay much longer than 6 months.
This does at least two things to a church. First, they wonder what's wrong with them that a pastor will not stay. Secondly, they must protect themselves from the new ideas a pastor presents when they know he or she isn't going to be there long enough to fully implement them. The true leaders in these churches are the laypeople who are invested in the church, and they are not going to share that leadership with anyone until that person earns their trust and the right to lead.
It takes between 3-11 years for a pastor to be able to truly lead a church. The smaller the church and the more frequent the pastoral turnover has been, the longer it takes to earn the trust of a congregation to be able to lead them. For me, in that church, it took seven years before I was able to provide the leadership I wanted. Sometime in that seventh year the people gave me permission to lead them. I had earned their trust which gave me the privilege of leading that church.
How does a pastor earn the trust of a congregation? Two things are required: competence and character, and the most important of the two is character. Believe me, I wasn't that competent when I first went to that church! However, I did try to exhibit character in everything I did.
Character was demonstrated when I stayed longer than previous pastors. After a while no one doubted that I truly loved that church and wanted the best for it. I wasn't interested in climbing the ministerial ladder of success by looking for a bigger church. I wanted to serve that church because I loved the people there. Character is also demonstrated when you do what you say you are going to do. A third way character is demonstrated is by apologizing when you make mistakes, and I had many opportunities to do that during my time there.
Smaller churches are much more interested in your character than they are in your competence. However, it is important to grow in competence if you want to lead well. After going there as pastor I enrolled in a Bible college. I read everything I could get my hands on trying to learn how to be a better pastor. I met with other pastors and our regional ministers to learn how to handle various issues. I was committed to life-long learning to be the best pastor I could be.
Years later, while serving as a regional minister, I had a phone call from a young pastor who wanted me to help him find another church to serve. He had been at his church eleven months and was frustrated that the church wouldn't do anything he said. I asked him why he felt that they should given that he had been there such a short time. He believed that since he was the pastor he was automatically the leader. I explained it didn't work that way, and he would have to earn the right to lead. I also explained that it might take a few years before that happened. He was insistent that I help him find another church, and I finally had to tell him I would not do that until he had been at the church for a longer time. He did find another church, stayed there about a year or two, and then left the ministry.
Leadership is a privilege that must be earned. The way one earns the right to lead is by doing the things necessary to earn the trust of the congregation. The two most important things one can do is to be competent in what you are doing and be a person of character. Doing these two things consistently plus time will earn you the right to lead your church.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Strong pastoral leadership missing in many churches
There are many reasons why churches are struggling today, but in my opinion one of the major reasons is the lack of strong pastoral leadership. Churches are floundering because they have no one leading them in the direction they should be going. While many churches are crying out for someone to lead them, too many pastors are satisfied to be maintaining the status quo and avoiding controversies.
In yesterday's post I mentioned the problem of declining baptisms. This decline is the result of the failure of many churches to take seriously the Great Commission's call to evangelism. One can sit in many churches for years and never hear a sermon challenging people to the work of evangelism. In these same churches there is unlikely to be an evangelistic sermon encouraging people to a relationship with Christ. It is also possible that in these same churches the pastor has never led one person to faith in Christ. A church will never be more evangelistic than its pastor. If the pastor is not leading in evangelism, the church will not be evangelistic.
We currently live in a time of great moral confusion. We now see laws passed protecting behaviors clearly condemned in Scripture and rejected by society for thousands of years. Polls now tell us that such behavior is finding widespread acceptance among a growing number of people. Part of this is due to the constant push for acceptance by the media and entertainment industry, but part of it is also due to the silence coming from our pulpits. Many pastors are afraid to speak on moral issues for fear of offending their congregations. Without a clear voice from the pulpit on such issues we can only expect confusion in the pews.
For the past few years many churches have complained about a lack of growth in the church. Growing a church is more difficult today than it was 40-50 years ago, but it's not impossible. In fact, many churches are growing. We know the steps churches need to take to grow so the problem is not a lack of knowledge. Since at least 80 percent of every county in the US is unchurched our lack of growth isn't due to a lack of people who need to be in our churches. The problem is a lack of pastoral leadership.
You see, growth comes with a cost. People want to grow their churches without changing anything, but if your church could grow by doing what you've been doing it would already be growing. Therefore, if a church is serious about wanting growth it must make some changes, and changes come with a price, and too many churches and pastors are not willing to pay that price. Some within churches will reject almost any change that is proposed, and some of the battles over these changes can become fierce. Unless the pastor is willing to pay the price to confront the opposition the needed changes are unlikely to ever happen. Even worse, every time the opposition wins it makes future changes more doubtful. Unless the pastor is more interested in pleasing God than in pleasing his or her controllers growth will not happen.
Some ministers do not want to lead. They want to manage the status quo. Such people should not be pastors. They can serve in staff positions, but they should not be in the role of pastor. Some ministers want to lead but do not know how. Few were taught leadership in seminary. Again, they were taught how to manage a congregation. But, anyone can grow as a leader. Look beyond seminary to training opportunities that will make you a better leader. No church can rise any higher than its leadership, and as its pastor grows in leadership ability the church can enjoy a much more effective ministry.
In yesterday's post I mentioned the problem of declining baptisms. This decline is the result of the failure of many churches to take seriously the Great Commission's call to evangelism. One can sit in many churches for years and never hear a sermon challenging people to the work of evangelism. In these same churches there is unlikely to be an evangelistic sermon encouraging people to a relationship with Christ. It is also possible that in these same churches the pastor has never led one person to faith in Christ. A church will never be more evangelistic than its pastor. If the pastor is not leading in evangelism, the church will not be evangelistic.
We currently live in a time of great moral confusion. We now see laws passed protecting behaviors clearly condemned in Scripture and rejected by society for thousands of years. Polls now tell us that such behavior is finding widespread acceptance among a growing number of people. Part of this is due to the constant push for acceptance by the media and entertainment industry, but part of it is also due to the silence coming from our pulpits. Many pastors are afraid to speak on moral issues for fear of offending their congregations. Without a clear voice from the pulpit on such issues we can only expect confusion in the pews.
For the past few years many churches have complained about a lack of growth in the church. Growing a church is more difficult today than it was 40-50 years ago, but it's not impossible. In fact, many churches are growing. We know the steps churches need to take to grow so the problem is not a lack of knowledge. Since at least 80 percent of every county in the US is unchurched our lack of growth isn't due to a lack of people who need to be in our churches. The problem is a lack of pastoral leadership.
You see, growth comes with a cost. People want to grow their churches without changing anything, but if your church could grow by doing what you've been doing it would already be growing. Therefore, if a church is serious about wanting growth it must make some changes, and changes come with a price, and too many churches and pastors are not willing to pay that price. Some within churches will reject almost any change that is proposed, and some of the battles over these changes can become fierce. Unless the pastor is willing to pay the price to confront the opposition the needed changes are unlikely to ever happen. Even worse, every time the opposition wins it makes future changes more doubtful. Unless the pastor is more interested in pleasing God than in pleasing his or her controllers growth will not happen.
Some ministers do not want to lead. They want to manage the status quo. Such people should not be pastors. They can serve in staff positions, but they should not be in the role of pastor. Some ministers want to lead but do not know how. Few were taught leadership in seminary. Again, they were taught how to manage a congregation. But, anyone can grow as a leader. Look beyond seminary to training opportunities that will make you a better leader. No church can rise any higher than its leadership, and as its pastor grows in leadership ability the church can enjoy a much more effective ministry.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Baptisms
This past Sunday I was privileged to witness a young boy's baptism. A friend of mine, the boy's grandfather, invited me to attend the service where the young man was going to be baptized. What a joy to see a young person give his life to Jesus Christ!
While baptism has no saving power, it is a witness to a change that has occurred in a person's life. It tells the world that this person's life has been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit as that person has committed his or her life to Christ. The Great Commission tells the church that its mission is to help people make that commitment, baptize them and help them grow as disciples of Christ.
For some reason, the church is not doing as well in fulfilling the Great Commission as it once did. No doubt the changes that have occurred in our society has affected our work in this area. Many people have abandoned the church in their search for God. They see the church as irrelevant to that search, and even many who do attend church see no value in church membership or have little interest in what they see as church rituals such as baptism.
All the blame cannot be placed on societal change however. How often do you hear a sermon on the importance of baptism in many churches today? When was the last time you heard what baptism meant, what it signified? And, how many churches are focused on fulfilling the Great Commission? Many churches are quite active in providing social services such as feeding the hungry, providing coats and shoes and student backpacks, and other important ministries, but how often do any of those activities lead to any type of evangelistic outreach?
I once talked with a pastor who told me their church had not baptized anyone in 50 YEARS! He was excited that they were baptizing two young people the following Sunday. Wanting to make this a special occasion, the baptism occurred after the worship service in the river. As the church proceeded to march down to the river, people in the town began to follow to see what they were doing. It turned out to be a great outreach event for the church. But, what was this church doing for 50 years? Certainly not fulfilling the one mission God gave the church.
For years the largest Protestant denomination in the US has seen their baptism numbers slip from the preceding year. I'm not pointing fingers because I would imagine almost every denomination would report the same decline. The church must get back to doing the first thing if we expect to have any impact on our world.
Evangelism, baptism and discipleship are not something we do if we can fit it into our schedules. These make up the Great Commission and represent the God-given mission of the church. If we fail at these we have failed as a church. All the food we pass out, all the shoes we collect and everything else we do will be of little value if the eternal souls of those we are helping are lost.
While baptism has no saving power, it is a witness to a change that has occurred in a person's life. It tells the world that this person's life has been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit as that person has committed his or her life to Christ. The Great Commission tells the church that its mission is to help people make that commitment, baptize them and help them grow as disciples of Christ.
For some reason, the church is not doing as well in fulfilling the Great Commission as it once did. No doubt the changes that have occurred in our society has affected our work in this area. Many people have abandoned the church in their search for God. They see the church as irrelevant to that search, and even many who do attend church see no value in church membership or have little interest in what they see as church rituals such as baptism.
All the blame cannot be placed on societal change however. How often do you hear a sermon on the importance of baptism in many churches today? When was the last time you heard what baptism meant, what it signified? And, how many churches are focused on fulfilling the Great Commission? Many churches are quite active in providing social services such as feeding the hungry, providing coats and shoes and student backpacks, and other important ministries, but how often do any of those activities lead to any type of evangelistic outreach?
I once talked with a pastor who told me their church had not baptized anyone in 50 YEARS! He was excited that they were baptizing two young people the following Sunday. Wanting to make this a special occasion, the baptism occurred after the worship service in the river. As the church proceeded to march down to the river, people in the town began to follow to see what they were doing. It turned out to be a great outreach event for the church. But, what was this church doing for 50 years? Certainly not fulfilling the one mission God gave the church.
For years the largest Protestant denomination in the US has seen their baptism numbers slip from the preceding year. I'm not pointing fingers because I would imagine almost every denomination would report the same decline. The church must get back to doing the first thing if we expect to have any impact on our world.
Evangelism, baptism and discipleship are not something we do if we can fit it into our schedules. These make up the Great Commission and represent the God-given mission of the church. If we fail at these we have failed as a church. All the food we pass out, all the shoes we collect and everything else we do will be of little value if the eternal souls of those we are helping are lost.
Monday, May 20, 2019
Training bivocational ministers
In my last post I wrote about a recent doctoral thesis written on the trend of mid-size churches to seek bivocational staff persons. As part of that post I suggested that we need to find ways to provide these individuals with the training they need to be effective in their calling. Some schools today offer such training.
Campbellsville University offers a Certificate in Christian Ministry through their School of Theology that would provide excellent education for a bivocational minister. This program is offered entirely online making it convenient for the student to work into his or her schedule. When completing this program the credits would be transferable if the student decided to continue his or her education at CU in their undergrad program. You might be thinking to yourself that if you completed that certificate program you would not be interested in continuing your studies. I thought that as a student at Boyce Bible School (now Boyce College), but when I completed that I felt led to continue my studies all the way until I earned my doctorate. You never know what God might lead you to until you begin the journey.
There are other schools offering similar programs, but I am not as familiar with them as I am with CU's program. Some seminaries are now offering dual degree programs for persons intentionally planning on going into bivocational ministry. This might be an option for some who sense a call to this ministry.
The American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky took a program that is being used in another region and used it to develop the Church Leadership Institute (CLI). It was originally designed to train lay leaders in our churches, but in the initial class we had several bivocational ministers who saw it as a way to get some much needed training. As they neared the end of the two-year program they kept asking for more training so we added another five courses for those who wanted to take them. Completing the entire program earned the student a Certificate in Christian Ministry, but more importantly, it gave our bivocational ministers more training than many enjoy.
CLI was never intended to replace a seminary education, but for many of the bivocational ministers in our region it provided an opportunity to receive both theological and practical skills training to help them better serve their churches. We intentionally kept the cost of each class low to make it available to everyone.
One of the things I most appreciated about CLI was it said to our bivocational ministers that they were important to our churches. We did not see them as second-class ministers. We wanted to come alongside them to help equip them for the ministry God had called them to do. I often receive emails from bivocational ministers around the country who tell me they wish their judicatories felt about them the way that our region does.
If you are a bivocational ministers you should check to see if your judicatory offers something similar to CLI. If it does not, ask them to think about developing such a program. I'm sure our region office would send them some materials to show them what we are doing.
Just before I retired we opened CLI up to anyone regardless of denominational affiliation. If you are serving in Indiana, and think this might be a good opportunity to receive some training, contact the Region office at 317-635-3552 for more information.
Bivocational ministry is increasing across denominations and even now appearing in larger churches. Those of us in seminary, denominational and judicatory leadership must find ways to ensure those serving in that role receives the training they need to be effective.
Campbellsville University offers a Certificate in Christian Ministry through their School of Theology that would provide excellent education for a bivocational minister. This program is offered entirely online making it convenient for the student to work into his or her schedule. When completing this program the credits would be transferable if the student decided to continue his or her education at CU in their undergrad program. You might be thinking to yourself that if you completed that certificate program you would not be interested in continuing your studies. I thought that as a student at Boyce Bible School (now Boyce College), but when I completed that I felt led to continue my studies all the way until I earned my doctorate. You never know what God might lead you to until you begin the journey.
There are other schools offering similar programs, but I am not as familiar with them as I am with CU's program. Some seminaries are now offering dual degree programs for persons intentionally planning on going into bivocational ministry. This might be an option for some who sense a call to this ministry.
The American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky took a program that is being used in another region and used it to develop the Church Leadership Institute (CLI). It was originally designed to train lay leaders in our churches, but in the initial class we had several bivocational ministers who saw it as a way to get some much needed training. As they neared the end of the two-year program they kept asking for more training so we added another five courses for those who wanted to take them. Completing the entire program earned the student a Certificate in Christian Ministry, but more importantly, it gave our bivocational ministers more training than many enjoy.
CLI was never intended to replace a seminary education, but for many of the bivocational ministers in our region it provided an opportunity to receive both theological and practical skills training to help them better serve their churches. We intentionally kept the cost of each class low to make it available to everyone.
One of the things I most appreciated about CLI was it said to our bivocational ministers that they were important to our churches. We did not see them as second-class ministers. We wanted to come alongside them to help equip them for the ministry God had called them to do. I often receive emails from bivocational ministers around the country who tell me they wish their judicatories felt about them the way that our region does.
If you are a bivocational ministers you should check to see if your judicatory offers something similar to CLI. If it does not, ask them to think about developing such a program. I'm sure our region office would send them some materials to show them what we are doing.
Just before I retired we opened CLI up to anyone regardless of denominational affiliation. If you are serving in Indiana, and think this might be a good opportunity to receive some training, contact the Region office at 317-635-3552 for more information.
Bivocational ministry is increasing across denominations and even now appearing in larger churches. Those of us in seminary, denominational and judicatory leadership must find ways to ensure those serving in that role receives the training they need to be effective.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Doctoral students looking at bivocational ministry
Yesterday I received a message I never get tired of getting. An individual reported that over the weekend he received his doctoral degree. His thesis examined the rise of bivocational worship leaders in mid-size SBC churches. He mentioned that my last book, The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide, was an important resource for his thesis.
That book came out of my own DMin project in 2010. Last week I received a report saying my thesis paper had now been downloaded nearly 2,800 times. It's exciting to know that my work is still having an impact, and it's even more exciting to see how many graduate students are researching bivocational ministry and its impact on churches. My friend sent me his thesis by email which I was excited to review last night.
His project points out an important fact that is often overlooked by some. Bivocational ministry is not just for smaller churches. Mid-size churches are finding they need to seek bivocational leadership as well, especially for staff positions. They are also finding out that calling bivocational ministers for those positions is working very well for them.
I still see churches seeking dual-role staff such as Associate Pastor/Youth Minister. Isn't that really a form of bivocational ministry? Persons in such roles are expected to spend a portion of their time in each role, and often one of those roles ends up getting short-changed. Perhaps the individual feels called particularly to youth ministry, but the only position he or she can find is one that includes another aspect of ministry. Which one is apt to receive most of that individual's attention? And if forced to spend more time in the other role, how effective is the person likely to be doing something for which he or she does not feel called and perhaps does not have the training to do the job properly? It soon becomes a bad fit for the church and the individual and will likely lead to an early separation.
How much better might it be if the church that needed the two roles filled but could only afford one person called two bivocational ministers? As each one focused on the role in which he or she was passionate about and trained to do it is likely that each role would be done with greater effectiveness.
As I've pointed out before, back in 1994 Lyle Schaller predicted that churches averaging less than 120 people in worship in 2018 would be served by bivocational pastors and bivocational teams. In many denominations churches averaging 120 still expect to be served by a seminary-trained, fully-funded pastor. These churches are finding it more difficult to find such persons to serve them. It appears Schaller's prediction is coming true as my friend's thesis points out.
I would encourage seminaries and denominations to begin a dialogue on how to prepare individuals for this form of ministry which is only going to increase. Denominations cannot continue to ignore the needs of their smaller churches, and they certainly cannot ignore those same needs of their mid-size churches. It's time to get proactive in developing effective training programs for our bivocational leadership.
That book came out of my own DMin project in 2010. Last week I received a report saying my thesis paper had now been downloaded nearly 2,800 times. It's exciting to know that my work is still having an impact, and it's even more exciting to see how many graduate students are researching bivocational ministry and its impact on churches. My friend sent me his thesis by email which I was excited to review last night.
His project points out an important fact that is often overlooked by some. Bivocational ministry is not just for smaller churches. Mid-size churches are finding they need to seek bivocational leadership as well, especially for staff positions. They are also finding out that calling bivocational ministers for those positions is working very well for them.
I still see churches seeking dual-role staff such as Associate Pastor/Youth Minister. Isn't that really a form of bivocational ministry? Persons in such roles are expected to spend a portion of their time in each role, and often one of those roles ends up getting short-changed. Perhaps the individual feels called particularly to youth ministry, but the only position he or she can find is one that includes another aspect of ministry. Which one is apt to receive most of that individual's attention? And if forced to spend more time in the other role, how effective is the person likely to be doing something for which he or she does not feel called and perhaps does not have the training to do the job properly? It soon becomes a bad fit for the church and the individual and will likely lead to an early separation.
How much better might it be if the church that needed the two roles filled but could only afford one person called two bivocational ministers? As each one focused on the role in which he or she was passionate about and trained to do it is likely that each role would be done with greater effectiveness.
As I've pointed out before, back in 1994 Lyle Schaller predicted that churches averaging less than 120 people in worship in 2018 would be served by bivocational pastors and bivocational teams. In many denominations churches averaging 120 still expect to be served by a seminary-trained, fully-funded pastor. These churches are finding it more difficult to find such persons to serve them. It appears Schaller's prediction is coming true as my friend's thesis points out.
I would encourage seminaries and denominations to begin a dialogue on how to prepare individuals for this form of ministry which is only going to increase. Denominations cannot continue to ignore the needs of their smaller churches, and they certainly cannot ignore those same needs of their mid-size churches. It's time to get proactive in developing effective training programs for our bivocational leadership.
Monday, May 13, 2019
You find what you are looking for
The story is told of a couple driving through a small community who stopped and asked an older gentleman about the people who lived there. They wanted to know what the people were like. He asked, "What are the people like where you live?" They responded most of the people were self-centered, rude, and not very nice people. The old man said, "Well, that's what you will find here, too."
The next day another couple drove through the community and happened to ask the same older gentleman the same question. Again, he asked, "What are the people like where you live?" They said most of the people were very out-going, friendly, helpful, pleasant people. The older man smiled and said, "Well, that's what you will find here, too."
The point is clear: we usually find what we are looking for. Zig Ziglar used to say that some people look for faults in others like there was a reward for finding them. He challenged his audiences to become good-finders. Look for the good in people and you'll usually find it.
This is also true in churches. We often hear people talk about all the problems in various churches, and churches do have their problems. But, churches also have their good points, and when we begin looking for them we'll usually find them.
We're all familiar with the old cliche that people use for not going to church: "It's full of hypocrites." Maybe that's so. When I used to go to bars it was full of hypocrites as well, but it didn't keep me out. The ballparks are full of hypocrites, but I've never heard anyone using that excuse for not going to a ball game. Hypocrites should go to church. The church was never intended to be a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners.
If you're looking for the perfect church and find it, please don't go there. It won't be perfect any more if you attend. But, if you look for the good in churches, you'll probably find it among all the problems there as well. You'll be able to participate in the good things and, perhaps, help clean up some of the problems.
The next day another couple drove through the community and happened to ask the same older gentleman the same question. Again, he asked, "What are the people like where you live?" They said most of the people were very out-going, friendly, helpful, pleasant people. The older man smiled and said, "Well, that's what you will find here, too."
The point is clear: we usually find what we are looking for. Zig Ziglar used to say that some people look for faults in others like there was a reward for finding them. He challenged his audiences to become good-finders. Look for the good in people and you'll usually find it.
This is also true in churches. We often hear people talk about all the problems in various churches, and churches do have their problems. But, churches also have their good points, and when we begin looking for them we'll usually find them.
We're all familiar with the old cliche that people use for not going to church: "It's full of hypocrites." Maybe that's so. When I used to go to bars it was full of hypocrites as well, but it didn't keep me out. The ballparks are full of hypocrites, but I've never heard anyone using that excuse for not going to a ball game. Hypocrites should go to church. The church was never intended to be a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners.
If you're looking for the perfect church and find it, please don't go there. It won't be perfect any more if you attend. But, if you look for the good in churches, you'll probably find it among all the problems there as well. You'll be able to participate in the good things and, perhaps, help clean up some of the problems.
Friday, May 10, 2019
More congressional hypocrisy
Every American should be getting fed up with the hypocrisy that consumes politics. Instead of focusing on the many critical issues facing our nation, Democrats cannot get past their hatred for President Trump long enough to actually do the work we pay them to do. Unfortunately, much of the same thing happened during President Obama's term on the other side of the aisle. As long as partisan politics continues to rule Congress our nation is stuck dealing with the same issues it has dealt with now for years.
Jerry Nadler is livid over the fact that the Attorney General refuses to appear before his committee to face questions regarding the Mueller report. He led the effort to find the AG held in contempt of Congress saying his refusal to testify is an attack on our democracy. However, in 2012 Nadler walked out of a Republican-led effort to hold then AG Eric Holder in contempt for refusing to appear before Congress to testify in the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that occurred during President Obama's term. At the time he tweeted the vote was shameful and politically-motivated.
Nadler has also filed a subpoena for a copy of the unredacted Mueller report. However, back in the Clinton era this same Nadler was cautioning against releasing the details of Ken Star's report that eventually led to Clinton's impeachment. These are just a couple of the examples of the hypocrisy that runs rampant in Washington.
Another example is the recent release of President Trump's tax returns from the late 1980s to the early 1990s that showed Trump lost over $1 billion. Immediately, his critics jumped on those losses especially when the report from the New York Times said that Trump owed no taxes for eight of the 10 years they reported.
What the critics seem to forget is that many businesses lost money during that time frame, and when a business loses money they are allowed to deduct that loss on their tax returns. I am quite sure if the Times loses money they show that on their tax returns to reduce the amount of tax they owe. The same is true of any of Trump's other critics. It's also true that a lot of the losses incurred by businesses are paper losses, not actual money losses. Businesses are allowed by law, passed by Congress, to deduct many things as a loss that are losses on paper only. This is especially true when it comes to real estate. Although most years real estate increases in value, business owners can depreciate rental properties over a period of time allowed by the IRS. In writing all this I am assuming Trump's accountants followed all the laws regarding business losses, and with the likelihood of him being audited each year they would be foolish not to. With that assumption, his losses are legal under the laws created by Congress and regulated by the IRS, and anyone who wants to criticize him for following those laws is simply being hypocritical.
The constant attacks on President Trump and those in his cabinet do nothing but take up valuable time that should be spent on more important matters. The independent counsel's report was not what the Democrats wanted, so they continue to seek new ways to destroy the President. If both political parties cared more about America than they do about the next election maybe some wonderful things could happen that would address the real issues facing this great nation of ours.
Jerry Nadler is livid over the fact that the Attorney General refuses to appear before his committee to face questions regarding the Mueller report. He led the effort to find the AG held in contempt of Congress saying his refusal to testify is an attack on our democracy. However, in 2012 Nadler walked out of a Republican-led effort to hold then AG Eric Holder in contempt for refusing to appear before Congress to testify in the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that occurred during President Obama's term. At the time he tweeted the vote was shameful and politically-motivated.
Nadler has also filed a subpoena for a copy of the unredacted Mueller report. However, back in the Clinton era this same Nadler was cautioning against releasing the details of Ken Star's report that eventually led to Clinton's impeachment. These are just a couple of the examples of the hypocrisy that runs rampant in Washington.
Another example is the recent release of President Trump's tax returns from the late 1980s to the early 1990s that showed Trump lost over $1 billion. Immediately, his critics jumped on those losses especially when the report from the New York Times said that Trump owed no taxes for eight of the 10 years they reported.
What the critics seem to forget is that many businesses lost money during that time frame, and when a business loses money they are allowed to deduct that loss on their tax returns. I am quite sure if the Times loses money they show that on their tax returns to reduce the amount of tax they owe. The same is true of any of Trump's other critics. It's also true that a lot of the losses incurred by businesses are paper losses, not actual money losses. Businesses are allowed by law, passed by Congress, to deduct many things as a loss that are losses on paper only. This is especially true when it comes to real estate. Although most years real estate increases in value, business owners can depreciate rental properties over a period of time allowed by the IRS. In writing all this I am assuming Trump's accountants followed all the laws regarding business losses, and with the likelihood of him being audited each year they would be foolish not to. With that assumption, his losses are legal under the laws created by Congress and regulated by the IRS, and anyone who wants to criticize him for following those laws is simply being hypocritical.
The constant attacks on President Trump and those in his cabinet do nothing but take up valuable time that should be spent on more important matters. The independent counsel's report was not what the Democrats wanted, so they continue to seek new ways to destroy the President. If both political parties cared more about America than they do about the next election maybe some wonderful things could happen that would address the real issues facing this great nation of ours.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The discipleship challenge
Part of the Great Commission is the mandate to make disciples. If the modern day church has failed at anything it is the making of disciples. Nearly every pastor can point to Christians who have never matured beyond their conversion experience. We sometimes call them baby Christians because they've never grown up; they still act like babies who demand their own way and throw a tantrum if they don't get it. Even worse, these are often the people responsible for many of the conflicts that arise in churches.
We fail to disciple people because we approach discipleship the wrong way. Traditionally, churches have offered Sunday school classes to teach people the Bible. That model has become quite ineffective in many churches today because a decreasing number of church members now attend Sunday school classes. If a church has one-half of its worship attenders in Sunday school it is doing well.
Another reason the Sunday school model is not working as well as it should is because of the material often used. For the 20 years I served my church as pastor I taught the Young Adult SS class. At least the last 10 years I did not use any Sunday school material. We tried material from several publishing companies including our own denominational publisher. My class and I felt it has been dumbed down so much that it wasn't useful. Our children's teachers complained about the same thing and said it didn't provide enough material for the class time. Although many of the children's teachers continued to use Sunday school material I began to teach through books of the Bible to my class. I don't know if the material has improved since then.
A third reason Sunday school has not worked is because we have mistakenly believed that education was all that was needed for discipleship. It's not. Discipleship requires both knowledge and experience. We must find ways to give people opportunities to put into practice what they are learning. This might mean mission trips to serve people overseas or in other places in our own country. It might mean serving in our own local communities. After Jesus had spent some time teaching the disciples He sent them out to minister. This is a good example for any church serious about making disciples.
In a smaller church it might seem difficult to find ministry opportunities for our members, but it becomes much easier if we join with other churches, both small and large, and work with them. I've seen small churches join forces for specific projects and accomplish a great deal working together. Not only was important work done, there were opportunities for fellowship with Christians from other churches, and people grew in their faith.
Churches can no longer ignore the disciple-making element in the Great Commission. It is not enough to help people enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They must be led into a life of discipleship which only happens when we combine education with experience.
We fail to disciple people because we approach discipleship the wrong way. Traditionally, churches have offered Sunday school classes to teach people the Bible. That model has become quite ineffective in many churches today because a decreasing number of church members now attend Sunday school classes. If a church has one-half of its worship attenders in Sunday school it is doing well.
Another reason the Sunday school model is not working as well as it should is because of the material often used. For the 20 years I served my church as pastor I taught the Young Adult SS class. At least the last 10 years I did not use any Sunday school material. We tried material from several publishing companies including our own denominational publisher. My class and I felt it has been dumbed down so much that it wasn't useful. Our children's teachers complained about the same thing and said it didn't provide enough material for the class time. Although many of the children's teachers continued to use Sunday school material I began to teach through books of the Bible to my class. I don't know if the material has improved since then.
A third reason Sunday school has not worked is because we have mistakenly believed that education was all that was needed for discipleship. It's not. Discipleship requires both knowledge and experience. We must find ways to give people opportunities to put into practice what they are learning. This might mean mission trips to serve people overseas or in other places in our own country. It might mean serving in our own local communities. After Jesus had spent some time teaching the disciples He sent them out to minister. This is a good example for any church serious about making disciples.
In a smaller church it might seem difficult to find ministry opportunities for our members, but it becomes much easier if we join with other churches, both small and large, and work with them. I've seen small churches join forces for specific projects and accomplish a great deal working together. Not only was important work done, there were opportunities for fellowship with Christians from other churches, and people grew in their faith.
Churches can no longer ignore the disciple-making element in the Great Commission. It is not enough to help people enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They must be led into a life of discipleship which only happens when we combine education with experience.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Liberal hypocrisy
Back in the Stone Age when I attended school there was a lot of bullying that went on. We didn't call it bullying back then. We just "picked on each other." Nobody went running to the principal to complain that somebody said something mean to us, and our parents certainly weren't going to the school to demand that the bad children be made to quit being mean to their baby. And, no, the police weren't called.
Today, there is a lot of attention given to bullying. Schools have enacted very strict policies against bullying. Advertisements appear on TV and radio stressing the importance of not bullying on social media or in person. We often hear on news reports about the problem of bullying and how to prevent it. Our First Lady has launched an anti-bullying emphasis to help stop it.
I don't have a problem with an effort to eliminate bullying. It can be damaging to the one being bullied, and, in the long run, to the bully. The problem I do have is that the ones who talk the most about eliminating bullying are often the ones who are most guilty of it.
Recently, professional golfer Lexi Thompson played golf with President Trump and Rush Limbaugh. Last week she announced she was leaving social media due to the hurtful comments that have been directed towards her for playing golf with Trump and Limbaugh. Whose business is it who she plays golf with? Evidently anyone who doesn't like the president feels it is appropriate to chastise anyone who dares plays golf with the president. Are these trolls not bullying this young lady because she played golf with a friend of hers?
We've seen this same hypocrisy played out from liberals ever since President Trump was elected to office. Maxine Waters encouraged people to confront anyone working in President Trump's administration leading to a number of people being bullied in restaurants and other public places putting them and their families at risk. People wearing MAGA hats have been bullied and even beaten by liberals who feel bullied if they hear something that hurts their feelings.
This post isn't supporting the president or a political party, but it is a rant against the hypocrisy that is often seen from radical liberals who despise the president. Chances are these are the same people who claim they don't attend church because of all the hypocrites there. These are the same people who want want young people to stop bullying others. Well...they are just doing what they see you doing to the people you don't like.
Today, there is a lot of attention given to bullying. Schools have enacted very strict policies against bullying. Advertisements appear on TV and radio stressing the importance of not bullying on social media or in person. We often hear on news reports about the problem of bullying and how to prevent it. Our First Lady has launched an anti-bullying emphasis to help stop it.
I don't have a problem with an effort to eliminate bullying. It can be damaging to the one being bullied, and, in the long run, to the bully. The problem I do have is that the ones who talk the most about eliminating bullying are often the ones who are most guilty of it.
Recently, professional golfer Lexi Thompson played golf with President Trump and Rush Limbaugh. Last week she announced she was leaving social media due to the hurtful comments that have been directed towards her for playing golf with Trump and Limbaugh. Whose business is it who she plays golf with? Evidently anyone who doesn't like the president feels it is appropriate to chastise anyone who dares plays golf with the president. Are these trolls not bullying this young lady because she played golf with a friend of hers?
We've seen this same hypocrisy played out from liberals ever since President Trump was elected to office. Maxine Waters encouraged people to confront anyone working in President Trump's administration leading to a number of people being bullied in restaurants and other public places putting them and their families at risk. People wearing MAGA hats have been bullied and even beaten by liberals who feel bullied if they hear something that hurts their feelings.
This post isn't supporting the president or a political party, but it is a rant against the hypocrisy that is often seen from radical liberals who despise the president. Chances are these are the same people who claim they don't attend church because of all the hypocrites there. These are the same people who want want young people to stop bullying others. Well...they are just doing what they see you doing to the people you don't like.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Making wise financial decisions Part 2
I want to continue my discussion on storage units and their impact on our personal finances. First, I want to clear up a misperception some might have about my comments yesterday. I am not against using storage units. As I said yesterday, I rent one for the items I use in my auction business. Many small businesses do that. It is a business expense and is fully deductible.
There are other good uses for storage units. My daughter and her family go to a beach in Florida for 2 1/2 months every fall. They have rented a small storage unit there to keep their bicycles, boogie boards, umbrellas, and other items they use only when they are at the beach. They used to have to haul the bikes each year until she bought some real cheap at some yard sales down there. Their unit is small and very inexpensive so it makes sense to keep those items there instead of having to haul everything down there and then back home again.
Another good use for a storage unit is when someone is moving, but they can't move into their new home for a few months. Perhaps they are renting an apartment until their new home is ready. They need somewhere to keep their furniture and other personal belongings. It is reasonable to rent a storage unit for 2-3 months while they get ready to move into their new home.
Perhaps this was the deal with the unit I described yesterday, but for some reason that few months stretched out into, I'm guessing, at least a year and perhaps two. That becomes a lot of rent money down the tubes, and when the items are not very good quality it makes it even more sad.
Some may have questioned my comment yesterday when I wrote they could have replaced their furniture for less than they had paid for the rental. All the wood furniture in this unit was made out of particle board. It was all damaged. They were paying rent every month to keep these items. I can go into any auction in our area and buy a hard rock maple dining table and four chairs for under $100.00. I can buy a less expensive wood dining table and four chairs for less than $50.00.
The church I recently served as Transitional Pastor was helping a family furnish a home they had rented. They had been homeless for several months living in a van and had nothing. I went to an auction and purchased a clean and nearly new sofa (it didn't look like anyone had ever sat in it) for $8.00. I cautioned our staff to not buy anything until we attended an estate auction the next weekend. We bought bedroom suites, furniture, lamps, pots and pans and other kitchen items for the family at that auction for pennies on the dollar. We filled a two vans, a car and a trailer with items we bought, and I don't think we spent $300.00 for it all.
I had not been in the auction business very long when I told my wife we would never buy new furniture again. It simply does not make sense to pay $1,200.00 for a dining table and chairs when excellent quality ones can be bought at auction for $100.00 or make payments on a new sofa when a nice, clean one can be bought for well under $100.00.
The whole point of these two posts is to encourage ministers, especially ones struggling financially, to make wise financial decisions. You do not have to go into debt to get the items you need. You do not have to end up at rent-to-own stores where you will pay far more than you could buy the same item elsewhere. You do not have to throw good money after bad by paying to store items you'll never use again. You may have limited input on the salary you receive, but you can make wise decisions about how that money will be spent. If you start making wise decisions you'll find that salary can go much further than you realized.
There are other good uses for storage units. My daughter and her family go to a beach in Florida for 2 1/2 months every fall. They have rented a small storage unit there to keep their bicycles, boogie boards, umbrellas, and other items they use only when they are at the beach. They used to have to haul the bikes each year until she bought some real cheap at some yard sales down there. Their unit is small and very inexpensive so it makes sense to keep those items there instead of having to haul everything down there and then back home again.
Another good use for a storage unit is when someone is moving, but they can't move into their new home for a few months. Perhaps they are renting an apartment until their new home is ready. They need somewhere to keep their furniture and other personal belongings. It is reasonable to rent a storage unit for 2-3 months while they get ready to move into their new home.
Perhaps this was the deal with the unit I described yesterday, but for some reason that few months stretched out into, I'm guessing, at least a year and perhaps two. That becomes a lot of rent money down the tubes, and when the items are not very good quality it makes it even more sad.
Some may have questioned my comment yesterday when I wrote they could have replaced their furniture for less than they had paid for the rental. All the wood furniture in this unit was made out of particle board. It was all damaged. They were paying rent every month to keep these items. I can go into any auction in our area and buy a hard rock maple dining table and four chairs for under $100.00. I can buy a less expensive wood dining table and four chairs for less than $50.00.
The church I recently served as Transitional Pastor was helping a family furnish a home they had rented. They had been homeless for several months living in a van and had nothing. I went to an auction and purchased a clean and nearly new sofa (it didn't look like anyone had ever sat in it) for $8.00. I cautioned our staff to not buy anything until we attended an estate auction the next weekend. We bought bedroom suites, furniture, lamps, pots and pans and other kitchen items for the family at that auction for pennies on the dollar. We filled a two vans, a car and a trailer with items we bought, and I don't think we spent $300.00 for it all.
I had not been in the auction business very long when I told my wife we would never buy new furniture again. It simply does not make sense to pay $1,200.00 for a dining table and chairs when excellent quality ones can be bought at auction for $100.00 or make payments on a new sofa when a nice, clean one can be bought for well under $100.00.
The whole point of these two posts is to encourage ministers, especially ones struggling financially, to make wise financial decisions. You do not have to go into debt to get the items you need. You do not have to end up at rent-to-own stores where you will pay far more than you could buy the same item elsewhere. You do not have to throw good money after bad by paying to store items you'll never use again. You may have limited input on the salary you receive, but you can make wise decisions about how that money will be spent. If you start making wise decisions you'll find that salary can go much further than you realized.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Making wise financial decisions
Few people go into the ministry thinking they are going to become wealthy. If anyone does think this it often doesn't take long before that foolishness is over. There are some TV ministers and some who serve megachurches or write best selling books who become wealthy, but the vast majority of us will learn to be satisfied with having an average income throughout our ministerial careers. Many of us will be bivocational to even get to that level.
One of the things I am often concerned about is the financial well-being of ministers. During my years as a judicatory minister working with numerous pastors I found many who struggled with finances. Some carried large amounts of student debt. Some had large medical bills either for themselves or members of their family. Of course, some just didn't manage their money very well. When a person carries large amounts of consumer debt it's obvious they are living beyond their means. They need to learn better ways of managing their money.
When a pastor's family struggles with finances it creates a huge burden on the family and impacts the pastor's ability to minister well. It may also cause the minister to leave the ministry seeking better income to escape from the financial hardship he or she feels.
Obviously, in a post like this I can't go into detail about how to manage one's finances. However, I want to talk about one thing because of something I've experienced the past year. Occasionally, I buy storage units to sell the contents online or in my auctions. These sales are very similar to what you might see on TV if you ever watch Storage Wars except in recent months most of the ones sold in my area are sold online. I don't buy many, but there is one thing common in most of them I purchase. People are spending a lot of money to store trash.
In 2016 the storage unit business brought in about $32 billion in revenues which means a lot of people are renting these units. For editorial honesty I will admit I rent a storage unit to store things I use in my auction business, and many other business owners do as well. However, the majority of storage units are used by individuals and families whose "stuff" has outgrown their garage, attics, and basements.
I recently bought a storage unit that had gone into default. It was a large 10X20 unit filled almost to the ceiling. Much of what was in that unit was broken, cheap furniture, dozens and dozens of pairs of shoes, bags of moldy clothes, a mattress (every unit has to have at least one dirty mattress), bags of cheap toys, and personal items. I am not judging what they had; I am making a point that they were paying approximately $200.00 a month to store items they could have replaced for much less money. Most of the items were covered in dust and cobwebs so I know the items had been in the unit for an extended time.
This is not an exception. This is what is found in many units. I once paid $110 for two units and spent another $160 taking things to the dump. I have literally found bags of trash that people were paying storage fees on rather than setting it out for the trash men to haul away.
Perhaps this individual did need to store his or her items for a period of time, but by selling off or even throwing away the broken furniture, the electrical items that did not work and other items of no value he or she could have rented a much smaller unit saving themselves a lot of money.
Most of us have too much in the way of material items, but if you need to rent a storage unit you really need to think about what you are storing. Is it really worth spending that money each month just to hold on to it? Is this something you will realistically use again, or are you just keeping it "just in case" you might need it? If finances are tight, chances are you do not need to rent a storage unit regardless of how much you want to keep your "stuff." There are surely better places for your money.
One of the things I am often concerned about is the financial well-being of ministers. During my years as a judicatory minister working with numerous pastors I found many who struggled with finances. Some carried large amounts of student debt. Some had large medical bills either for themselves or members of their family. Of course, some just didn't manage their money very well. When a person carries large amounts of consumer debt it's obvious they are living beyond their means. They need to learn better ways of managing their money.
When a pastor's family struggles with finances it creates a huge burden on the family and impacts the pastor's ability to minister well. It may also cause the minister to leave the ministry seeking better income to escape from the financial hardship he or she feels.
Obviously, in a post like this I can't go into detail about how to manage one's finances. However, I want to talk about one thing because of something I've experienced the past year. Occasionally, I buy storage units to sell the contents online or in my auctions. These sales are very similar to what you might see on TV if you ever watch Storage Wars except in recent months most of the ones sold in my area are sold online. I don't buy many, but there is one thing common in most of them I purchase. People are spending a lot of money to store trash.
In 2016 the storage unit business brought in about $32 billion in revenues which means a lot of people are renting these units. For editorial honesty I will admit I rent a storage unit to store things I use in my auction business, and many other business owners do as well. However, the majority of storage units are used by individuals and families whose "stuff" has outgrown their garage, attics, and basements.
I recently bought a storage unit that had gone into default. It was a large 10X20 unit filled almost to the ceiling. Much of what was in that unit was broken, cheap furniture, dozens and dozens of pairs of shoes, bags of moldy clothes, a mattress (every unit has to have at least one dirty mattress), bags of cheap toys, and personal items. I am not judging what they had; I am making a point that they were paying approximately $200.00 a month to store items they could have replaced for much less money. Most of the items were covered in dust and cobwebs so I know the items had been in the unit for an extended time.
This is not an exception. This is what is found in many units. I once paid $110 for two units and spent another $160 taking things to the dump. I have literally found bags of trash that people were paying storage fees on rather than setting it out for the trash men to haul away.
Perhaps this individual did need to store his or her items for a period of time, but by selling off or even throwing away the broken furniture, the electrical items that did not work and other items of no value he or she could have rented a much smaller unit saving themselves a lot of money.
Most of us have too much in the way of material items, but if you need to rent a storage unit you really need to think about what you are storing. Is it really worth spending that money each month just to hold on to it? Is this something you will realistically use again, or are you just keeping it "just in case" you might need it? If finances are tight, chances are you do not need to rent a storage unit regardless of how much you want to keep your "stuff." There are surely better places for your money.
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