The pastor and counseling

One of the lessons I learned fairly early as a pastor was that I was not a counselor. One of the reasons I decided to go to a Bible college was because I thought I could learn to be a better counselor only I found out they didn't offer instruction in counseling. Fortunately, I learned enough other things there that made up for it.

Still, I tried to counsel people when they came asking for counseling. The premarital counseling went pretty good, and I was comfortable doing that. But when it came to counseling people for serious problems, I was not good at all. It was during a session with a couple with a troubled marriage when I realized I couldn't help these people. I wasn't trained to provide the in-depth care they needed. When we met for our second session I explained to the couple that I wanted to be the best pastor to them I could, and for me to do that I needed to refer them to someone trained to help them work through their marriage issues. I assured them I would provide pastoral care, but I could not provide counseling. I recommended a Christian counseling service with which I was familiar and told the couple that after their first visit with a counselor there to call me to set up a meeting to talk about how they felt it went. I never got that call.

Many of us in pastoral ministry have never received any training as counselors, or if we did it was likely very introductory training. It certainly was not enough for us to consider ourselves trained in the best methods of counseling, and I would imagine that even fewer would have continued that training as counselors to keep up on the latest developments in the field. Without that expertise we do those who come to us a disservice.

A training program our region offered included a pastoral track for bivocational ministers. Nearly every year someone would ask when we were going to offer a course on counseling. I would remind everyone that our courses were all introductory in nature. Each course consisted of four six-hour classes. That is hardly enough time to train someone to counsel others.

If I was a pastor moving into a new community some of the first people I would want to meet would be the counselors who serve that community. I would want to find out the counseling they specialize in: marriage difficulties, addictions, depression and anxiety, etc. I would want to know their fees and if they offer sliding fees for those who need financial help to receive counseling. I would certainly want to know their attitudes towards persons of faith. Some in the counseling field are likely to blame any problems a person has on their religious beliefs. I would ask about their education. After learning as much as I could I would make a list of the ones I could be comfortable referring people to.

Many churches expect their pastors to provide counseling. I occasionally look at job descriptions listed on pastoral search sites where it will state that the pastor is to provide counseling. If I was candidating at that church I would make clear that I would do not long-term counseling but I would refer persons to qualified counselors while I continued to offer pastoral care to the individual. If that is not acceptable to the church it's better to find that out before you accept the position.

Besides referral, there is another thing a church could do. It could offer a counseling center a space in their building for a counselor to work out of perhaps one day a week. I've seen churches do this. Churches with the financial means to do so might pay a portion of the fees their members might incur during counseling. One caution, absolute confidentiality would have to be maintained from those who might be working in the church when people came for counseling. A separate entrance near the space might be used to help assure that confidentiality.

People seek counseling for a host of issues and problems today, many of which are outside the realm of a pastor's training and expertise. In order to provide the best pastoral care it is mandatory that we seek to refer these individuals to people with the training and skills to help them. We can offer pastoral care and support, we can pray for them and encourage them from the Scriptures, but sometimes that is not enough to help them through some issues with deep roots. That is when we need to send them to someone who can walk with them through the healing process they need.

Do we even know what we are criticizing?

As I continue to read Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger Olson I am struck by the comments made by Calvinist theologians against Arminian theology. The book highlights some of the myths and false charges made against Arminian theology by its critics, and one has to wonder if these accusers had ever actually studied this theology they are criticizing. Their claims seem to be so wrong that one has to wonder how they formed the opinions they have.

Of course, this is not the first time I've seen this type of disconnect in the church world. As an American Baptist I've heard numerous criticisms made against our denomination. Some of these I agree with, but many of them cause me to shake my head. I don't know where some people get their ideas unless they are reading headlines without actually reading and attempting to confirm the story. I certainly do not pretend our denomination is without flaws, but we are nothing like some critics would make us appear to be.

The same thing could be said of political adversaries from both parties. I grow weary of claims made by both sides against their political rivals that are obviously not true, and even when they are true, they are often true of people from both parties. The hypocrisy found in politics is incredible. It makes one wonder how some of these people sleep at night knowing of their deceit and hypocrisy.

Sadly, we find the same thing happening in churches. Pastors are often accused of failings that are not true and reflect more on the accuser than the pastor. As a judicatory minister I was once called to a leadership meeting in a church where complaints were made against the pastor. One of those complaints had to do with the lack of growth the church had experienced since this pastor arrived. The fact is, this church had been in decline for many years before this particular pastor was called to the church, but facts had nothing to do with the complaint. I turned the charge onto the one making it and asked how many years he had attended that church. (All his life) I then asked how many people had he brought into the church during his lifetime. He couldn't name any. The meeting ended soon after that discussion. When everyone left I encouraged the pastor to move to another church as soon as possible.

We live in a rebellious age. We are quick to criticize and complain whether we have the facts or not. Newspaper headlines blare the latest charge against the politician it doesn't support, and any required retractions are buried on page 34. We see a piece of a video and assume we know everything that occurred forgetting how easy it is for someone to spin a story with offering only the pieces of information that support their perspective.

Why is it so difficult to listen to both sides of an issue before forming an opinion? Why do we demand people take action before we actually know for certain what we are talking about? Why do we criticize the beliefs of others without even knowing what those beliefs are?

Proverbs 18: 17 tells us, "There are two sides to every story. The first one to speak sounds true until you hear the other side and they set the record straight." Let's be sure we have the facts right before we start criticizing.

Our pastor doesn't dress right

One of the most interesting phone calls I received as a regional resource minister came from a lady who was upset over the way their pastor dressed for worship services. This was one of the churches in my area so I knew the church and the pastor. The pastor was very solid as was the church.

I asked the caller what was wrong with the way he dressed. He didn't wear a suit and tie when he preached. (I already knew that.) She went on to say that when the deacons came forward to serve communion it looked more like they were going to play golf than they were to serve communion. She just felt it was terrible how things had gone downhill in their church. I then asked what others in the church thought about how the pastor was dressed. She said she really hadn't heard anyone complain about it. I asked if anyone had complained about how the deacons dressed when they served communion. She hadn't heard any complaints about that either. She just wanted me to come and tell him that he needed to dress differently for worship services.

I explained that I couldn't do that, and wouldn't even if I could. I then explained that since she was the only one who seemed offended by it I didn't see it as much of a church problem. I asked if this prevented her from being able to worship God. She claimed it did. I then told her that probably the best thing she could do was to find another church where the pastor's dress wouldn't be a distraction to her ability to worship. She was not expecting that!

She had been a member of that church for years. Everything had been fine until he came. She had just called me so she thought I could straighten him out. Did I really think she needed to leave? If his lack of wearing a suit and tie keeps you from worshiping God then you probably need to find another church where you will be more comfortable. I'm not sure what she decided to do, but she didn't call me again.

How often we get bogged down in lesser issues! Whether it's how the pastor dresses or church music styles or which version of the Bible can be used from the pulpit or dozens of other lesser issues, these are the things that keep us from doing ministry that can make a difference. When we lose our vision for ministry is when we begin to focus on these types of problems. You can tell a lot about a church's maturity and vision for ministry when you learn what they are arguing about. Are their disagreements about the best way to minister to a new group of individuals or are they arguing about the color of carpet in their children's space? Are they struggling to decide the best way to start a new small group study or are they disagreeing over whether to allow coffee in Sunday school classrooms?

With the types of challenges I believe the church will soon face in the future, it's time to put these petty issues to rest. With a lost and dying world to reach, we don't have time for such foolishness. It's time to take control of the church away from the controllers and get down to doing the work God has called us to do.

Leadership pressures to reopen the church

President Trump announced last week that churches were to be considered essential and allowed to open. It should be noted that he did not order churches to open but said they should be allowed to open. If it is considered safe for tattoo parlors, bars, restaurants, retail stores, etc. to open then churches should be allowed to open under the same guidelines. I agree with his comment completely. However, that does not mean that your church needs to open next Sunday.

Every church is different. The people are different. Some churches are ready to open under the proper guidelines while others are not. Some have the ability to open safely, and some will struggle to do so in the current climate. Although everybody might want to get back to worshiping together, it must be done properly or more problems will occur. At least one church I've read about opened before they were ready to do so, and several people in the congregation became, including the pastor's wife who passed away. We must use wisdom and do this the right way.

Pastors are often caught in the middle of this discussion. They have people from both sides pushing them to either reopen or not reopen. I'm sure most of them are anxious to reopen themselves, but they have to make sure they protect their flock as well. Many pastors are working with their leadership boards to ensure that they will be able to reopen safely, and won't make the call to hold live services until then. Support their decision. They are looking out for your welfare. They want to keep you safe.

Some pastors won't tell you this, but since I'm retired, I will. Yours is not the only voice your pastor listens to. He or she has more to consider than your opinion or your wishes. He or she is responsible to God for the welfare of the entire congregation which carries more weight than the wishes of individuals. If you've been pressuring your pastor to resume live services before he or she feels it is safe to do so, stop it. Trust your pastor's leadership. I probably might as well go ahead and say this as well, if you can't trust your pastor's leadership that might be an indication you would be happier in another church.

That's harsh, but I served too many years as a resource minister and watched too many pastors pulled one way and another by conflicting groups in churches. This illness is serious. People have died and are dying. If the pastor and lay leaders do not feel it's safe to reopen, then trust them. Be patient. We'e waited over 2,000 years for Jesus to come back; I think we can wait a few more weeks before we return to having church services if we need to.

This pandemic has been difficult on each of us in different ways. Pastors have experienced additional stress trying to provide pastoral support when they've been unable to visit hospitals or be with families who have lost loved ones. Many have scrambled trying to learn new technologies or find those with the skills to air worship services online and on social media. I just want to encourage you to not add to your pastor's stress by trying to convince him or her to do something the church may not be ready to do.

This is a great time to pray for your pastor, for your church leadership teams, and for the church. I think we will have some challenging times ahead of us as we come through this, and prayer and your support are going to be critical.

When God calls

I'm currently reading a very interesting book that compares Calvinism and Arminianism. The book is Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger Olson, a professor of theology at George W. Truett Seminary. He is one of today's leading Armenian theologians and wrote the book to help people better understand the differences between these two theological systems. It is slow reading but quite informative. Last night I read the following passage.

"From the Armenian perspective grace restores free will so that humans, for the first time, have the ability to do otherwise - namely, respond in faith to the grace of God or resist it in unrepentance and disbelief. At the point of God's call, sinners under the influence of prevenient grace have genuine free will as a gift of God; for the first time they can freely say yes or no to God."

This wasn't anything I didn't already know, but it took me back to the time I was saved. For years I had been enjoying life. I believed there was a God, but in many ways I lived as if He didn't exist. A couple of things happened that brought me to take a closer look at my life and my relationship to God.

I was working in a factory, often seven days a week. Our eight-year-old daughter attended Vacation Bible School that summer due to the generosity of a neighbor who took her. On Friday I came home from work, and at the dinner table she told me that day at VBS she had asked Jesus Christ into her life. The pastor told her that if she was serious she needed to come to church Sunday and make a public profession of her faith. I was scheduled to work that Sunday, but when my wife asked what I was going to do I said I guessed I would go to church. When the invitation was given, she never hesitated but walked to the front of the church.

At the same time, I found myself in trouble for some decisions I had made. I was facing possible legal problems if I didn't make amends, and time was running out. I admit I was scared. Some people I worked with were committed Christians, and I asked them if they had any material on faith. I kept thinking if I had enough faith I could get this problem resolved. I read everything they brought me!

One day I found myself alone in our mobile home. The pressure was getting to me. I know now that pressure was God calling me to Him. I got on my knees in front of my chair and prayed asking God to come into my life. Of course, He did.

That wasn't the first time God had ever reached out to me, but that was the first time I was ready to receive His grace. I've wished a thousand times I had done so earlier in life, but it took those two events to help prepare me to accept God's amazing grace. That happened back in the late 1970s, but reading a passage in a book in 2020 made it all seem like it was just yesterday.

I've often preached that we need to be ready to reach out to people when the windows of opportunity are open. My window that summer was wide open. Those windows are open the widest when someone is going through a difficult time as I was. Two events: my daughter's salvation and my own pain prepared me to hear God's call on my life.

I encourage you to look for hurting people and tell them about the grace of God. Maybe you will help them experience the same thing I did in my living room.

Is your church ready for the future?

Churches and denominations have spent a lot of time in recent weeks talking about what the future holds for the church when this pandemic is over. It's probably a good discussion to have, but it misses an important point that many are overlooking. With or without the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the church is moving into difficult waters as it is going to be confronted with a growing number of challenges in the coming years. These have nothing to do with church structures or systems, They have everything to do with the culture in which we will minister.

I just finished writing a new book this week with the working title of Is Your Church Ready for Ministry in the Coming Decade? I am now in the process of contacting publishers and literary agents to see if anyone is interested in the book.

The book looks at some of the issues that I believe the church will have to confront in the next decade if it wishes to be relevant to our culture. Many of these are not new issues, but they are issues the church has either refused to address in the past or failed to adequately address. Many of them are quite disruptive, even now, and will become more so in the near future.

Some of the issues I mention are the growing divide between races in this country, the church's response to the mental health crisis affecting the nation, poverty issues, widespread addiction, the breakdown of the traditional family, the growing acts of violence sweeping the nation, sexual and gender issues, the level of distrust of authority in both government and the church, including that directed towards God and the Scriptures, and the increasing attacks on religious freedom that we are experiencing.

For too long the church has sat around wringing its hands complaining about these things but doing little about them. For instance, a study of 500 churches 98.4 percent of the pastors said they knew of people in their congregation dealing with some form of mental illness or disorder. Yet, only 12.5 percent of these pastors reported their churches ever discussed mental health issues openly.

A similar discrepancy exists when it comes to race issues. In another study only four percent of white Protestants identified racism as an issue while one-third of African-American Protestants said it was an issue. Of that number, twenty-five percent said it was the most important issue Christians needed to address. It's hard to fix a problem if people are not aware there is a problem.

Many of the challenges mentioned in the book are not new. In fact, the first-century church faced many of these same issues as has the church throughout history. But, these problems are getting worse, and as our population continues to increase I believe they will become even greater problems in the future. My other concern is that much of the church isn't ready to face them. In fact, we've often tried to avoid them or we've addressed them using the wrong tactics.

I try to offer solutions that will honor both biblical truth and grace. Sometimes, the solution can be a little messy and make some folks in the church uncomfortable, but I believe they offer the best opportunity to help people find real answers to their situations.

Please pray with me that this book will find a publisher. I believe it contains a much needed message for the church as it prepares to minister in the coming years.

What the church is doing right

During this pandemic my wife and I have spent a lot of time at home "sheltering in place." This has given me time to work on a new book that will look at some of the issues the church will face in the coming years. Some of these are long-time issues, but I believe they are getting worse, and the church can no longer avoid addressing them.

Some of these issues are the growing racial divide in our nation, the problem of mental illness, increasing levels of poverty, the drug addiction problem, violence, the breakdown of families, suicide, sexual and gender issues, the growing distrust of authority and the decreasing influence of the church in America. These are serious issues with no easy answers, but the fact that there are no easy answers doesn't mean the church should not be involved in addressing them. Scripture has much to say on each of these issues, and the church must look there to find the answers and apply them. We are called to be salt and light to our generation, and it's time we apply salt to the problems that are so damaging to so many people.

I have to admit that this has not been a pleasant book to research and write. Some of my study has been quite challenging and disturbing. I've been reminded in my own ministry when I've overlooked or missed what was really going on in someone's life. There have been times when I could have responded differently that might have made a better impact on a person's life. It has also not been pleasant to hear the pain people have experienced from the injustices they've known.

At the same time I have struggled to write this book, I have been encouraged by things the church is doing right. In the face of this pandemic I've watched churches of all sizes scramble to continue to provide worship opportunities for their congregations and people in the community. I heard just last week of one larger church that reported the number of people who have been watching its services online is far greater than their normal attendance. I've read reports of churches effectively ministering to their elderly and shut-ins by ensuring they had food delivered and their other needs were being met. Some churches are doing VBS this summer remotely, and some camps are providing a camping experience the same way. Youth and children's ministries are meeting online, and packages are being delivered to children's homes so they can be ministered to during this time.

Churches in one community joined together for a drive-through prayer meeting circling a local hospital to pray for the workers and patients. I'm sure that happened in many communities. Judicatories have provided weekly ZOOM meetings for their pastors who wanted to stay current on what was going on and to learn from one another how to best minister during this unusual time.

Yes, the church is facing difficult challenges, but we also showing that we know how to rise up to face those challenges. Jesus is right when He said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. Keep on keeping on, pastor. We are not perfect, but the church is doing a lot of things right, and God is using us to make a difference in our world.

The 21st century church in the public square

Few books have impacted me more than Os Guinness' book The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity Despite the first amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing religious liberty, we are seeing an unprecedented assault on that liberty. As more and more special interests have rights given to them through laws and court decisions, it is the rights of Christians that are often cast aside. As Guinness writes, "Whenever there is a clash of rights today, it is routinely said that freedom of religion and belief should be the right that must give way, and that no conscience exemptions are to be granted."

Elsewhere in the book he writes, "In what is becoming an open affront to all human rights, civil liberty is increasingly preferred to freedom of religion and belief, and when the two clash, freedom of religion and belief has even been dismissed as an obstruction - as if it were not a right at all."

We see this played out in many places in our society today. Universities are removing Christian organizations, such as InterVarsity, from their campuses because their bylaws require that their officers are Christians. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission ordered a Christian baker to provide a cake for a same-sex wedding which he claimed violated his Christian beliefs. After years in court, the Supreme Court finally ruled in his favor, but he is now being sued for a third time for a similar reason. A Marine was court-martialed for removing a Bible verse in her work area. She was reduced in rank and given a bad conduct discharge which prevents her from receiving any veteran's benefits. Her supervisor said he didn't like the tone of the verse which is why he ordered it removed. Communities are banning home Bible studies, in some cases threatening fines of $500 per day if people violate the ban. An Atlanta fire chief was fired for self-publishing a book he wrote for his church's men's Bible study group. The mayor found it offensive. It is interesting that a city councilman supported the decision to fire the chief stating that it sent a strong message to employees about how much we value diversity. They certainly did not value diversity in the fire chief's beliefs.

Seemingly, every day we read stories similar to these, and we can expect that this will not improve. As we continue to grant rights to more and more groups it is inevitable at some point these rights will conflict with the ones granted to others. As Guinness points out, those rights historically and Constitutionally recognized are the ones that will be ignored when that happens.

We have made a shift in this country from religious freedom to religious tolerance. The problem with religious tolerance is that it can become religious intolerance with the stroke of a pen. That's why our Founding Fathers were careful to note that our rights as Americans were not granted by the state but were given to us by our Creator.

What can we do? The first thing is to pray. We need to pray for a revival to once again sweep through this nation. God said He would heal the land when His people humbled themselves, confessed their sins and sought Him in prayer. Our nation needs the church today to pray that God might pour out His blessing on us.

Secondly, we need to support those persons who will work to ensure that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are not cast aside. For many years, Christians avoided the political arena, and that has proven to be costly.  Christians must be engaged in the political process electing those men and women who most share our values and beliefs. More Christians need to run for office to uphold the values that are taught in the Scriptures.

Thirdly, we need to educate people about the need for a more civil public square. That education must begin in the church because we are not exempt from incivility ourselves. Christians can say some harmful, hurtful things to other people that does not reflect well on the God we serve. We need to help people understand that when we treat all people with respect and dignity we all gain. Yes, we have different beliefs about issues, and we can discuss those, but we can do so while honoring and respecting those with whom we differ.

The first amendment in the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion. It is the first amendment because our Founding Fathers recognized it as the foundation for all the other rights that would follow. They understood if that right was violated, all the other rights were in jeopardy as well. It is worth protecting for the good of all people.

Pastoring in a smaller church

Some people seem to think that a smaller church is just a miniature version of a larger church. Nothing could be further from the truth. Small churches are unique in many ways and require a different set of skills and gifts to pastor. This is one reason pastors often struggle to serve in a smaller church. Seminaries train everyone alike with the assumption that every church is the same with identical needs. This is one reason I've often argued that the traditional MDiv may not be the best degree for a bivocational pastor or one who serves in a smaller church. Many seminaries today offer MA degrees in ministry that might better equip the minister who will serve the smaller church.

What are the skills you need to effectively serve in a smaller church? The most important one is people skills. Smaller churches are often referred to as family churches with good reason. They function more like a family than an organization. Relationships mean everything in the small church. People don't join a small church; they have to adopted into the family. The same is true of the pastor. A person called to pastor a small church may serve in the position, but he or she is not going to be most effective until the church adopts him or her as one of their own. If a person lacks people skills that individual will never effectively minister in a smaller church.

Patience is another necessary virtue in the small church pastor. It seems that everything takes longer to accomplish than it should. People sometimes complain that small churches dislike change, and in some cases it's true. But in other cases it's not that they dislike change, but they are wary and need confidence that the change is warranted. Small churches remind me of the scene in the Lord of the Rings when the trees (the Ents) are meeting to decide what to do about the war the Hobbits claim is coming. The Hobbits are wanting immediate action, and the Ents plod along slowly with their discussion and finally make a decision that has nothing to do with the approaching war. (I've sat in church meetings like that!) Small churches will make changes, but they will not quickly happen.

Small church pastors need to be able to preach theologically sound messages. Many small church pastors lack a theological education which can be a challenge to effectively minister. This may seem to conflict with what I wrote in the first paragraph, but it doesn't. I am not opposed to education. I just encourage people to pursue an education that best fits with their ministry plans. As a judicatory minister I sat in many worship services in both small and large churches and heard sermons that were very weak theologically. These messages came from pastors who ranged from no theological education to a few with terminal degrees, although most of them came from ones who lacked education.

The people in smaller churches love God. They do not want a watered-down gospel. They want to hear sermons that are theologically sound, sermons that are applicable to their lives and will make a difference in their lives. In a recent post I mentioned a young pastor who preached over the heads of his congregation. That helps no one, but the folks in smaller churches can be challenged to go deeper in their understanding of Scripture than many of them have been challenged in the past. They need a pastor who can consistently deliver such sermons.

Certainly, pastors of smaller churches need more skills than the ones mentioned, but these seem to me to be perhaps the most important. If you can manage these skills you should do well serving in a smaller church.

Your church isn't big enough

In the late 1970s I was privileged to attend the Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Indianapolis. For five days we sat under the teaching of some of the best Christian leaders in America, and each night we attended the Billy Graham Crusade. One of those leaders was D. James Kennedy. He was the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1960 until his death in 2007. He was also the creator of Evangelism Explosion, an evangelism tool that was very popular for many years.

He told of speaking in a church. After the service ended an individual approached him and told him that their church was big enough and didn't need to grow. He disagreed with the individual. After some discussion he explained to the person that his mother lived in that city and was not a Christian. He said no church in that city was big enough until it had reached his mother with the gospel.

Churches know they have been charged with the Great Commission which is to reach the world for Christ. We talk about evangelism far more than we actually do it. Many of us open our doors each Sunday and hope some unsaved persons will walk in asking how to be saved. Jesus told us to go, but we wait for people to come. And they don't come. Frankly, it doesn't bother us too much because we forget that these are people for whom Jesus Christ gave His life. We forget that they are somebody's mother, or father, or child, or grandparent. We seldom stop to think that they are the sweet, older lady next door who brings us cookies for Christmas or the young single mother who checks us out at the supermarket. Because we don't see them as individuals with a face, and a soul, we don't think about what will happen to them if they die without Christ.

We spend so much time focusing on trivial things. We worry about the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. We argue over clothing styles and make-up. Many churches will spend more time discussing how much of a raise, if any, the pastor should get than they will discuss how they can more effectively reach people for Christ. We will sit in a business meeting and discuss a $10.00 line item in the budget longer than we will talk about how to improve our ministry to young people.

Many churches will talk about how they want to grow. Most churches will say they want a pastor who will grow the church when they are seeking new pastoral leadership, but what they don't say is that they want a pastor who will grow the church without changing anything in the church or neglecting them in the process. I've worked with too many churches over the years helping them find pastors who were told to grow the church only to see the church slam on the brakes about the time he or she actually starting doing anything that might bring more people to Christ and the church.

Like Kennedy, I've had people in churches tell me they didn't want to see their church get any bigger. They liked the fellowship they had with the ones who were there and feared new people might upset that fellowship. I usually told them the story of Kennedy and his mother, but I doubt I got through to any of them. Like someone once said, reason can't take something out of a person's mind that it didn't put there in the first place.

Your church isn't big enough because there are lost people who live in your community. You are responsible to reach out to them with the gospel. If they die apart from Christ, they will spend eternity in hell. That should matter more than the color of your carpet or if someone is wearing too much lipstick. It's time the church took the Great Commission seriously and began to find creative ways to reach out to our communities. Someone's mother lives there who needs Jesus Christ.

The natural result of atheism

Although it is thought that atheists make up only about 3 percent of the American population, they get a lot of press. They are invited to speak on college campuses while conservative Christian speakers are often shut out due to student and faculty protests. Some atheists such as Richard Dawkins write best-selling books to spread their message to the masses. They demand tolerance for their views while refusing to extend that same tolerance to any perspective, especially a Christian one, that is opposite their opinion. I find true atheists rather interesting people.

First, I do not understand why they try so hard to convince themselves and others that God does not exist. I don't believe the Easter bunny exists, but I don't write books about it or travel the world debating those who do believe in the Easter bunny. The same with Santa Claus. If you are convinced that something, or Someone, doesn't exist, why spend so much time and effort to prove it, unless you need to prove it to yourself.

A university professor once wrote, "I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn't just that I don't believe in God and, naturally, hope there is no God! I don't want there to be a God; I don't want the universe to be like that."

I wonder how much of the strong denunciations atheists make against the existence of God is to try to convince themselves that they are right. Without God, we are free to live as we choose, make the moral choices we want to make without fear that we will face any type of judgment for those choices. But, if God does exist and what we read in the Scriptures is true, then all of our choices in life will come under judgment.

The second thing I don't understand about atheists is how they fail to see that their message is destructive to the welfare of those who hold to it. The atheist Nietzsche was honest enough to admit that when God is eliminated so is any moral standard by which man ought to live. That does not mean that atheists cannot live a moral life. Many do, but they are under no obligation to do so based upon their worldview.

Ravi Zacharias has written, "What we have actually done is smuggle in foundational strengths of Christian thought, buried far below the surface to maintain some stability, while above the ground we see humanism's bizarre experiments growing unchecked. If we truly put into practice the same principles below the ground that we flaunt above the ground, we would completely self-destruct."

We cannot live this double life forever. We cannot expect people to live according to biblical values while rejecting the One who gave us those values. Again, Nietzsche recognized this and predicted that the time would come when people would realize that rejecting God would bring the advent of nihilism. We see that occurring today. When life becomes meaningless morality, ethics, respect and decency disappears from society to be replaced by chaos and darkness.

The worldview held by atheists brings nothing but pain and destruction to society. If there is no God, then there is no moral standard and no meaning to life. Why not abuse drugs, alcohol, engage in sexual activities with whomever you choose, abandon any effort to conduct your life and business ethically and morally, lie, cheat, steal and do whatever you need to do to experience pleasure and success. After all, when you die, you're dead. What the atheist fails to understand is that he or she is also affected by the impact of this mindset, and so are their children and grandchildren.

In Deuteronomy 30: 19, God says, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." In the context of that verse, God makes it clear that those who choose Him chooses life, and those who reject Him chooses death. Notice the last part of the verse: so you AND your descendants may live. Why would anyone not want to choose life?

Influence from afar

Some of the people who have a great impact on our lives can be people we never meet. Such a person for me is Ravi Zacharias. I've never met the man. Many of his book sit on the bookshelves in my study. When I traveled a lot I downloaded his podcasts to listen to when I was on the road. Zacharias is a Christian apologist who has debated some of the leading atheists in the world, written numerous books, spoken to national leaders all over the world and has spoken on many university campuses. It was recently announced he has cancer, and the head of his ministry reported last week that the cancer has advanced to the point that there is nothing else medicine can do for him.

Zacharias was the person who introduced me to apologetics and helped me understand how important it is to be able to defend the faith against the popular beliefs held by many in the world today. Since I began reading his books and listening to his podcasts I have added a number of books to my library from some of the leading Christian thinkers today. People such as J. P. Moreland, Alvin Plantinga, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, Dallas Willard and a number of others have helped me grow deeper in the faith and caused me to think deeper about God and my relationship to Him. But it all began with Ravi Zacharias.

During a recent stint as the Transitional Pastor of a church that was seeking a new pastor I shared with them a number of sermons based on sound apologetics. We had a series of why if God exists is there evil in the world, and a few weeks later another series of why suffering exists. We looked at some of the apologetic arguments for the existence of God such as the Moral Argument and the Fine-Tuning Argument. One Sunday we examined Paschal's Wager. There is not enough of this type of preaching in many of our churches, and our people reflect that by the shallow Christian lives many of them live. They've never been challenged to go deeper than the standard Sunday school lesson plan.

If I was pastored a church again I would probably have a couple of sermon series each year that addressed issues and questions from the perspective of an apologist. I would also determine if a small group or class could be formed around a study of apologetics. William Lane Craig actually teaches a class in his home church called the Defender's class. The lessons are available to be used in churches so the class could have the benefit of being taught by one of the leading Christian apologists and theologians in the nation.

We must find ways to deepen the faith of our fellow believers as well as deepen our own faith. One way to do that is to expose ourselves to some of the best Christian thinkers. We need to let them help us drink deeply from the well of Scripture. This will not only help us grow but also give us the tools we need to share our faith with others. Ravi Zacharias helped me understand this, and I am eternally grateful for it. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

The perfect church for imperfect people

We've all heard the complaint: "I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites there." Well...the complaint is true. The church is full of hypocrites...and much worse. Everybody sitting in a congregation, and standing behind the pulpit, is broken in some ways. Some are more broken than others, but we all have a past. We also have a present that has some things in it that needs a little work. However, we also have a Savior who is very good at healing broken things.

We need to understand that the church has always supposed to have been a hospital for the sick and broken. It's not supposed to be a club for perfect people but a place where the ones who need healing can come and find that healing. Sometimes we forget that. Some churches send a very clear message that no imperfect people are allowed. As an Area Minister I was called in to more than one church that had problems because that was how they treated people. A lot of times that message was subtle, but other times it was pretty clear that some people weren't welcomed.

What kind of church should imperfect people look for? First, it must be a church that understands grace. Sometimes people have been Christians for so long that they forget what they were like before they got saved. They forget how it was the grace of God that looked past their sins and saw what they could be as children of God. When a person understands how much grace was extended to him or her, it becomes easier to extend that grace to others. If it doesn't, then something is seriously wrong.

A church for imperfect people is also a church that recognizes the authority of the Word of God. Some churches emphasize grace and acceptance to the point that they ignore the clear teachings of Scripture. If we really love someone we will tell them if they are taking a path through life that will ultimately lead to problems. I try to explain to people that God loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us in that condition. That is the kind of love we should have for others as well.

Imperfect people need a church that understands patience. Just because a person invites Christ into his or her heart doesn't mean everything changes by the next morning. The church needs to understand that people need time to grow in discipleship. They may very well take two steps forward and one step back, and this may occur for some time. If we forget that, we need to reminded of our own spiritual journeys. None of us have it all figured out yet, so why should we expect others to do so.

The perfect church for imperfect people is one that invites others to join them in their spiritual journey. Each of us are imperfect people on a journey to spiritual wholeness, and we need to invite other imperfect people to join us as we make the trip.

I wouldn't want to pastor a church that consisted of only perfect people. I wouldn't want to join a church that only had perfect people in it. If I did, it wouldn't be perfect any more. I want to be part of a real church made up of real people who are open to God creating them into what He wants them to be.

If you've been avoiding church because of all the hypocrites, we have room for one more. Come join us and make this journey to wholeness with us.

New blog

This morning I introduced a new blog that will focus on the choices we make that impact some of the most important areas of our lives. The name of the blog is "Choices."

For the past several years I've had this blog that focused primarily on ministry issues and bivocational and small church. I will continue to write this blog so don't worry, I'm not leaving you!

I also realize that many people are struggling to know how to make good choices for themselves and their families. Some of the choices people have made in the past have brought much harm. Every choice has consequences. For many of these individuals, they were making the choices they've seen others make, but they failed to realize the negative impact those choices could have on their lives. I hope to speak to these people, as I would have as a pastor, to encourage them to make better choices and give them some ideas of what those choices might look like.

I hope you'll check it out and add it to the ones you follow on a regular basis. You can do that by clicking on the blue FOLLOW button on the right. Share it with others you think might benefit from the articles and encourage them to like it as well.

The first article posted today is at https://thewinningchoice.blogspot.com/2020/05/welcome.html. 

The true nature of our problems

During my current devotional time I am studying the Book of Ephesians using a commentary by James Montgomery Boice. In yesterday's reading I came across an interesting comment. He noted that many people do not accept the idea that our problems are primarily spiritual in nature. These individuals believe that the church should focus its attention on real issues such as poverty, oppression, hunger and injustice. Boice, and I, agree that these are problems that need to be addressed, but each of us wonders if they are the root problems or simply symptoms of the real problems. Boice wrote, "If the real problems of the world are merely material and visual, how is it that they have not been solved or eliminated long ago?" Great question!

We can put men on the moon, build computers that fit into our phones, create cars that can drive themselves and design technology that were the topics of science fiction only a few decades ago. Yet, we cannot find a way to stop hunger or bring an end to racial prejudice. We can't fix an educational system that too often graduates people who can't read their diplomas. Violence in our cities continues to escalate, and all we can do is watch it on TV and shake our heads.

It's not that people have not tried to solve these kinds of issues. Billions of dollars have been spent on eliminating hunger and poverty, and all we have is a nation further in debt and more hungry, poor people. Similar efforts have gone into solving these other problems, but nothing has worked. Maybe this indicates that our real problems are not merely material and visual. Maybe there is something at the core of these problems that we are not attacking. If I try to pull up a weed out of my garden and it breaks off, guess what? In a few days that weed will reappear because I didn't remove the root. We've been focusing on the visual symptoms of a problem that runs much deeper, and until we address the root of the problems they will continue to be there impacting the lives of people.

There is a spiritual dimension to our problems that most people don't see and ignore. The section of Ephesians I was studying today talked about the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil. This is where our real battle lies. Mankind was created to enjoy a relationship with God, but many have been blinded to that truth. Just as the serpent tempted Adam and Eve away from their relationship with God, these spiritual forces lure people away from God as well. Adam and Eve were tempted by being promised if they ate of the fruit they would be like God, knowing good and evil. We are still being tempted today with the same lie, getting the same result that Adam and Eve got, separation from God.

It's important that the church address these social concerns because these issues harm persons created in the image of God. But, it's even more important that we address the spiritual factors that create these concerns. There is a reason there is so much effort to keep the church out of the public square. It's fine when we gather in our buildings to worship, but people get very nervous when we try to bring our values and beliefs into the public square. The crowd begins to yell about the separation of church and state and lawyers threaten to sue all in an attempt to silence the church, to keep us from speaking about the root causes of society's problems.

The simple reason these social issues haven't been resolved before now is because at the root of each of them there are spiritual forces at work. Government can't touch them and neither can all the well-meaning people who want to. Only God can remove the root. We need revival in our land, and revival will only come when God's people humble themselves, confesses their sins and prays.

Ministers can feel the pressure of being alone

One of the biggest challenges in ministry are the times a minister feels alone. Much of what we do is done apart from others. Whether it's working on next week's sermon, making a pastoral call, counseling someone struggling with life's issues, or preparing for an upcoming board or church meeting, we are often alone.

We feel alone when we have to make decisions that are not going to be popular with people in the church. Some pastors refuse to make such decisions, but anyone who is charged with leadership sometimes must make decisions that are not going to be acceptable to some people.

Pastors must often keep confidential things that people tell them. If the minister is carrying around a lot of information he or she cannot share with others, it can add to the stress.

In one study, feeling isolated and lonely was one of the top four reasons clergy identified for why they left the ministry. Burnout and depression can also happen when the minister feels isolated from others. In another study, 75 percent of those who left the ministry due to sexual misconduct reported feeling isolated from others and lonely.

This loneliness can carry over into the pastor's relationship with family. We're not always able to leave our ministerial concerns at the office, and at the same time we can't share them with family members either. It can create divisions in the family.

Fortunately, there are things we can do to minimize this pressure. One of the things I recommend is that every pastor have a Pastor's Prayer Team. While the minister cannot share private issues with the team, it is very helpful meeting with a group of people each week whose only agenda is to pray for the pastor and his or her family. I had such a team when I was a pastor, and they were a great blessing.

There are other things the minister can do as well. He or she can use the services of a coach or a spiritual director. Trusted colleagues can help carry some of the burdens as long as confidentiality is not violated. We must not forget prayer. Jesus invited all those who were heavy laden to bring their burdens to Him.

I go into more detail on these things the minister can do in my book The Healthy Pastor: Easing the Pressures of Ministry In it I also address other pressures ministers face and solutions to help ease each of them.