The most important component in leadership

A fellow minister recently told me of a conversation he had with a person in a church that had experienced some problems created by their pastor. The person said to my friend that she didn't know if she could ever trust another pastor. Unfortunately, this individual is not alone. When a minister does things that causes people to lose trust in him or her that distrust often extends to other ministers. When people do not trust their leader it becomes impossible for them to follow that leader. It is easy to see why the most important component in leadership is trust. No one can lead any organization, whether it's a church or secular organization, without having the trust of the people being lead.

Of course, if one is a positional leader only then it is possible to get people to do what you want simply because you have a title. They will do the work for a paycheck. But, a person who only has a positional title will quickly learn it's hard to lead a volunteer organization like a church. Just because you are called pastor does not mean that people are going to willingly follow you, especially if you begin to challenge them to do difficult things.

Trust doesn't come with a title or degrees. It must be earned, and it sometimes can take a long time to earn sufficient trust to lead a church. The smaller church, the more frequent the pastoral turnover has been, if there have been previous problems with pastors, it can take a very long time to earn that trust. What can take years to gain can be quickly lost if that trust is broken.

How can a leader build trust with those he or she is seeking to lead? It begins with respecting other people and seeing value in each of  them. It comes when leaders do what they say they are going to do. Trust is formed when leaders are engaged in the work they are asking others to do. When I was serving in denominational ministry one of the young pastors in my area asked me to help him move to a new church. I asked why he wanted to move when he had not been at his present place a year. He complained that people wouldn't follow his leadership. I tried to explain two things to him. One, he had not been at his present place long enough to earn the trust of the people to lead them. Two, he couldn't expect them to follow his leadership when he played golf 5-6 days a week. I suggested he decide if he wanted to pastor a church or get his PGA certification.

People have to buy in to the leader before they will buy in to his or her leadership. You have to capture their hearts before you can ask for their hands. When people understand that you truly care about them and love the church they have spent their lives in as much as they do you will be better able to lead them.

Showing appreciation goes a long way towards building trust with others. No one wants to feel their work isn't important or being noticed. It takes just a moment to speak a genuine word of appreciation to someone, but that moment can make that person's day It also helps build a positive relationship with that person and such relationships lead to trust.

Being consistent is crucial to building trust. As I wrote above, it can take years in some cases to earn enough trust to effectively lead a church. That trust will be created day-by-day as you consistently demonstrate that you are a person who can be trusted. The good news is that once that trust is gained your ministry and that of the church will grow far more effective. 

Know thyself

 The Greek philosopher Socrates said, "Know thyself." It's good advice, and it's one of the most difficult things we will ever do. It's not easy to look deep within ourselves to really know who we are and what we believe. Most of us can provide an outward show of what we believe people want us to be, but to look within ourselves and see what's really happening down in the depths of our being isn't as easy.

To know ourselves is to look at those values that make us who we are. These values drive our behavior affecting not only our own lives but also the lives of those around us. Too often, persons in leadership positions in business, politics and even in the church have done great harm to many by proclaiming one set of values and living another. Were these people intentionally pretending to be something they were not, or were they so self-unaware that they didn't know who they really were? There's probably some of both in play. Some are frauds who have mastered the art of fooling people. Others have simply not taken the time to really examine what drives them.

What values should we be looking for. John Maxwell, in his book The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential share three key areas: ethical values, relational values and success values. Ethical values are concerned with doing the right thing for the right reason. It's possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. For instance, one can befriend someone with the long-range plan of taking advantage of them later. Being ethical means that we always strive to do the right things for the right reasons.

Relational values are focused on building trust and respect with other people. This involves doing what you say you are going to do, treating people with respect and dignity, and going the extra mile to serve them well.

Success values ensures that you set goals that are worthy of spending your life pursuing. There's nothing worse than climbing the ladder of success and finding out at the top that it was leaning against the wrong building. How do you measure true success in your life? The answer to that question will tell you much about your values.

To know yourself is the beginning of wisdom and is essential to enjoying true success in life. It's hard work, and it's not something you can do once and then ignore. It's important to re-examine yourself from time to time to make sure you are still on the right track with your values.

Church planning 2021

 I doubt that anyone will be sad when 2020 is over. This has been a very challenging year for nearly everyone including churches. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that 2021 will be any better. Things change so rapidly that long-range planning is impossible. Rather than develop a five or even a ten-year plan as organizations used to do we need to think in terms of months and be willing to make adjustments as necessary. Still, planning is important, and I've always found the fall of the year to be a good time to begin planning for the next church year.

Sermon planning is especially important. While I have not planned out my sermons a year in advance, I do like to work two or three months out. This gives me time to gather resources that I will need for upcoming messages, and it allows me to watch for events that can serve as illustrations of the points I'll make in those messages. If you've planned the messages ahead of time it saves you from the frustration of trying to decide on Saturday night what your message will be the next morning. (I've been there, and it's not fun for the minister nor the congregation!) It gives you more time in actual sermon preparation which should make for better sermons.

The church's vision should be considered when doing ministry planning. Let's assume that vision involves reaching people with the Gospel. What steps will the church take to help make that happen? What activities will you schedule? What programs will you implement, and are there ineffective programs that need to be discontinued? Does special training need to occur? These, and many more, should be considered as you think about the upcoming year.

Training should be a component of your planning. What training needs to occur in your church? Who needs that training, and who can best offer it? What resources will you use to provide the training?

Many churches fail to include stewardship in their planning. Some churches are so afraid to talk about money they don't, and the result is that generations have grown up with no understanding of biblical stewardship. While anyone grows weary of those churches that have a 15-minute sermonette each week before the offering is received, every church needs to plan for some stewardship training or emphasis each year.

Planning for discipleship is another area often overlooked. How will your church do discipleship in 2021? Will you focus on SS classes, small groups or find another alternative? How will this be affected if Covid continues to keep some people from gathering together? These, and all the questions listed above, are difficult to answer, but they must be addressed.

Now is the time to begin thinking about 2021. It's time to be seeking God's leadership in each of these areas, identifying strategies appropriate to your church and setting your goals for the coming year. Make sure these all get written down. A vision or a goal that is not written down is merely a dream. In Habakkuk 2:2 we find God saying, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it." Write your plans down and prepare to run into 2021 to accomplish the vision God has given you for your church.

Side doors into the church

 A few years ago I heard about the ways some churches were using side-door ministries to reach out to unchurched people. Although I have shared that with some church leaders, I've recently become more interested in the opportunities side-door ministries offer the church. A few weeks ago I read Side Door: How to Open Your Church to Reach More People by Charles Arn. The book was filled with helpful ideas on how to create side-door opportunities for churches.

Let me try to explain the concept of side-door ministries before proceeding. For decades the church has focused on front-door evangelism. We tried to find ways to get people into our churches through the front door. We invited them to worship services, revivals and other special events. While that was an effective form of outreach for a time, the continual decline of church attendance proves it's not an effective means of reaching people outside the church today.

Arn writes that "A side door is a church-sponsored program, group or activity in which a nonmember can become comfortably involved with the church on a regular basis. It is a group that provides an ongoing opportunity for a nonmember to develop meaningful and valued relationships with people in the congregation." These side-door events can be built around virtually any activity or life event. Some examples might be a group that enjoys quilting or bass fishing or camping. It might be a group of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren or a group of single moms. A side-door ministry can be built around almost anything in which a group of people share a common interest. As people come together with common interests they begin to build relationships with one another. Some of these relationships will turn into friendships, and these friendships will lead to conversations about spiritual things. We know that more people are open to attending church services when invited by a friend.

The book gives some great tips on how to create side-door ministries, but the one thing I want to focus on in this post is the importance of a ministry coach. The author writes that "A ministry coach is your church's 'contractor' for overseeing the construction of successful side doors." This is a key person who will oversee the overall strategy of side-door ministries in the church. Any church serious about using this approach to outreach needs to add this position to their leadership team.

As churches are being forced to adapt to new ministry challenges due to the pandemic, perhaps this is a good time to consider side-door ministries as part of your ministry strategy. As I wrote in yesterday's post, it is unlikely we will ever return to "normal" in the ways we minister in the future. Since we need to reinvent ourselves and our approach to ministry we may want to explore this as an option.

Give people a safe place to discuss their doubts about faith

I had some people ask if I was still writing my blog. They had noticed nothing had been posted for a few days. That was because we were on vacation celebrating our anniversary. For the past 10 days we've been enjoying the beach at Panama City Beach for our 54th anniversary. The weather was perfect the entire time we were there. The beach wasn't crowded although the restaurants were during the evening. I got my fill of grouper and shrimp, got some sun and some much needed rest.

But now I'm back and ready to go. Today I'm going to the church office to see if anything has happened while I was away and catch up on the church news. My sermon was prepared before I left so I don't have to be concerned about that. My focus now will be on preparing for 2021 and staying in touch with members of the congregation. It's a little difficult to prepare too far ahead due to the Covid as we never know what changes we'll be facing in the weeks and months ahead, but it's still important to make plans and set some goals. If they need to be adjusted as we move into 2021 that's OK. It's still better than just drifting along reacting to whatever life throws our direction.

I also have an auction to prepare for. This morning I posted the listing and 175 pictures for an estate auction I'm doing on November 7. I have four people wanting to bring me items to sell at the auction after that one so things are picking up in that part of my life as well.

While on vacation I re-read a book that I found more interesting this time I read it than I did before. Perhaps it's because I'm back on pastoral ministry again, and the material was more applicable. The book was You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman. It is based on research done by The Barna Group and does an excellent job of explaining why so many young people leave the church during their high school and college years. This has long been a problem common to many churches across denominational lines, and we are obviously not doing a good job of addressing it since it continues to happen. Kinnaman makes a number of recommendations of things churches need to do differently to stop the flow of young people leaving the church.

Many want to blame the secular universities for young people walking away from the church and/or their faith. Kinnaman actually points out that the decision to walk away often occurs well before people leave for school. A number of factors can bring about this decision, but one that is common to many is that churches do not do a good job of providing young people a safe place to ask questions about God and their faith. One 13-year-old has already told me her church, a fairly large one, ignores her when she tries to ask questions and how frustrated she gets when that happens. Unless something changes she may very well leave the church when she gets old enough to make that decision.

Vacations are a time to rest, but they are also a time to refuel. I have come home refueled and ready to go.

The church and mental health issues

 According to some research, on any given Sunday one in four adults and one in five children sitting in our congregations are suffering from some form of mental illness. While you may question that for your congregation, remember that many of them are suffering silently. They are afraid to tell anyone of the challenges they have. They sit there week after week with smiles on their faces while dealing with struggles they dare not reveal. In some cases they have reason to fear.

Many churches do not handle persons with mental illness well. Some will insist that someone dealing with a mental illness must have unconfessed sin in their lives. Unless they are willing to confess that sin they cannot be helped. Other churches view mental illness as a sign of demon possession. Some denounce anyone who seeks medical treatment such as medication or counseling for their illness to lack faith. Sometimes churches will ignore the person with a mental illness hoping he or she will just go away, and in a few situations the church may even ask the person to leave the church. Obviously, none of these are acceptable responses for a church to take towards someone suffering from a mental illness.

Mental illness has been called the "no casserole" disease in churches. If someone has a physical disease the church family is often quick to respond. Visits to the hospital and home are made. Meals are prepared and taken to the family. Offers are made to take care of routine tasks such as mowing the lawn while the person recovers. But, if the problem is a mental illness churches are often at a loss to know what to do so many do nothing.

Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, J. B. Phillips all experienced depression during their lives. Many other well-known and not so well-known Christian leaders have battled depression and other mental illnesses. Countless others have been impacted by family members who have suffered. Rick Warren was very open about his son's battle with depression that ultimately led to the young man taking his life. Mental illness struggles are found in both Christians and non-Christians, and the church needs to learn better ways of addressing them.

Here are some things the church can do to offer healing to those dealing with mental illness.

1. Be careful with language. When we talk about mental health issues we need to avoid mocking or belittling those dealing with such issues. Pastors especially need to be careful here.
2. We need to become aware of the causes of mental illnesses. There are a number of causes, including genetic, that we need to know about. If nothing else, this can help eliminate some of the stigma sometimes associated with mental illnesses.
3. We do not want to diagnose and counsel those with mental illnesses unless we are trained to do so. If we see someone showing symptoms it is appropriate to offer pastoral care, express our concerns about the person's well being and offer to refer them to a trained counselor.
4. It will be helpful to develop relationships with mental health practitioners in the area so you can offer good referrals. One of the things to find out about these individuals is their view towards the Christian faith. Some may actually believe that such faith is the cause of the mental illness.
5. It is always appropriate to pray for the individual.
6. Make your church a safe place for people to talk about mental illness.
7. Do not neglect the family. The person with mental health challenges is not the only one who needs pastoral care. No doubt the family has gone through much and needs the support of the church.

These are just some things the church can do to minister to those dealing with mental health challenges. What we don't want to do is to make their situation worse by ignoring them or blaming them for their problems. Let us pray that God will help us become more sensitive to those struggling with mental health challenges and give us the insight to help them find the healing they need.

In the end it's all just things

 A few years ago I worked for another auctioneer as he sold the estate of an young man who passed away. His crew told me they could not open the front door of the house due to all the things stacked in the house. There was literally a pathway through the home with items stacked from the floor to the ceiling. The garage was the same, and they later found a storage unit filled the same way. It took 17 auctions to sell the estate!

I am often reminded of this when I am selling an estate of someone who has passed away or has moved into assisted living. You can tell a lot about a person from the things they've accumulated in life. You get a feel for what was important to them.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with accumulating nice things. There is nothing wrong with wealth or having possessions as long as they don't have you. It isn't money that is the root of all evil; it's the love of money that is the problem. It is the love of one's possessions that is the problem. It's when we try to hold on too tightly to things that bring difficulty. One of the things I've learned as an auctioneer is that at the end they are just all things that will go to the highest bidder.

Every day we are trading our lives for something. We trade our time for a paycheck. We trade our money for things we need or want. Sometimes we trade our hopes and dreams for other things. We trade our independence for relationships with others. Some make bad trades and end up paying for them. Some trades work out well and bring us great joy and blessing.

One thing we never want to trade away is the opportunity for a relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship is the pearl of great price spoken of in the Bible. Many want to go through life ignoring that relationship until later, and some never return to it. When it is too late they find they made the worst trade of all. Don't let that happen to you.

Exciting news about bivocational ministry

 In 2010 I earned my Doctor of Ministry degree. My thesis was on "Coaching Bivocational Ministers for Greater Ministry Effectiveness." This past week I received word that my thesis has now been downloaded 3,020 times since I completed it. Personally, I wish the ones who downloaded it had bought my book The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide since that is the same material I addressed in the thesis without all the academic requirements of a doctoral paper! At least I would have received a royalty payment!

Seriously, I am excited that so many people have referenced my paper to learn more about bivocational ministry. Nearly every year since writing that paper one or two people have contacted me stating they are writing their doctoral papers on some aspect of bivocational ministry and wanting to ask me questions about my experiences and what I've learned over the years. For many years there was little academic interest in bivocational work. Few books were published prior to my first one that was released in 2001. Many denominations looked at bivocational ministry as second-class ministry that was acceptable only for their smallest churches and performed by people who lacked the education to serve in larger churches. That is not the prevailing attitude today.

Denominations have seen the value bivocational ministers bring to their churches. Many report the numbers of bivocational ministers are growing in their denominations. Some schools now offer specific training opportunities for bivocational ministers. A few seminaries now offer dual degree programs for persons intentionally planning to do bivocational ministry. Denominations have developed training programs for their bivocational ministers as well. Every year more doctoral students are producing academic papers on this ministry. It is exciting the see the changes that have occurred regarding bivocational ministry in my lifetime.

While it is too early to know for certain all the changes that will occur in the church as a result of the pandemic it is possible that we will see even more churches calling bivocational ministers in the future. As I wrote last week, churches are now dealing with congregations made up of those attending church services in person, those who are digital attendees only, and as more restrictions are dropped we will have some who sometimes attend in person and sometimes participate online. One challenge this presents the church is how to best serve their digital congregation, which in some cases will outnumber those attending the services in person. I can envision some churches calling bivocational ministers to provide pastoral ministry to the digital congregation.

This will be in addition to the churches no longer able to afford the salary and benefit package necessary to call a fully-funded pastor who will be seeking bivocational leadership in the future. We will also continue to see growing numbers of churches calling bivocational persons to church staff positions. The numbers of churches seeking bivocational leadership has been growing for the past several years, and I believe it will grow even more in the years to come.

In fact, the demand for bivocational leadership already exceeds the number of people available to meet that demand. Just in my small part of the world there are a number of churches who need good bivocational ministers, and denominational leadership struggles to provide them with the names of good candidates. This should be a matter of prayer for all of us.

It should also challenge us to ask if God might be calling us to such ministry. Perhaps you are someone who believes that God might be calling you into the ministry but you are not sure what that might mean or what it might look like. Just last week an individual approached me with questions about his sense of call. If you have such questions, please feel free to talk to your pastor or contact me. No one can tell you if God is calling you into the ministry. Only you can determine that. But, I can help you think through what you might be feeling and try to answer any questions you might have.

The church has left the building

 In the Great Commission Jesus tells the disciples (and us) that we are to make disciples of all the nations. Like the obedient Christians they were, they stayed right in Jerusalem. It wasn't until great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem did they begin to leave the city and scatter "throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8: 1). It took a persecution to force them to leave Jerusalem and begin to take the Christian faith to the rest of the world.

As I thought about how the pandemic has impacted the church I began to see parallels between the first century church and the church today. For a long time we have been very comfortable attending church services, enjoying the company of our fellow believers and dealing with church issues. Even though our mission is the same as that given to the disciples, we have been satisfied to stay in the confines of our own little Jerusalem and ignore those outside the faith. 

But, when the pandemic hit and we were forced to stay away from our churches we had to become creative. Many of our churches began offering their services for the first time online through social media or their web sites. Many of those churches noticed something they didn't expect. There were actually more people viewing their services online than ever attended the live worship service. When churches were forced to leave their buildings they found a larger audience for the gospel message.

My prayer is that we never return to that inward focus that has had such a negative impact on the church and the work of the Kingdom. By that I don't mean that I do not want to see churches return to in-person services. What I do want to see happen is that we maintain our outward focus and seek even more creative ways to serve those outside the church family.

Perhaps in the near future we will find that a growing percentage of our church family will be digital only. I think of the many people who work every Sunday morning. Even if they want to attend church services their current job prevents them from doing so. In some communities no churches offer a worship service other than on Sunday. But, if the worship service is available through the church's website, people can watch it anytime it fits into their schedule. There is nothing high and holy about 11:00 Sunday morning. A person can connect to God and to a church the same on a Thursday afternoon as they can on Sunday morning.

Of course, this presents new challenges to the church. How do we help that digital individual grow as a disciple? How do we provide quality congregational care? Is it possible that we can involve the individual in some other event at the church at a time when he or she isn't working? Could this be a great opportunity for the church to offer a side-door ministry that would involve those who are only connected to the church through the digital services? There's a lot to think about, and it's still early in the game, but these are things church leaders need to be addressing.

It took persecution to force the first century church out of Jerusalem. It took a pandemic to force many churches today to take a new look at how to do ministry outside its four walls. In the first century, the Kingdom of God advanced because of the persecution. I believe we will see the Kingdom advance today because of the pandemic...if the church remains focused on those outside the building.