What is happening with bivocational ministry?

 A friend recently asked if I had any new thoughts on the direction of bivocational ministry. I'm not sure that I do, but I do believe that the thoughts I've proposed in the past are even more valid today. The need for bivocational ministers is growing across denominations, and many denominations remain unaware of this need or have no idea what to do in light of the need.

In 2008 I took a sabbatical and questioned a number of denominational leaders about what was happening with bivocational ministry in their denomination. One leader confessed that the need was growing, and they didn't know what to do about it. I fear that has not changed. Nor has it changed in the seminaries. Few offer programs specifically designed for bivocational ministers. They continue to crank out graduates prepared to manage mid-size churches ignoring the fact that the median size church in the US has 75 in attendance. Many of these churches are struggling to find pastoral leadership, and few will be able to afford a fully-funded pastor in today's economic climate.

It appears that Lyle Schaller's prediction in his book, Innovations in Ministry, that by 2018 churches averaging under 120 in worship would be served by bivocational ministers or teams was correct.

One of the things that troubles me is that God is not surprised by this situation. I am convinced that He has called people to fill the role of being a bivocational minister in these churches. Why are more people not answering that call? One reason might be that no one is challenging them to consider such a call.

As a new Christian, I had only been a member of a church for a couple of years when our pastor asked me if I had ever felt God was calling me into the ministry. The fact was that I had felt that calling even as a young boy but had never pursued it. The fact that someone challenged me made me rethink that calling. I would suspect that most ministers reading this would affirm that someone challenged them to consider if God might be calling them into the ministry at some time in their lives. About a year went by before I asked the church if they would license me into the ministry which they did.

How often is anyone challenged to consider that God might be calling them into ministry today? We can't call someone into ministry. Only God can do that, but we can encourage people to consider that He might be calling them to do that. What they do with that challenge is up to them. There are a number of persons serving in bivocational ministry today because I challenged them to consider such a calling, and they are doing a great job leading their churches.

Regional and denominational leaders need to begin talking to their pastors about persons in their churches who might demonstrate gifts fit for ministry and begin talking to them about the possibility that God might be calling them to serve as a bivocational minister. Instead of automatically looking outside the church for a bivocational pastor, why not start the search by seeing if someone already a member of the church might serve that role. Seminaries need to recognize that today's church does not look like it did in 1950 and begin to prepare their pastors accordingly. Churches must take the initiative to seek qualified pastors themselves and not wait for or depend on their denomination to do this for them.

Those reading this post need to ask if you might be one God is calling to this ministry. Pray about it. Talk to your pastor, spouse and other mature Christian leaders. A church right now may be waiting on you to say yes to God's call on your life.

The growth of non-denominational churches

Thom Rainer is a well-respected Christian author who produces valuable resources for the church. In a recent post of his that I read he addresses the growth of non-denominational churches. He points out that many of our denominations are seeing a significant decline in membership and attendance. For instance, the United Methodist Church has seen their membership decline from 3 million to 2 million with expected further decline as more churches leave the denomination. The Southern Baptist Convention had 16.2 million members in their churches in 2006, and that number fell to 13.2 million in 2022. Furthermore, the SBC saw a nearly 40 percent decline in attendance in those 13 years. These are significant decreases in two of our largest denominations.

At the same time, he notes that 13 percent of American adults now attend non-denominational churches which is more than the SBC and UMC combined. I might add that the national media seldom reports on this growth among non-denominational churches but often reports on the decline experienced by the denominational churches. Rainer offers five thoughts on why he believes the non-denominational churches are growing.

1. They tend to be more evangelistic. In general, they tend to see their purpose to be reaching their communities for Jesus Christ, and their efforts are directed to that end.
2. They invest more money in local evangelism. While most of the churches I served as a judicatory minister said they wanted to grow, their budget was primarily directed toward their current membership. Non-denominational churches tend to budget more money for outreach.
3. They spend less time on conflict issues. When you are focused on doing positive things you have less time to fight over minor details.
4. They have no baggage associated with a denominational label. Like Rainer, I think this has been over-emphasized. While many people today do not choose a church based on its denominational affiliation, I do not believe most reject a church for that same reason. Still, there may be some people who will reject a church due to its denominational affiliation.
5.  It is a proven fact that newer churches tend to grow faster, and many non-denominational churches are newer. I read recently elsewhere that this tends to end when the church reaches eleven years of age. At that point, the church is likely to become more structured and begins to lose its initial emphasis on evangelism. That will be something interesting to study further.

I tend to think there is another reason Rainer doesn't mention, and that is the way these churches are structured. In many denominational churches it can be very difficult to do anything new. Committees and boards often study new proposals for months before presenting them to the congregation for approval only to see them turned down by a handful of people who show up for a business meeting who haven't spent 10 minutes studying the proposal. In the newer, non-denominational churches the structure is often much leaner. They trust their leadership to lead, and these individuals make most of the decisions for the church in much less time.

Denominational churches serious about wanting to grow need to compare their church to what Rainer has identified as elements of growing churches. As I've written many times in this blog, your structure is perfectly designed for the results you are getting.

Changing how we count what matters in church

 Every year denominations ask their churches to send in an annual report that will show how the church is doing. Questions usually revolve around average church attendance, Sunday school attendance, financial information and other things that are easy to count. The report will also ask for information on the pastor and other staff in the church. One year our church clerk came to me frustrated because there wasn't a place on the report for a bivocational pastor. She asked if she should put down that I was part-time, full-time or just what did I consider myself to be. I responded that I was a full-time bivocational pastor. She said there isn't an option for that on the report so I told her to put down anything she wanted. The fact is, most denominations do not have a good way to know how many bivocational pastors they have.

One of the problems with these reports is that they ask the wrong questions. Counting noses and nickels is not always the best way to identify the health of a church. With that mentality, the more noses and nickels you have to report the better the church is, and that is not always the case. This doesn't mean noses and nickels are not important. The noses represent people for whom Christ died, and more nickels often opens up more ministry opportunities.

What if the questions focused more on the development of people than questions about the institution? What if they asked how God was at work in the church the past year? What if they asked how many people felt like they had grown spiritually in the past year? What if they asked how many people were involved in ministry the past year, not serving on committees and boards, but actually involved in doing ministry in the community? Yes, these types of questions are harder to quantify than the others, but would they not better reflect the ministry of the church? Would they not better reflect the health of the church?

I have to admit that I am not hopeful that many denominations will change their annual reports to reflect these types of questions. It's easier to produce spreadsheets that just reflect numbers than to do the difficult work of interpreting the questions I suggested. But, pastors and church leaders can ask these questions of the churches they serve and make changes in their ministries that will increase the spiritual growth and development of those they serve. I suspect that growth will also result in the church seeing numerical growth as well.

What smaller churches need

A couple of days ago I posted my thoughts about the future of smaller churches. If my predictions are correct, what should denominations begin doing to serve these churches?

As a judicatory leader for 14 years I saw first-hand how the finances of many denominations and judicatories were impacted by the financial crisis of 2008 and some of the controversies that swirled around denominational life at the same time. Many denominations and judicatories were forced to significantly cut staffing and programs. The churches most affected by these cuts were the smaller churches. 

Denominations and judicatories were not the only ones ready to write off the smaller churches. How many seminaries and Bible schools offered classes designed specifically for the pastors of the smaller church? How many offered training for bivocational ministers? I'm glad to say that some did. The judicatory in which I served provided excellent training for church leaders, many of whom became effective bivocational pastors in some of our smaller churches. Unfortunately, this type of training was not available in every judicatory or from every seminary or Bible college.

Finding qualified pastoral leadership for smaller churches became increasingly more difficult. Seminary trained pastors with MDiv degrees seldom were interested in serving in a smaller church. Many churches quickly discovered their denomination could not help them find a pastor since there were so few pastors available willing to serve the smaller church. Some of these churches would call the first person who walked in their door wearing a cross around his neck. This often resulted in a disaster for the church. In many cases, these pastors had no affiliation with the denomination and no interest in supporting the denomination which drove the wedge even greater between the denomination and the church.

With this background, let me share two things smaller churches need from their denomination and judicatories. One, is assistance in finding effective pastoral leadership. For decades these churches have been told the denomination doesn't have sufficient pastoral leadership for the smaller church. Let me be very blunt: that excuse is getting old. If you don't have pastoral leadership you can offer to the smaller church, whose fault is that? Do you think God is surprised by the need of smaller churches to have effective pastoral leadership? He's been calling people to this work since the church began. It's time for denominations and judicatories to stop making excuses and begin working to identify those God has called to this work and train them. A person doesn't need an MDiv to serve a smaller church. He or she doesn't need an MDiv to be ordained. Stop pretending it's 1950 where every pastor had to have a MDiv in order to serve in a church. Our churches are constantly being told they need to learn to conform to the reality of doing ministry in 2023. How about our denominational and judicatory leaders think about conforming to the real needs of their smaller church?

Closely associated with this, the second thing our smaller churches need is a relationship with the denominational and judicatory leadership. The ONLY thing they can't get from outside sources is a relationship. There are many publishing companies where they can get Sunday school literature, bulletins and other resources. There are excellent evangelism tools available from any number of organizations. Many great workshops and conferences are offered every year from a variety of organizations. The only thing a denomination and judicatory can offer their churches that they cannot get elsewhere is a relationship.

A word of advice: some of these churches have been ignored for so long that any relationship will have to begin with you approaching them. If you try to invite a bunch of small church leaders to some gathering, don't be surprised if few show up. This needs to be one-on-one at first. 

The future of the small church

 I didn't realize it had been so long since I had published on this blog. I apologize to my followers and can assure you that you will be seeing more from me in the near future. In a couple of weeks I'll have an announcement to share with everyone. But, for now I want to address what I believe the future of the small church will look like.

I am in the process of re-reading a book I first read several years ago on how to turn around a small church. Even though the book was published in 1995 it mostly remains very relevant to small churches in 2023. As I began reading Appendix A, the author mentions that many were saying the era of the small church is past, and the future belongs to the mega-church and larger churches. People are making the same observation today. In my opinion, they couldn't be more wrong.

At a pastor's conference I led a few years ago I was asked about the future of the small church. My response was that the small church will be around for a long time. The larger and mega-churches probably will be as well. The churches that will feel the squeeze in the future will be the middle-size churches. I predicted then that people in those churches will be attracted to the programs and ministries the mega-churches offer. In an effort to keep those individuals, the middle-size churches will try to compete with the mega-churches. No doubt they will work hard and probably fail simply because they do not have the resources to compete with those churches. One of my mantras is that churches can often accomplish more by doing less. It's when churches focus on the few things they can do with excellence that they succeed. Doing many things with mediocrity is a sure recipe for failure.

That failure is likely to result in people leaving for the mega-church who offers those programs the people want. At the same time, some in the middle-size church may decide they miss the family atmosphere they experienced in the smaller church and decide to return to that smaller church. They are less interested in programs and more interested in the fellowship and family atmosphere often found in the smaller church.

If my predictions are correct, it is important that denominations stop writing off the smaller church and re-address the needs of those churches. As a retired judicatory leader for 14 years I found many smaller churches had decided they would get no help from their denominations. While most of them remained members of their denominations, it was a relationship in name only. Many of them ceased any financial support of their denomination, never attended meetings or training sessions offered by the denomination, and stop calling when they needed assistance in finding new pastoral leadership. They had, in essence, became independent churches.

Smaller churches will be around until Jesus comes. They have their problems and challenges, but they offer people a sense of family not found in larger churches. Many people want that. I suppose that's why the mean church in America is only 75 people. Bookshelves may be full of books about larger churches written by mega-church pastors, but the country is full of smaller churches, and it will continue to be so as long as the church exists. I love the smaller church and have dedicated my life and ministry to them because I know how God continues to use them to impact the lives of people and communities.

Going where you are needed

One of the challenges for a bivocational minister is finding a place to serve. As I've written elsewhere, bivocational ministry is mostly geographical. Chances are a bivocational minister will not travel more than an hour to serve a church. He or she has to take into consideration their other employment and the amount of time they would spend on the road if they traveled further than that. About an hour's drive would be far enough, and even then it's going to create occasional problems.

A friend of mine felt called to bivocational ministry. He is self-employed so his hours are somewhat flexible. Still, he was struggling to find a church nearby to serve. He sent me a message recently to let me know he had accepted the call to serve a church in a different denomination that was about 20 minutes from his home. Although he expressed surprise at serving a church in that denomination he felt their theology and ministry philosophy was very close to his own. I'm happy for him and praying that he does well.

I had talked with one of the leaders of that denomination several years ago when I was doing a sabbatical study on how different denominations were addressing bivocational ministry. That leader told me that several of their smaller churches were calling bivocational ministers from different denominations including the one in which I serve. While serving in different denominations may not always work because of theological or polity differences, it can be a way for a smaller church to find a pastor and a bivocational minister to find a place in which to serve.

One of the dangers associated with this is when a minister feels he or she needs to bring that church into his or her denomination. We often hear about sheep stealing, but I've known some pastors who were into church stealing. In our denomination we've had some pastors from other denominations come in and lead the church to join the denomination they came from. I consider this highly unethical and should not be tolerated. 

When I began my pastoral ministry the denomination in which I was a member offered me no assistance in finding a church. I heard from a neighbor about a small, rural church that was seeking a pastor and sent them my resume. We each decided to take a chance with each other, and I served that congregation for 20 years. God opened a door, and I went where I was needed. My friend has done the same, and I'm sure God will bless his ministry in that church. Be open to hearing God's leadership when seeking a place to serve.

The challenge for denominations Part 3

In this third article in this series of denominational challenges I want to address the need to look at the education and training we use to prepare persons for pastoral ministry. In the past we have relied on our seminaries to address these training needs. We had our denominational seminaries and we trusted them to equip our pastors according to the theological beliefs and polities of our denomination. That worked OK for a long time until people started seeking theological education and training from outside our denominational seminaries. It also didn't work very well when smaller churches called individuals who had no theological or ministry training at all.

A few years ago I was amused when one of the churches in the region I served called to complain about their new pastor. Although I had given them names of some people who might have been interested in serving their church, they called a person from outside our denomination who, according to my knowledge, had no theological training at all. I attended a meeting of some of the leaders in the church who told me their new pastor didn't do things "like Baptists." I shrugged my shoulders and responded that was because he wasn't a Baptist, a fact they knew when they asked him to be their pastor. I also reminded them they did not get his name from me.

I was licensed to preach by my church in 1979. I contacted our denominational leader and offered to fill in for vacationing pastors or to fill the pulpit for churches who might need someone to speak. I received a letter a couple of weeks later saying as soon as I finished seminary he would be glad to help me find a church. I had never attended college much less seminary. He was telling me to put my life on hold for seven years to go to school and then he would see what he could do. That didn't happen! I found a church myself where I spent the next 20 years serving as a bivocational pastor. During that time I did graduate from a Bible college and earned a bachelor degree from a nearby university, but I wasn't going to jump through his hoops before I began to fulfill my calling from God.

As smaller churches struggle to find trained pastors to lead their churches denominations need to step in and offer the training these individuals need. Many regions and denominations now do offer such training, but too many still do not. The quality of the training varies widely from area to area as well. If we want our churches to be healthy and strong denominations and regions need to provide the training for their pastoral and lay leaders to help them.

Improved education is not needed just for our smaller churches. As a denominational leader I saw plenty of pastors with MDiv degrees who were not equipped for pastoral ministry. Some may have been well prepared to do theological research, but they were inadequately prepared for pastoral ministry. Some had limited social skills, some struggled to preach coherent messages, some lacked adequate theological understanding, and others needed more training in other areas.

I began my pastoral ministry in 1981. Now in 2021 I am serving as a Transitional Pastor. Believe me when I say ministry has changed much in the past 40 years. The challenges I see facing pastors today are much different than they were when I began my ministry. I can only imagine what changes we'll see in the next 40 years. Yet, much of the seminary education being offered hasn't changed much. The church often lags behind the rest of society when it comes to change, and I'm concerned that our preparation of ministers is also lagging behind.

I would encourage denominations to begin serious conversations with leading seminaries to discuss how they can work together to better prepare persons for the ministry challenges the 21st century will bring. It is not going to be healthy for denominations to work in one area of the church world and seminaries work in another area. They need to come together to develop the best possible education for their future leaders. By doing this they will best serve tomorrow's churches.

The challenge for denominations Part 2

 In my previous post on this topic I addressed the challenge denominations face in developing relationships with their smaller churches. If they fail to develop and maintain such relationships they will continue to see these churches leave the denomination or continue to remain members but without any active involvement in denominational life.

Today I want to address another common issue I often heard as a regional denominational leader. That is the issue of Scriptural integrity. As denominations face a variety of social challenges in today's society they create policy statements regarding these social issues that many of their churches feel are unbiblical. These issues range from same-sex marriage to homosexual relationships to gender dysphoria issues to women in ministry to abortion and a host of other social justice and public policies. Some denominations make clear policy statements regarding these issues while others seem to want to straddle the fence on them. Still others have an endless stream of study groups assigned to study the issue and report back at a later date. The fence straddlers and the study groups are often more frustrating to the churches than the denominations that make a clear statement of where they stand on these issues.

I have long believed that denominations need to state clear beliefs on these various social issues so their churches know where they stand. Quit straddling the fence trying to appease everyone. That satisfied nobody. Clearly say what you believe and then churches can decide whether to remain or leave. This avoids the problem of a slow death by attrition, and it avoids the problem of churches dividing because members tire of the uncertainty of supporting a denomination they aren't sure believes what they believe.

How many study groups does it take to decide where a denomination stands on a particular issue? How many years do such study groups need to take to issue a statement to the wider denomination? I have sometimes wondered if such study groups were created and given a time line to report back that was sufficient to allow certain denominational leaders to retire before the report was finalized. Yes, you can call me cynical if you want.

Some denominations have taken a public stand on these issues, and their churches know that stand. They are then free to decide whether to remain in that denomination or not. While I may or may not agree with the stands these denominational always take, I appreciate their willingness to state what they believe. At least they have the courage of their convictions, and I appreciate that in anyone and in any organization. It should be noted that many of the denominations that have taken more progressive (liberal) stands are experiencing decline in membership due to the membership declines in their churches. Those denominations that have taken more conservative stands regarding these social issues are the denominations that continue to grow in size and influence.

The denominations that seem to want to satisfy everyone by not stating a clear position on many of the social issues are also in decline. Personally, I think that is as it should be. Just like most people enjoy hot coffee and hot tea or iced coffee and iced tea but do not like either to be lukewarm, people do not like lukewarm theological beliefs either. Like the Lord told the church at Laodicea, "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. (Rev. 3: 16)"

Most Christians want to belong to a church that believes something and stands for something. They seek churches that have theological integrity, and if a church lacks that they will leave it and seek one that does. Many churches feel the same way about the denomination to which they belong. If they believe that denomination abandons its theological beliefs, they will leave that denomination for one that holds to the beliefs they share or become independent.

As we move further into the 21st century it becomes more imperative that denominations take a firm stand on what it believes about the various social and theological challenges it faces. Your churches deserve that. We are facing a turbulent future and without a sound theological foundation we are going to be buffeted by the winds of dozens of social issues.

The challenge for denominations Part 1

 For years many have been saying the time for denominations is over. They point to the decline in most denominations and the fact that many churches are abandoning their denominational names. There has certainly been an exodus from denominational life for many churches, and this is likely to continue unless the denominations figure out how to respond to the concerns their churches have about the direction of their denominations.

I have been a denominational pastor since entering the ministry in 1981. I served as a regional denominational leader for 14 years. During that time I heard many of the concerns of our churches and saw several withdraw from our denomination over those concerns. Some of those concerns I shared myself. Other concerns were based on half-truths and a misunderstanding of denominational polity and policies. I found that many churches and church leaders read headlines without reading the entire article or look for things that easily fit into their personal agendas. It's like preaching a text without the context. Doing so makes it easy to prove just about any point you want.

Having said this, denominations are facing tough times. Perhaps some will disappear from the American landscape in the next few years. Others will struggle to survive and become must less than they once were. The struggle will be much worse for those who refuse to address the concerns their churches and church leaders have.

Because of my work with smaller churches and bivocational pastors one of the most common concerns I hear is that denominations care little for these churches and leaders. Because the smaller churches and bivocational pastors feel neglected and ignored by their denominations they, in turn, have little or nothing to do with the denomination. They may remain a member in name only, but they do nothing to support the work and ministry of the denomination. They give nothing to denominational missions or ministry.  Many of these churches refuse to even fill out the annual reports their denominations may require. As a result of this sense of abandonment, as many as one-third of the churches affiliated with a denomination may have no relationship with that denomination.

II would remind denominational leaders that there is only one thing you can offer your churches they cannot get from para-church organizations or from other sources, and that is relationship. They can purchase materials and literature from a variety of sources. They can support independent missionaries. They can seek pastoral candidates from seminaries and online. They can get everything they need to continue their ministry from many places. The only thing their denomination can offer them they cannot get elsewhere is a relationship with the people in that denomination. If they feel abandoned or ignored by their denominational and regional leadership do not be surprised if they refuse to support the denomination and region.

If denominational leaders read this post and wonder what they can do to create such a relationship, that is a good indicator that such a relationship does not currently exist. Otherwise, you would not have to wonder what to do to have such a relationship. It is probably past time that you look at your denominational calendars and see how much time you are giving to your smaller churches and their leaders. How many training events are you offering that specifically address their issues and challenges? How much are you investing in that training? How many speakers from these churches do you use in your annual and biennial meetings? How many of these leaders do you use to lead workshops? What resources do you provide that speak to the smaller church?

It takes time to rebuild a relationship that has been allowed to be ignored so don't expect instant results. One regional leader told me a few years ago he was glad I told him to not be disappointed if few people came for his first small church leadership training event, because few people did attend. I had reminded him that it had been so long since his district had done anything for small church leaders that it would take time to build up that relationship. It will likely be true for you as well, but it you want to rebuild the relationship between your denomination and its smaller churches it will be time well spent.

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.

Why do we need to plant churches?

Most Protestant denominations have a strategy for planting new churches. With about 300,000 existing churches in the US some argue that we don't need new churches. Existing churches, especially those that are struggling, often resent the money being spent on starting new churches, especially in the geographic area where they are located. They wonder why the denomination doesn't give them that money since they've already been there. Their reasoning is that with those additional resources they would be able to do better ministry.

One primary reason for starting new churches is that new churches reach new people for Christ. The people in a new church often have a passion for evangelism that is not found in many existing churches. They attend this new church because they are excited about its ministry, and they want others to experience what they experience. The result is that they invite their friends and family to go to church with them.

There's another reason, and that is the lack of sacred cows in new churches. In my pastor conferences I'm often asked why so many of the denominational churches are barely hanging on while new non-denominational churches in the same community is constantly outgrowing its facilities. I explain that these newer churches are often structured much differently than many traditional denominational churches.

In so many of our churches a person cannot buy a roll of toilet paper without approval in a business meeting. If someone suggests changing the color of the toilet paper being used it must be referred to a committee to discuss it for 6-8 months before bringing a recommendation to the next business meeting where it will then be discussed for another two hours. In the new non-denominational church someone goes out and buys toilet paper. Yes...I'm being facetious, a little. But, the fact is many of our existing churches are structured for maintenance, not growth. We spend so much time focusing on administrative details that there is no time to look at growth.

Smaller churches are often greatly overstructured. They still operate as if they were the larger church they once were. People are serving on three or four committees and a couple of boards, teaching a Sunday school class and singing in the choir, and we wonder why they are not out inviting people to church.

Growing churches, whether new church plants or existing churches, are structured for growth, not maintenance. A maintenance church expects the pastor to grow the church while they keep score and make all the decisions, many of which will limit the pastor's ability to grow the church. In a missional church the members see themselves as responsible to grow the church, and the pastor's role is to equip them and provide leadership. Trying to change the paradigm that many maintenance churches hold to is attacking a sacred cow and often leads to problems for the pastor.

So... denominations focus on planting new churches to avoid that sacred cow, and many pastors and seminary graduates now prefer to serve in these new church plants for the same reason.

Before anyone thinks I've suddenly turned against existing churches, I haven't. Existing churches can begin to function like new churches by starting new life cycles. I'll write about that tomorrow.

The rural church is often forgotten

Last night I finished re-reading another great book, The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America by Glenn Daman. I was privileged to have been asked to write a recommendation for the book before it was published. It was an honor to write that because the book was very good and because Glenn is a champion for the small, rural churches. He grew up in rural communities and currently pastors a rural church in Washington. He has written a number of other books specifically for smaller churches and their leaders and serves as an adjunct professor at Western Seminary. I would suggest this book should be required reading for anyone serving in a rural church,

The title of the book says it all: the rural church has been largely forgotten by seminaries, denominations, church historians and pastors on the fast-track to their "dream" church. Most resources are spent on the urban and suburban communities. That is where you find denominations targeting their new church planting efforts. Seminaries teach ministry practices best suited for the large churches normally found in the cities. Much has been written by many people, including myself, on the difficulty of smaller churches finding pastors willing to serve them.

Attend denominational gatherings and you will usually find their speakers and workshop leaders come from large urban churches. Try to find a course offered by seminaries that focus on rural ministry. Check out any Christian bookstore and compare the number of books on the shelves written by pastors of larger churches and those written by pastors of smaller churches. Yes, the rural church is largely forgotten by just about everybody, except those who go there.

Like Glenn, I have spent my entire life in small, rural churches. It was in such churches that I first came to faith in Jesus Christ. It was in the Sunday school classes, Vacation Bible School and Baptist Youth Fellowship that I learned about the Bible and the Christian life. It was while attending such churches as a young boy that I first felt God's call on my life to enter the ministry. It was in small, rural churches that I saw how people came together to support one another. It was a small, rural church that allowed me to serve them as pastor for twenty years even though I did not have the seminary training or experience to do so.

I remember when I was licensed to the ministry that I contacted a leader in my denomination at the time. I told him the church had licensed me and I was willing to fill the pulpit or preach any time he needed my help. I got a letter back telling me if I wanted to be a minister I needed to go to college and seminary, and in seven years when I completed my education to contact him again. That little rural church didn't ask about my educational credentials. They were glad I was willing to serve them and voted me in as their pastor. Maybe some people today have forgotten the rural church, but me and millions of others whose lives have been impacted by such churches will never forget them.

Reading this book, and especially the stories Glenn tells, reminded me again of how much I loved that church I pastored and how much I miss pastoring such churches today. The relationships one has with the congregation in a rural church is amazing. I've sat in the barn while one of our members was greasing his equipment as we talked about church matters. I went coon hunting with one member and spent countless hours with another one fishing. I prayed with many a member when they were in the hospital and sat around the table talking to family members who had just lost a loved one. In the rural church you don't spend much time sitting in your office, not if you want to spend time with those you serve.

If you pastor a rural church you need to read this book. It will help remind you of why you do what you do, especially during those times when you get frustrated by some aspect of ministry. If you are a denominational leader, you need to read this book. Maybe you won't be so quick to write off your churches located in rural communities. Seminary leaders need to read this book and begin to think of ways you can better serve those who will be going to rural ministries. If you are a lay leader in a rural church and often find yourself frustrated at the on-going challenges of rural ministry, you should read this book as well. Maybe it will remind you that in God's economy it's not just the large churches that are important. Christ came to save individual people, both in urban and rural communities. Every church has a role to play in that effort, and historically and currently the rural church has performed amazing work for the Kingdom of God.

When you straddle the fence

While driving yesterday I listened to a small snippet of Mueller's testimony to Congress. I heard one Republican and one Democrat ask questions, and that was about all I could take. This evening on the news I listened to their take on the testimony. It appears to me what I thought since the report was made public is correct. Mueller's report was written in a way that would allow both sides to claim victory. The president claims that it makes clear that he is completely innocent of all charges while his enemies are certain that there is information within that report that will make impeachment possible. In the end the American people have what we always have when the government involves itself in almost anything, a complete waste of time and millions of dollars, both of which could have been better used to do something that would actually benefit people.

Frankly, I am disgusted by both sides over this entire issue. The Democrats will continue their search-and-destroy mission until the election, knowing that impeachment will never happen, but hoping that it will win them enough votes to win the next election. The president and his supporters will continue to claim victory and charge the Democrats with being on a witch-hunt. Neither side will give in, and neither side will make any effort to work together to address real issues facing the people of our nation. It's all about winning elections, and lining their pockets with money. By straddling the fence with his report, Mueller made both sides feel good and gave them ammunition for the next election, but accomplished nothing of real value.

Unfortunately, we see this too often in ministry, both in the local church and in denominational work as well. The apostle Paul warned young Timothy there would come a time when people would have itching ears that would seek out teachers who would teach warm, comforting fables rather than the Word of God (2 Tim. 4: 3-4). Such people have always been around, but they are certainly found in many of our churches today. Many pastors have told me they could not preach on certain topics in their church or they would lose their jobs. These fence-straddlers might keep their jobs, but they are feeding their congregations poison that will destroy them spiritually.

Denominations can be guilty of this as well. They avoid certain topics as long as they can, and when they can avoid them no longer they try to find a compromise that will satisfy everyone in the hopes of losing no one. Their compromise often does the opposite. It frustrates everyone, and people and churches still leave.

Many years ago the church I pastored had a youth minister who decided to have a youth revival. He rented a tent we put up on the church property and invited a couple of his seminary classmates to help with the revival. One evening they put on a skit. One of the adults in the church was sitting on the back of a chair representing a fence. He was undecided whether or not to become a Christian. Our youth minister played the role of Satan who kept offering him all the pleasures the world had to offer if he would not become a Christian. One of the young minister's friends played the role of Jesus, and all he said throughout the skit was "I love you" with his arms outstretched. After three turns by the devil and Jesus to persuade the man to choose which one to follow, the man on the fence said, "I think I'll just stay on the fence." When he said that the individual playing Satan put his arm around him and said, "That's good because I own the fence." When he said that the hair on my arms stood straight up and I almost came out of my seat!

It's true. Satan does own the fence. When we compromise the Word of God, when we fail to proclaim the truths found in Scripture we are playing right in the devil's hands. When we refuse to take a stand on moral issues trying to placate both sides we are straddling the fence and doing the devil's work. Satan's first temptation to mankind was to cause them to doubt what God had told them, and when we stray from God's Word we are also creating doubt in people's minds.

The church needs ministers who will preach the Word of God boldly and with authority. Billy Graham was never afraid to proclaim "The Bible says...." when he preached, and people's lives were changed. We need that same boldness in our pulpits today. We don't need people who want to straddle the fence leading our churches and denominations; we need ministers who believe something, who stand for something and aren't afraid to preach with Word of God without apology.

Denominational responsibility and their churches

Yesterday's post focused on the need to provide training for bivocational ministers who may not have any kind of formal training for ministry. I ended that article by saying if they refuse to take advantage of that training perhaps denominations and judicatories need to refuse to assist them with future placement needs. No doubt some of my readers thought that was a terrible thing to say, so I promised I would discuss that more in today's post.

Here are some hard, cold facts. Denominations and judicatories continue to shrink in size. As an example, when I began as a judicatory minister in 2001 I think we had 14 people on Executive Staff. When I retired in 2015 there were 3-4, and only two of them worked in the field. Some part time people were brought in to serve some of the churches. Other Regions in our denomination had cut back even more. Some judicatories in other denominations were closing and merging with nearby judicatories. All of this is due to declining finances.

At the same time, we are a nation of small churches. I believe the median size church now is 75 people. Many of these churches are struggling to survive, and many of them will not make it. Last Sunday a small church in an adjoining county to me held its last service. Approximately 100 churches a week, 5000 a year, close their doors in the United States.

Many of the smaller churches that remain open struggle to find pastoral leadership. I've written about this numerous times in this blog, and many other writers have addressed the issue as well over the past few years. No one sees any improvement in the near future. If these churches are to survive, and hopefully, enjoy many more years of effective ministry, they must have quality, healthy leadership.

I strongly believe in the smaller church. I've seen what can happen when such churches enjoy healthy pastoral leadership, and I've seen what happens when they are led by someone who doesn't know if he's pitching or catching. I've seen struggling churches flourish under good leadership, and I've seen healthy churches become very unhealthy under poor leadership.

Two things need to happen. Denominations and judicatories need to quit ignoring their smaller churches and begin to focus some much needed attention on them and their pastors, and smaller churches need to stop thinking they don't need their denominations and judicatories. Both need each other. These are the cold, hard facts. Now, what needs to happen.

As I said above, denominations and judicatories need to focus some much needed attention on these churches and their pastors. They need to become very intentional about finding persons called to bivocational ministry and become very intentional about training these individuals. They need to determine how they can help these churches become healthy and vibrant places of worship, and I truly believe this begins with proper training of the pastoral leadership.

Smaller churches need to accept the assistance of their denominational and judicatory leaders, especially when it comes to pastoral placement. Perhaps, in some cases, they might consider allowing the judicatory to name the individual who will serve as pastor. Right now some churches are saying that will never happen; that they are a congregational church who will decide for themselves who they will call as pastor. Let me ask you the Dr. Phil question: "How is that working for you?" Now, I'll answer it for some of you: "IT'S NOT WORKING! IT HASN'T WORKED IN YEARS! THAT'S WHY YOU ARE IN THE MESS YOU'RE IN!" And, if something isn't working then you need to try something else.

If the denomination or judicatory has done its job of identifying good people who can serve in a bivocational role, and if they have developed a quality training program for these individuals, what should they do with those churches and individuals who will not use the people and the training they've developed? In light of the ongoing shrinkage that is occuring in denominational and judicatories the only thing they can do is wish the churches and their pastors well and focus on the churches that do want their help.

At that point, there is no sense in assisting the church with any future placement needs because the church has shown it's not interested in getting quality pastors from the denomination or judicatory. There's also no sense in assisting pastors who aren't willing to be trained in finding new churches. There is no sense in sacrificing good pastors on the altars of dysfunctional churches, and there is no sense in sending unqualified persons who have never had a healthy ministry into good churches to ruin them.

Cold, hard facts are never easy to talk about or read, but they are real. Denominations and judicatories can no longer afford to support their churches that refuse legitimate offers to help them become healthy with quality, trained leadership. Likewise, they cannot afford to support those who want to lead churches but refuse any training to help them lead those churches grow and become healthier.

Where are the bivocational ministers?

This past week I was talking shop with a judicatory leader. When I asked how things were going he responded they weren't going very well. He had a number of smaller churches needing pastors and had no idea where he was going to find them. It was a serious problem before I retired from that position, and it seems to continue to worsen.

One thing I've always known: this need for bivocational ministers did  not catch God by surprise. I've always been convinced that He has called people to serve in those positions. The real challenges are for church and denominational leaders to identify these people and for the individuals themselves to recognize that call on their lives.

Virtually every minister I've met had someone in his or her life who invited them to consider that God might be calling them into the ministry. I certainly had that person in my life. His talk with me about that possibility confirmed something I had felt for some time. Now, someone else saw in me what I had been feeling. That gave me the confidence to live into that calling.

Back when I began as a bivocational minister it was not looked upon very favorably by a lot of people. I met more than a few pastors in my earlier years who looked down on me serving in a bivocational role. I had to rely very strongly on what I knew to be my calling to continue in that role. I was also fortunate to serve in a Region that had leadership who were more acceptable of bivocational ministry. They supported me throughout my pastoral ministry and eventually invited me to serve with them in a regional role. Today, bivocational ministry is more widely accepted.

Having said that however, we still seem to be unable to know how to identify persons God may have called to such ministry. As one judicatory leader told me several years ago, "They seem to find us before we find them." That means there are probably a lot of people out there who do not receive the encouragement to enter into this ministry God has for them.

Denominations and judicatories must find ways to help people consider that God might be calling them into bivocational ministry. Perhaps district meetings with this as the topic might be one way to invite persons who might be wrestling with this call. Certainly, pastors and other leaders need to talk with persons who seem to have gifts that would be needed in bivocational ministry.

We cannot call anyone into ministry. Only God can do that. But, we do have a responsibility to help people work through a possible call. During my 14 years as a judicatory minister I talked with several persons about the possibility God might be calling them into bivocational ministry, and some of them confirmed they had been considering such a call themselves. Some of them did become bivocational ministers and had very successful ministries.

Pastors, look around your congregation and see if there might be persons who might have such a call on their lives. Talk to them and tell them why you feel God might have something special for them. Denominational leaders, spend some time thinking about how you can present bivocational ministry to people in your churches. Let's stop talking about the difficulty of finding bivocational ministers and begin to do something constructive about identifying them.

What is being done to promote bivocational ministry?

As much as one-third to one-half of the churches in many denominations are now being led by bivocational ministers. Virtually every denomination reports the number of bivocational ministers in their churches is increasing. The ones with whom I have spoken believe this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. All of this says that bivocational leadership is going to become even more important to many of our denominations in the near future. The question I have to ask is "What is your denomination doing to support this growing trend?" From my perspective, in most denominations the answer is not much.

Most of my readers know my story. I served as the bivocational pastor of one church for 20 years before moving into judicatory ministry. Even in that role I maintained outside employment as a business owner and author. I have published eight books, most of which focused on bivocational and small church ministry. I have led numerous conferences and workshops on the subject.

As I have met with hundreds of bivocational ministers in various denominations I have heard the same stories. Many of them feel abandoned by their denominations. They feel unappreciated and ignored. The vast majority of denominational and local events are held during the day when they are at work making their attendance impossible. There is little appreciation for the work they do. Denominational resources are developed for the larger churches, and they are expected to adapt it to meet their needs as if smaller churches were just miniature large churches. They feel like second class citizens. Since many of them do not have the right seminary degrees they sometimes find it difficult to be ordained. As a result of their feeling abandoned by their denomination they tend to be not very supportive of the denomination which shows up in their financial support, their failure to attend denominational events and their unwillingness to fill out denominational reports.

Frankly, some of these negative feelings towards our denominations are not valid. Sometimes our sense of isolation is our own doing and not the fault of our denomination or judicatory. During my stint as a pastor our Region had three Executive Ministers. All three came to preach in our small, rural church. When I was asked how I got them to come to our church I simply replied that I invited them.

However, in some cases, these are valid complaints, which takes me back to my original question: what is your denomination doing to support its bivocational ministers and churches? Is there any denomination that has an office or team specifically designed to strengthen bivocational ministry in its churches? I do not know of any. Some state conventions may have some person assigned to the task, but this responsibility is often passed around from one person to another with no permanent office or staff specifically created just to relate to its bivocational ministers.

How much time does your denomination spend planning regular training events specifically for its bivocational leadership and their churches? What is your denomination doing to identify those God is calling to this ministry? If they expect the numbers to increase I would think they would want to find ways to identify the persons who will fill those roles. What is your denomination doing to train and develop bivocational ministers? Many of these persons will never attend seminary, so it's up to the denominations to create some training for them.

Our bivocational ministers and their churches deserve to have their denominations become intentional about serving them, and if the denominations are not going to be intentional about meeting their needs, do not be surprised to find those churches ignoring you even more in the future.

If you are a bivocational minister, and you feel that you are not being well served by your denomination or judicatory, let them know. Send them this post and ask to meet with them as soon as possible to discuss what needs to be done.

Searching for a new pastor

One of the most difficult times for churches is when they are seeking new pastoral leadership. Smaller churches have the most difficulty since many pastors will not even consider smaller churches. Even medium size churches often discover it is more difficult to find a new pastor than in the past.

There are a lot of reasons for this, but for our denomination the problem is very simple. We have more churches than ministers. Many of the pastors we do have are nearing retirement and not interested in a new church, and some ministers seeking placement simply do not have the qualifications many churches seek.

For 14 years I served as an Area Minister in our region, and one of my tasks was to assist churches seeking new pastors. It seemed like every year it became more difficult to find suitable candidates for these churches to interview. Some of this was because the churches had unreasonable expectations, but often the problem was that the candidate lacked the skills or experience the church needed. I've been retired for two years now, but I understand the problem has not improved.

It's important that churches seeking pastors not get discouraged or in a big hurry. I often told search committees that having no pastor was better than having the wrong pastor. It was not uncommon for many of our churches to spend 18-24 months seeking a pastor, and in some cases it took even longer.

Churches need to make sure their expectations for a new pastor are reasonable. I'm sorry, requiring a pastor to have a PhD to serve a church of 40 people is not a reasonable expectation. Even requiring an MDiv may not be a reasonable expectation for these churches. Churches might also think through the requirement that their pastor leads a Bible study every Wednesday night for six people. That time could probably be better spent doing something else.

Some churches cannot stand the idea of not having a pastor. I've seen some churches call the first person who came down the road with a cross around his neck and often lived to regret it. Spend time determining what your church needs in a pastor and begin seeking individuals who can provide that. Check every reference, even some that might not be listed on the resume. Today it makes sense to do a background check on your final candidate before presenting him or her to the church. If your church selects good people for the search committee, and they take their time, your chances of finding the right person for your church will be much higher.

This should be a time of intense prayer, not only by the search committee but by the entire church. Seeking a pastor is a spiritual adventure. You need to invite God to be part of this search because He already knows the person He's prepared to lead your church.

If your church is part of a denomination, it's also a good idea to invite a denominational leader to be part of your search. There may be some things he or she will know about candidates that you are considering that will not show up on a resume. They may also know people who are not actively seeking to move but might be open to such a move.

The future of denominations

For years we've been hearing that denominations will soon cease to exist. It's true that there is far less loyalty to denominations today than existed in the past. When I was growing up we moved several times, and each time we found a Baptist church nearby to attend. The denominational label is not what people initially look for today.

Many denominations report declining memberships. Some have reduced staff and mission work due to declining budgets. I've talked with several pastors who tell me their denominations do not offer the support they once did.

While these are realities I do not believe they predict the end of denominations. Perhaps some will merge with other denominations, but in the end we will continue to see denominational life continue.

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Lee Spitzer, General Secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA. Lee was called to this position about a year ago. He wanted to meet with pastors and church leaders to hear their stories and to share some of what the ABCUSA is doing today. His first stop was in our region of Indiana.

I've known Lee for several years. Although we've only had limited contact I know him to be a man who has a strong commitment to the Great Commission and to local churches. For that alone I expressed to him how pleased I was he was called to lead our denomination.

As he shared stories of wonderful things happening in many of our churches and across the mission field I was reminded this is why we are part of a denomination. Even the strongest megachurches cannot do everything a denomination of churches can do in as many places. It is our coming together to combine our talents and our treasures that enable us to send missionaries around the world and enter into partnership agreements with other denominations to do ministry together. The 90 minutes we were together went by too quickly as I enjoyed hearing the stories of how God is moving in and through our denomination.

Some pastors and churches question why they remain a part of their denomination. Not knowing every situation I cannot answer their questions, but I can say that I am glad to be a part of a denomination that is actively seeking to fulfill the Great Commission and have a positive impact for the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

Our denomination is not perfect. No human organization is, but I see God working through our various ministries to transform the lives of people around the world. That is something I want to be a part of for as long as I live.

Denominations and bivocational ministry

Next Wednesday a doctoral student will defend his dissertation on bivocational ministry. A few weeks ago he sent me a copy of his paper for my comments as he was preparing his oral defense. The paper is very good, and I've encouraged him to consider reworking it later into a book. I think it would be very helpful.

The focus of his paper is on ways denominations can better serve and resource their bivocational ministers. His focus is specifically on his own tribe, but what he writes has wide application to all denominational groups. As a bivocational minister himself he feels the pain of being isolated and misunderstood by many of his colleagues. He describes what many of us serving in bivocational roles have felt, and he challenges denominations to reconsider how they view their bivocational ministers.

His comments are not new. I've written widely on the problem as have many others. Denominations struggle to identify their bivocational ministers and the churches they serve which leads to those churches and ministers being largely under served. With the growing number of bivocational ministers across denominational lines, and the expected continual increase, it amazes me that more isn't being done to better serve those ministers and their churches.

The relative lack of denominational support means that many of these denominations are writing off a third to over one-half of their churches. They do not understand why these bivocational churches are not more involved in denominational life and mission, and they seem unable to correlate that lack of connection with their own lack of interest in better serving these churches.

This young man's dissertation offers specific ways denominations can come alongside their bivocational leaders and churches to build relationships and provide resources. I hope it will be widely read and applied.

In the meantime, a big shout out to all my fellow bivos. You remain my heroes. You're doing great work for the Kingdom of God, and whether anyone else recognizes that, He does!

The church of the future

At a recent meeting with pastors I spoke directly to the younger pastors who were present and told them I envied them because of the changes in the church that would occur during their ministries. Although I cannot predict what those changes will look like, there is little doubt that significant changes are occurring and will continue to occur as we move through the 21st century. The church I have known and served as pastor for the past 36 years will disappear. Please note that I did not say the church will disappear. Jesus made it very clear that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church. But, much of what we now know as the church will change in the coming years, and I believe these will be exciting changes for both the church and the world it is called to reach.

We live in a very unsettling time in virtually every area of life. It seems that everything is under attack today, and that certainly includes Christianity and all it teaches and believes. The church is seen as irrelevant by a growing number of people both inside and outside the church. Denominational structures are viewed as even more irrelevant. Christian teaching is seen by many as judgmental, arrogant, and divisive.

It seems that every worldview is acceptable except the Christian worldview. This holds true on many university campuses as well as in the entertainment and business communities. In many parts of the world today Christians are under extreme persecution that includes martyrdom for tens of thousands of believers. While Christians in the US do not face that level of persecution, we continue to see new challenges placed on churches and other Christian organizations.

I hate to quote the atheist Nietzsche, but he did remind us that out of chaos comes order. There is little question we live in a chaotic time, but perhaps this chaos is to prepare the church for the changes that are coming. I am convinced that the church of the future will look much different and will minister is much different ways than it looks and ministers today.

It's interesting to me that many people are saying what I'm saying, but few attempt to describe what the church of the future will look like. I doubt that any of us knows at this point so trying to predict that would be a waste of time. At the same time, I would make two observations that I believe will be correct.

The first is that churches that value their models of ministry more than their mission will not survive the changes that are coming. We are already seeing established churches change the structures that served them well for many decades, but even these changes might not be enough. Regardless of size, churches in the future must clearly understand their mission, have a clear God-given vision for how to achieve that mission, and have the flexibility to make the necessary changes to see that mission fulfilled.

The second observation I would make is that the education today's current seminary students are receiving is going to be woefully inadequate to lead the future church. Most seminaries are still teaching a maintenance approach to ministry. The church of the future will require a more adaptive leadership style. This does not mean that those preparing for ministry should avoid seminary education, but go into it knowing that it will not be enough. Church leaders of the future will have to be even more committed to life-long learning as ministry will be changing at a rapid rate.

While I do not claim to know what the church of the future will look like, I repeat that I envy those who will be leading those churches. It's going to be a wild ride but a very rewarding one and one I would love to be a part of.