Our calling

My wife and I have spent the past few days visiting our son and his family. We had a great time with them before returning home yesterday evening. While there we attended their church on Sunday morning. Their pastor, who is a very good Bible teacher, had invited a guest speaker to talk about his 14 year ministry in Russia.

He talked about how difficult it had been for him at times. He has pastored two churches in Russia and has found it to be a very difficult ministry for a number of reasons, but it was also obvious that he loves the Russian people very much. His message focused on why he had stayed there despite the many difficulties and frustrations. Simply put, the reason is that he feels he has been called to that ministry and does not intend to leave it unless the Lord changes his calling.

As I have thought about his message in the days since Sunday I have filtered it through the bivocational experience. Bivocational ministry is often very difficult and frustrating. There were times during my pastoral ministry that I considered quitting or moving on to another ministry, but I could never get beyond the idea of being called to do what I was doing. There was absolutely no question in my mind that God had called me to pastor the church I was serving, and until I believed He was calling me to something else I felt compelled to stay there. There was one period of about 18 months when I averaged a call a week from other churches asking me to meet with their pastor search committees. I think I agreed to meet with 2-3 of them, and that was primarily to explore if God was opening new doors of ministry for me. I did strongly consider one church during that time, but as much as I felt God might be leading me to that church I never felt He was leading me from the church I was currently serving. I finally told the search committee that I would not become a candidate for their position for that reason.

Calling is something we sometimes talk about, but I fear we don't always consider its true importance. Pastors sometimes are "called to another church" so often I wonder why God can't make up His mind where he wants that person to serve. I have been told that 50% of seminary graduates leave the ministry within five years after graduating from seminary. If that is true I wonder who called them to the ministry in the first place.

The only reason I have not left the ministry during times of greatest trials is because I am convinced God has called me to the ministry. The only reason I did not leave the church I served for 20 years is because I believed He had called me to serve that church. It wasn't until I felt a sense of release that I began to consider other places of ministry, and God opened up the door to my current ministry. That sense of calling can sustain us in times of great difficulty and help us keep our focus on God and not on the circumstances that are creating such problems.

Have you spent much time thinking about your calling? How long has it been since you've thanked God for calling you to your place of service? Does your sense of calling help sustain you in difficult times? I pray that your sense of calling is as strong now as it was when you began your ministry.

Share your calling

Last night I received a phone call from an individual who is considering accepting the call to a bivocational church. His pastor has encouraged him to pray about it, but like many of us he is struggling with whether or not he is capable of doing bivocational ministry and if God is calling him to this ministry. He had a number of questions about bivocational ministry that I hope I was able to answer.

I described to him my call to the church I served for many years and how I struggled with that call just as he is doing. What was your call like, and how did you know that God was calling you to a place of ministry? I believe many people are like my caller last night and struggle with this idea of calling. Your responses might help answer some of the questions of those who might be struggling.

Connecting guests to your church

I'm currently reading a book that addresses the issue of how to make people who visit a church feel welcome. Gary McIntosh has written Beyond the First Visit which is the best book I have ever read on this subject. One of the reasons this book is so good is that the author clearly understands the differences between different size churches and how those differences will impact how they welcome their guests. He presents a simple approach for each size church to use so the bivocational pastor of a small church isn't trying to use a model that would be more appropriate for a mega-church.

As I visit different churches nearly every week I have found that many need to improve their hospitality towards their guests. From the church's perspective, they probably think they are doing a good job, but from the guest's perspective they really are not. There are some churches I visit that make me feel very uncomfortable and create a poor impression within the first few moments I'm there. If I was seeking a church to attend it is unlikely I would return, and that impression is formed long before the worship service ever starts. The old cliche is true, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This book will help these churches take a fresh look at how they interact with the people who visit so the first impression they have of the church is a positive one. It is easy to read with plenty of practical advice. It could be used to train your greeters, and even your entire congregation, how to welcome people and help them connect to the church. Check out the book and let me know if you found it helpful.

A date with judgment

As part of my daily devotional time I am reading through the Bible this year. I usually read through the NT each year and the entire Bible every 3-4 years. As I am reading through the Minor Prophets I am again reminded of how their comments about Israel sound like they are being said against the United States. Like ancient Israel, we as a nation have largely turned our backs against God, found new gods to worship, and engage in sin that the Bible clearly condemns. We are on a collision course with God's judgment unless a true spiritual renewal occurs in this land.

That renewal will not come out of Washington DC. As important as it is to elect godly men and women to political office, I always reminded my congregation that God does not fly on Air Force One. Nor will revival come from Wall Street or from the media. If this nation is to experience true spiritual renewal it will have to come from our churches, and before renewal can occur in our churches it must first occur within the church leaders.

I believe it was Dwight L. Moody who once knelt on a floor, drew a circle around himself, and prayed, "Lord, send revival and let it begin with me." That was part of my prayer this morning. As leaders of churches we must first seek spiritual renewal in our own lives before we can expect it to occur in our churches, and unless it occurs in our churches it will certainly not occur in our nation.

Many bivocational ministers serve in smaller churches who do not believe they can really make much of an impact on all the needs that exist in our world, but every church, regardless of their size, can pray and seek God. Every church can seek a spiritual renewal that can sweep through their congregation and begin to flow out into their communities. Such renewal will impact those communities in ways that we may not imagine. Do not despair, my bivo friend, but seek God and His righteousness for your life and for the life of your congregation. Seek holiness and pray for renewal, and then let your life be a testimony to a world that desperately needs God.

Training

Today is a time to rant a little. Last week I had the opportunity to attend a pastor's conference in Kentucky. I had been asked to lead a workshop for bivocational ministers as part of this conference. Each participant had the opportunity to attend two workshops during the two day event. I had a total of one participant in the two workshops I offered. One bivocational minister attended this pastor's conference on preaching.

Unfortunately, I am no longer surprised at such a poor turnout. During my twenty year bivocational pastorate I was often frustrated at the lack of resources and training opportunities especially created for bivocational ministers. As a denominational leader I have tried to address this problem with judicatory leaders from many different denominations. The response I normally get is that when they do offer something for their bivocational people, they still don't attend. In a time of limited resources of time and money, these organizations are going to invest those resources in those activities that provide the greatest benefit. If we who are in bivocational ministry do not begin to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us we will soon find those opportunities no longer existing.

I know the responses I'm apt to get to this post. "It's hard enough to balance the many different demands on my time without having to attend another conference or workshop." "If they would have these events on the weekends I might be able to attend, but I can't go during the week because I have to work." Does anyone think fully-funded pastors have nothing to do except go to workshops? Most I know work 50-60 and more hours a week and also have families and other demands on their time. The weekend excuse also doesn't impress me as much as it used to because I've been to many weekend workshops that still had little or no bivocational minister participation. When I've asked bivocational ministers why they didn't attend those weekend events they offered other excuses why they didn't attend.

I've been doing bivocational ministry since 1981. I know how difficult it is to schedule everything and maintain some sense of balance in your life and ministry. I also know that if God has called us to this ministry He expects us to continue to grow as believers and as ministers. He expects us to find ways to improve our skills. As a bivocational pastor I would take one or two days of vacation time each year to attend a conference or workshop that I thought might help me improve as a minister. That seemed like a small investment to learn new tools that would help me be more effective as a minister.

You are probably already receiving promotions for conferences and workshops for 2008. I encourage you to commit to attending at least one next year. Find one among the myriad of choices that you believe will help you become more effective as a minister and plan now to attend. Invest in yourself and in your calling.

Virtual assistant

I recently discovered a possible solution for one of the problems faced by many bivocational ministers. When I served as a bivocational pastor I often regretted the fact that our church did not have an assistant who could handle many of the office tasks such as printing newsletters, bulletins, handling mailings, and answering the telephone. Those tasks took up a great deal of my time which lessened the time I had available to be with people.

Earlier this week I met a woman who has started a ministry called Deirdre's Virtual Office. She will do all the things mentioned above and more which will take much of the administrative load off the bivocational minister enabling him or her to have more time for ministry. Her fees seem very reasonable, and the church saves money by not having to purchase office equipment and pay taxes or vacation time for an employee. She is married to a minister and has worked as a church secretary in several churches.

You can find out more about this service on her website at d-virtualoffice.com.

Boyd's Bear collectors

My wife has a large collection of over 400 pieces of Boyd's Bearstones, Waterglobes, and Picture Frames that she would like to sell. Many of these are 1st edition pieces. The original boxes are available for all but one piece. These items have been displayed in glass cases since their purchase and are in top condition. This would be an excellent opportunity for someone to start their collection or add to their existing collection. If you are interested, please respond to this posting with your e-mail address, and we will contact you.