Jesus told a story of a wealthy man who divided some of his wealth among three servants before leaving for a trip. When he returned he asked for an accounting. One servant who had received 10 talents had doubled his investment and was able to return 20 talents to his master. Another had received 3 talents, but he also was able to double them for his master. Each of these individuals were rewarded for their faithfulness. However, the third servant only received one talent and promptly buried it so as not to lose it. When the master returned this servant returned the one talent back to his master who rebuked the lazy servant for not receiving even a minimal return on the talent. He was not rebuked because he didn't return as much as the other two; he was rebuked because he didn't do anything with the one talent he had.
Some people who are called to bivocational ministry are multi-talented people with numerous ministry strengths. Others of us have far fewer talents, and it is this crowd that I want to encourage today. First, remember that it is the Holy Spirit who passes out his gifts as he wills, not as we might desire. God knows the ministry he has called you to achieve, and he has gifted you to achieve that ministry. You don't have too few gifts, and you don't have the wrong gifts. God knows exactly what he is doing, and he has given you everything you need to succeed in your ministry.
Second, in their book, Now, Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton writes, "You do not have to have strength in every aspect of your role in order to excel." Bivocational ministry is one of the few generalist positions remaining today. We are expected to be able to do almost everything in the church, and chances are at some point we will do just about everything that needs to be done. Some of those tasks will be easier because you are gifted in those areas. Other tasks won't be so easy because you are not gifted in them, but you'll be expected to do them anyway.
My primary gifts are leadership, preaching, and teaching. As long as I am working in those three areas I am content and feel reasonably comfortable that I will do a good job. However, as a bivocational minister there will be a lot of things expected of me that do not fit in one of those three areas. A good example is leading worship. I enjoy music and love singing. The problem is I am a horrible singer. I know nothing about pitch, keys, or anything else about music. However, more than one Sunday morning I would lead the music in our church when our music leader could not be there. I learned very quickly to step up to the microphone, announce the song we were going to sing, and then step back when we started singing so the microphone wouldn't pick up my voice. I did what Buckingham and Clifton call managing around your weaknesses.
It would be great if we only had to function in the areas of our giftedness, but that is not realistic for a bivocational minister. Work in the areas of your giftedness as much as possible, but don't worry when you have to do things for which you are not especially gifted. God will honor your efforts. However, while you're doing those things be looking for someone else who could do them better. Chances are God has equipped someone in your congregation to do those tasks for which he has not gifted you. Just remember...you do not have to have strength in every aspect of ministry in order to excel.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Pastor and church leader conference
There is still time to register for the Pastors and Church Leaders Conference at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The conference will occur September 25-26. Keynote speakers are Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, and Dr. Frank Page, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The conference theme is "Servant Evangelism in the 21st Century Church." There will be a number of breakout sessions including one which I will help lead. These sessions are designed to speak to the needs of churches of every size. Registration fees are only $30.00 for the two days. Registration will begin at 1:00 EST on September 25 in the Ransdell Chapel foyer. For more information please go to the university's website or send an e-mail to jechowning@campbellsville.edu. Please look me up and let me know you are a reader of this blog.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
The big 6-0
Yesterday was an interesting day! I turned 60 years old. I wasn't looking forward to this birthday, but I never dreamed I would spend most of it in bed...with a major stomach virus.
Two days before we had visited our daughter and her family. The following morning our son-in-law called to say that she and three of the kids had a bad case of an intestinal virus. He wanted to know if we were OK. We were until about 3:00 that afternoon. I felt my stomach starting to rumble and knew that things were not going to be good. I was up most of the night and spent the following day in bed. I felt much better this morning, but at times I still have a pain go through my stomach. I've sat around most of the day trying to get my energy back. Not a good way to celebrate a birthday.
Two days before we had visited our daughter and her family. The following morning our son-in-law called to say that she and three of the kids had a bad case of an intestinal virus. He wanted to know if we were OK. We were until about 3:00 that afternoon. I felt my stomach starting to rumble and knew that things were not going to be good. I was up most of the night and spent the following day in bed. I felt much better this morning, but at times I still have a pain go through my stomach. I've sat around most of the day trying to get my energy back. Not a good way to celebrate a birthday.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Latest book information
I just received word that my publisher has signed a contract with a Portuguese language publisher to produce The Bivocational Pastor in that language. Last year a contract was signed to publish The Healthy Small Church in Korean, but I have not heard if that book was ever released or not. The foreign language publishers have 18 months to release their books after they sign their contracts. It is exciting to know that these books are finding an audience all over the world.
My next book will be released in March 2009. The title of this book is Intentional Ministry in a Not-so-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community. This book will explore how to help a small church transistion from being maintance-minded to missional.
My next book will be released in March 2009. The title of this book is Intentional Ministry in a Not-so-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community. This book will explore how to help a small church transistion from being maintance-minded to missional.
Monday, August 25, 2008
A church with a vision
I am using my sabbatical to visit a few churches I would not normally be able to attend. Yesterday I attended a local church of a different denomination that has experienced significant growth in the past decade. When their pastor came 10 years ago the church was averaging about 130 people on Sunday morning. Since then they have relocated to the edge of our community and now average about 700 people in three morning services.
Their praise band was very good, and the worship had an excellent flow to it. There were not a lot of announcements and no dead time in the service. The pastor preached without notes in a conversational style. His message had a solid scriptural base. People were encouraged to come as they were, and most were casually dressed. I attended the earliest service and noticed that many in that service were older. As we were leaving the sanctuary the next crowd was waiting to go in, and I noticed that it was a much younger crowd.
I had a very good worship experience, but the thing that impressed me the most was the clear vision the pastor shared with the congregation. I happened to hear the first of a three part message in which the pastor will lay before the people the future of the church. They intend to grow to 1,400 people by the year 2014. We live in a community of 13,000 people so this is a significant goal for this church. The church will have to address several issues to reach that goal which will be the topics of the remaining two messages in this series.
They currently meet in the fellowship building. I believe they are ready for phase two of their building program which I assume will be a new sanctuary. When they build it they will also have to build new parking. Their current parking is located on the site where they plan to build a new sanctuary. This will be a significant investment, but I have no doubt they will pull it off.
However, their vision is not limited to buildings and parking. He also plans to share a vision for new ministries that will impact our community. I have friends who attend this church, and they are excited to hear what the future of their church will look like.
This is the fastest growing church in our community which has brought criticism from some. Any time somebody is actually doing something they will be criticized by others who usually are not doing anything. This church is focused on reaching new people for Jesus Christ. They are not intentionally trying to pull people from other churches although I know some who have left their church to attend this one. I think there is a very good reason for that: People are attracted to an organization that has a vision for its future.
Few churches have any sense of vision for the future. Each week they open their doors hoping that people will come and something good will happen. Hope is a pretty poor strategy. This pastor and the leaders of the church have sought God's vision for the church, and they have the courage to lay it before the people and challenge them to rise up to it. I firmly believe they will accept the challenge and will achieve it. Our community will be better off because of it.
What is the vision of your church? I left that church yesterday with a clear understanding of where that church is going over the next six years. If I visited your church next Sunday would I know your church's vision for the future? I should.
Their praise band was very good, and the worship had an excellent flow to it. There were not a lot of announcements and no dead time in the service. The pastor preached without notes in a conversational style. His message had a solid scriptural base. People were encouraged to come as they were, and most were casually dressed. I attended the earliest service and noticed that many in that service were older. As we were leaving the sanctuary the next crowd was waiting to go in, and I noticed that it was a much younger crowd.
I had a very good worship experience, but the thing that impressed me the most was the clear vision the pastor shared with the congregation. I happened to hear the first of a three part message in which the pastor will lay before the people the future of the church. They intend to grow to 1,400 people by the year 2014. We live in a community of 13,000 people so this is a significant goal for this church. The church will have to address several issues to reach that goal which will be the topics of the remaining two messages in this series.
They currently meet in the fellowship building. I believe they are ready for phase two of their building program which I assume will be a new sanctuary. When they build it they will also have to build new parking. Their current parking is located on the site where they plan to build a new sanctuary. This will be a significant investment, but I have no doubt they will pull it off.
However, their vision is not limited to buildings and parking. He also plans to share a vision for new ministries that will impact our community. I have friends who attend this church, and they are excited to hear what the future of their church will look like.
This is the fastest growing church in our community which has brought criticism from some. Any time somebody is actually doing something they will be criticized by others who usually are not doing anything. This church is focused on reaching new people for Jesus Christ. They are not intentionally trying to pull people from other churches although I know some who have left their church to attend this one. I think there is a very good reason for that: People are attracted to an organization that has a vision for its future.
Few churches have any sense of vision for the future. Each week they open their doors hoping that people will come and something good will happen. Hope is a pretty poor strategy. This pastor and the leaders of the church have sought God's vision for the church, and they have the courage to lay it before the people and challenge them to rise up to it. I firmly believe they will accept the challenge and will achieve it. Our community will be better off because of it.
What is the vision of your church? I left that church yesterday with a clear understanding of where that church is going over the next six years. If I visited your church next Sunday would I know your church's vision for the future? I should.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Aging and ministry
A number of years ago I was told that I should be in the ministry I wanted by the time I reached 55 because it would be very hard to move to another church once I reached that age. After working with church search committees for the past eight years I understand how true that is. Very few churches will consider a person over the age of 55. In fact, some go so far as to advertise they are looking for a pastor between the ages of 35-55. You can often find that criteria listed on some of the popular ministry search web sites.
Do churches really believe that ministers cannot function past the age of 55? I'm sure some churches would argue they do not want a pastor older than that because he or she might retire when they turn 62. That would still give them seven years which is longer than the average pastoral tenure anyway.
Other churches argue they are looking for a pastor with fresh ideas, but that argument doesn't really fly either. I know a lot of pastors older than 55 with a fresher understanding of ministry than many recent seminary graduates. In case you don't know it, most seminaries do not teach cutting edge ministry styles! Many of their graduates may come out of school able to parse Greek verbs, but they don't have a clue how to do ministry in the real world. It takes time and experience to learn those things, and about the time a minister has sufficient experience to minister in the real world churches no longer are interested in what he or she has to offer. Besides, many churches really are not looking for a minister with innovative ideas anyway, and if one was suggested it would likely be voted down by the congregation.
I know a minister in his mid-70's who was recently called by a church to be their pastor. He is providing them excellent leadership based upon a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he is challenging them in ways they have not been challenged for years by much younger pastors.
If you are part of a church search committee I would encourage you to look beyond the birth date on the resumes you receive. You may find that some of your best candidates have a little maturity, and that is not a bad thing for a minister.
Do churches really believe that ministers cannot function past the age of 55? I'm sure some churches would argue they do not want a pastor older than that because he or she might retire when they turn 62. That would still give them seven years which is longer than the average pastoral tenure anyway.
Other churches argue they are looking for a pastor with fresh ideas, but that argument doesn't really fly either. I know a lot of pastors older than 55 with a fresher understanding of ministry than many recent seminary graduates. In case you don't know it, most seminaries do not teach cutting edge ministry styles! Many of their graduates may come out of school able to parse Greek verbs, but they don't have a clue how to do ministry in the real world. It takes time and experience to learn those things, and about the time a minister has sufficient experience to minister in the real world churches no longer are interested in what he or she has to offer. Besides, many churches really are not looking for a minister with innovative ideas anyway, and if one was suggested it would likely be voted down by the congregation.
I know a minister in his mid-70's who was recently called by a church to be their pastor. He is providing them excellent leadership based upon a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he is challenging them in ways they have not been challenged for years by much younger pastors.
If you are part of a church search committee I would encourage you to look beyond the birth date on the resumes you receive. You may find that some of your best candidates have a little maturity, and that is not a bad thing for a minister.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Training to win
Although the Olympics is only a few days old the excitement around Michael Phelps continues to grow. With the two gold medals he won yesterday he now has captured more gold medals than anyone else in history, and he's not done yet! He is an amazing athlete.
Now, I have a question for you. Has he earned those medals because he has tried really hard or because he trained for years to put himself in this position? I could try really hard and probably not swim the length of the pool. Phelps would be able to swim the length of the pool by trying real hard but not in record time, and he wouldn't have won any gold medals just by trying. He has spent hours every day for years training for this opportunity. As a result, he is now living his dream.
Another question: Can you and I grow as believers by trying really hard or by training ourselves to practice the spiritual disciplines that will enable us to achieve the kind of transformation in our lives that God wants us to have? Much of the time I seem to believe that transformation and spiritual growth will just happen. If I become convicted that it isn't happening as it should I'll determine to try harder to read my Bible more and pray harder, but it never seems to last.
The apostle Paul tells us we compete for a prize that will never fade away. The prize we are seeking is more valuable than any gold medal, so we should be just as serious about training ourselves to compete as the Olympic athletes. We must discipline ourselves to read the Scriptures, pray, and do the other spiritual disciplines that will lead to spiritual growth in our lives. I encourage you to read Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, or John Ortberg's book, The Life You've Always Wanted. Ask God to show you the practices that will help you grow spiritually and commit yourself to those practices. It will make a difference in your life.
Now, I have a question for you. Has he earned those medals because he has tried really hard or because he trained for years to put himself in this position? I could try really hard and probably not swim the length of the pool. Phelps would be able to swim the length of the pool by trying real hard but not in record time, and he wouldn't have won any gold medals just by trying. He has spent hours every day for years training for this opportunity. As a result, he is now living his dream.
Another question: Can you and I grow as believers by trying really hard or by training ourselves to practice the spiritual disciplines that will enable us to achieve the kind of transformation in our lives that God wants us to have? Much of the time I seem to believe that transformation and spiritual growth will just happen. If I become convicted that it isn't happening as it should I'll determine to try harder to read my Bible more and pray harder, but it never seems to last.
The apostle Paul tells us we compete for a prize that will never fade away. The prize we are seeking is more valuable than any gold medal, so we should be just as serious about training ourselves to compete as the Olympic athletes. We must discipline ourselves to read the Scriptures, pray, and do the other spiritual disciplines that will lead to spiritual growth in our lives. I encourage you to read Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, or John Ortberg's book, The Life You've Always Wanted. Ask God to show you the practices that will help you grow spiritually and commit yourself to those practices. It will make a difference in your life.
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