- Why are we here? This has to do with the church's purpose or mission. The correct answer is actually rather simple. The mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. The mission of the church is the same for every church regardless of size. However, if they are honest some churches would have to give some other answer. They would be hard pressed to prove that they take either one seriously.
- How will we accomplish our purpose? This goes to vision. While the mission of the church is the same for all churches, the vision will be different for each church. The vision will be how will this church fulfill its mission today in this community. A church without a unifying vision will be a church that is drifting along accomplishing very little. Be very careful about how you answer this question because your checkbook and your planning calendar will demonstrate what your church's vision really is.
- What will hinder us from achieving our purpose? This goes to leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Virtually every church seeking a pastor that I have worked with have told me they want a pastor who will grow their church. When I have explained that if their church could grow by what it's been doing it would already be growing so I'm assuming they want a pastor who will change everything they are doing they usually back off that answer. Church controllers and traditions are often the main culprits that keep churches from achieving their purpose.
- Who are we here for? The church should be the one organization that exists for the life of its non-members. If the church just exists to take care of its members then it really doesn't matter what they do. Such churches don't really want a pastor anyway. They want a chaplain.
- Is what we are doing here today worth the life of the Son of God? I often rephrase this question and ask it this way, "Did Jesus really die for this?" You may want to ask this question at the start of every meeting and ask the congregation once a month.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Questions the church must answer
If a church finds itself stuck in a rut it needs to begin asking some questions about how it got there and what it needs to do to get out of the rut. Asking questions is also a good thing to do when a church is going through a transition such as seeking a new pastor. Unfortunately, many churches never stop long enough to ask questions, or if they do, many of them ask the wrong questions. Here are five questions I often recommend churches ask.
Monday, April 11, 2016
The Great Commission is not the Great Suggestion
Most of the Evangelical church knows about the Great Commission. Pastors preach about the need to evangelize from the pulpit, and we talk about it in our Sunday school classes and elsewhere. The problem is that talking about it is all many churches do.
In many of our churches there is no intentional effort to reach out to the unchurched in our communities. It seems that we look at the Great Commission as the Great Suggestion, and we've decided to ignore it.
While working on my DMin I coached a young pastor who was serving in his first church. In one of our coaching sessions he said the church was going to have a baptism the next week, and that was what he wanted to discuss in our session that day. This was the first baptism he had done, and it was important to him that it go off without a hitch. I appreciated his concern, but it seemed he was overly concerned about doing something wrong. When I pointed this out to him he said that he wanted it to be extra special because this was the first baptism this church had done in 50 years!
I know several churches that have not had not had a baptism in decades, but I could not imagine a supposedly evangelical church that had gone 50 years without a baptism.
People often say the two most important questions a business needs to ask are: "What business are we in?" and "How's business?" These are not bad questions for a church to ask either.
"What business are we in?" Our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission. The follow-up question then is "How's business?" Are we reaching people for Jesus Christ and teaching them so they can grow as disciples? Different traditions may measure this in different ways, but it's really simple math to determine if we are in fact reaching new people with the Gospel. If not, then we need to ask what business are we really in, and where in Scripture do we justify that being our mission.
Our culture is rapidly turning from God and the teachings of Scripture. The church can no longer ignore that fact. We must become intentional about evangelism and discipleship training or we are going to see countless friends and family die and be eternally separated from God.
In many of our churches there is no intentional effort to reach out to the unchurched in our communities. It seems that we look at the Great Commission as the Great Suggestion, and we've decided to ignore it.
While working on my DMin I coached a young pastor who was serving in his first church. In one of our coaching sessions he said the church was going to have a baptism the next week, and that was what he wanted to discuss in our session that day. This was the first baptism he had done, and it was important to him that it go off without a hitch. I appreciated his concern, but it seemed he was overly concerned about doing something wrong. When I pointed this out to him he said that he wanted it to be extra special because this was the first baptism this church had done in 50 years!
I know several churches that have not had not had a baptism in decades, but I could not imagine a supposedly evangelical church that had gone 50 years without a baptism.
People often say the two most important questions a business needs to ask are: "What business are we in?" and "How's business?" These are not bad questions for a church to ask either.
"What business are we in?" Our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission. The follow-up question then is "How's business?" Are we reaching people for Jesus Christ and teaching them so they can grow as disciples? Different traditions may measure this in different ways, but it's really simple math to determine if we are in fact reaching new people with the Gospel. If not, then we need to ask what business are we really in, and where in Scripture do we justify that being our mission.
Our culture is rapidly turning from God and the teachings of Scripture. The church can no longer ignore that fact. We must become intentional about evangelism and discipleship training or we are going to see countless friends and family die and be eternally separated from God.
Friday, April 8, 2016
The disorganized pastor
My book The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry: A Pastor's Guide
came from my Doctor of Ministry thesis. My project was to coach several bivocational pastors and write on the results of that experience. There are ten case studies included in the book which are representational of many of the challenges bivocational ministers experience. They are also not uncommon for fully-funded pastors either. One of the chapters discusses the coaching relationship I had with the person I called the disorganized pastor.
In a coaching relationship the person being coached sets the agenda for the discussion. This pastor struggled to identify one issue to discuss in our first session but finally decided to focus on time management. The pastor admitted that feeling overwhelmed by all the demands of ministry, a second job, and family responsibilities was common.
It turned out this was a good choice for this pastor because this pastor was one of the most disorganized persons I've met. After missing two appointments for our second session I had to confront an obvious lack of commitment to the coaching process. The pastor insisted that it wasn't a lack of commitment but that so many responsibilities often led to missed appointments. I explained this demonstrated just how out of control her life had become.
It was nearly impossible to keep this pastor focused on completing anything. Like many, this pastor had become used to living in chaos. She was used to living on adrenaline which can become addictive. The problem with living like this is that one day the adrenaline is used up and will be replaced by depression and or other health issues.
This happened to me in the mid-1980s when I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I had been going for several years with little sleep and trying to juggle too many responsibilities. Eventually, my system shut down. The adrenaline ran out. I had nothing left to give. It took a year of medication and counseling to recover.
No one can do it all. Some bivocational ministers try to, but they often end up like this pastor I coached. They end up with disorganized lives that are frustrating to them, to their churches, and most of all, to their families.
Like many, this pastor needed to learn to delegate and to focus on doing those things in which she was most gifted. She needed to set priorities for her life and ministry and learn to say no to those things that were outside of those priorities. These were some of the important lessons I learned from my own experience, and they are some of the things I've tried to teach other bivocational pastors through the years.
In the book we go into this coaching relationship deeper than we can in this post, plus we also look at nine other pastors and their challenges. Chances are you might find some solutions for some of the issues you are facing. You may also decide that you are ready for a ministry coach. If so, contact me, and I'll be glad to talk with you about what that might look like.
came from my Doctor of Ministry thesis. My project was to coach several bivocational pastors and write on the results of that experience. There are ten case studies included in the book which are representational of many of the challenges bivocational ministers experience. They are also not uncommon for fully-funded pastors either. One of the chapters discusses the coaching relationship I had with the person I called the disorganized pastor.In a coaching relationship the person being coached sets the agenda for the discussion. This pastor struggled to identify one issue to discuss in our first session but finally decided to focus on time management. The pastor admitted that feeling overwhelmed by all the demands of ministry, a second job, and family responsibilities was common.
It turned out this was a good choice for this pastor because this pastor was one of the most disorganized persons I've met. After missing two appointments for our second session I had to confront an obvious lack of commitment to the coaching process. The pastor insisted that it wasn't a lack of commitment but that so many responsibilities often led to missed appointments. I explained this demonstrated just how out of control her life had become.
It was nearly impossible to keep this pastor focused on completing anything. Like many, this pastor had become used to living in chaos. She was used to living on adrenaline which can become addictive. The problem with living like this is that one day the adrenaline is used up and will be replaced by depression and or other health issues.
This happened to me in the mid-1980s when I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I had been going for several years with little sleep and trying to juggle too many responsibilities. Eventually, my system shut down. The adrenaline ran out. I had nothing left to give. It took a year of medication and counseling to recover.
No one can do it all. Some bivocational ministers try to, but they often end up like this pastor I coached. They end up with disorganized lives that are frustrating to them, to their churches, and most of all, to their families.
Like many, this pastor needed to learn to delegate and to focus on doing those things in which she was most gifted. She needed to set priorities for her life and ministry and learn to say no to those things that were outside of those priorities. These were some of the important lessons I learned from my own experience, and they are some of the things I've tried to teach other bivocational pastors through the years.
In the book we go into this coaching relationship deeper than we can in this post, plus we also look at nine other pastors and their challenges. Chances are you might find some solutions for some of the issues you are facing. You may also decide that you are ready for a ministry coach. If so, contact me, and I'll be glad to talk with you about what that might look like.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Greet your neighbor
I know I will ruffle a few feathers with this post, but I want to address something that annoys me every time I visit a church that does it. I'm talking about the time when we're told to "Greet your neighbor." For the next five, ten, or even fifteen minutes we walk around shaking hands with people we've already spoken to. Exactly what does this add to a worship service?
Studies consistently show that most church members don't enjoy it. Neither do most first-time guests. Yet, churches continue to do it. Why? So they can continue to believe they are "the friendliest church in town?" I've never felt it made a church friendly when people had to be told it's now time to be nice to one another.
In yesterday's post I mentioned the importance of having a flow to the service. This welcoming time is a major disruption to that flow. In some churches it takes forever to get everyone back to their seats.
There is no question that many churches need to improve their hospitality, but this is not the way to do it. It feels forced. I want people to speak to me because they are genuinely glad I'm there, not because it's the next item in the bulletin.
Studies consistently show that most church members don't enjoy it. Neither do most first-time guests. Yet, churches continue to do it. Why? So they can continue to believe they are "the friendliest church in town?" I've never felt it made a church friendly when people had to be told it's now time to be nice to one another.
In yesterday's post I mentioned the importance of having a flow to the service. This welcoming time is a major disruption to that flow. In some churches it takes forever to get everyone back to their seats.
There is no question that many churches need to improve their hospitality, but this is not the way to do it. It feels forced. I want people to speak to me because they are genuinely glad I'm there, not because it's the next item in the bulletin.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Prepared to worship
Visiting in smaller churches as often as I do gives me the opportunity to experience a lot of different worship services. It's always easy to tell when some thought and preparation has gone into the worship service and when it hasn't.
This is especially true if I am a guest speaker that day. When I'm speaking in a service where there has been some preparation I can expect to meet with a worship leader about 15 minutes before the service to go over the plan. This person will often hand me a program with my parts highlighted. We usually go over each aspect of the service so I will know what to expect. Often, someone from the church has contacted me a week prior to the service to ask for my sermon title and text so they can be included in the bulletin. The service usually goes very smoothly and has a comfortable feel to it.
Contrast this with a church that does little or no worship planning. I usually have to hunt someone down to ask about their sound system. The pastor or song leader is talking with the pianist five minutes before the service deciding on the music for the service. I was speaking in a service recently when the song leader nodded for me to go to the pulpit to begin my message. As I opened my Bible the sound person said, "I'm loading a video for special music to sing before the message if that's OK with you." I sat back down.
Some churches argue that they don't plan their worship services because they want the Holy Spirit to be free to lead them. I don't think I would blame some of the services I've seen on the Holy Spirit! Besides, I've always believed that He can lead us in a planning process, and we'll usually come out with a better service.
One pastor explained to me one Sunday that the pianist refuses to talk with her about the music until about five minutes before the service begins. I explained that was a power play on the part of the pianist. The pastor agreed but was unwilling to confront the pianist about this unacceptable behavior.
A worship service should allow people to experience God in ways that are meaningful to them. This will seldom happen without some prior planning. There should be a flow to the service that feels comfortable. A worship service is not the time to bring up church business or discuss conflicts in the church. Announcements should be kept to a minimum. Persons who will speak from the platform should be seated in the front pew so time is not wasted while they walk from the back of the church to lead in prayer or make an announcement. Unless there is a quiet time for reflection scheduled, the service should be kept moving at all times.
When I was a pastor I had my sermons planned out a quarter ahead. I made sure our worship leaders knew the titles and texts for my sermons at least one month in advance. This allowed them to plan the worship service to reflect the theme of the message. We didn't do such planning in my first few years as pastor, but when we did start it added much to the services.
When you plan your worship you will be prepared to worship. It makes the experience more meaningful for everyone.
This is especially true if I am a guest speaker that day. When I'm speaking in a service where there has been some preparation I can expect to meet with a worship leader about 15 minutes before the service to go over the plan. This person will often hand me a program with my parts highlighted. We usually go over each aspect of the service so I will know what to expect. Often, someone from the church has contacted me a week prior to the service to ask for my sermon title and text so they can be included in the bulletin. The service usually goes very smoothly and has a comfortable feel to it.
Contrast this with a church that does little or no worship planning. I usually have to hunt someone down to ask about their sound system. The pastor or song leader is talking with the pianist five minutes before the service deciding on the music for the service. I was speaking in a service recently when the song leader nodded for me to go to the pulpit to begin my message. As I opened my Bible the sound person said, "I'm loading a video for special music to sing before the message if that's OK with you." I sat back down.
Some churches argue that they don't plan their worship services because they want the Holy Spirit to be free to lead them. I don't think I would blame some of the services I've seen on the Holy Spirit! Besides, I've always believed that He can lead us in a planning process, and we'll usually come out with a better service.
One pastor explained to me one Sunday that the pianist refuses to talk with her about the music until about five minutes before the service begins. I explained that was a power play on the part of the pianist. The pastor agreed but was unwilling to confront the pianist about this unacceptable behavior.
A worship service should allow people to experience God in ways that are meaningful to them. This will seldom happen without some prior planning. There should be a flow to the service that feels comfortable. A worship service is not the time to bring up church business or discuss conflicts in the church. Announcements should be kept to a minimum. Persons who will speak from the platform should be seated in the front pew so time is not wasted while they walk from the back of the church to lead in prayer or make an announcement. Unless there is a quiet time for reflection scheduled, the service should be kept moving at all times.
When I was a pastor I had my sermons planned out a quarter ahead. I made sure our worship leaders knew the titles and texts for my sermons at least one month in advance. This allowed them to plan the worship service to reflect the theme of the message. We didn't do such planning in my first few years as pastor, but when we did start it added much to the services.
When you plan your worship you will be prepared to worship. It makes the experience more meaningful for everyone.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Make use of social media
Periodically, I return to this theme of the importance to churches of social media. The reason I keep returning to the subject is that many churches, especially smaller churches, still do not take advantage of the opportunities social media provides.
In the mid-1990s our church began to send out a quarterly newspaper. We continued that until I resigned from the church in 2001. The paper was well done with timely articles about the Christian faith, family life, and other items of interest to most people. The church got the top half of the front page and one page on the inside of the paper to promote our church. The company printed all the articles and mailed the paper to everyone in our zip code for a reasonable fee.
It is largely recognized today that such direct mail isn't very effective, and it's not inexpensive either. Fewer and fewer people take their local newspaper any more so buying ads there often isn't productive either. Door-to-door visitation has long since ceased being an effective outreach strategy. So how can a church promote its ministry and reach out to the community?
Social media is very inexpensive (usually free) so it's affordable for any size church. It can be used to inform both your congregation and the community about activities occurring in your church. It's not difficult to learn, and you don't have to worry about deadlines. You can publish your material any time you want. It is a great way to promote a new sermon series, a special event, or anything you need to market to the community.
I have people following me on this blog. In addition, people can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. I also have another blog at dennisbickers.com where I write business and leadership articles. Almost every week, Monday through Friday, I publish links to about 20 articles that I believe my readers will find interesting or helpful. These articles come from blogs that I scan each day. They are scheduled on Hootsuite to be published throughout the day on my Twitter account (@DennisBickers). Of course, anything that I put on Twitter automatically shows up on my Facebook account. Every day there are dozens of opportunities to connect with people all around the world. All of that is possible just by spending a few hours each week at my desk writing articles and scheduling the posts.
Social media is becoming a principle way I market my auctions as well. With newspaper ads I have to remember to get my ads in by a certain date. That's not a problem with social media. I'm on Buy-Sell-Trade sites for my Facebook account in several surrounding communities. I can post a brief ad on these sites in a matter of minutes. These also show up on my main FB site so in a few minutes there are potentially 20,000+ local people seeing my ad at zero cost. It would cost me hundreds of dollars to advertise in all the local papers to reach these same people. I have people come to every auction as a result of seeing the ads on Facebook. Social media works.
For a busy pastor, a bivocational pastor, or anyone in ministry using social media to connect with people is a tremendous time saver and gives you the opportunity to connect with far more people than you could in a face-to-face setting. If you don't feel comfortable using these tools, ask any Junior High school student in your church to teach you how. It won't take them more than a few minutes to show you the basics. As you remain consistent in posting information you will begin to build a following, and you will see results.
In the mid-1990s our church began to send out a quarterly newspaper. We continued that until I resigned from the church in 2001. The paper was well done with timely articles about the Christian faith, family life, and other items of interest to most people. The church got the top half of the front page and one page on the inside of the paper to promote our church. The company printed all the articles and mailed the paper to everyone in our zip code for a reasonable fee.
It is largely recognized today that such direct mail isn't very effective, and it's not inexpensive either. Fewer and fewer people take their local newspaper any more so buying ads there often isn't productive either. Door-to-door visitation has long since ceased being an effective outreach strategy. So how can a church promote its ministry and reach out to the community?
Social media is very inexpensive (usually free) so it's affordable for any size church. It can be used to inform both your congregation and the community about activities occurring in your church. It's not difficult to learn, and you don't have to worry about deadlines. You can publish your material any time you want. It is a great way to promote a new sermon series, a special event, or anything you need to market to the community.
I have people following me on this blog. In addition, people can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. I also have another blog at dennisbickers.com where I write business and leadership articles. Almost every week, Monday through Friday, I publish links to about 20 articles that I believe my readers will find interesting or helpful. These articles come from blogs that I scan each day. They are scheduled on Hootsuite to be published throughout the day on my Twitter account (@DennisBickers). Of course, anything that I put on Twitter automatically shows up on my Facebook account. Every day there are dozens of opportunities to connect with people all around the world. All of that is possible just by spending a few hours each week at my desk writing articles and scheduling the posts.
Social media is becoming a principle way I market my auctions as well. With newspaper ads I have to remember to get my ads in by a certain date. That's not a problem with social media. I'm on Buy-Sell-Trade sites for my Facebook account in several surrounding communities. I can post a brief ad on these sites in a matter of minutes. These also show up on my main FB site so in a few minutes there are potentially 20,000+ local people seeing my ad at zero cost. It would cost me hundreds of dollars to advertise in all the local papers to reach these same people. I have people come to every auction as a result of seeing the ads on Facebook. Social media works.
For a busy pastor, a bivocational pastor, or anyone in ministry using social media to connect with people is a tremendous time saver and gives you the opportunity to connect with far more people than you could in a face-to-face setting. If you don't feel comfortable using these tools, ask any Junior High school student in your church to teach you how. It won't take them more than a few minutes to show you the basics. As you remain consistent in posting information you will begin to build a following, and you will see results.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Is your church a great place to serve?
I'm always saddened when I talk with a pastor who has little good to say about his or her church. After serving in denominational ministry for several years I know there are some very dysfunctional churches out there. Some go beyond dysfunctional into the category of mean. Others are not dysfunctional or mean; they are just scared. They are so frightened that they might close that they become very resistant to new ideas. This frustrates the pastor who wants to lead them to a better place.
On the other hand, it is a joy to talk with a pastor who cannot say enough good things about his or her church. This past week I was speaking with a pastor who told me that last year the church set a record for giving and saw a large growth in membership. A few years ago this church allowed him to become bivocational, and it is working well for both the church and for him and his family.
A few weeks earlier I was talking with a pastor of a small church who told me they had baptized eight people that morning. Their little, rural church, led by a bivocational pastor, is having a great season of ministry.
Around the same time I was talking to someone who told me about the ministry of another church. This small church had an average attendance of about three dozen people a few years ago when they called a bivocational pastor. Today, they average well over 100 people every Sunday. They have developed an exciting youth ministry and are heavily involved in ministry to their community. They have expanded their parking and their facility.
These three churches all share a few commonalities. One, they are served by bivocational pastors. Two, they were all much smaller churches prior to their current pastor's arrival. Three, all of these pastors are serving in their first pastorate. Fourth, these pastors have all been in their churches for several years.
Several years ago I read a book that had a great impact on my life and ministry,The Heart of a Great Pastor: How to Grow Stronger and Thrive Wherever God Has Planted You
by H. B. London, Jr. and Neil Wiseman. They wrote, "Most desirable places were difficult until a previous pastor loved the church into greatness. Face it - few Camelots exist in the ministry."
Elsewhere in the book they wrote, "Every assignment is holy ground because Jesus gave Himself for the people who live there. Every place is important because God wants you to accomplish something supernatural there. Every situation is special because ministry is needed there. Like Queen Esther, you have come to the Kingdom for a time like this."
Is your church a great place to serve? If so, it is because someone before you helped it become such a place. If not, then perhaps God has called you there to make it a great place. If that is the case, put down roots and plan to stay there until it becomes a great place of ministry. Outlive your critics and church controllers. Love your people and pray for them. Keep your eyes upon the One Who called you to this place and His vision for what this church can become. Do these things, and one day something supernatural will occur. The church will experience a spiritual breakthrough and wonderful things will begin to happen in and through the ministry of the church you serve.
On the other hand, it is a joy to talk with a pastor who cannot say enough good things about his or her church. This past week I was speaking with a pastor who told me that last year the church set a record for giving and saw a large growth in membership. A few years ago this church allowed him to become bivocational, and it is working well for both the church and for him and his family.
A few weeks earlier I was talking with a pastor of a small church who told me they had baptized eight people that morning. Their little, rural church, led by a bivocational pastor, is having a great season of ministry.
Around the same time I was talking to someone who told me about the ministry of another church. This small church had an average attendance of about three dozen people a few years ago when they called a bivocational pastor. Today, they average well over 100 people every Sunday. They have developed an exciting youth ministry and are heavily involved in ministry to their community. They have expanded their parking and their facility.
These three churches all share a few commonalities. One, they are served by bivocational pastors. Two, they were all much smaller churches prior to their current pastor's arrival. Three, all of these pastors are serving in their first pastorate. Fourth, these pastors have all been in their churches for several years.
Several years ago I read a book that had a great impact on my life and ministry,The Heart of a Great Pastor: How to Grow Stronger and Thrive Wherever God Has Planted You
by H. B. London, Jr. and Neil Wiseman. They wrote, "Most desirable places were difficult until a previous pastor loved the church into greatness. Face it - few Camelots exist in the ministry." Elsewhere in the book they wrote, "Every assignment is holy ground because Jesus gave Himself for the people who live there. Every place is important because God wants you to accomplish something supernatural there. Every situation is special because ministry is needed there. Like Queen Esther, you have come to the Kingdom for a time like this."
Is your church a great place to serve? If so, it is because someone before you helped it become such a place. If not, then perhaps God has called you there to make it a great place. If that is the case, put down roots and plan to stay there until it becomes a great place of ministry. Outlive your critics and church controllers. Love your people and pray for them. Keep your eyes upon the One Who called you to this place and His vision for what this church can become. Do these things, and one day something supernatural will occur. The church will experience a spiritual breakthrough and wonderful things will begin to happen in and through the ministry of the church you serve.
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