Plan your preaching in advance

Each year about this time I post an article recommending that ministers need to plan their preaching in advance. This is especially true for bivocational ministers. It's another way of controlling your time, a topic I covered in yesterday's post.

When I was a pastor I began my preparations in the fall of the year for the next year. The process I used was very simple. I took a legal pad and wrote down every Sunday's date. Because we had evening services each date had two lines, one for the AM service and one for the PM service.Using two lines allowed me to have enough room to record the Sermon title and text for one quarter of the year for each message. I would then go through the calendar and note any special days such as Mother's Day or Easter.

I would then prayerfully consider what needed to be addressed in the upcoming year. On the Sundays between Mother's Day and Father's Day I would normally do a series of sermons on family life. During the summer I would do a series through a book of the Bible or a major section of the Bible such as the Sermon on the Mount. By planning in the fall of the year this gave me a lot of time to get any research material or books I might need for my sermon preparation. Once I filled in major blocks I could begin to look for opportunities for shorter sermon series or individual sermons. Possible titles and text would be written on my sheet of paper in pencil. I always wanted to be able to make a change if circumstances required. My goal was always to prepare at least one quarter in advance.

There are so many advantages to planning your preaching schedule.

1. When you plan ahead you can focus on sermon preparation instead of trying to decide what you are going to preach on the next Sunday.
2. You avoid the "Saturday night specials" which usually are not that special.
3. You allow your worship teams to also plan in advance. During a recent stint as a Transitional Pastor the worship leaders in both services voiced their appreciation for knowing my sermons a month in advance so they could develop a worship service that flowed around the message.
4. You are prepared for those times when you have an extremely busy week with people in the hospital, funerals, and other situations that would make preparing your sermon difficult.
5. You will have a more balanced approach to your preaching because you will have more time to prepare messages on the more challenging topics that require more study.

I always began this preparation in the fall because I found that time was a little slower for me, especially the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas when many families were involved in their own activities.

Some question whether such preparation takes away the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I've always believed the Holy Spirit can lead us in preparing a quarter in advance just as well as He can lead our preparation a week at a time. That's not to say that I never changed my message from what I had scheduled. Certainly, the Sunday after 9/11 I did not preach the message I had prepared for that Sunday but preached one more pertinent to that event. There were other times I switched messages around, but these were few and far between.

If you have not prepared your messages in advance I encourage you to try it in 2019. I think you'll be happy with the results.

Bivocational ministry and time

Without exception, in every bivocational ministry conference I've led, the number one challenge those attending voiced was how to properly manage their time. Many bivocational ministers feel overwhelmed by the expectations that are placed upon them by their families, their employers and their churches. I used to joke that I often waved at myself when I passed me on the road, but I'm not the only one who feels that way.

There is a simple reason we so often feel overwhelmed. It's because we are. It's not easy trying to meet everyone's expectations. There are only so many hours in a day, and many of those days contain a lot more things to do than time in which to do them. I offer a workshop on Time Management for Ministers so let me share some of the information I give those who attend this workshop.

• You have to set priorities for what is important to you. Bivocational ministers will have at least these five.

1. God
2. Family
3. Church
4. Other Employment
5. Self-care

• Once you have determined your priorities you have to own and control your calendar. Begin to write in your calendar what you need to accomplish in each of these five area to remain healthy and live a more balanced life. Certain things are a given such as if you work a 40 hour week those hours are probably not optional.
• If you want a date night with your spouse you need to put it in the calendar. (I'll help you with this one...you do want a date night.) Put it in your calendar as an important appointment and keep it.
• Make sure there is time for your own self-care. You need time to exercise, to enjoy a hobby, or to just rest.
• Do not fill your calendar with things to do. Build margin in your life so when true emergencies happen you will have available time to respond to them. A full calendar isn't impressive; it just reflects a life that is too busy and out of control.
• Do not allow others to rob you of your time. You may have noticed that people who have nothing to do want to do it with you! That's because you let them.

I cover this, and many other challenges ministers face, in my book The Healthy Pastor: Easing the Pressures of Ministry. Bivocational ministers will always face time pressures, but there are ways to help alleviate them. I've only shared a few of those in this space.

Dealing with differences

I was hoping that after a decision about Judge Kavanaugh was finalized that people would begin to tone down the rhetoric and decide to pursue different ways of discussing our differences. Silly me! I should have known after the events of the past 2-3 years that is not going to happen. We have become a nation that no longer knows how to discuss differences without making personal attacks on people's character, their intelligence, and anything else we can use to degrade one another.

Unfortunately, our President is not exactly leading the way in promoting civil discussion. His tweets often include name calling and sarcastic comments towards those who disagree with him. Some of our elected officials have taken it even further with some having actually encouraged their supporters to attack Republicans and their families in restaurants and other public places, and their supporters have been eager to do so. The fact is, we have precious little leadership today; we only have elected officials who often act more like children than national leaders.

I wish I could say the church has stayed above the fray, but that would not be true. I've seen many comments on social media from Christian leaders and lay persons that were just as hateful and mean-spirited as those coming from non-Christians. In a few cases, I became so weary reading their negative attacks I just unfriended them. I didn't want to drink their poison any more.

A friend of mine recently wrote that she was tired of being called stupid, and I'm sure worse, because she expressed her opinions on various matters. As a church leader I'm sure she did not expect that, especially from other Christians, but that has been her experience. I'm sure she and I would differ on many things politically, but she is certainly not stupid nor does she deserve to be attacked personally for stating her beliefs.

Screaming at one another on social media isn't going to change anyone's mind. Neither is blocking interstates, screaming at elected officials in elevators or running families out of restaurants. If you want to change people's minds engage them in actual discussions. Use real facts. Present actual evidence supporting your arguments. And if you still disagree, then do so civilly, and when election time rolls around vote for those people who best support your values.

Should the church be involved in political questions? Absolutely! Political issues often have moral values attached to them, and the church should be taking the lead when it comes to speaking on moral values. But, let's not resort to the kind of childish attacks we've seen in recent months. If we do, we have nothing better to offer the world than what is currently coming out of Washington, DC.

Defending the faith

Ever since Satan asked in the Garden of Eden, "Has God said...?" people have questioned the claims of Scripture. The Bible has been under attack since it was first written and even many so-called ministers no longer consider it inspired by God and but believe it is filled with myths and false statements. Non-Christians regularly attack various teachings of Christianity. There was a time when people used to respect the Scriptures even if they were not living according to them, but that time is long past. Much of the negative statements directed towards Scripture isn't based upon the person's personal study but is based on something they once heard someone say.

It is important today that we are able to defend Christianity and its teachings. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to defend the truth if we're willing to do the work, but that doesn't mean we will successfully convince people of biblical truth. As I sometimes say, "Some people's minds are like concrete. They are all mixed up and permanently set." Still, we have an obligation to defend the faith whenever we hear it being attacked.

Some of the most common complaints against Christianity and God has to do with the problem of evil in the world, the problem of suffering, the story of creation, and the reliability of the Bible. During a recent two-year stretch serving as the Transitional Pastor of a church seeking a new pastor I was able to address each of these. I think I did a three-part sermon series on the problem of evil, two sermons on the problem of suffering, one sermon on the fine-tuning of the universe, an numerous statements in many sermons on the reliability of the Scriptures. If I had been the regular pastor of the church I would have spent more time introducing the congregation to apologetics and would have addressed some of the other issues people raise against Christianity.

Being able to defend the faith isn't just important so we can answer people's objections. It's also important for Christians who also sometimes have doubts about the faith. These concerns need to be addressed so we don't walk away from the faith when going through challenging times. Our young people also need to be able to defend their faith when they leave home for college and university when professors will attack their beliefs.

Christians need to be encouraged to read good books on theology and apologetics. While some of these are written for academics, many are on a level that is accessible to anyone. Sunday school classes and small groups need to be in every church that offers specific training in defending the faith using sound theological and apologetical arguments. If we cannot answer the questions people have about Christianity we will continue to lose them to secular worldviews.

How to help people move forward

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy, and I haven't had time to post anything. However, I read something last night that I felt I had to share. One of the books I'm currently reading is Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden. This is a book I first read a couple of years ago and decided it was time to re-read it. The statement I want to share is

Keep in mind there are three ways to get people to take action. The first is to ask them to do it. The second is to force them to do it. And the third is to help them recognize for themselves why it's in their best interest to take a certain course of action.

Which of the three do you think is most effective? Of course, it's the third option. No one ever rejects their own ideas! If you ask someone to do something they may refuse. If you try to force them they may resent it. But, if they recognize for themselves that it is in their best interest they will do everything possible to accomplish the action.

Anyone who serves in ministry or another helping profession has had those persons who remained stuck in unhealthy practices. You can ask them to change, you can even penalize them if they don't change, and you may or may not see change. The key is to help people convince themselves the change will benefit them.

This even applies to the way we do evangelism in the 21st century. In the past we would ask people to invite Jesus Christ into their lives. Sometimes we would try to force them by warning them of eternal punishment if they didn't. Neither approach is very effective today. Perhaps it would be more effective to point out how becoming a Christian is a reasonable decision to make, how it improves one's life now and prepares us for eternity.

Blaise Paschal was a 17th-century mathematician who was also a committed Christian. He argued that if there was even a 50 percent chance that Christianity was true then it was reasonable for one to become a Christian. The reasons for this is that if Christianity is true then you have everything to gain by accepting Christ into your life, and if it is false you will have lost virtually nothing by becoming a Christian. This has become known as Paschal's Wager. I recently preached a message built around the Wager and finished it by telling the congregation that I have bet everything on the fact that Christianity is true and inviting them to do the same.

Flee not fight temptation

By now you've probably seen the viral video of the Weather Channel reporter fighting the winds and water while giving his report while two teenagers are seen calmly walking behind him. It's a wonderful example of how the news, including the weather, is presented in a way that is not necessarily accurate. The Weather Channel has claimed that their reporter was trying to maintain his footing on wet grass while the teens are walking on concrete. So, was the reporter not smart enough to leave the wet grass for the solid footing the concrete obviously provided? It's a hilarious clip that won't soon be forgotten.

But, it does offer insight into a much bigger issue. How many of us are fighting temptations that threaten to overwhelm us rather than fleeing from them? Numerous times in Scripture the apostle Paul tells us to flee from temptations. Fighting temptations can result in our losing the battle, and many of us often experience those losses. Fleeing from them gives us a much better chance of being victorious over them.

An alcoholic should not go into a bar but should avoid places where he will be tempted to drink. Recovering drug addicts need to find new friends and avoid the old ones who will provide fresh temptations. Many marriages have been destroyed in recent years due to old flames reconnecting on social media. Just because someone gives you a friend request doesn't mean you have to accept it. There are people you don't need to have contact with on social media.

Speaking of social media, it seems many Christians are unable to resist commenting on posts with which they disagree. It does the Kingdom of God no good for Christians to engage in battles with unbelievers and other Christians on social media. A few times I've wanted to challenge something I read but refrained because I knew it would only result in an online argument that would accomplish nothing. For those of you who don't know, it's OK to read something online with which you disagree and not comment on it.

Fighting temptations is often like trying to walk on wet, slick grass in 90 MPH winds. Life is much easier if you just walk away to the more solid footing of the concrete.

Pastoral libraries

I am currently facing a problem that all retiring ministers face towards the end of their ministries. What do I do with my library?

Numerous times in this blog I've posted articles about how much my library means to me. I've spent the past 35 years adding books to the library that I thought would be helpful in my pastoral and writing ministries. Having recently celebrated my 70th birthday I realize that decisions need to be made regarding my books. I don't want to leave them for my wife to deal with.

I posted some online and sold a few, but not nearly enough to justify the amount of time it took me to list them. I've boxed some up and sold them at auction, but not many people who attend auctions are interested in buying ministerial and theological books. The boxes that did sell only brought a couple of dollars for the entire box. I also realize that many of them are so marked up with highlighting and underlining that they have little value. (Let's just say I'm an active reader!)

At different times I've considered donating them to a church for its library, but I'm realistic enough to know how much many church libraries are used.

Of course, every time I think about getting rid of my library I begin to fear that I might need these books. I just completed a two-year stint as a Transitional Pastor, and my commentaries and theological books were invaluable as I returned to preparing sermons and Bible studies. My books on leadership and ministry were consulted as I was once again confronted with some of the leadership challenges of pastoral ministry. What if I get rid of my books and then am called to another interim position?

Then I hear the story from a retired pastor's wife who boxed up his library when they moved into a smaller house and no longer had a church office. His library is stacked in boxes sitting in a corner of their garage! I don't want that to happen to my library.

I would be interested in hearing from some of my retired readers to learn what you did with your pastoral library.