Personal growth of the pastor

I once talked with a professional person who told me he had not read a book since completing his educational requirements. I decided right then I would never use him in his field of expertise because he was no longer an expert in his chosen field. Regardless of the career you have chosen, it has likely changed a great deal over  the years, and if you have not kept up with those changes you are unable to offer value to those you serve. This is also true of pastoral ministry.

Ministry is rapidly changing, and those who have not kept up with those changes are unable to lead their churches into the future. While a person may have received an excellent seminary education, some of what you learned is now outdated. I remember a master's level class I took had a question on the final exam asking the average giving in a bus-ministry church. I wanted to respond that there had not been a bus-ministry church since gas hit $1.00 a gallon, but that was not an option on the multiple choice test. I knew the right answer, but was frustrated that I needed to because the answer was moot. Ministry has changed a lot since bus-ministry churches!

Regardless of a person's career choice, it is important that they continue to be life-long learners. This is especially true for those of us involved in ministry as we are responsible for the souls of those we serve. How do we stay current and informed as life-long learners?

For some it might done by pursuing additional degrees. I was 58 when I enrolled in a DMin program. The time working on that degree was a time of growth as I learned many new things about ministry. My doctoral project was a learning time as well.

Reading is another way to continue growing. I average reading 50 books a year. For a long time I seldom read non-fiction, but I have added those books to my reading schedule. Many of the authors of those books have been mentors to me even though I've met very few of them. John Maxwell has taught me much about leadership. Eugene Petersen and others have helped me better understand ministry. A number of authors have made me a better defender of the faith through their writings on apologetics. Lately, I have been reading more about mental health issues as that is a growing problem in our society that the church has been slow to address.

Don't limit yourself to just reading material relating to ministry or theology. It is important that the minister understands the culture in which he or she serves. That's why I've been reading books on mental health, racial issues, and other issues that impact our world. If we do not understand what is bringing pain to people's lives how can we expect to minister to them?

Attending seminars and conferences is another way to pursue personal and professional growth. I've led many of these events and have attended even more. Some were better than others, but none have been a waste of time. There is almost always a nugget of information found in all of them.

If your church does not have continuing education funds in its budget for the minister, ask them to do so. It is to their advantage that their pastor is pursuing growth, and it's an investment they should be willing to make.

The challenges and blessings of ministry

 It has been a long time since I've posted. Things have been hectic the last few months. I continue to serve as the Transitional Pastor of Westport Baptist Church, our online auction business is doing very well, and we've had some family situations that have taken much of our attention. I guess you could say it has been a normal life for a bivocational minister!

This past week was a very busy one at the church. We had a deacon meeting, a business meeting, and I was scheduled to conduct a wedding and a funeral on Saturday. What a privilege to be able to serve a congregation in this way. Yes, it was a challenge as it required a good deal of time, but it was much more of a blessing to be involved in the life of a congregation and to participate in the lives of individuals and families in such transitional times in their lives. I feel like I am the most blessed person on the face of the earth that I can minister on behalf of God to such a great church.

All ministry has its challenges. Serving in a denominational role for 14 years makes me aware that some ministries are more challenging than others. However, those challenges pale in comparison to the blessings that come with ministry. For any minister to consider that Almighty God, creator of the universe and God over all He created, called him or her to ministry should humble us. For 41 years I have served in ministry, and many times I have wondered why God would have called me to such a place. I cannot answer that, but I can affirm that I am thankful that He did. Apart from my relationship with God and my family, nothing has brought me greater joy than the ministries with which He has entrusted to me.

The working title for my first book was The Joy of Bivocational Ministry. The publisher changed the title but left that as the subtitle. A pastor friend of mine saw the title and remarked that he did not see how bivocational ministry could be considered joyful. I tried to explain to him the joys I have known in such ministry, but he never understood.

Besides the opportunity to serve wonderful churches in a pastoral role, I have had the privilege of ministering to hundreds of pastors and church leaders in various denominations through conferences, workshops and seminars. The vast majority of those speaking engagements were focused on bivocational ministry. Nearly 3,500 people have downloaded my doctoral thesis on Coaching Bivocational Ministers for Greater Ministry Effectiveness. If you want to read that without all the requirements that go into a doctoral thesis I rewrote and published it with the title The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry. This past week I was privileged to speak to a class at the Houston Baptist Theological Seminary and answer their questions about bivocational ministry.

Over the years I've heard many complain about the difficulties in ministry. A recent Barna survey found that 38% of pastors have considered leaving the ministry due to the difficulties they have faced. Yes, ministry can be quite challenging sometimes, but it is also the most rewarding thing anyone will ever do. 

Every Sunday as I begin the 45 minute drive to the church I'm serving I thank God for the opportunity to serve this church as their Transitional Pastor. I consider it an honor to be allowed to speak to them regarding God's Word and to be allowed to enter their lives. My prayer is that you feel the same way about the ministry God has given you.

Adaptive challenges

 I am currently re-reading Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bilsinger. He tells the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition that set out to discover the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. At the time everyone knew there had to be a water route that would lead people to the ocean. The expedition traveled by canoe and raft until they realized that what everyone knew to be true wasn't. They came to that realization when they came to the Rocky Mountains! They soon discovered that their canoes were useless and they had to find new ways to continue their journey.

Bolsinger compares this discovery to the challenges facing today's church. Everything we have done in the past has brought us where we are today, but it will not take us where we need to be in the future. Much of what we knew to be true of the church in the past is no longer valid today. Many are finding their seminary education did not prepare them for ministry in the 21st century. We are not facing technological challenges today that can be solved by tweaking our systems. We are dealing with adaptive challenges that are more systemic in nature that cannot be solved with past knowledge. The author writes

"Adaptive challenges are never solved through a quick fix. If talking, trying or tricks work, they would have worked already. They are only going to be solved through new insight into the context, the values and the systemic issues at play in the congregation and within the leaders themselves. In other words, before we can solve any problem, we need to learn to see new possibilities. And, ironically, because the solution will be an adaptation of the core values, identity and theology of the congregation itself, seeing those possibilities depends on first seeing ourselves and our congregations as we really are."

This will become quite an adventure for those congregations who want to thrive moving forward. New ways of thinking will be demanded that may be challenging to many in our congregations. "We've never done it that way before," will be repeated in many church business meetings. Like Lewis and Clark, we will have to admit that what we've done in the past will no longer allow us to move ahead in the future, and we will be challenged to find new solutions to current challenges.

Lewis and Clark had few choices when they came to the Rocky Mountains. They could stop their expedition and give up. They could continue to carry their canoes through the mountains insisting those canoes brought them this far and would somehow take them the rest of the way. Or they could admit they had to find new solutions to address the current issue of getting through the mountains.

The mountains, the challenges, today's church faces is just as real as those mountains were to Lewis and Clark. I'm afraid many churches will hold onto their canoes and fail to make it over the mountains. What will your church do?

It's OK to Fail

 A story I often tell when I'm speaking at a pastor's gathering concerns a time when I was a deacon in a church I attended. A little girl made a profession of faith at our VBS one year, and before the pastor would agree to baptize her he wanted to speak to her mother. He asked if I would go with him which I agreed to do so. The mother and her daughter lived in a government-assisted apartment complex near our church. When the pastor explained the reason for our visit, the mother was pleased that her daughter had accepted Christ and wanted to be baptized, but she had one question. "Will she become a member of your church?" The pastor said not necessarily but asked why she had that question.

The mother explained she had been an active member of a church in our county when her husband filed for divorce. The next Sunday she felt she had walked into a freezer. No one spoke to her, and during the following weeks she realized they really didn't want her there. She commented she felt like she had a large, bright red D stamped on her forehead. She had been deeply hurt by her church, and she did not want her daughter to experience that same pain.

Jumping several years later, for my doctoral project I coached a number of bivocational ministers and wrote about the experience for my dissertation. One of the persons I selected to coach was a female pastor of a very small church out west. In one of our sessions I asked her what would she most like to do in ministry. She responded that she would like to pastor a church that would reach out to persons who had been hurt by the church. I laughed when she said that and explained that if she ever did that her church wouldn't be small for long because there are many in every community who have been hurt by the church.

Unfortunately, many in the church have forgotten that each of us are the recipients of God's grace. Because we forget that we often fail to extend that same grace to others when they experience a failure in their lives. One of the most important things a church can do is to offer someone a safe place to fail.

Jesus said He did not come for the healthy but for the sick and those broken by life. We find His kindest words to those who were caught up in sin and who had failed in life. His harshest words were to those who thought they had no sin, no failure in their lives. This is an example the church needs to follow.

I remember a Christmas special that ran on TV for years. I hope it still does. In the special there was a place known as "The Isle of Misfit Toys." It was a place where toys that weren't perfect went because no one wanted them. Of course, by the end of the special these toys found a home.

The church should be a place of misfit people. People who haven't got it all together. People who struggle with life. People who are broken and need healing. People who have failed and need to be loved. These are the people for whom Jesus Christ gave His life that they might find healing, hope, forgiveness and salvation.

I hope your church is such a place.

Living into God's Dream For Your Life

 I'm currently reading TrueFaced by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John Lynch. This evening I came across this in the book.

"God dreams that you would discover your destiny and walk into the reasons he placed you on this earth. God has a ticket of destiny with your name written on it - no matter how old, how broken, how tired, or how frightened you are. No matter how many times you may have failed, God dearly longs for the day when he gets to hand you that ticket, smile, and whisper into your ear, 'You have no idea how long I've waited to hand this to you. Have a blast! I've already seen what you get to do. It's better than you could have dreamed. Now hurry up and get on that train. A whole lot of folk are waiting for you to walk into your destiny and into their lives.'"

Isn't that powerful? So many have given up on their dreams, and even worse, they've given up on God's dreams for them. At various times we may have a sense of what God wants for our lives, but we convince ourselves that couldn't be for us. We're not worthy. We're not capable. We've failed too many times in the past. Besides, even if this was God's will for our lives at some earlier point in time, it's too late now.

The authors insist that it's never too late to live into God's dream for your life. I once knew a minister who had some personal failures in his life. Many gave up on him. He lost his current place of ministry. When I saw him he was one of the most defeated individuals I've met. I reminded him that his failures did not exclude him from ministry, and that the Bible reminds us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Although some individuals had turned their back on him, God had not, and His call on my friend was just as valid as it ever was. He did find his way back into the ministry and enjoyed a very fruitful season as the pastor of a church.

Of course, the above statement doesn't just apply to those in ministry positions. They apply to all who follow Christ. Each of us has a God-given task to perform. God has a plan for each individual, and our greatest fulfillment comes when we understand what that task is and begin to walk in it. This is also where we have the greatest opportunity to bless others.

For over 40 years I have served as a minister of churches and with our denomination. Yes, there have been challenges and difficult times, but I can say with complete honesty that I've enjoyed the journey, and still do! There is nothing more rewarding than knowing God's will for your life and living into that will. My prayer for you is that you are living into God's dream for your life as well.

Denominational challenges and decline

I just read an article about the challenges facing the United Methodist Church. Due to changes that have occurred in that denomination in recent years a growing number of churches are seeking to leave the UMC. Some are finding the process fairly simple while others are encountering huge roadblocks placed there by their bishops. Some churches are being forced to give the denomination up to 50% of their property's value in order to leave.

The problems for the denomination does not stop with the number of churches seeking to leave the denomination. They, like most denominations, are also facing declining memberships in many of their churches. Many in their congregations are older. As they pass away or become unable to be active, the finances of the church are impacted and so is that of the denomination. UMC leadership will have to make tough decisions in the next few years about how to best respond to these challenges.

Of course, this is true for most denominations. They are finding they are in a vicious circle of decline. Declining church membership and a growing discontent among some with the policies the denominations have adopted on certain social issues means less money flowing into the denomination  and its judicatories. This results in reduced staffing and fewer resources being provided to the churches which results in less connection with the local church which leads to even further reduced funding. New denominational groups are springing up that seem a better fit for some churches who become willing to abandon their historic relationship with their denomination to be part of what the new groups are doing, and this leads to a greater loss of member churches and their financial support.

Much of this could have been avoided if the denominations had not strayed from clear biblical teaching on these social issues, but unless there is a major reversal in policies, which is highly unlikely to happen, it's too late to dwell on that now. The decline is likely to continue until the denominations are a shell of what they once were if they even exist at all. My concern is for the impact this has for the spread of the Gospel message, the local churches and the missionaries connected to these denominations.

There are issues with which I do not agree with my denomination, and I was a judicatory leader in this denomination for 14 years. But I am able to work through those because my focus is on preaching the Word of God. As a Baptist the denomination has little impact or influence on my ability to minister or the ministry of the church I serve. I am also blessed by serving in a judicatory whose leadership has always been supportive and whose policies I fully endorse. While that might not be the case in other denominations, it is true in the one in which I serve. I also want to be able to continue to support the wonderful work our missionaries are doing around the world.

Only God knows what the future will be for our current denominations or if they even have a future. My suggestion to pastors is to be faithful in preaching the Word of God regardless of what happens with denominations and continue to support the good work of your missionaries. Many of them are caught in the middle of all this without it being their fault. 

So, whose tent is the biggest?

 The story goes that two tent evangelists in the mid-1900s got into a public argument as to who had the biggest tent. It was finally decided that each would measure their tent when it was discovered that both tents were the same size. One had been measuring their tent from the outside while the other had been measuring his from the inside.

After 40+ plus years in ministry I have seen a number of pastors jealous of other pastors and what other churches were doing. This often happens when a church's ministry begins reaching larger numbers of people. Pastors of these churches are often accused of "sheep stealing" or having questionable theology. These pastors and the churches they serve may find they are attacked by other pastors, and the reason for these attacks may be no more than jealousy.

This past week at the national convention of the SBC Rick Warren was given an opportunity to speak to the delegates regarding his church's decision to ordain women to the ministry, a grave sin in the eyes of much of the SBC. I read many of the comments on Twitter from pastors in attendance, many of whom had little good to say about Warren or the church he served for over 40 years. He was accused of being weak on theology, of being egotistical and being the primary reason evangelicalism is under attack today. I found many of the comments to be little more than jealousy of the success he and his church has enjoyed over the years. I really think what was behind many of the complaints was that his tent was bigger than those of his critics.

Ministry is not a competition. Our battle is not to be between churches but between the forces of evil and the work God has called us to do. If a soul is saved, who cares what church or pastor was used by God to reach that individual. Rick Warren was gifted and called by God to serve a much larger church than I could ever pastor, and I praise God for the work that he and the church has done. I spent 20 years pastoring a rural church that never grew beyond about 55 people, and I praise God for the opportunity to serve that church. Since then I've been given the opportunity to serve in a denominational role and as a Transitional Pastor of two churches a little larger than the one I pastored. Not once have I ever been critical of another church because it was larger than the ones I was serving.

I've said for a long time that too many pastors never fully unpack their boxes when they move. Almost as soon as they arrive at their new church they are looking to see what larger churches might be soon opening up. They're looking for the larger tent and, dare I say it, the larger salary package that goes with it. I have to wonder how the Kingdom of God would be if those of us called to ministry would see our current place of ministry as God's calling on our lives. Rather than seeking a larger tent, maybe we should see that we have been called to this place "for such a time as this."