Sorry, But All the Easy Churches are Taken

Dear Pastor:

Thank you for sending me your résumé and for expressing your interest in serving on this district.

You were very specific in your cover letter about the kind of church you are looking to serve.

You stipulated that you are requesting an assignment at a church that is “missional, highly engaged in the community and willing to grow, a church that supports pastors and their families well (both emotionally and financially) and understands the toll ministry can take on ministry families, that has sufficient resources to hire additional staff, and that is located in a city with a high quality of life and a good school system.”

I am sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but all the easy churches are taken.  And I don’t think any of those pastors will leave.  Ever.  And if by chance one does leave, I will probably claim that church for myself.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we are looking for pastors who are willing to invest their blood, sweat, and tears in hard places – pastors who will go into challenging situations and make them better; who will help churches become more attentive to the mission, more intentional, more loving.

We are looking for pastors willing to be change agents who help turn self-centered congregations into congregations actively looking for ways to bless their community, stingy congregations into generous congregations, and prickly congregations into graceful congregations.  We are seeking pastors who will help congregations love not just their friends, family, and people like them, but who will passionately embrace the lost, the least, the lonely, the hurting, the hopeless, the hungry, and the hopeless in their mission field no matter where they come from or what they look like.  

Yes, it’s true -  all the easy churches are taken.  But if you aren’t afraid of a challenge, I have an opportunity for you!

May the Gift You Give Be Yours to Give (A timely word for the preachers I serve)

I’ve been thinking about the sermons we preachers preach…  and about the gifts of the Magi.  The gold, frankincense, and myrrh—each gift was unique and personal.  What I mean by that is that Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar (as tradition names them) didn’t approach worship bearing someone else’s treasure.  They each came with their own distinctive gift. 

Are the sermons you preach your own distinctive gift?  Or are you presenting to Christ and His Church someone else’s treasure?  There is a difference between perusing a book or a website for a sermon idea that you develop yourself, and surfing the internet for a ready-made, cut-and-paste message.  While one cannot be expected to create a sermon ex nihilo, one can be expected not to simply label another’s creation as his/her own.

I’ve been thinking about the sermons we preachers preach… and the sacrifice King David made at the threshing floor of Araunah.  You remember the story – how Araunah offered to give David the land and the wood and the oxen for the sacrifice.  But David responded, “I will not give an offering that is not my own…”

There is a growing concern that some pastors are putting very little of themselves into their weekly messages and are borrowing liberally or even plagiarizing from the work of others.  We preachers need to personally engage the text in our sermon preparation, and not just simply take a shortcut through the process by pilfering someone else's work.

Many pastors across the country and around the world have pledged not to take shortcuts in preparing their sermons. "The Preacher's Pledge" (sermoncentral.com) calls for the following commitments:

• I will make the Bible my primary resource in sermon preparation and preaching.
• I may use other resources, such as commentaries and websites to enhance, not replace, my personal interaction with Scripture.
• As I study, I will strive to accurately understand and honestly apply God's Word, allowing Him to uniquely proclaim His truth in a relevant way through me.

The fact is that God called you. He gave you a voice, a mind, and distinct, personal gifts.  He wants to use you as His spokesman to His people.  May the gift you give be yours to give.

What I Learned in Two Days on a U.S. Army Base

I recently had the privilege of spending two days at Fort Jackson (Victory Starts Here), the U.S. Army base in Columbia, SC.  Fort Jackson holds the distinction of being the Army’s largest training post for new soldiers.  Over 50% of all Army recruits (and over 60% of all female recruits) receive basic combat training at Jackson.  In addition, all U.S. Army chaplains are trained here.  In all, some 50,000 soldiers receive training at Fort Jackson each year.

Last Monday I joined approximately two dozen other Nazarene ministers for a few hours with the Commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School.  COL Jeff Hawkins, Chaplain, was our host and our presenter.  His presentation – “The Three C’s of Servant Leadership” – was engaging, insightful, and inspiring.  Here are his “Three C’s”:

1.     Character – Are you good?  Followers want to know, “Does our leader have a good heart?” (Traits: spirituality, humility, authenticity, loyalty, duty, respect, selflessness, honor, integrity, personal courage, empathy, discipline)

2.     Competence – Are you skilled?  Followers want to know, “Can you do what we need you to do?  Does our leader have a good head?” (Skills: preaching, teaching, pastoral care, administration, motivation, vision, leadership, development of others)

3.     Connection – Are you relational?  Followers want to know, “Does our leader relate to us?”  (Behaviors: visibility, affability, accessibility, bearing, confidence, resilience, winsomeness)

It was obvious that the Servant Leadership Model espoused by the U.S. Chaplain Center and School is the same kind of servant leadership we want South Carolina Nazarene ministers to model.

On Thursday, I joined a small group of persons who were privileged to participate in a “Come Meet Your Army” day at Fort Jackson.  The tour highlighted the ten-week journey during which civilians become soldiers.  It was fascinating.  We viewed reception, how recruits are fitted for uniforms, the barracks where they live, the physical training they receive, the classrooms they learn in, the confidence course they navigate, and the graduation they celebrate.  Along the way we got to fire M-16s in a simulator and tour the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum.

We also learned about The Army Values (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage) and how the training new recruits receive is designed to produce certain outcomes: character, discipline, physical and mental readiness, combat marksmanship, critical combat skills, and proud team member.  All this happens over a highly intentional 70-day period during which civilians are transformed into soldiers.  Those ten weeks are highly regimented – from the way you dress to the milk you drink (studies have shown that when recruits drink milk daily their bones are 5% stronger).

There are four lines in The Soldier’s Creed, that every Nazarene minister should adopt:

·      I will always place the mission first

·      I will never accept defeat

·      I will never quit

·      I will never leave a fallen comrade

As a life-long learner always seeking to improve both my own leadership and the leadership of others, my takeaways included:

-       The importance of standardized, fundamental training for all (the power of a shared, unifying experience), followed by specialized training according to assignment

-       The importance of cultivating a culture that shapes behavior, attitude, and expectations

-       The importance of ceremonies and celebration

-       The importance of knowing your organization’s history

I wonder what difference it might make in the world if we had an intentional process for seeing people transformed into fully devoted followers for Christ in a 10-week process, a 10-month process, and a 10-year process.

Having just observed Veteran’s Day, I am grateful for the contributions our military makes - not only in keeping the peace, but also in sharing what they are learning about leadership and the development of leaders.

Vacation Worship

Today I worshipped.  In the midst of strangers.  And loved it.

Once or twice a year, while on vacation, I have an opportunity to worship at a church where I am a stranger.  I cannot express how much I look forward to these opportunities to sit and breathe, soak in the Word and in Grace and in the fellowship of believers, without the need to assess, and evaluate, and anticipate.

As one would expect at an 8:30 a.m. service, the historic sanctuary deep in the Bible Belt and full of stained glass and natural light and pews, was occupied primarily by senior adults.  These folks were serious about their worship.  A majority of the men wore suits.

The liturgy was rich.  The acolytes led the processional, followed by robed pastors and choir.  Candles were lit.  Hymns were sung.  The congregation stood and recited the Apostles Creed.  By heart.  They sang the Doxology and the Gloria Patri, and my soul rejoiced and breathed.

In spite of my focus on mission and relevance, and my embrace of contemporary worship, times like this make me think that I might be an old soul.

There was a pipe organ.  No screen had ever been installed.  Those who did not know the songs by heart used the hymnal.  The written prayers were beautiful, thoughtful, timely, appropriate.

The people were friendly and welcoming, especially of a stranger in blue jeans who appeared in their midst exactly one week after a horrific church shooting in Texas. 

I sat and soaked.  This church, this worship, which is a comfort to so many, today was a comfort to me.  It was a beginning-of-the-week reminder of a faith and heritage that extends beyond my personal history.  I was reminded of my place in the story of the people of God, of my faith, my hope, and that my family is larger than I often realize.

The sermon from Matthew 25 (The Parable of the Ten Virgins) was prefaced with words something like this: “We’ve become an angry church and don’t realize it.  But the world around us realizes it.  We’ve become angry because our political influence has faded away.  What we don’t realize is that we were never called to political influence, but to spiritual influence…”

The pastor made these significant points:

-       Being prepared is important

-       You can’t borrow time

-       Neither can you borrow someone else’s spirituality

It was the Word of God, for the people of God, thanks be to God.

We need all kinds of churches, for all kinds of people.  Today I needed this kind of church.  Thanks be to God.

In Admiration of Bi-vocational Ministers

This morning it dawned on me that three of the last six Sundays I have worshipped with churches that are pastored by bi-vocational ministers. That percentage reflects reality on the South Carolina District. A recent review of the status of the lead pastors on our district revealed that exactly one-half of our pastors are bi-vocational. Two years ago, 40% of our pastors on the South Carolina District were bi-vocational. The increase is not due to churches transitioning to bi-vocational pastors for financial reasons. The increase is due to this one fact: of the 10 NewStarts that have begun the last two years, 9 are pastored by bi-vocational ministers (the 10th is pastored by an individual who is retired).

The Apostle Paul was bi-vocational, serving as a tentmaker with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:3). Our bi-vocational ministers, whether due to necessity or preference, are following Paul’s example of earning a living outside of the support of the local church that they serve. These ministers come to personally understand the challenges that our laity experience in the workplace. As a result, their preaching and their ministry often contain more and stronger practical applications than those of us who are not bi-vocational.

I have always considered bi-vocational pastors to be heroes. The danger, of course, is for these ministers to become overextended. Sometimes local church ministry alone can become overwhelming. Add to that the time and energy needed for secular work, and the load can become quite heavy. We are grateful for South Carolina’s fine bi-vocational pastors and pray that God will continue to bless them, their wonderful families, and their significant work both in the parish and in the public.

The People Who Solve Your People Problems

His name was Benaiah, and he was the person who handled King David’s “people problems.”  Benaiah was a renowned warrior, famous for his storied exploits.  He was the leader of a group of elite mercenaries—essentially the Secret Service of David’s day—charged with the personal protection of the king.  Whenever David had a people problem – and he had several – Benaiah was tasked with the responsibility of resolving the issue. 

Your team should include people who are gifted in resolving people problems.  Benaiah is obviously effective at helping with David’s people problems. David died of natural causes at a good, old age. No one assassinated him. So far as we know, no one even physically harmed him. Benaiah does his job well.

Benaiah then becomes proficient at handling Solomon’s people problems.  He enables Solomon to firmly establish his authority and to govern without significant opposition.

Leaders have always dealt with people problems, and they always will. The human relations issues you and I face obviously need to be handled differently than Benaiah handled David and Solomon’s issues.  Benaiah usually eliminated the problem by eliminating the person.  However, leaders still need assistance from individuals who are gifted in handling people problems.  In the same way that David and Solomon look to Benaiah to set right difficult personnel situations, leaders today are wise to seek help from others.  Leaders need team members with significant relational skills who can help them navigate people problems. Wise leaders recruit such valuable individuals to their organizations then give them the authority to act in ways that are appropriate and effective.

Excerpt taken from Who’s By Your Side? More Leadership Lessons from the Life of King David (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2016).