The Pastor's Dilemma

I am a pastor. I try really hard to live with integrity and to do, say and believe things that are right, not just what is expedient. But the world is a political place. Unfortunately, the church is just as political (maybe more political) as the world at large. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of doing the politically correct or practical at the expense of taking a costly stand for what is right.

Security, professional and political, may be the biggest obstacle for pastors. This security can lead to complacency, which is often a forerunner to apathy. Pastors, including myself, or just a few steps away from ministry death when we begin to worry about ourselves, our futures, or even our families at the expense of our ministries.

Here is our problem: We are so in love with our paychecks, our parsonages and our pensions that we often cannot do what is right.

• We need our paychecks. We worry about our employment and how we are going to make ends meet. We become consumed with all the same concerns that every other human faces. How will we pay the bills? Keep food on the table? Put gas in the car? Maybe even, keep up with the Joneses? When we are so concerned with the day to day and week to week issues of keep our heads above water, it is hard to keep our eyes on Jesus.
• We need our parsonages. I do not make enough money to make a mortgage payment. If there were no parsonage I don't know what I would do. I like my parsonage. It is large enough, adequate enough, comfortable enough and nice enough to keep me satisfied. And I need it. I need a place to live and to raise my family. God help me, though, when I become too needy, too worried about where I will live.
• We need our pensions. In my denomination, retirement from ministry is mandatory at age 70. I plan to live at least 10 years beyond that. I am going to need some money to live on. I need to keep my job so that my future can be secure. But it would be pathetic if I got so dependent on the prospect of that pension that I lost my prophetic voice in the meantime.

Sometimes I just need to remember some things that Jesus taught. He said not to worry about tomorrow. He said that he would meet my needs. May the Lord help all of us to be completely reliant on Him all the time.

My Three Things

A couple of years ago I read a book by Steve Sjogren that really had a profound impact on me. The book, The Perfectly Imperfect Church, proposed that most churches try to do to much. Every church wants to be a mega-church, or at least compete with one. We feel as though we have to provide all the same programs and activities as the large church, or we are doing something wrong. The problem is that no one can do everything. No church, especially a small, or medium sized one, can meet every need.

At this point, Sjogren suggests that every church focus on three things that it can do. There should be three ministries/programs that any given church should get involved with and pursue. Most churches do not have the resources or personnel to carry out much more than that. To that end, Sjogren says, every church should confine itself to only a few things.

The natural corollary to that is that no person can do everything. However, every individual is created by God to do something. God has gifted every human to do work in and for His Kingdom. To that end, each of us should be seeking our purpose, our calling. Many leaders would have you believe that all Christians have a generic, one-size-fits-all calling. I do not buy this. Jesus loves me and he has called me. I have specific gifts and interests that no one else has. My purpose, my calling is special to me.

So I had a mid-life crisis and prayed a lot. I thought that if my life was half over I should make sure that I was doing God's work for the second half. After months of study, pray and counsel, I think God showed me what I am supposed to be doing for the rest of my life. Here it is:

• For the rest of my life I will be teaching the Bible and encouraging people to love the Scriptures as I do.
• For the rest of my life I will be working toward the renewal of worship, particularly in my congregation(s) and denomination.
• For the rest of my life I will be raising up leaders for the church, particularly young people for the purpose of reaching young people.

Because of this focus, I will evaluate all that I do. To the best of my ability my activities will be able to fall under one of these purposes. I will endeavor to give my life to the purposes for which I have been called.

Why I Want to Change the World

A couple of years ago I felt really impressed (by God, I think) that I was supposed to change the world. Right away I dismissed the thought. It is foolishness for one person to change the world. After all, I am only an ordinary pastor of two tiny churches in an out of the way part of a relatively small state in a denomination that seems to be beyond its prime. What could I do? What can one person do to change the world? Or, for that matter, can the world be changed? Does the world need to be changed? And how do we know how to change it?

Before I got too discouraged about this problem, I thought about it. I considered whether or not the world could be different. I thought about how much influence I might be able to have. I wondered how best to move toward improving the world. And that’s when it hit me, I can’t do everything, but I could do something. In fact, if everyone did something we could change the world, for the better, in short order.

So I made a decision that the world could be changed and that I should do something about it. Here is what I am doing (and what you should be doing too?):

• I am being intentional about being a better person. I will be kinder and more thoughtful in my relationships with all people.
• I am thinking about the effects that my actions and decisions have on other people. Remember George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life? He learned that even insignificant things can have great consequences. The same is true for all of us. Not only that, we are being reminded every day that our decisions not only effect other people, but also our world and the people who will inhabit it in the future.
• I am trying to remember every day and all the time that God loves all people. Every person is an individual for whom Jesus died. I need to love them as such and share my faith with them.
• I am working toward becoming an outward-focused Christian. That is, everything in my life is not always about me. I should be living completely for God, and therefore for other people.
• I am attempting to be more generous. This includes sharing my time (I have less of it for myself than ever before), my energy (I am constantly looking for ways to serve), and my resources. It is amazing the places that you can share if you are open to it.
  

I have no illusions that I will someday be remembered as a great evangelist, missionary or world-changer. I am still just a normal guy. But hey, if all us normal guys would get together and work for the cause of Christ, the world would get changed, for the better.

Faith Teams Plan

So here it is. After several weeks of praying, it is time to begin putting legs to my faith team. (In earlier posts the faith team has been referred to as a mini-church or a small group.) What follows here are the first thoughts/steps in putting together the first faith team.

1. The faith team will begin in mid- to late June. This will allow enough time to recruit the appropriate members.
2. The faith team will meet at a neutral location. A home would be good, but more than likely we will begin at a coffee shop or restaurant.
3. The faith team will meet every week as much as is possible.
4. There should always be food, drinks and music available.
5. A part of the curriculum/program will include video. Wherever the faith team meets, video capabilities must be available. It is important to be sure that if the faith team is meeting in a public place video will be allowed and will not be a nuisance to others.
6. Additional study resources will be available weekly on this blog.
7. The faith team will include 4-8 people. When there are ten on a regular basis it is time to designate leadership, begin training and start a new faith team.
8. Recruitment of faith team members will include:

• New Christians who desire to grow in faith.
• Pre-Christians who are interested in learning more about the church.
• Individuals who are interested in further training to the end that they might lead faith teams in the future.
• Great care should be taken in the recruitment of faith team members. Each one should have a clear understanding of the expectations, purpose and direction of the faith team.

In future posts (before the launch of the first faith team) I will discuss more fully the details of a faith team meeting and the curriculum/program specifics.

Focus Your Prayer Life

Here are a few steps to help you develop, deepen and focus your prayer time. Many of the complaints that people have about prayer are answered, or can be remedied by following these steps.

1. Keep a journal of all answers to prayer. Earlier I suggested writing your prayers. This idea is very similar. When we keep a record of what God is done, it encourages our continued prayer and faithfulness. Answered prayer begets faith. Faith begets more answers to prayer. Remind yourself regularly of the effectiveness of prayer.
2. Start a prayer ministry at your church. An intercessory prayer group would be a great place to start, but getting several people together for prayer is sometimes difficult. Try a prayer wall. Provide sticky-notes for individuals to write and post their prayer concerns and answers to prayer. Watch how your prayer life gets charged and your congregation experiences a fresh renewal.
3. Pray for other people. Do not be so consumed with your own needs that you forget to pray for other people. Especially pray for those you have problems with.
4. Be silent so that you can listen to God. We usually spend too much time telling God what we want or need. Be sure that when you are praying you listen to what God is saying.
5. Pray with the Bible. The Scriptures can be a great source for prayer material. In fact, much of the Bible is already written in the form of prayer. Use the Bible as a source and a guide for your devotional and prayer life.
6. Get a prayer partner. Find someone that you can share with, pray with and be accountable with.
7. Learn several models for prayer. Some of my favorites are:

• ACTS- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication
• PRAY- Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield
• ABC- Adore, Believe, Confess

You will be on your way to a more fulfilling and exciting prayer life when you work on a few of these steps.

The Christian's Mandate

I recently read an article entitled The Preacher's Mandate. It was essentially a call to faithfulness in ministry. I think that the concepts are transferable to the lives of every person who calls Jesus Lord. So, I offer the The Christian's Mandate.

• Pray like nothing good will happen if you do not pray. Pray like everything depends on God to act.
• Work like nothing good will happen if you do not do it.
• Do everything like you were doing it for God himself.
• Do not look for a personal message from God, but rather the message of God.
• Do not be satisfied until you are helping to bring the Kingdom of God. When you are helping to bring the Kingdom of God, do not be satisfied until it comes.
• Remember that your life is always on display. You are a testimony to God's work in your life. Be an example of Godly living.
• Prepare your heart with the Word of God. Be ready for every struggle that may come into your life.
• Make Jesus the highest priority in your life. When you do this others will see your commitment and be won to Christ.
• Always maintain a Christ-like attitude and lifestyle.
• Work to show other people Christ in your life. Doing this you will be showing less of yourself.
• Exhibit true humility at all times. Do not be full of yourself, your accomplishments or possessions. Remember that Jesus is your all in all, and the source of your being.
• Trust that God's will is the best possible action for your life.
• Maintain an attitude of concern and love for all people at all times. Work to never lose your patience, your temper or your testimony in any of your relationships.
• Do not use people to further your agenda, life or career. God loves others as much as he loves you.
• Share Christ with other people, not what you think about Christ, or what someone else told you about Christ.

Why I Write My Prayers

Many of you who are reading this know that I often write my prayers. In fact, I try to make it a regular, if not daily, habit. My procedure goes as follows:

1. I read my Scripture passages for the day. This year I am following the reading schedule that we are doing together as a congregation. I am staying a little bit ahead, and I am doing some reading for sermon preparation. Otherwise, I am reading the same things as you each day.
2. I then read a short passage (5-10 pages) from a devotional book. Right now I am reading a collection of pastoral prayers for worship.
3. When I have finished this reading, I open my spiral notebook and fill my page for the day. More about what and why I write coming up.
4. I then work on Scripture memorization, other prayers, etc.
5. Finally, I read a chapter from a book that will help me professionally. Currently I am reading a book called Great Preaching. (I may not be able to do it, but I can sure read about it.)

This is a daily ritual for me. There is no question in my mind or heart that this discipline makes a great difference in my personal spiritual life. But, why do I write my prayers?

• I write my prayers because it gives me a record of my relationship with God. I can look back at my dated petitions and answers to prayer. I can see when I have struggled, and how God has answered my prayers.
• I write my prayers because it is a great discipline. I date each page in my notebook. By doing this I know when I have been faithful and when I have not. Although I do not write all my prayers, and I do not write every day, I know that I am in spiritual trouble when I miss several days in a row.
• I write my prayers because it gives me time to hear God. I write more slowly than I talk. When I write I give God my prayers and he sometimes speaks to me before I am finished.
• I write my prayers because doing so opens up new avenues of prayer, praise, worship and repentance. My prayer may start on paper, but it often ends sometime later in intimate moments with my Lord.
• I write my prayers because it gives me balance. I can see if all my prayers are self-centered petitions. I can then make adjustments so that my relationship with Jesus will flourish.
• I write my prayers because it is a testimony to my family. People around me can see that prayer is important to me because they can actually see me doing it.

I do not believe that writing is the only way to pray. I do believe that it is helpful for me. Maybe it can be helpful for you as well.