This week’s giveaway includes a pair of ministry resources. First is The New Guidebook for Pastors. It is written in the tradition of classics like Criswell’s Guidebook for Pastors. But since most pastoral guidebooks available today date back to 1980 or earlier, this new resource by Mac Brunson and James W. Bryant will offer fresh experience-based encouragement to all pastors in their pursuit of excellence and development in their God-called profession. Among the twenty chapters are “The Pastor and His Call,” “The Pastor and His Family,” “The Pastor and His Staff,” “The Pastor and Worship,” “The Pastor and Finances,” “The Pastor, Wedding, and Funerals,” “The Pastor, Politics, and Moral Issues,” and “The Pastor and His Denomination.”
Also included is a black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Minister’s Bible. This newly designed edition is ideal for pulpit use with its large type, wide margins, and extensive ancillary notes from many of today’s top preachers and church leadership voices.
Some features of the Bible include:
- Where to Turn When . . .
- Plan of Salvation
- Four-color presentation page
- Various wedding and funeral outlines by Jim Henry
- “8 Traits of Effective Church Leaders” by Thom S. Rainer
- “21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry” by James T. Draper
- “Four Kinds of Expositional Preaching” by Ed Stetzer
- “30 Keys to Giving an Invitation” by O. S. Hawkins
- “Leading a Child to Christ” by Bill Emeott
- “Reaching Students with the Gospel” by Lynn H. Pryor
- “The Importance of Baptism and Communion” by Rick White
- Commitment Counseling
- The Christian Year and Church Calendar
- The Apostles and Their History
To be eligible to win, answer the following question:
What characteristic do you like most about your pastor?
The deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. We will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.
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By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.
I feel important to him.
Well I am now the Pastor since my Pastor went to be with the Lord in December. He was an incredible man! His ability to discern the right decision at the right moment is something that I hope the Lord gives me as he gave him. He was so wise in so many areas and helped so many and always seemed to have the best answer.
For me, I appreciate his straightforwardness (is that a word?) and his honesty. It helps so much having a pastor who is willing to be straight with you about his own life as well as yours. It’s a unique gift.
Thanks for the giveaway Thom!
his dedication to discipleship
I value his example in how he sets priorities.
his transparency
His honesty, in his life (transparent, even on twitter :>), in his relationships, and in rightly dividing the Word.
His desire to train new pastors
he has become such a valued mentor to me! Tons of wisdom in dealing with people.
His integrity!
Faithful to his calling
My pastor trusted me with ministry.
My pastor is approachable. He has a “golden retriever” kind of personality. He is a good listener and loves to listen, to encourage and to affirm. He’s God’s man for our church in Kirksville, MO.
My pastor has a love for The Lord, a love for his family and a love for the church.
For me, his genuine concern for me. He takes an active roll in my life, whether it is a text message, phone call, or card. I know that he is praying for me and wants me to have a deep walk with Christ.
He drove five hours to spend near three days with me during a deep night of the soul and near destruction – i love his devotion to Christ and simplicistic love to Him.
I love the way my pastor has labored for 24 years over the souls of a congregation that never gets above 50 in a small town in central Maine. Despite his health issues (kidney failure, cancer, diabetes, etc…) he never complains and he is faithful to this little dirt poor community.
He lives consistently what he preaches
His love of the Word.
Because he listens to the whole statement when I speak to him and make His decision on my statement not just what he was already thinking. He is even still willing to learn.
I like that he is humble, and in love with the Word of God. I know this because I am he. I have more reasons to be humble and prostrate before the Lord than you can imagine, and SO MUCH to learn.
What I like most about my pastor is that he takes very seriously that he is accountable to God for how he ministers to each family in the church. He knows that he will give an account before God of how he responded and served His master’s congregation.
His humility. He understands and lives out the attitude of servanthood as described in Philippians 2.
His tender heart.
I love how my Pastor’s life reflects what he teaches. He is SUCH an example. He has had such challenges put in his path (and in the path of his young family) but the example of prayer and grace.
He teaches the Bible accurately and understandably. He practices love and grace. He promotes the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church.
My dad was one of the best pastors I’ve ever known. He was at a total of 7 churches in his 46 years of ministry, and 22 years at his last one. The thing I liked the best was that he was consistent. What you saw in the pulpit was what you saw at home. Every church he pastored grew and saw great spiritual depth. I hope I can have half of his ministry, and I would be a blessed man. He passed away in August 2011. He taught me so much and I miss him every day.
I am a pastor in between churches. This is a new area for me, as it is my first transition. I have learned some important pastoral values the past few months from the pastor I am currently under. First, he reached out to me as I left the previous church I served so my wife and I would have a church home. Second, he has allowed me preaching and teaching opportunities so I can remain somewhat fulfilled. Finally, he is an excellent expositor of God’s Word. Because of him this transition period has been a growing experience.
I love my pastors passionate love for God’s Word.
Well, we just got an interim pastor, both our previous and interim pastor push us to be the church when we leave the church building.
What I appreciate so much about Pastor is his love for our people and The Lord in the midst of very difficult health circumstances in his family. He has not wavered from loving his people and sharing his own heart as he stands before us each week to share the Word of God! He has become a hero to me in his allowing God to shape him on the anvil of adversity. I praise God for him!
I am a pastor, so I am going to mention the one who would be the closest to being my pastor, my Director of Missions. He is always available, he responds to any text I send him, any email I send him and when he can’t answer his cell phone he calls me as soon as he can. I consider him to be one of my closest friends and although I am older I consider him a mentor. We are able to sit in his office or a coffee shop and discuss anything although he doesn’t give me details of happenings in other churches which I appreciate. He is a true missionary having served on the Southern Baptist Mission Boards, International Mission Board. He has a true heart for missions having been on mission trips personally. He is a man of prayer making it a habit to attend as many prayer meetings as possible in different churches for their morning community prayer times and always has prayer when we depart each others presence and has even prayed with me on the phone. His association is one of the largest in our state, he knows every pastor and can call each pastors wife by name. He is well read, educated and can converse with the most intelligent and the less intelligent like me. If there was ever a man serving where God wants him to serve it is this man.
i love the way our pastor has come in and in less than a year has become family. He lives his life as an open book and allows his church to see him….completely!
I appreciate he preaches the Word of God.
I am a pastor, but I have a relationship with another local pastor. He and I lead a week of camp together among other things. I just appreciate his friendship and that I have someone to go to with advice.
Wow, just one? Well, that would be his commitment to leadership and guidance to us, his ministry staff.
Rightly divide the word of truth
The thing I like about my Pastor is that he, along with the rest of the church staff, have a great dedication to wanting to know more about God’s character and for people to be right with God through Christ based not on manmade traditions but through the Holy Spirit.
His commitment to clearly teaching the Bible
I like that our preacher doesn’t pretend to be perfect. God uses everyday, sinful folks to carry out his will. After all, that’s all he has to work with.
I appreciated that he was honest about his weaknesses and showed how he relied on God for forgiveness.
The fact that he surrounds himvself with awesome volunteers and like Moses knows his limitations, therefore he is able to minister out of what God gave him and not out of the expectations of men.#genuineministryisproduced
So many to name but I love that he stays true to the vision of the church and at times it means holding the members accountible to keep focused on the vision as well. “To see every generation, become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”
My pastor mentors me as an example if grace and godliness!
We just called a new pastor this past Sunday. However, it is clear he loves Jesus.
Humility.
His servant’s heart and leadership by example.
Would love to win this for my pastor! Thanks for the opportunity. The characteristic I especially like about Bob is his commitment to speaking the truth of God, straight from His word, not watered-down/not “politically correct”, not afraid to “step on toes”
his interest in missions.
Well, I can’t answer that become I am the pastor! Lol. My previous pastor, though, was very loving and accepting. These are traits I have tried to continue to show in my own ministry.
Works hard to communicate God’s word in a way that a diverse group can relate, understand, and respond to the Gospel.
I am the pastor at my church. However, the person I look to as my pastor and spiritual mentor is Chaplain Ed who I work with in our local jail ministry. What I like most about him is his compassion and ability to really listen and be led by the Spirit in the advice he offers.
My pastor has a gift, from the Lord, to rebuke and correct in love. He has a way of doing it, no matter how sensitive or difficult the issue, and folks will smile and thank him because they know that he loves them.
Pastor Ken has such a simple way of bringing the scripture to us so that we can use it in everyday life. Every week my wife and I talk about what we thought of the sermon and how we can use it to grow closer to Christ.
My Pastor, Dr. Micheal Pardue, has only been with us for 2 months. In this short time, i have come to know him as a man of God and a personal friend. He is an excellent counselor and a true followe who rightly divides the Word. He is young and has 6 children, yet he still finds time to perform ministry in our local congregation, as well as our community. He is loved by our congregation, First Baptist of Icard, NC!
My pastor passed away 2 years ago, but I still draw upon his model, character, and words of counsel. The most attractive quality was his teachable spirit. He exemplified humility as he sought to listen and learn continually.
His genuine concern and love for people and his humble servant attitude
He does not compromise the Word of God in his preaching.
He is real not fake – doesn’t pretend and coverup.
Thanks!
He preaches the Bible, not his opinion.
He is a genuine example of faithfulness and courage.
He faithfully and expositionally preaches the Word.
I appreciate my Sr Pastor for his humility in leading others. He is not driven by his ego but by the spirit if Christ.
Since I am a pastor, I’ll refer to the pastor I sat under during most of college. He had a skill at preaching/teaching the Word of God so that people understood it and desired to obey it. Although he was very exegetical, he was very engaging.
He has a tremendous voice when he sings!
His passion for sharing Christ.
His compassion for people.
Well, I guess that’s a tough question since I am the pastor of our church. However, other pastors that I consider friends and respect highly tend to have no inkling of ministry jealousy. they are genuinely excited to see God bless my ministry and I desire the same for them.
His rightly dividing the word of truth.
His personality is very different from mine so he challenges me in ways I need to grow.
His personality is different from mine so he challenges me in ways I need to grow.
My pastor has been a great guide to me regarding many aspects of pastoral ministry, particularly expository preaching. He continues to disciple me and help me work through challenging experiences related to ministry in the church, which I am and always will be grateful for.
His consistency between his public and private lives. What you see is real!
I am a pastor, but I hope the people I serve would say something like integrity and faithfulness to the Word of God.
He is a man of integrity and stands for the truth even when it is not popular.
His reasonableness.
I am a Pastor today and have been in the ministry almost 23 years. Both of my older brothers are Pastors today and have been for closer to 30 years. There were over 50 young people from our church that went into full time ministry! It was because we had a magnificent Pastor that modeled the art of being a Man of God!! Rev. Clifton Galiher was a wonderful Pastor, tremendous preacher and so friendly to everyone while never compromising the truth for anyone!! About 15 years after Pastor Galiher resigned, my brother went home and filled the position of Pastor. Although I’m in a Pastorate several hours away, I still call him my Pastor and he is doing a great job of continuing in those characteristics of a good Man of God. Thanks to my former & my current Pastor!
His love for the Lord.
That I can call him and he will listen to my struggles.
This may sound generic but our pastor is genuinely authentic. He is always real with people & speaks his mind. He is not afraid to be himself, even though flawed, and bring everyone along in the journey of faith. He also genuinely cares about the people of our church and works hard to balance his schedule so that he can meet with as possible.
I like most about my Pastor that he is willing to hear all questions, concerns and comments and approaches each situation with a practical approach. His attempt is to be like Christ yet not too spiritually minded that he is of no good on the earth.
My pastor’s humility is so encouraging and genuine. He is a wealth of knowledge and the strongest praying person I know, but he has never given an air that he has any sort of superiority over anyone. He’s a wonderful, Godly man.
Integrity
I serve a position with the local Baptist Association. The DOM I serve with I have been with him for almost 20 years now, both Associational and church setting, so he is my pastor and the characteristic I like most about him is that he is sensitive to the leadership of God.
The pastor of the church that my membership is at, so he is my pastor also, he the characteristic I like most about him is his heat for the lost.
Wow. I really could write a book on this, but I try to be brief. Growing up I went to church every time the doors opened. My dad’s father was so dedicated to the church as a layman, that he always said he wanted to be in church when God called him home. God granted that request one Sunday night.
My mom’s father was a minister for 67 years! Near the end of his time with us he become almost depressed because he was no longer physically able to go to church every Sunday. Many times grandpa would pray almost in tears asking God why he was keeping him around since he is no longer of use in ministry. He was moved to a nursing home after my grandma could no longer care for him due to her health. Not long after the nursing home was in need of a new pastor for Sunday services and asked my grandpa if he would like to give it a try. A few months later and now with a renewed feeling of worth, he received a knock at his door on a Sunday evening. A elderly couple entered his room and told him that they have never heard of Jesus before but after his message earlier that day, they decided it was time they learned more about him. Grandpa led the couple who were in their 80s to Christ that night… Later that week grandpa died. Before passing he told my mom that all this time he didn’t understand why the Lord didn’t take him home until that Sunday night.
Even as I write this with tears in my eyes, its both of these men of God and their dedication to the Lord that humble me as a pastor myself. So many times I feel discouraged and ready to throw in the towel but where would be my dedication?
When I was 14 my father died and I was left with too many questions and not enough answers. The church we attended never showed us love when we needed it. Their doctrines taught that sickness was caused from unconfessed sin, but my father was a good man and loved the Lord. The church did understand how to deal with his death because of the false teachings of the church so they ignored and avoided us. I ran from God and his church. When I was 30 I had a wake up call in life and figured I would try God one more time. I found a little white country Baptist church one Sunday morning, but inside I found the love and dedication that I needed in my life. The pastor spend a lot of time with me and helped me find answers to the questions I had carried for far too long. Then one day he asked me to share my testimony and give a short message…. Well long story short I’m now a pastor because of his dedication to helping me see who God really was… A God that was dedicated to loving me even when I denied him.
Ministry is hard. Without dedication to God and to his work and to his sheep, ministry is impossible. Gal 6:9
His passion for the people that God has entrusted to him.
He is a true man of God
His patience to wait or move forward depending on Spirit’s guidance. Be still and know that I am God!
I am the pastor, but in my pastor friends I admire their honesty over the struggle with issues related to shepherding people. I’m glad they don’t act like they have all the answers but will join with me to search them out
His faithfulness and humble spirit.
I love that my pastor leads by the example of his own life, not matter what it may personally cost him.
His commitment to the Word and his willingness to empower others for ministry.
Since I am a pastor I’ll tell about Roy Autry of Oklahoma – lived to be over 100! His best characteristic was spiritual sensitivity in the support of a young preacher. At age 11 I returned from a Royal Ambassador camp and told him the Lord called me to be a pastor. Bro. Roy said he was expecting that. After a week of youth camp I told him (almost apologetically) that most of the other saved teens “rededicated” their lives, but I didn’t feel led to. He said “you didn’t need to, and some of the others do it every year whether they need it or not!” When he heard I had accepted my first pastorate, he was the first to call to arrange my ordination.
My pastor Dr. Tony Crisp has taught me to love the Bible and the land of the Bible. His preaching inspires me to want to be more like Jesus.
How he helps tie in the historical aspects of the scripture when he preaches.
His ability to communicate and use of stories.
His genuine love for people and for me!
His ability to apply the bible, and his openness toward me.
I’m the pastor, can I answer to see is I can win too?….my answer would be transparency and integrity.
His ability to step away from emotions and give unbiased responses.
His passion for preaching the Gospel.
He wears a sweater-vest better than anyone I know!
Plus he’s a great leader and preacher of the Word. And he loves Jesus
My pastor is open about his weaknesses.
What characteristic do you like most about your pastor?
Work ethic is a critical characteristic for a Pastor. Pastor’s need to be diligent in service to their church and community. In a job that does not have quantifiable tasks, make some many wig-gits per hour, a pastor needs to not fall into slothfulness, doing just enough to get by. Like all service roles, a pastor need to give more than expected, needed, and more quickly than expected.
How he relates to his congregation and his approachability.
His heart for the people he leads but most important he loves the Lord he serves .
Ministry=faithfulness. We can only do ministry out of who we are. O Lord, shape my heart to be faithful to who you created me to me!
-Jim+
I really appreciate the way he acknowledges my kids when we’re not in service. They think it’s so cool that he’ll high-five them, tickle them, etc (btw – he’s a senior citizen). They love it!
A true heart of compassion
Commitment to personal relationships…among other traits.
The quality that I favor most in my pastor is his Lion and the Lamb like spirit. He is a man of unwavoring faith and conviction, yet as meek and mild as a lamb!
I like that my pastor is willing to accept criticism and uses that to further shape himself and his ministry.
My pastor gives the Gospel presentation every time he preaches. He also gives a Gospel invitation.
His faithfulness.
His preaching.
He loves God’s Word.
My pastor is one of those rare people that without words displays that he is bearing the burden of the Lord for His flock. He stands for the people while remaining completely Christ centric. His character reminds me of the true Shepherd of the flock, Jesus our Lord who graciously gave our pastor as a gift to our church.
He rightly divides the truth, is faithful to his calling, and by the grace of God endures.
My pastor told me that if I were to ever leave our church, he wants to make sure that I am further along in my ministry and benefiting from my current service. He believes strongly in education and has encouraged me to be a continual student.
That ability to fully listen and hear beneath the words to my struggles… and then to not try to ‘fix” with Christian-ese type responses but to be a simple presence of acceptance that this is where I am at. To me, that shows trust in the Spirit working within me and that we can be in life together without a feeling that the “pastor has all the answers”.
His concern for relationships.
Hid willingness to fail.
He is real! He is honest in telling us he battled with same issues. He has the pastoral heart, and preaches the Word with integrity. He cares for list souls.
His love of God and God’s people
He believed God’s best for everyone!
His unflinching preaching of the Gospel
The characteristic that I most appreciate about my pastor is his raw passion for Jesus. He is a genuine disciple that first and foremost loves Jesus. That’s his priority. He does not teach theory but preaches experience. He himself is in passionate pursuit of Christ and lives out what he preaches. This inspires me to also live the gospel. His transparency as a disciples helps me want to live it with him.
His unwavering commitment to preaching the whole counsel of God. He doesn’t shy away from the hard passages.
His love for Jesus and missions, spreading the gospel not just around our city, but around the USA and around the world.
He is approachable and someone I enjoy being with. He knows how to have fun along with being able to have some serious conversations.
His passion to bring people together with Jesus and then teach and develop them to constantly move forward in their relationship with Him.
I am a pastor and have been for a few years, so I’ll say something about the last two pastors I had before becoming a pastor myself.
I served on staff at Truitt Memorial Baptist Church in Pearl, MS, with Dr. Matt Snowden, who is now the pastor of FBC Waco. The characteristic I liked most about Matt was that he always considered me an equal colleague in ministry, though I was the youth minister and he the senior pastor. I’ll always appreciate that.
Just prior to that, I served on staff at DeSoto Baptist Church in Shubuta, MS, with Dr. Jim Smith, who is now retired. The characteristic I liked most about Bro. Jim was his willingness to let me make mistakes–within certain limitations–and that he never tried to micro-manage the youth ministry.
What I appreciate the most about my Pastor and his family is their openness and realness, that they let us in to their lives warts and all, and their genuine love for people. Not just the people in our church, but people in general.
I love how he is genuine. Its refreshing. Other pastors I had when I talked to them I could tell they had their minister’s face on. When I talk to Pastor Earl I feel like getting something more real.
They are all great at reconciliation. They have all been reconciled to God, they all lead others to be reconciled to God, and three of the five pastors I have served and or sat under have reconciled congregations to the degree of merging previously divided congregations back to one another. How beautiful is that!?!
He loves life and he loves the Lord.
His steadfastness in a difficult situation.
He has a loving heart and is so humble. Has been used by God to minister to me through my brokenness and other growing hurdles.
He’s my friend.
He preaches the truth without compromise.
My pastor has a saying ” Bible Balanced”. That is how he makes every decision and why I admire him.
I love that he is a model of serving Christ.
Authenticity
I am currently a pastor, but when I was under the ministry of the pastor of the last church of which I was a lay member, I have to say that I appreciated my pastor’s transparency. He was genuine and sincere.
He preaches strong exegetical, expository sermons and steps aside and lets the Word be our authority, not him!
He’s got a heart full of love. He focuses on the whole job of Pastoring, and not just Sunday morning.
He’s always there and always cares!
His commitment to vision.
My church has two pastors and they both are willing to make time for me. That alone endears them to me…
He recognizes the end of Christendom and leads us in discovering how to be the Church in postmodernity.
Faithfulness. To his wife and to his church.
He’s not afraid to admit that he isn’t perfect either.
The best characteristic about my pastor is his humility and honesty. Whether preaching or talking one on one, he never exalts himself or diminishes others. He instead puts himself in the trenches with everyone else, making relational connections with people and serving. As God prepares me for the ministry field, I’m learning a whole lot from him and my other pastors on what it means glorify God in ministry and life.
He’s a great mentor.
His humility.
He’s real. He is who he is.
Bro Will Havens was a role model that lead me the saving knowledge of Jesus at an early age, baptized me as a young child. His influence has always stayed with me even after 40Yrs.
That he’s my husband!!!!
Now that’s a great response!
The teaching is well prepared, and he has a biblical vision to initiate a culture of discipleship in the church.
He applies the text to life.
Well, I’m a Pastor … but my Pastor from years back had a special way of just letting you know that he loved you in the Lord
His leadership and desire for everyone to be involved in the great commission.
That he always seeks to build others up.
His honesty and humility.
I love how he accurately handles the Word. He does not confuse his opinion with what Gd actually says.
Outside of his clear proclamation of the gospel each week, I most appreciate his discernment in working with people. He looks beyond what may be visible and challenges people to step into what God may have for them.
My last pastor before re-entering the pastorate was a sincere, humble man who genuinely sought to lead people to draw close to God. One of the qualities I remember most was his keen desire to train and develop others to be come leaders within the local body.
Relational!
his preparedness, transparency and commitment to preaching the gospel every time he preaches
My pastor was a very nurturing man. I loved my Pastor because he saw my potential before I ever did and encouraged me to completely immerse myself into God’s Word, Prayer and His Service. I am the Pastor I am today because of the late Rev, Carlos Sepulveda. LOVED HIM!!!! Thank you Lord for His Legacy and for allowing me to be a part of his vision.
He has a very compassionate heart – critically important as he is coming into a deeply wounded church.
He can laugh at himself!
The way he relates to others and his openness.
My pastor truly has a heart for God and the church. He is humble and exemplifies what it means to be a servant. He is faithful in prayer and Bible study. My pastor is a gift from God, and I’m so thankful that God led him to be our pastor!
Being an aspiring pastor myself, his willingness to pour himself into and pass on what he’s learned to me.
He is authentic and real, and can laugh at himself.
I’m currently taking courses thru the golden gate seminary . Just finished church planting , missions
And evangelism . In the last year I have been
From St. Louis to New York in the ministry
I can’t talk enough about what The Lord has
Done in my life since I surrendered 100%
I have led five people to The Lord last week
Just by walking up to them and engaging
In the gospel . Hebrews 6: 10
I appreciate the way my pastor takes every message to the cross, and his true love of the scripture.
His commitment, compassion, and concern toward the Work, Will, Word, and People of God.
Congratulations to this week’s winner, Drew Dabbs!
I just viewed the last entry above my name and realized that Pastor Drew Dabbs won. That’s ok…..if it’s ok, I will still post.. My Pastor is human, he is dedicated, hardworking and is pulled in a million different directions. He will still find time for me and will help me when he can. He is a good listener and reminds me of scripture and turns be back to G-D. I may not agree with him, but I respect him, and I love my brother in Christ. My dear, dear friend.