I love hearing stories of hope. Instead of waiting for the stories to come to me, I recently interviewed 19 pastors whose churches had moved from struggling to breakout. All of the pastors had been in the church at least four years, and all of them had reached points of frustrations. Then their churches began to reverse their declines and stagnations. None of the pastors I interviewed were new at their churches. None of the churches had relocated in recent years. And none of the communities in which the churches were located had grown dramatically. So what happened at these Read the full article…
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May 2013
I did not want to write this post. Indeed I have resisted for several months for fear I would do more harm than good. But the conviction to write it is too great. I pray that God will use it for His glory, and that I will not be an impediment to His work. Here is the simple thesis: There is a growing tension between some pastors and some laity in churches across America. It is not pervasive, but it’s growing. Frankly, I don’t even like the seemingly opposing labels of pastors and laity. I just don’t know how to Read the full article…
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May 2013
I have used these lines many times in speaking venues. I ask the audience if they know how Baptists count weekly worship attendance. The knowing smiles break forth on most faces. I then began counting each person in the conference by saying 2, 4, 6, 8 . . . As the audience waits for the punch line, I say that every believer is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, so each person counts as two. Laughter. But it’s laughter because there is some parcel of truth behind my attempt at humor. Let’s say it clearly without equivocation: Sometimes church leaders lie Read the full article…
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May 2013
My recent blogpost on pastors’ salaries drew a lot of attention. There are indeed some heated emotions on both sides of the issue. Much of the concern expressed about the pay of ministers seems to focus on those cases of real indulgence and abuse. But it’s those cases that get the most attention and, sadly, hurt the vast majority of ministers who are faithful stewards of God’s money. The Real Numbers Look for a moment at these numbers. Let’s assume there are 500 cases of financial abuse and indulgence among ministers taking place today. I’m not convinced the number is Read the full article…
04
May 2013
By Jordan Richmond Worship leader: your pastor is the single most important professional relationship you have. He is likely your direct supervisor. He’s the one who will sing your praises, or defend you to a disgruntled church member (or even before a board of directors or elders). He’s also responsible for the entire worship experience. You may be the primary facilitator of music and media, but he’s ultimately in charge—and he’s usually the one taking the fallout when things go awry. You absolutely want a healthy, dynamic relationship with your pastor. I’m grateful to still have both professional working relationships, and Read the full article…
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Apr 2013
10 Things I’d Like to Say to My Pastor
April 30, 2013 8 Comments
By Chuck Lawless As I get older, I think often about people who have influenced my life. One of those influences is the pastor of the only church I attended before I myself became a pastor. He served as my pastor during my teenage years, and he led the ordination service when I became a pastor at age 20. As a young preacher who thought he knew it all, I sometimes judged my pastor critically. Now more than 30 years later, I am still learning how much I don’t know about pastoring and ministry. Here is what I’d like to Read the full article…
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Apr 2013
In an informal survey, I asked two groups of members in churches the following question: “If your church budget receipts were to increase tomorrow by 50 percent, what would you like to do with the extra funds?” So that there would be clarity to my question, I asked them for the current level of budget receipts, and then added 50 percent. So a $100,000 budget becomes $150,000. A $50,000 budget becomes $75,000. A $500,000 budget becomes $750,000. You get the picture. The two groups I asked were simply divided between paid church ministers (pastors and others) and laypersons in the Read the full article…
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Apr 2013
Top Ten Actual Stories of Preaching Distractions
April 22, 2013 73 Comments
With the exception of a few overly serious commenters, my blogpost on preaching distractions last week was a lot of fun. In that post, I reported categories of preaching distractions from a number of pastors I surveyed. Over the past week I have received numerous actual stories of distractions. In honor of those great stories, I have compiled my own top ten actual examples. Some of them came from the 100 plus comments; others were shared with me via Twitter, Facebook, and in-person. I have put the stories in my own words while trying to be true to the facts. Read the full article…
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Apr 2013
Eight Most Frequent Preaching Distractions
April 15, 2013 105 Comments
Most pastors preach or speak in a public forum 150 to 200 times a year. Many do more than that. Over time these preachers have the ability to discern if the congregation or audience is following them or if their minds are in another world. Preachers are also too familiar with distractions. While it’s the way of life of someone who gets in front of people to speak, it is no less annoying. I asked a number of pastors to share with me the most frequent distractions they experience while preaching. Here are their responses in order of frequency. I Read the full article…
03
Apr 2013
March 8, 2009. It’s hard to believe four years have passed. I was on my way to church when I got the message that a pastor in Illinois had been shot. The next caller informed me that he was dead. But the third caller told me his name: Fred Winters. Fred was my friend and former student. I had just been with him at a conference in Naples, Florida. Surreal. It all seemed surreal. But imagine how his wife felt when she found out that her young husband had been shot and killed in the first worship service that morning. Read the full article…
