Pastor to Pastor

So Pastor, You’re Not Billy Graham…

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Evangelist Billy Graham - So, Pastor you're not Billy Graham

As I watched the Funeral of Billy Graham I was filled with sincere and heartfelt thanksgiving for all God accomplished through the life of this giant of the Faith, but I wanted to take a few moments to provide some “Pastor Encouragement” while you celebrate the life of this Godly man and again enter the pulpit this Sunday.

I heard the many reminders throughout the week as television news commentators reminded us of the facts that he had personally ministered to 12 Presidents in his lifetime, as well as the Queen of England. He is also only one of 4 non-politicians to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C.

He had ministered the Gospel message in 185 countries of the world and an estimated 78 million people heard the Gospel, with many of those millions giving their lives to Christ. Many of those millions who gave their hearts to Christ have also been instrumental in souls coming to Christ through their witness!

Listening as well to his children sharing of their love for “Daddy” as they called him was very inspiring, especially as his daughter, Ruth shared of her arriving home following 2 failed marriages. Her Father was standing at the door and went to greet her with open arms and the words, “welcome home”.

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Church Board with Relatives Serving… Good Idea?

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One of the issues a church will wrestle with (in a Christian kind of way hopefully), is whether it’s a good idea or not to allow members to serve on the church board.   Regardless of what you may call this group, whether it be elders, deacons, or board members, the challenge is still very real in that the desire is to have the most capable, qualified and spirit-led leaders as possible serving.

Below are a few of the issues to consider as your church possibly decides if this is a practice to be avoided or embraced.

  • Update Constitution and Bylaws

Of course, as a church, you will want to make sure you have an updated Constitution and Bylaws in place.  This goes far beyond the requirements of the State and Federal Government as a 501c3 organization that provides giving reports for your donors.  You will find it of great value to take a look at your Constitution and Bylaws on at least an annual basis with a Revisions Committee for any recommended changes.  We meet at the end of each year.  When you meet on a regular basis, it won’t ever be portrayed that “they met just to put in changes to deal with a situation”.  The steps we take are:

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3 Reasons Why Giving Someone a Ministry Position Because They are Persistent is a Bad Idea

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As Pastors, we’ve all been there at one time or another. There’s that one person who has asked over and over again to be part of a ministry that we know would be a bad idea. However, their persistence has turned into insistence and word is starting to filter out into the congregation about the situation. While you know the “back story” of why you would rather they don’t serve in that particular ministry, others have not been filled in, and of course, you’re not going to do that either.

Let’s face it… there are ministry opportunities that exist within the church that you have been attempting to fill for a long time, but it seems that to find a person passionate about a particular ministry, who is also gifted to serve can seem like an impossible task.

So we relent and give them what they’ve been asking for, or more to the point… demanding.

Here are 3 reasons why that’s a bad idea, AND you should leave ministry positions unfilled until you are sure you have the passionate person serving in the proper ministry.

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The Essence of a Pastoral Response

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PASTORS are shepherds of flocks; as evangelists are messengers of God, as prophets have a spiritual ministry of prayer, discernment and prophecy, as teachers are instructors, and apostles are delegates of the church on mission. But far too many people who are called pastors do not shepherd flocks – they are too often one of the other designates of Ephesians 4:11. But if we are ‘pastors’, in that we have “pastor” in our title, we ought to be just that; at least be capable of a pastoral response.

The pastoral response is simple: the ability to ‘see’ someone, where they’re at, to validate that position they’re in, and to respond with care, in facilitating healing. That is how we might expect a shepherd to act as he or she cares for his or her single sheep.

The pastor is a shepherd, first and foremost. But it doesn’t mean that he or she is not also an administrator, or an apologist or a teacher – indeed, Ephesians links the gift of pastor with teacher. Indeed, Paul may not be seen to be limiting the roles – we may bear effectual facets of all five – apostles (delegates of the church), prophets (spokespeople of the church), evangelists (messengers of the church), pastors (shepherds of the church), and teachers of the church. The church needs all five types of leaders.

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Discouraged Pastors: Reasons, and How to Find Encouragement in the Midst of Ministry

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8 Reasons Pastors Leave

A major issue within the ranks of pastors is discouragement. One denominational leader, giving oversight to some 125 churches recently wrote that “70-80% of pastors are discouraged, with some being very desperate.” Those estimates are consistent with what others are saying as well.

Ministry obviously takes its toll. Health providers for clergy are aware that an inordinate amount of payouts are going to therapists treating pastors and their families for depression, stress, and related emotional difficulties. Clergy marriages are at risk. Heavy use of alcohol, prescription drugs, and even occasionally, illegal drugs, is not uncommon. The number of highly capable pastors who leave ministry is a sign that this is not a profession that is easy. Ministers feel they have been beaten up long enough and they are getting out. Day-to-day hassles wear pastors down, and conflicts prove to be the refrigerator that breaks the camel’s back.

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8 Reasons Why Pastors Leave

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8 Reasons Pastors Leave

I always used to wonder why pastors leave. If you have attended church for any amount of time, you will probably have experienced this event at least once. There was a stretch, when I was younger, that we had 4 different pastors in a 5 year period. It’s also possible that you have never experienced a pastor resigning and may be asking why.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are 8 reasons I have encountered myself or seen in others:

1. Burn-out

Although you may feel that a pastor has an easy job, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Preaching, teaching, counselling, praying, fasting, visiting, leading, training, and organizing can take a tremendous amount of time and effort. If a pastor doesn’t have a strong ministry team and/or volunteer team then he may find himself in a state of burn-out. Burn-out is when you just hit that brick wall where you have nothing left to give and you realize you have been leading on empty. The book below describes this in great detail from a pastor’s perspective.

2. Discouragement

Pastors take on new works or churches with the goal of succeeding in winning people to Jesus. Any pastor wants to win souls. That goes without saying, but everybody has a different tolerance for timelines for that growth. One man may be working on a 10 year plan while another may expect immediate results. Either way, once they reach the end of that timeline, or even before, if the results aren’t what they expect, discouragement sets in.

Another type of discouragement is not number related. Pastors invest time training, counselling, and working with people to grow their walk with God or their ministry. Sometimes many years are invested and if somebody decides to give up or turns their back on the pastor, it can be very demoralizing.

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