Avoiding Ministry Pitfalls - Part 1

Having spent a considerable amount of time in rural areas, I have driven down my share of dirt roads and unpaved driveways. Doing so is often an exercise in avoiding potholes – some of considerable size that will tear up your vehicle if you hit them wrong. Ministry can be a lot like navigating a washed-out dirt road or driveway. There are potholes and pitfalls along the way that really can tear up you and your church if you don’t avoid them or handle them correctly. So, in this post and the next, I want to point out some of those pitfalls and begin helping you think about how to avoid them. Here are some of the issues you might face.

Neglecting Some Ministry Responsibilities in Favor of Others – I am not talking about the reality that we have to prioritize, and some things sometimes don’t get done. Rather, I am pointing out the very real tendency to give so much time and attention to the aspects of our work we most enjoy or feel comfortable doing that we fail to do other necessary, if uncomfortable or less pleasant, parts of our work.

Favoritism Toward Certain Church Members or Families – On one hand, there will be people in the church with whom you simply have a stronger affinity for any number of reasons, and the temptation can be to spend so much time with those people that you neglect the other members. On the other hand, we may be tempted to give special time, attention, and influence to those with a certain status, position, or financial stake in the church in an unhealthy way. As the church gets larger, you obviously have to prioritize your time, but we have to make decisions concerning those with whom we invest time based on Kingdom strategy, not personal bias or favoritism.

Being Played or Manipulated – Some people will try to cultivate our favoritism or a relationship with us not because of genuine support and liking but in order to gain an inside track with us or church business, exert power over us or the church in some way, or harm us, the church, and the Kingdom. We have to guard our hearts and relate to people with wisdom and discretion. Others, rather than befriending us, will try to use intimidation, coercive questions, and other forms of manipulation to control us or use us for their agendas. Again, wisdom and discretion are in order. I understand this sounds a bit paranoid, but the reality is people don’t stop being insecure, power hungry, or manipulative simply because they become Christians or are involved in a church. People are people wherever you go.

Failing to Learn and Account for Your Church’s Culture – A church, like any other organization, has a specific culture, and, in all likelihood, the culture of the church you currently serve is unlike that of the church in which you grew up. Roles and role expectations, power structures and decision-making, values and priorities, style and pace, etc. all vary from one church to the next. Some of this depends on geographic area and the size and relative urban or rural nature of the congregation, but each church still has its own peculiarities, and you are wise to learn these and work with them.

 Applying Ideas and Making Suggestions Uncritically – When it comes to suggesting and implementing ministry ideas and changes, we have to understand the church culture and its ministry context. The fact that a popular author or blogger in another area or church suggests something or even saw that idea work beautifully does not mean that idea automatically may be brought into your setting, either in whole or with modifications. We have to examine the idea, our church culture, and our ministry setting as we think about Kingdom strategy and programming efforts.

Attempting to Implement Ideas Without Church Buy-In – When we have an idea, we build buy-in with the congregation through understanding and working with the church culture, allowing appropriate time, communicating well, and doing the necessary relational work. Because of fear of rejection, impetuousness, or assuming we have the prerogative as pastor, we may fail to generate buy-in, and this can cause problems.

Failing to Understand Power Dynamics and Leadership Capital – There are power dynamics in any church, and a mistake we sometimes make is failing to understand those and deal with them accordingly. We may have grown up in a church with strong pastoral leadership, but we now serve in a church that affords pastors little influence. We may have grown up in a staff-led or committee-led church, but we now serve in a small church that looks to one or two key lay leaders. In addition to power dynamics, we need to understand and apply the concept of leadership capital. Leadership capital, like money in a bank account, is a resource (influence) the church affords you, and you can earn it, lose it, and use for it leadership. Part of leadership is earning leadership capital and understanding the amount needed in various situations.

Taken all together, the list in this post and the next could be interpreted as negativity toward the ministry. That is not the intent, nor do I want to incite worry over these things. It simply is the reality of local church work that there are pitfalls along the way, and you and I will do well to know what these are and avoid them to the glory of God and the furthering of His Kingdom.

How do we Measure Ministry Success?

Pastor, how do you truly measure success? Look deep for the real answer, not the one you think the Bible requires. Let me pose a few more questions to help you get that answer. (Work through these one-at-a-time.) What keeps you awake at night – because it is positive or because it is negative? What is the most rewarding part of your work? When do you feel you have failed? When do you feel a sense of worth or achievement? What in your work frustrates or discourages you? As you reflect on each of these questions, what is behind your answers – values, expectations, the input of others, written or unwritten job descriptions, etc.? I believe most of us want to be successful, and our measure of success is linked to how we feel about ourselves and our work. It also relates to whether or not we feel we are honoring the Lord, valuable in His Kingdom, and being a good steward of our call.

At this point, we need to explore some motives for wanting success. It seems there are several, and this list is not exhaustive.

• We have responsibilities, and we don’t want to lose our job.

• We want to progress in our career, and we feel a prospective church or ministry needs to see success in our present position.

• We want to look good when we visit with colleagues at denominational meetings.

• We want past professors to feel good about our post-educational performance.

• We want to feel like a success rather than a failure – for self and for our family.

• We want a sense of self-actualization – feeling our gifts, abilities, and education have been well used and we have fulfilled our sense of self, ambition, and call.

• We want to see God’s Kingdom increase and want to make a positive difference.

• We want to bring glory to God through our work.

One category by which we may measure success is fruitfulness. I long have heard about the “3 b’s” in Baptist life, but there really are four – baptisms, “behinds” (in the pews), budgets, and buildings. All of these are tangible results, and all of them can be good if they are connected with advancing the Kingdom. Tangible results certainly resonate with the standards in every other field, and who would suggest God does not want a ministry to be fruitful? In fact, Mark Clifton, in Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches, posits unfruitful churches do not glorify God, are not God’s will, and do not have a right to continue using Kingdom resources (i.e. staying in business while remaining unfruitful). He defines fruitfulness as “having a pattern of making disciples who make disciples who have a positive impact on their community” (p. 7). Clifton’s definition helps us move from simple buildings, budgets, attendance, and baptisms to look more specifically for tangible Kingdom impact. I would add that fruit may take awhile to develop and become evident, and the fruit of reproducing and community-impacting disciples may or may not result in increased baptisms, income, attendance, buildings, or programs at your church.

But, what do we do when a ministry seems unfruitful but the pastor is giving all in faithful service? What about the Biblical prophets who were ignored, whose messages did not turn the people’s hearts, and who were persecuted and killed? What about the Apostle Paul, who was not well received by everyone? He even wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (ESV). I would assert faithfulness also is a valid measure of success. Have you been faithful in prayer and in the Word? Have you been a faithful steward of your sheep and the opportunities and gifts you have? Have you guarded your witness, remained dependent on the Lord, and loved the Lord, your family, your church, and the lost faithfully? There are many questions about faithfulness that, when answered in the affirmative, demonstrate success.

However, what do we do with the tension between fruitfulness and faithfulness? Does faithfulness always yield fruit – it seems not always to do so. Should we keep the tension or dismiss it – I think it is a healthy tension. Honestly, I don’t believe success should be measured exclusively in either manner, as long as we have a Biblical understanding of faithfulness and fruitfulness. Let me pose a few questions rather than trying to settle the issue. Answering these questions fully and honestly may require the help of a coach or accountability partner.

• Are you being faithful in every area of your personal and ministerial life?

• Are the standards of faithfulness and the things to which you are trying to be faithful the right things?

• At what point does faithfulness mean staying in a place, and at what point does faithfulness mean a move?

• How does looking at life and ministry through the lens of seeking the Kingdom influence your understanding of faithfulness?

• Is faithfulness ever a cop-out for fruitlessness?

• How might an improper understanding of (or focus on) fruitfulness lead us to compromise faithfulness for tangible results?

• What kind of fruit are you looking for and in what places?

• How possible is it that fruit is growing in places and ways you are not aware of? How might you find out?

• What stories do you need to hear to realize fruit is being produced, and how might you get people to tell you? What stories of fruit do you need to remind yourself of?

• As you think about your own faithfulness and fruitfulness, what can you celebrate? What needs improvement?

• What if faithfulness means quitting some unfruitful practices and discovering better ones?

• What are your best next steps?

(Note: If you would like to visit with me about a coaching relationship in order to work through some of these questions, feel free to contact me.)

Depending on God in the Ministry - Part 2

What do you think it means to depend on God in the ministry, and how do you do that? In Mark 4:26-29 (ESV), Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” What a great picture of the farmer putting forth the measure of effort for which he is responsible, yet relying on principles at work beyond his control! I think this parable gives us some helpful perspective on the idea of depending on God in the ministry. When I think about depending on God in ministry, I think of doing all I can, in His power and in obedience to His Word, to be a good steward of my own walk with Christ, my call to the ministry, and my ministry responsibility – relying on Him and trusting Him with the results.

What Might Depending on God in Ministry Look Like? – Previously, I suggested depending on God involves relying on Him for leadership, resources, and results. Further, I included obedience to His Word, good research and Godly counsel, and openness to His Spirit as aspects of depending on Him. Here are a few additional thoughts.

• Study the Word to understand how to do ministry and how to maintain a right relationship with the Lord, as well as to know what is God’s job and what is ours.

• Trust God sees the big picture and is at work in ways we don’t see or understand.

• Spend time with the Lord and practicing appropriate self-care and spiritual disciplines so we stay close to Him and physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually strong.

• Examine every church growth and ministry idea in light of God’s Word and Kingdom impact.

• Offer ourselves and ministry as worship to the Lord.

• Avoid the extremes of believing it is all God’s work or all yours.

• Find ways of evaluating motives, actions, and inactions to make sure it is the Word and the Kingdom directing your ministry rather than your own biases, fears, and agendas.

• Actively seek the Lord for guidance in your preaching rather than using other peoples’ sermons.

• Actively seek the Lord, and be open to His direction, in how to use each day, how to minister to people, and every other part of ministry.

What are Some Misuses of Depending on God – In my previous post, I suggested the idea of depending on God in ministry can be misused. Here are four ways this can happen.

• Avoiding Accountability – Sometimes, when we don’t want to keep our word or when we fall short on some responsibility, we will claim, “I’m depending on God for that” or “God led me in a different direction.” We failed or faltered, and we are using God and the notion His leadership to avoid accountability.

• A Lack of Due Diligence – In everything from sermon preparation to research on church legal and business issues, we can become lazy, not doing all we should, and claiming we are just “depending on God” instead of doing the hard work of research, study, and preparation. Disobedience, laziness, and carelessness are not legitimate expressions of depending on God. They are poor stewardship of our responsibilities.

• Expecting God to Clean up Our Mess – Depending on God can be a mindset we slip into when we want to sin, fail to curb harsh aspects of our personality, etc. then ask God to clean up the mess. God is in the business of forgiving sins, but He tends to let the consequences of our actions and failures to act play themselves out.

• Confusing our Part and God’s Part – Sometimes, we don’t understand what God’s part in ministry is versus what our part is. We begin asking God to do our part, while we try to do His part.

What are Some Reasons we Fail to Depend on God? – At one point in the Israelites’ story, God told Moses He would not continue accompanying them on their journey, to which Moses basically said, “If you aren’t going with us, don’t lead us from here.” That is how I feel about ministry. If God is not going to empower it, I don’t need to be doing it. Yet, sometimes, we try to serve without depending on God.

• Discouragement or Disappointment – There may be times we feel God did not support our work and obedience. We also may simply be tired due to a long season of not seeing results. In these times, we may begin to rely on self and other techniques and resources in place of God.

• Overconfidence in the Flesh – When I use the term “flesh” here, I do not mean our sinful nature but, rather, our humanity apart from the Lord’s enlivening work. I mean secular techniques and our own effort. We may place more confidence in these things than is warranted.

• Not Understanding Spiritual Dynamics – Of all people, those in ministry should understand the Kingdom is about spiritual work with spiritual dynamics and in need of God’s power, but I feel some don’t understand this. In a similar vein, the temporal aspects of ministry may seem unspiritual and also may distract us from a heart of dependence on God. We may even focus on the more mundane aspects of ministry because we feel we don’t have to rely on God for guidance, resources, and results.

• Impatience – Whether from our own minds or from the church’s expectations, we may want visible results more quickly than God seems to be giving them, and we may not understand the process of sowing the Word, nurturing growth, and allowing God’s processes to work.

• Busyness and Routine – Sometimes, the busyness and routine of ministry crowd out time for reflection, solitude with God, and seeking Godly counsel. We may shift into “auto-pilot” and stop relying on the Lord in a conscious and intentional way.

Ministry is a vital partnership between us and God as we seek His Kingdom advance in obedience to His Word and empowered by His Spirit. May He reveal the ways in which we need more fully to depend on Him and the balance of His work and ours! May He encourage our hearts and keep us dependent on Him!

Depending on God in the Ministry - Part 1

As we think about ministry, I hope we understand it as partnership between God and us as He calls and empowers us and we serve faithfully, relying on Him. Reflecting on this partnership, however, prompts some questions.

• What is our understanding of that partnership, and where does depending on God come in?

• What assumptions inform what we think depending on God means, and what experiences guide our thinking?

• What does God do, what are we to do, and where is the balance of personal initiative, ability, and effort on one hand and depending on God on the other?

• How much of depending on Him looks like mysterious, supernatural work on His part, and how much involves practical wisdom and knowledge, which also can express dependence on Him as Creator and the Source of knowledge?

The idea of depending on God can be a conveniently and troublingly vague notion. When we are confused, want to avoid accountability, or want to sound spiritual, we can play the “depending on God” card and shroud our work in enough mystery to placate our confusion and hold detractors at bay. Alternately, when we honestly seek to honor the mysterious nature of ministry, acknowledge our inadequacy apart from the Lord, and figure out how to serve well, we need more clarity than a blurry admonition to depend on God. It seems, for the most part, we are talking about three main areas when we talk about depending on God – guidance, resources, and results.

Depending on God for Guidance – I have seen people over-spiritualize and under-spiritualize this aspect of depending on God. Some pray and think without any outside research or counsel, while others act solely on human knowledge, assuming God has left things entirely in our hands. In reality, I believe the truth is somewhere between the two.

• Guidance Through the Word – Leaving our Bibles closed in the name of depending on God misses the mark. As long as we use the Bible according to sound hermeneutics, in humility and openness to God’s Spirit, searching and obeying the Scriptures is an expression of depending on God.

• Guidance Through Research, Wisdom, and Counsel – Although God is capable of giving miraculous insight, He has given people knowledge in many areas, expects us to grow in wisdom, and has given us other Christians with to help us. So long as we do not operate from a desire to be adequate apart from the Lord, discovering good sources information can be a form of depending on God.

• God’s Guidance in our Spirit – I suspect God prompts and moves (or would like to) more than some allow and less than others claim and want. A caution is that the subjective nature of this guidance allows for abusing the claim of God’s leading, as well as confusing our thoughts, fears, desires, and prejudices with what we think is God’s leadership.

Depending on God for Resources – A second thing we may mean when we speak of depending on God is relying on Him for resources. These may be organizational or personal resources, and they may be material or intangible resources.

• Organizational and Personal Resources – It is easy to see our organizations need resources with which to advance God’s Kingdom. Lean times and difficult days make us more acutely aware of the need for God’s provision, but I believe we always should remain dependent on the Lord for church resources. Additionally, we, as ministers and leaders, need the Lord’s provision in order to serve effectively – protection, wisdom, power, renewal, etc.

• Material and Intangible Resources – It may be easier to think of the material resources we need (money, facilities, etc.), but there also are intangible resources, and we must cultivate dependence on the Lord for these on both the organizational and personal levels.

Depending on God for Results – As I think about Biblical and extra-Biblical instances of leadership and ministry, I see faithful examples of ministry with obvious results, as well as faithful but seemingly unfruitful ministries. The question arises as to what defines success. Another question concerns whether a seeming lack of results is an indication of God not blessing, an instance of failure on the minister’s part, or simply resistance in the recipients of ministry. Evidently, success can look like faithful obedience alone, and results looks like faithful Christ-followers. A couple of expressions of failing to depend on God sometimes emerge in ministries and churches. Sometimes, we change the definition of success and results so we can accomplish results without God. In a related fashion, we may trade spiritual dependence and Biblical faithfulness for mechanizations and gimmicks. Here is the call and caution – we have to strike a balance between good knowledge about what helps connect people with Christ and dependence on the Spirit that is beyond our control and explanation.

What do you think it means to depend on God in the ministry, and how do you do that? Allow me to remind you of just three of the many verses of Scripture that encourage dependence on God.

• John 15:5 (ESV) – I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

• Zechariah 4:6 (ESV) – Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

• 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV) - For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Fake Cattle Guards: Limiting Beliefs and False Assumptions in Ministry

Having lived in rural areas, I have had to open and close gates to drive into or through pastures with livestock plenty of times. Of course, I prefer cattle guards to gates. Cattle guards are shallow, rectangular metal pits with parallel bars over the opening, installed across a road in place of a gate. You can drive over them, but livestock won’t cross because they are afraid of falling through the bars. Once, however, I recall crossing a fake cattle guard. The fence ran up to either side of the highway, and, just the size of a real cattle guard, there was a series of stripes painted across the road. Evidently, the cattle perceived the stripes the same as real bars across a pit and were afraid to cross. They believed there were gaps they could fall through and assumed they could not get out of the pasture. In the ministry, we sometimes are limited by things we don’t think we can overcome even though we could – limiting beliefs and false assumptions.

What are limiting beliefs and false assumptions? – Limiting beliefs and false assumptions are troublesome ways of thinking that stand in the way of what we otherwise might attempt or achieve. I am not suggesting all limitations are bad. God, in His wisdom, has communicated principles we should believe firmly, providing good boundaries for us. What I am addressing here is beliefs that do not contradict God’s Word and keep us from doing or being what we can and should. False assumptions are things we automatically and sometimes subconsciously assume to be true that are not.

Let’s make some observations about limiting beliefs and false assumptions. First, it seems false assumptions usually stem from limiting beliefs. Like the cattle at the fake cattle guard, we believe something to be true, so we assume there is a barrier to our success. Second, although not the only areas for crippling thought patterns, generalizations seem to be a common area in which we encounter limiting beliefs and false assumptions. Words like “always,” “never,” “everyone,” and “no one” may signal the presence of faulty thinking. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees to the wilderness to meet with God, convinced things are so bad in Israel that he is the only one left who is faithful to the Lord. In His reassuring response to the prophet, the Lord reveals there is, in fact, a remnant of 7000 in Israel who have stayed true to the faith. Third, like Elijah, sometimes we need help identifying and overcoming our limiting beliefs and false assumptions.

Where do limiting beliefs and false assumptions come from? – Limiting beliefs and false assumptions may come from several places, including the following:

• Previous experience – It may be that, at a given point in our life, something was true that is no longer true. Circumstances or setting may have changed, and you may have new abilities. Thus, something you could, at one time, reasonably assume and believe to be true no longer is.

• Key messages from significant others – Things we grow up hearing, things said to us or done to us at crucial junctures or by key people, and ways people treat us all may build into us beliefs about ourselves, life, church, etc. that are not true or are not true all the time. They also may lead us falsely to assume certain things.

• Misunderstanding or faulty perception – Sometimes, we falsely believe and assume things because we do not have accurate information or perspective on the situation. Once we obtain better information or achieve a different perspective, our beliefs and assumptions may change.

What are some examples of limiting beliefs and false assumptions? – Limiting beliefs and false assumptions occur in every area of life, and I hope you will look at the key areas of your own life – marriage, family relationships, work, personal goals, and health – to identify these. However, in this post, I am focusing on the ministry context. Here are some examples from my own observation and from a colleague in leadership development:

• “No one in the church likes me or supports me” or “Everyone in the church is against me.”

• “My worth is found in work and productivity.”

• “I can achieve eternally significant things without God’s blessing and help.”

• “I can take sin into my life without it impacting myself, my ministry, or others.”

• “This outreach or evangelism strategy or way of doing church has to be implemented in my church because popular leaders have success with it in theirs.” (Your context is unique.)

• “This outreach or evangelism strategy is outdated and will not work because common thought says it no longer works.” (Again, your context is unique, and I have heard stories of God blessing “outdated” methods.)

• “I can’t be both a boss and a pastor to my staff.”

• “I am too young; no one will follow my leadership.”

• “Because I am a woman in ministry, men won’t listen to me.”

• “I have to drop everything to minister when my church members call me.”

How can we overcome limiting beliefs and false assumptions? – Let’s note a few ways to address this issue in our lives and ministries.

• Evaluate to see if there may be limiting beliefs or false assumptions.

• Identify the limiting beliefs and false assumptions.

• Explore what things might look like if the beliefs or assumptions are not true.

• Get better information and / or new perspectives.

• Set goals, obtain accountability and encouragement, and begin moving forward.

In a single article, I cannot discuss fully the nature, sources, or expressions of limiting beliefs and false assumptions. Additionally, my point is not to criticize you if you are hindered by these. I want to encourage you to explore the possibility that some of your inability or perceived inability to achieve success may be due to limiting beliefs and / or false assumptions. Additionally, know that identifying and overcoming these things often requires the help of the Lord and another person, such as a coach. The Lord wants to free and empower us to be all He has made us to be and do all He has called us to do.

1. What limiting beliefs or false assumptions would you add to our list of examples?

2. Who in your life can ask you the kind of good questions that will help you identify and overcome your limiting beliefs and false assumptions?

3. What is one thing you can do this week that will help you identify and / or overcome a limiting belief or false assumption in your life or ministry?

Avoiding Blind Spots in Ministry

Prior to moving to the DFW Metroplex, much of my driving was on open highways and in rural and semi-rural areas, but city driving is a whole different story. There is a lot going on around you, and, as important as checking your blind spots is all the time, in the city it’s crucial. You really don’t want to end up in the same place at the same time as another car! In life and ministry, there are blind spots to watch out for as well. In this post, I want to explore with you the reality of blind spots and some ways to stay aware of them so we can avoid and correct problems.

Areas Where Blind Spots May Occur – Blind spots may occur in multiple areas of life and ministry, and the following are some of those areas.

• Our spiritual life – Even those of us in vocational ministry may have blind spots when it comes to our spiritual well-being. We may not notice our failure to nurture our walk with Christ. We may not notice a subtle drift away from the Lord into an area of sin, spiritual dryness, apathy, or some other form of compromise. Pride, busyness, routine, and other tendencies of thought and action may blind us to trouble areas. What are some of your blind spots relative to spiritual life?

• Our personality and relational interactions – It is often easy to see the need for correction in others and difficult to notice or easy to overlook our own. Is it possible you don’t notice your own short temper, impatience, rudeness, or some other un-Christian, unproductive, or sinful tendency in your manner of relating to others? Do you value people and treat them accordingly? Are you consistent about it?

• Self-Care – Physically, emotionally, and intellectually (We already looked at spiritual and relational areas.) we need to take care of ourselves, and some blind spots have to do with not noticing a drift in some of these areas. We may not notice our decline in stamina, strength, or energy level. We may not notice mental laziness or the creeping burnout and loss of joy in our souls. These blind spots keep us from being at our best for the Lord and others.

• Finances – We may have blind spots as we fail to realize harmful money habits developing in our lives or carried over from how our family of origin dealt with financial matters.

• Family – In earlier posts, I wrote about the need to take care of our families, and some blind spots in our lives may center around our relationship to and care for them. How might you make sure you are seeing things correctly when it comes to your family?

• Our ministry – It is altogether too easy to focus on the parts of our work we enjoy and end up avoiding others parts we do not enjoy as much. A blind spot in ministry occurs when we overlook or neglect some aspect of our responsibilities and do not realize it.

Suggestions for Identifying and Avoiding Blind Spots – In light of the relative ease of developing blind spots, and in view of the potential damage they can do to people and to our Kingdom effectiveness and God’s glory, here are some suggestions for identifying them so we can address them.

• Cultivate self-awareness – It is too easy either to not be self-aware or to assume we are when we are not. Pay attention to who you are and what you do and think with an eye to spotting inconsistencies, compromise, and needed corrections.

• Evaluate honestly and regularly – You and I need to maintain honest evaluation of our lives, ministries, motives, thought lives, and overall well-being. We also need to evaluate the steps we are taking and the habits we have in place for guarding and nurturing these areas of our lives.

• Enlist the help of others – This may be any number of people and may vary depending on the area of life we are dealing with. Possible people include trusted friends of the same gender who serve as confidants and accountability partners, our spouses, a coach, or a trusted mentor. In the church, we have to be more careful with this, but sometimes older, mature deacons or other senior church members can help us. Finally, I believe it is possible to build a staff culture in which you and your staff can help each other avoid blind spots in some areas, particularly ministry responsibilities and at-church interactions.

Returning to our driving illustration, there are a couple of types of blind spots. Some blind spots occur because of where our eyes don’t see and how the vehicle is designed. Others occur because of obstructions outside the vehicle. At any rate, the issue is that there are unseen dangers or areas where danger may lie. The first step in dealing with blind spots is being aware of them, and the second is making sure we find a way to see into those areas to avoid and correct problems. When deal with blind spots and the dangers within those areas, we glorify God and increase our effectiveness.

How to Make Hospital Visits - Part 2

In my last post, I began walking with you through practical aspects of how to make hospital visits. We looked at understanding the dynamics of a patient’s situation in the hospital and various types of ministry he or she might need. This week, I want to continue looking at that subject, making five specific suggestions.

Talk a Lot Less and Listen a Lot More – Many people are uncomfortable with silence and can be uncertain how to minister…so we tend to talk. However, there is no way (apart from a supernatural revelation from the Spirit) that you can know what the patient is feeling and what they need if you do not listen. It is arrogant and insensitive to walk into a situation and assume we know everything going on and everything needed without taking the time to ask good questions and listen carefully.

Remember This is Not About You – Unless the person simply needs to get their mind off things for a while, a hospital visit is not the time to get your friendship needs met. It is not the time to tell the patient about your latest illness, fond memories, or family happenings. The visit is about taking the love and touch of Jesus to the sick person. True ministry is self-less, not self-focused. If someone is dealing with a life-shaking condition, she or he needs you to care about her or him, not place the focus on you.

Get Mentally and Spiritually Prepared – Does going to the hospital cause you stress? Do memories of a loved one in a particular hospital come back when you go there? Are you worried about your own health? You will need to put all of these things in Jesus’ care and lay them aside to be ready to focus on the patient. Are you in the flesh – agitated about something, focusing on worldly things, assuming you can minister in your own expertise? Spend enough time asking for the Lord’s guidance and being centered in Jesus to be spiritually minded and empowered by Him.

Discern How Explicitly to Talk About God – Everything in life that is not sinful may be sanctified by God’s presence, and life ought to be lived in worship of God. However, the need of the moment dictates how specifically the interaction is focused on God and the patient’s walk with God. If the patient simply needs diversion, you can provide that while being aware of anything in the conversation that may signal a need for a spiritual emphasis. If the patient needs you to be present and quiet, you must cultivate the skill of listening to the patient and to the Holy Spirit simultaneously. This time is very much about God, even if you do not talk about Him a lot and even if you do not read Scripture. Finally, if comfort and encouragement is needed, the truth of God’s Word and reminders of God’s care should be verbalized. The time is always about God, but how directly you talk about God will vary. I suspect, however, that most of us need to verbalize the involvement of God in our visits more than we do.

Use Scripture Accurately – In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul writes, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (NIV). There is everything right, powerful, and comforting about the Word of God when it is applied to our lives truthfully…when we are careful to be honest with the context and God’s intention for any passage. For example, Bernard Ramm, in Protestant Biblical Hermeneutics, reminds us (in dealing with Bible promises) to ask whether the promise is specific to a given time or person and whether the promise is conditional before we try to apply it to our lives today. This sort of care is what I mean. We must understand and use the Word accurately so we truly bring encouragement and help to the persons with whom we minister.

As you think about and apply these suggestions, I want to give you two overarching questions that will help you minister well in any setting. The first question is, “Whose needs am I trying to meet (yours or theirs)?” The second question is, “Do I really know what is needed?” Honestly asking and answering these questions will help us keep ministry about its recipients and improve our work.

How to Make Hospital Visits - Part 1

One very practical aspect of ministry is hospital visitation, and this is true regardless of the size and age range of your church and regardless of whether you are in vocational ministry, deacon ministry, or simply a concerned fellow church member. People get sick, and they need and expect us to visit. This is part of shepherding God’s flock.

As we minister to people in the hospital, the first issue is the unique combination of things that are happening in the situation. All of the following, to some extent, are present and should affect how we interact with the patient and what they need from our time with them and from the Lord.

• Loss of Control – Someone else is deciding this person’s schedule (eating, sleeping, bathing), what is done to his or her body, etc. Plus, he or she is not in control of his or her own body. An illness or injury is “calling the shots.”

• Loss of Normal Comforts – The comforts of normal routine, surroundings, home, and family are not there.

• Loss of Rest – Noises, interrupted sleep because of tests, blood sticks, blood pressure checks, etc. (at all hours) guarantees the person is not getting good rest.

• Loss of Privacy and Modesty – The patient is in bed in a gown that is split all the way up the back.

• Physical Discomfort – Obviously, there is something physically wrong, and the patient is likely hurting and possibly nauseous or uncomfortable in some other way.

• Uncertainty – What is going to happen physically, what life will look like in the future, how life might change after the hospital stay, and the potential financial impact of their illness and hospital stay all are uncertain.

The second issue concerns understanding what the person needs at this specific time and in this particular situation. One or more of the following may be needed in light of what we noted above.

A Ministry of Presence – In Matthew 28, Jesus promised to be with us, and Paul refers to the church as the Body of Christ. This means we can bring the presence of Jesus into a hospital room if we are filled with His Spirit. We can make His presence felt in tangible ways, and sometimes, the patient simply needs you to be there. There are times when being present is more important than anything you can say. Sometimes, you need to be silent.

A Ministry of Diversion – Sometimes, the patient is not overly burdened or in spiritual need, but simply needs to think about something other than being sick…that is when the chatting we like to do is important. Don’t assume that it is always what is needed, but sometimes, the person needs their mind taken off of himself or herself.

A Ministry of Comfort and Encouragement – Sometimes, the patient is in spiritual or mental distress. There may be unresolved issues with the Lord; they may feel the Lord has let them down by letting them get sick; they may wonder what the Lord is doing in the situation. Here is where we must be very careful to listen and to make sure not to offer the person Scripture that is taken out of context; careful not to offer empty promises or platitudes that may be false and poor theology. Sometimes God uses uncomfortable situations to bring us close to Him, and other times, we simply are walking through mess, and we need His assurance…and it may or may not be His will to completely restore the patient to their former state of health. But, it is always His will to be our sufficiency.

So, when you, an able-bodied, fully-dressed person who can come and go at will, walk into a hospital room, you are ministering to an unclad, uncomfortable person who is not in control of his or her time, meals, surroundings, or body and is not sure just what is going to happen now in the hospital or in the days ahead. He or she may have a variety of needs that you may or may not be aware of. How should this shape what you say and do? Let me encourage you never to go in assuming you know what is needed. Prepare your heart and be sensitive to the situation. Listen deeply. Be fully present. Embody and share the love of Jesus and the truth of Jesus in appropriate ways.

What are your feelings about hospital visitation?

What might you adjust in your own ministry, based on these suggestions?

What thoughts would you add?

The Pastoral Work of Administration

Reflecting on your pastoral work, what tasks do you truly enjoy and feel most competent in? What aspects do you enjoy least? Are there responsibilities you feel are necessary but not Kingdom-related? As pastors, we may find administration to be a distraction from what we consider real Kingdom endeavors. Let’s explore the place and importance of administration in pastoral ministry.

What do we mean by administration? – For some, administration refers to clerical tasks such as filing, answering the phone, scheduling appointments – things an administrative assistant would do. In this post, however, administration refers to the business of the church. In using this term, I mean such things as church finances, policies and procedures, legal obligations, personnel issues, property concerns, and other “nuts and bolts” of keeping things running.

Is administration inherently un-spiritual and opposed to Kingdom work? – Within healthy churches, good systems are part of effective church work, and administration has to do with systems and support structures. Additionally, Scripture teaches us God values and uses order, and we see many examples of order and structure in the Bible. Administration can bring orderliness that increases our efficiency and effectiveness in Kingdom work. Additionally, when we think of the administrative tasks surrounding things like good accounting and safety, the well-being of people and the witness of Christ are at stake. This makes administration an inherently spiritual area of work and a form of worship as we glorify God by taking good care of His business. Conversely, it is possible for administration to hinder Kingdom work. We may hide in administrative tasks – shaping and re-shaping plans – to avoid work with intangible ministry results or to avoid difficult situations or relationships in the church. Thus, rightly executed, administrative work furthers the Kingdom, and wrongly executed, it is a hindrance.

What is the relationship of administration to disciple-making and equipping? – I would suggest an intentional approach to disciple-making and equipping people for ministry is more effective than an unexamined, unplanned, and haphazard approach. Administration should involve plans, indicators of success, and built-in evaluation and correction so we can be intentional and effective in our work with God’s people and our efforts to reach the lost.

Administration through the lens of shepherding – A common and Biblical way of thinking about pastoral ministry is through the lens of shepherding, and shepherding involves leading, feeding, and protecting the sheep. Shepherding does involve building trust and discipling people in relational contact, as well as feeding them the truth of God’s Word. However, making sure the work is done in an orderly way requires organization, and more so the larger the flock becomes. Additionally, as we think about the protecting function and the ways in which church policies and procedures protect people and our witness, it is not hard to see that administration is shepherding work.

Administration and your legal responsibility – As Baptist pastors, we find ourselves in a tenuous legal position. This is because most Baptist churches use congregational governance, but the law does not understand Baptist polity or function as if the church is congregationally-governed. Despite your relative lack of authority and the extent to which decisions may be made without your leadership, you, as the pastor, are responsible for the actions of and in the church. A friend who is a church administration expert with our local association has informed me that, in the event of a legal issue, a church pastor will be scrutinized and held responsible even if that individual is not listed with the state as a person of record for the church. The law holds you responsible, so you cannot neglect administrative work in your church.

Administration in your context – Obviously, every church is different in how it relates to its pastor in terms of its business. Church size, church policy and governing documents, and experiences with previous pastors all affect how a church receives or resists your administrative involvement. Let me make a few practical suggestions for approaching administration in your church.

• Familiarize yourself with your church’s governing documents. If anything ever goes to court, the judge will look at whether or not you functioned in accordance with them.

• Stay aware of laws and regulations that concern your church.

• Lead your church to abide by its governing documents and the counsel of Scripture. The Word is our guide, and gentle teaching and coaching questions can help people understand and follow Biblical and legal guidelines.

• If necessary, draw on outside experts for counsel in administrative matters. There are times when the church and lay leaders will listen to others better than to you.

• Build relationships with influencers, officers, and committee chairs so you are “in the loop” and have influence with them.

• Distinguish between administrative issues that are matters of personal preference versus issues of Biblical truth, ethical responsibility, legal demands, and the well-being of your members and Kingdom work.

• Document steps you take on important issues.

• Learn to see administration as a form of worship and a means of advancing the Kingdom.

Three Pictures of the Pastor-Church Relationship

If you are like me, you benefit from mental, if not actual, pictures of concepts and relationships. As a pastor, how would you envision or even diagram your relationship to your church? Where would you be, and where would they be? What ministry dynamics and theological understandings would guide your picture? Would there need to be more than one image depending on the particular aspect of your work you were trying to depict? Let’s think about a shepherd as leading, feeding, and protecting the flock, and out of that framework, I want to give you three of my mental images of our relationship to the people entrusted to our care

Out in Front – If I were to draw the relationship between a pastor and his church, one image I would use would be a depiction of the pastor out in front of the church. I don’t mean in front of them, facing them from the pulpit way. Rather, I mean in a point-of-the arrow way. The pastor is supposed to head where he believes the people need to go – leading the charge and setting the example. In fact, in a voluntary organization and particularly a congregationally governed church, example and teaching are the main means of leadership. There is no command authority, and under-handed and manipulative tactics are outside the pale of legitimate ministry practice. My pastor grandfather was fond of pointing out the difference in the early American drovers and Western cowboys who drove animals from behind vs. the shepherd who leads from out in front while the sheep follow.

Right in the Middle – A second way I would depict the pastor-church relationship is to draw a circle and place the pastor within that circle. The two functions for which I would use this illustration are the functions of administration and fellowshipping / connecting with the people. As I think about the pastoral work, part of that work is administrative – coordinating the various aspects of church life and ministry and holding unity in the organization. Obviously, the administrative structure is different within different churches, but there is a central place and coordinating function. Among and in the midst of the people is also how relationships are developed. Returning to our shepherd and sheep concept, we know sheep follow a shepherd they know and trust. Knowing and trusting a pastor is built, in part, through relational contact

Underneath – In The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, Hanz Finzel suggests the best depiction of the leader-organization relationship is an inverted triangle, where the bottom point represents the leader in the function of supporting the organization. I would suggest this is an excellent picture for a portion of the pastor’s work with and relationship to the church, particularly the staff, deacons, and other lay leaders. We come up under to train, encourage, lift up, edify, coach, mentor, and disciple. We are servants in the likeness of Jesus and in His Spirit. This is not a position in which the pastor is a hireling or at the behest of the church or its members in a belittled way. Rather, it is a placing of oneself at the disposal of the Lord and His purpose for His people in self-sacrificing and loving service.

You don’t lead from underneath or in the middle. You don’t connect or coordinate from out in front. You serve from a coming up under to support kind of way. These are not the only ways to depict the pastor-church relationship, and they do not depict all of the facets of that work. However, they are three ways I have thought about the relationship and conceptualized multi-faceted nature of the work. Other illustrations would require more space than we have here. How would you modify or supplement what we have said here? Have you ever struggled to recall and maintain all the aspects of your pastoral responsibility or allowed one to overshadow the others in ways that are not constructive? How would you work in the concept of and illustrate the function of pastoral authority according to Scripture, your denominational setting, and your particular church?

Pastoral Relationships With Older Members - Part 2

In my last post, I looked at some biblical instruction on relating to older church members, ways older members may view younger pastors, and a couple of tendencies to avoid in our relationships with more senior members. Now, let’s explore some specific issues we must navigate, particularly when we are very young pastors.

People Who Are “Older” in the Church Regardless of Age – Unless you are in a church a long time, are reaching many new members, or are planting a church, most of your members will have more tenure in your church than you. Here are three resulting realities. For one thing, they will have more sense of ownership and heritage about the church, and you will have to respect this and learn to work with it. Another reality is some of these people are great assets as you learn the church’s history, culture, and general way of functioning. Spend time with them – ask meaningful questions and listen deeply to their stories, concerns, and aspirations. Finally, they may not see the need for change in the church that your fresh perspective allows you to see, so you will need to work with them on this. And, it may be that, with careful observation, you will find things you think need to change do not.

People Who Are “Older” in the Faith – We need to look at this issue from two angles. The first is that there may be people in your church who have been born again longer than you have, whether or not they are older than you are. Additionally, their faith maturity may or may not exceed yours, and there may be a sense of seniority on their part unless they are humble enough to realize their need for continued growth. Your ministerial call and position do not make you more mature, spiritual, or knowledgeable than these older brothers and sisters in Christ. Regardless of your estimation of their spiritual condition (which often is only discerned with time), respect their years of walking with the Lord and learn from their perspective. It may be that you sharpen them in Christ, that they sharpen you, or that the sharpening is mutual. The second angle from which to view this issue is that of people who did not become truly born again when they joined a church but have been doing church longer than you have – sometimes longer than you have been alive. It is not up to us to decide who these people are. Your ministry and prayer, along with the Word and the Spirit, will have to soften their hearts and lead them toward genuine faith in Jesus.

Learning From More Senior Members – The fact is, particularly when you begin in ministry, there may be a seasoned servant of God in your church from whom you can learn about ministry. Their heart for the Lord and His work and Word, coupled with their love for His church and care for you, may make them an invaluable asset as you add to your academic training the practical realities of caring for God’s people. Here is my caution. You cannot do this with every older member. Some want to be in the position of teacher so you don’t have leadership with them or the church. Others will disrespect you, and you certainly cannot afford to approach an older member as if you know nothing and are not tasked with caring for their spiritual life. What is required of you is confidence in the Lord and His call (your identity in Christ along with the Word and Spirit) and humility (realizing you have not lived all of life or experienced the full spectrum of ministry). Be wise in this regard.

Two Encouraging Examples – As we think about investing in older members and the possibility of them investing in you, I want to offer two examples from a previous church. First, we had a Monday night men’s meeting in which a few of us met in my office and shared our current life issues, discussed the Word, sharpened each other, and prayed together. We built into each other, and I pastored these men toward Christ despite the fact I was substantially younger than most of them. This ministry yielded fruit in their lives and in our church and spilled over into ministering to each other and praying together on Sundays before worship. The second example is a man in the church to whom I ministered in a season of crisis. My work with this man, who is old enough to be my father, became an ongoing friendship of mutual ministry lasting years beyond my time in that church. We love each other in the Lord and value each other’s perspective.

Space prohibits sharing more examples here, and I may address more dynamics of older member relationships in a future post. However, I pray the Lord will grant you the wisdom to value your older church members and more senior brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray you will walk with confidence and humility that will afford you influence with them, earn respect from them, and further the Kingdom in your life, their lives, your church, and our world.

Pastoral Relationships With Older Members - Part 1

Pastor, more than likely you have church members who are older than you are, and when we first start in ministry, that may be most of our members. What do those relationships call for, and how can you best relate to older members?

A Look in the Scriptures – In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul writes, “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity” (NASB). As a pastor, you are charged with leadership and with the spiritual care and growth of your church and its people, including those who are older. However, their age relative to yours calls for a measure of respect and graciousness that goes beyond the normal love and grace we all are to show one another as Christians. As I approach middle age and relate to my parents in more mature ways – sometimes speaking biblical truth to them and sometimes disagreeing with them, I have an increased understanding of these admonitions. It is possible to disagree, offer an alternate viewpoint, and even stand up to a gossip or bully in the church and maintain a respectful demeanor.

How Older Adult May View You – For me, I think about members as being older when they are approximately 15 years or more older than I am – about a generation or more ahead of me in life. There is nothing magic about that number. It is simply the age difference at which I have noticed the tendency not to view each other as peers. Your experience may differ. The following are some ways older adults may view you.

• They may view you like one of their children or grandchildren. When you have their respect, this can be a blessing, and you may still be able to be their pastor as they love you also. Some, however, take a more patronizing and disrespectful view of you and may believe your age keeps you from being of value to them or may think of you in this way to keep themselves from being led by you.

• They may view you as someone who does not understand them. As our members get well-advanced in years, they face challenges and losses most of us simply have not experienced – a changed city (those in urban areas), loss of health, loss of loved ones, loss of physical ability of one sort or another.

• They may view you as someone they need to teach how to do your job. Some older members want to teach you an unhealthy pastoral model, and others (I believe) adopt a teaching stance to discredit and disregard your leadership and teaching. However, we can and should learn from gracious and Godly instruction offered by older members.

• They may view you as a valued pastor. Chronological age does not automatically mean spiritual maturity, and you may have a rich discipling relationship with some older members. As you love and walk with them, you may earn their respect and trust and have a very rewarding ministry to them.

Two Troubling Tendencies to Avoid – In addition to considering how older adults see you, we need to think about how we think about them. Our relationships with them depend on our mindset as well as theirs. On one hand, if you were reared to have a great respect for older adults and to defer to them automatically, you may tend not to challenge older adults when needed and tend not to try to disciple them. This is a mistake. Respect does not mean automatic deference. On the other hand, we may tend to disregard our older members. We may feel our position or our educational training places us above or outside their counsel and input. Or, we may think older people and their older ways are outdated. Finally, we may feel we have to prove ourselves able to lead without the input of others. All of these forms of and reasons for disregarding our older members are destructive. Value them and pastor them with respect.

As you relate to older members in your church, pray for them, respect them and their wisdom, value them, listen carefully to them, build into them gently as they allow you to, let them build into you when and as appropriate, and love them. Love, faithfulness, consistency, and respect should characterize your relationships with all members, but they are especially important with senior members.

The Relational Work of Ministry

By means of research and practical observation, I have found relationships within the church are vital to ministry and leadership, and in this post, I want to explore why that is, what that looks like, and how to guard the relational work of ministry and leadership.

The Relational Nature of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership – Much of the pastor’s work is done in solitude, but pastoral ministry and leadership is relational for the following reasons and others not listed here.

• The shepherd imagery of pastoring – Shepherds live with the sheep and earn their trust through contact with them.

• The example of Scripture – Jesus developed His disciples through time spent with them, and Paul testifies to the relational connections with his churches.

• The nature of discipleship – Discipleship is not just informational. It is relational.

• The benefit of knowing people well – As you build relational connections with people, you get to hear about them and the church in ways that allow you to serve and lead more effectively.

• The voluntary nature of churches and Baptist polity – Because the church is a voluntary association, you and I have no command control. We earn influence, and that influence with our people may be forfeited. Our people are free to refuse our leadership, ask us to leave, or leave the church themselves, so relationships are important to leadership.

• The family nature of Christ’s Body – Even though you are in leadership, you are in God’s family along with your people. As part of that relationship, their gifs augment yours; their wisdom can help you; their experience informs your work.

Varying Types of Relationships – With a small amount of observation, we realize there are varying types of people with whom we interact, and thus, varying types of relationships. We immediately think of the different age groups in our churches, people at differing levels of Christian experience, staff and non-staff relationships, and those in leadership vs. those who are not. Not only are there age, discipleship, and functional differences among your church members, there are differences in the agendas various members may have and differences in how members will or will not allow you to relate to them. Further, the size of your church dictates that, in larger situations, you may relate to certain people more closely than others, equipping them to relate to and care for others in the congregation. Looking to Scripture, we find Jesus relating differently to different groups of people – both in His interactions with His followers and different types of people among those who were not (or not yet) His followers. Additionally, Paul and Peter, in their instructions to pastors, call for distinctions in relating to church members according to their respective age. These realities call for Godly love, wisdom, and discernment in order faithfully to lead and care for the flock entrusted to you.

Guarding Our Relational Work – In addition to keeping in mind the relational nature of pastoral ministry and leadership and maintaining an awareness of the differing types of relationships with church members, we must intentionally guard our relational work in our churches. The following are some ways to do this.

• Guard your motives. Years ago, a professor said to us in class, “In every ministry situation, ask yourself, ‘Whose needs am I trying to meet?’” That has been one of the most powerful and enduring questions of my ministry. The recipient of your ministry is not there to meet your need to feel needed, to feel important, to have a friend, or anything else. You are there to bring the presence of Jesus into his or her life in a way that helps them grow in Christ and bear the fruit of their relationship with Jesus.

• Guard against avoiding difficult people. It is tempting to hide in our work, spend more time with those who like us, or simply avoid the challenging people in our churches, but we cannot. They need love and ministry, and you cannot do that by avoiding them.

• Develop the ability to be OK with one-way relationships. As mentioned above, many of your relationships in the church will be one-way relationships, and you and I cannot feel slighted when we are doing all the listening, caring, and investing without it being returned.

• Realize you may occasionally have two-way relationships. Although you have to be very careful about whom you have two-way relationships with, you will sometimes find church members with whom you can mutually share friendship and discipleship in the Lord.

• Be aware that the nature of relationships may change without warning. Whether from accidentally offending someone, a person deciding they want their relationship with you to be what it cannot be, the poison of gossip, or some other reason, people may turn against you, distance themselves from you, or leave the church without explanation. We have to be able to love and care for people without being “undone” when this happens.

• Establish and maintain boundaries.

In what ways have you seen the relational nature of pastoral / ministry work play out in the local church? What challenges and blessings have you experienced in the area of church relationships? May the Lord give wisdom and grace as you navigate the relational dynamics of your work.

Four Ministry-Strengthening Relationships

Although relationships within the church are vital to ministry and leadership, in this post I want to reflect on and highlight the importance of four ministry-strengthening relationships we need with people outside the church.

Relationship with a Mentor – Mentors in ministry are those who have been in ministry longer than you and have experiences and skills that allow them to serve as guides and teachers. They come alongside you in a teaching friendship to help you gain skills and knowledge. Sometimes this is a more formal arrangement, while other times it is less formal. Over the years, several people have served somewhat as mentors to me, although, in hindsight, I wish I had sought out intentional mentoring relationships. I also have been privileged to walk alongside others as a mentor, and the experience is deeply rewarding. I would say one of the key benefits of mentoring is filling in the practical ministry gaps left by formal ministerial education.

Relationship with a Coach – Although introduced to the concept several years ago, in the past two or three years I have really begun to see the potential in coaching. Unlike a mentor, a coach is not so much a teacher and guide as a facilitator who uses listening skills and questions to help you clarify and focus on issues, build effective action plans, and deal with obstacles to those plans. Sometimes, we need help taking a different perspective on things and dealing with a challenge, or even identifying what that challenge is. You and I need people in our lives who are skilled coaches – whether on a long-term basis or on a situational basis.

Relationship with a Key Professor or Professors – In your ministerial education, I hope you have encountered or do encounter one or more key professors with whom you have a closer relationship. These are professors who believe in you and extend to you a certain academic and professional friendship. They may encourage you in the trying seasons of your ministerial education and beyond, serve as resources in the days ahead, and possibly be good networking connections as you seek ministry opportunities. These professors may be especially helpful if the Lord guides you into a ministry of teaching at some point. One further note regarding professor friends is that you and I cannot possibly know everything we need to know. When you have friends in academia, you have access to expertise you may need from time to time.

Relationships with Resource People – Speaking of access to knowledge and expertise, you and I need relationships with resource people. The proliferation of online tools and services has altered this since the early days of my pastoral ministry, but I still believe it is important. From skills, to information, to service and ministry opportunities, to planning helps – as we serve the Lord, we need help, information, and other resources. For those of us in Baptist life, our local associations, state conventions, and national denomination can help, but actually knowing the people in those agencies is beneficial. You and I need people in our lives who know things, know people, know how to find out things, and want others to have the tools needed for success.

A Few Additional Points – I think it also is important to have friends (in the ministry and not in the ministry), and I have dealt with the importance of family relationships in other posts. As you consider your relationships, several points deserve mention.

• Choose your relationships carefully, because these will influence you, and you want to be a God-honoring minister.

• You need people in your life who believe in you with an honest knowledge of your strengths and the ability to recognize your faults.

• You need people who love you enough to listen, care, help, and tell you when they believe you are wrong or headed for trouble.

• You need people who love the Lord and the ministry enough to call forth excellence in you and your work.

• You need people of wisdom and the Holy Spirit in your life.

• You need a person or persons who will challenge you to keep growing in Christ.

Time Management for Pastors in School and Bi-Vocational Pastors - Part 2

Let me say at the outset that this post is not intended to suggest we should arbitrarily limit ministry to a certain number of hours per week when good stewardship of that ministry calls for more. It is intended to help us order our weeks and is particularly intended for those who are ministry students or bi-vocational ministers. Building on the suggestions from my previous post, let’s take a few more steps toward increased effectiveness with our use of time.

The Misnomer of Time Management – Since time progresses at a steady rate regardless of how we use it, time cannot be managed. It only can be utilized and allotted. What can be managed are tasks and self – choices, priorities, actions, etc. as they relate to our use of time. Narrowing from the broad focus of my last post, I want to concentrate on managing self, managing tasks, and using time in the pastor’s workweek. Reaching back to the concepts of time budgeting, logging / evaluating, and overlapping activities, we are trying to answer three questions.

• How much of my 168 hours per week gets allotted to ministerial work?

• How do I handle myself during those hours so I accomplish with them what I need to get done?

• How can I use my time and manage myself and my tasks in ways that glorify God and extend the Kingdom?

Gauging Weekly Ministry Time – If you are new to pastoral ministry, you may wonder how much work there is and whether or not pastoring is a 40 hour per week job. Research on pastors’ workweeks verifies it is, and 20 years of my own experience confirms this. Time for worship services, preparing multiple sermons per week, visiting people, doing outreach, praying for the church and its work, and administrative tasks easily run 40 hours or more each week. Now, let me come at this from a student and a non-student perspective. Before I started my doctorate, I regularly worked more than 40 hours per week. While in my program, however, I had to try to limit my work to 40 hours each week. Some workweeks exceeded 40 hours, but that was my goal. I suspect larger churches, struggling churches, and church plants or re-plants need more than 40 hours per week of work, and I also feel some smaller churches may be led and cared for in fewer than 40 hours per week. For the pastor in school or the bi-vocational pastor, you are trying to walk a fine line. On one side, you need to put everything you can into being a good steward of the call and the flock and its work – ministry and the Lord deserve your best rather than minimal effort. On the other side, you have the God-given responsibilities of your school or secular vocation. Having a goal and an allotted time for ministry each week can help you set boundaries while also dedicating focused time to the ministry. By way of caution, we cannot refuse to do additional ministry when it is called for simply because we have hit our “magic number” of hours in a given week.

Allocating Weekly Ministry Time – The next issue is how to allocate the time we need to give and should give to the work. Personally, I have come at this from two directions. From one side, I have tried to determine how much time I need to give to each area of responsibility in order to handle it well and in light of our church’s present reality. This works in estimating total work hours for the week, as well as for dividing the hours of work. From the other side, I have worked from a time budget approach. In other words, if I have a target available time of 40 hours, how should that 40 hours be divided? What has to be limited in one area to give adequate attention to another? How is that different this week because of unusual circumstances (someone’s surgery, a funeral or wedding, a special church event or meeting)? Working at the issue from both sides can help you focus your effort in order not to allow one area of work to get out of hand, and it can help you make sure to attend to every area of responsibility. Here are a few possible frameworks for allocating time.

• Divide your workweek according to your written and unwritten job descriptions.

• Divide your workweek based upon your church’s vision statement.

• Divide your workweek based upon basic church functions – prayer, worship, teaching, ministry, fellowship, and evangelism.

• Currently, my major workweek divisions are prayer, corporate worship, worship preparation (sermon preparation and general preparation), inreach, outreach, communications and marketing (church publications and social media), and systems and support (planning, meetings, and administrative work).

A Few Additional Points – As I write, I do not want to give the impression that ministry only deserves a certain amount of time per week. Ministry is a call as well as a vocation, and it requires sacrificial and often inconvenient service. Second, I do not want you to get locked in to one set pattern – mine, someone else’s, or the one you come up with at this time. I believe a measure of structure is vital, but so is flexibility and understanding ministry is often fluid and unpredictable. That said, let me offer a few additional points.

• Plan with prayer and intentionality, keeping in mind the Lord sometimes uses interruptions, and we often get unexpected ministry opportunities we need to take. Sometimes, we accomplish more for the Kingdom in what we did not plan than in what we planned.

• Don’t simply allot time for each area, but schedule it.

• Be careful that you do not simply put in your time each week, but serve whole-heartedly.

• Be careful not to over-budget time for tasks you enjoy in order to under-budget time for work you find less pleasant or more challenging.