Category Archives: Leadership

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May 18, 2021

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Calling, Leadership, Oakland City University

Vocation is for More Than Pastors

By Oakland City University

Why should a student who does not intend to become a pastor pursue a degree at a Christian university? One word . . . vocation!

A vocation is different from a career in that a vocation comes from a sense of larger purpose and in response to a calling. As Christians, all of our activities should be in response to the call of God. A calling to ministry is not exclusive to pastors or missionaries. In scripture, the word ministry has at its root the idea of Christian service. A minister serves others in the name of God. Such a definition of ministry means that it is for all Christians rather than for a specific few. As Martin Luther said, “All Christians are called to the ministry at their baptism.” Being called and being ministers of the gospel is part of the basic equipment of being a follower of Jesus. Scripture reminds us that all of our activity should be done as for the Lord. Whatever our career choices, our work is to be carried out as work for God.

We should take our lives in the workplace as an opportunity to serve God and witness to the good news, making God present in whatever situation and whatever circumstance we encounter. Teachers, counselors, business owners, scientists, lawyers, accountants, data analysts, computer programmers, office administrators, law enforcement officers, and individuals in hundreds of other jobs are ministers of the gospel, even if they are not pastors. While a career in one of these areas is rarely officially connected to the church, Christians are called by God to carry their calling into all areas of life. All of the work of the people of God is about vocation!

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The Confirmation Journey
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April 29, 2021

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Christian Life, Leadership

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The Confirmation Journey

By Chris Vaught

Nothing can fully prepare a person for the range of emotions felt when God places a call upon his or her life. Each call is unique and specific to the individual and comes from a personal encounter with God. The call given will carry a specific purpose concerning how God has chosen to use the believer in fulfilling a role in His Kingdom plan.

One can only imagine how Jeremiah felt when God spoke these words to him, “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5). The call was specific, and Jeremiah could not doubt what his role was to be. The Apostle Paul had a similar conviction. In writing to Timothy, he encouraged believers to be prayerful and to lead a quiet life so that they would have opportunities to be a witness for the Gospel of Jesus. Paul states, “For this, I was appointed a herald, an apostle…” (1 Tim 2:7 ).

Theologian Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones believed six traits accompany the call of God upon one’s life. The first, and perhaps most foundational, being an inner compulsion. He explained that the call instills irresistible inner coercion that becomes dominant in one’s life. To a class of seminary students, Charles Spurgeon would say, “If you can do anything else do it. If you can stay out of the ministry, stay out of the ministry.” Why would he give such a statement? Because if the student had an authentic conviction that they were called to the ministry, no other vocation could tempt them to quit.

Now comes the dilemma. Joy, gratitude, and excitement often accompany the call of God in a person’s heart. Yet, so does fear, insecurity, and doubt. At the moment the call is given, a spiritual war ensues. A battle within the soul rages between the indwelling Spirit of God and one’s own fallen human nature. Like Moses, one may doubt giftedness and value. Moses asked, “Who am I?” and proceeded to tell God why he wasn’t the right choice (Exodus 3), or such as Isaiah, one becomes keenly aware of their spiritual inadequacies and sinfulness (Isaiah 6).

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Cancel Christmas but Celebrate Advent
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November 10, 2020

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Congregrational Ministries, Leadership, Pastoring

Cancel Christmas, But Celebrate Advent

by Franklin Dumond, Director of Congregational Ministries

Long before Christmas became a commercial event that began appearing in retail outlets alongside Halloween, the church developed an approach to Christmas that made it a season of anticipation and preparation in the weeks before the holiday.

As a young pastor, I remember struggling with how to fit all the favored carols and all the special programs of Christmas into the one Sunday before December 25. That was what I remember of the Christmas celebrations in my rural home church. Then I stumbled onto Advent and learned not only the joy of anticipation and celebration but also the beauty of preparing a congregation for that special time of the year.

Advent is the season marked by the four Sundays prior to December 25, climaxing with Christmas Day and the wonderful good news, “unto you is born a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

Many churches mark Advent by using an Advent Wreath composed of greenery and five candles. Artificial greenery is much to be preferred over live greenery, which may present a fire hazard in the later weeks of Advent. Pillar-type candles provide the safest use of candles, as only rarely do they drip or spill.

Lighting the candles one each Sunday allows children to excitedly count the Sundays before Christmas as one candle burns on the First Sunday of Advent, two on the Second Sunday of Advent, three on the Third Sunday of Advent, and four on the Fourth Sunday of Advent to remind everyone that Christmas is almost here!

Many churches will use traditional themes of Advent, but I always enjoyed using Advent to tell the Christmas story in small parts.

The four traditional advent themes for the four advent Sundays are:

  • The Candle of Hope.
  • The Candle of Peace.
  • The Candle of Love.
  • The Candle of Joy.

As a Baptist pastor, I always found telling the story of Christmas leading up to the birth of Jesus was well-received by the congregation and a special treat for the children who hurried to the Advent Wreath for the Children’s Message. Because I used a nativity set with a variety of figurines, the children could help place one or two figures in the scene each week as we explored the Christmas story.

Advent could be organized around some of these elements of the Christmas Story:

Nov. 29 First Sunday of Advent Prophets and Bethlehem
Dec. 6 Second Sunday of Advent Angels
Dec. 13 Third Sunday of Advent Shepherds
Dec. 20 Fourth Sunday of Advent Mary and Joseph

Friday, December 24, Christmas Eve, will be a good time to light the Christ Candle since very few churches have services on Christmas Day. If a Christmas week service will not be held you might consider lighting the Christ Candle at the conclusion of the worship service on December 20. (Additional details for using the Christ Candle at the Christmas Eve Service are included in the Christmas Planning Pack available by request.)

While Baptist churches do not generally celebrate Epiphany and the arrival of the Wise Men, it is easy to introduce them as a kind of epilogue on the Sunday following Christmas which will be December 26, 2020.

It’s Worth Mentioning

Even if you are not using Advent in your church it is worth using the Sundays of Advent to mention some aspect of the Christmas story. The more often Christmas is connected with the church the more often we are able to develop and reinforce a Christian worldview.

Even worship plans and sermon themes that are unrelated to Advent can be given an Advent flavor by adjusting an illustration or changing a song title. While some church leaders do not believe Christmas deserves 1/12 of the annual emphasis in a church, others who recognize the overwhelming significance of the Incarnation believe that the message of Advent cannot be restricted to just one month of the year.

Ready for the next step? Then download our e-book “2020 Christmas Planning Pack”. The 2020 Christmas Planning Pack is a Church Talk Publication designed to help stateside General Baptist leaders cope with the “new normal”.