Category Archives: Pastoring

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June 5, 2014

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Christian Life, Executive Office, General Baptists, Leadership, Pastoring

The Value of Pastoral Relationships

By Clint Cook

Over the last few weeks, I have reflected on the value of attending conferences.  As I’ve stated before, this idea is not a new one in the church.  We find examples in the Word of God where Jesus himself would withdraw from the pressures of ministry and take those he ministered with away for intense discipleship training.

Last week, General Baptist ministers gathered at the 2014 Minister’s Conference on Kentucky Lake.  Executive Director Clint Cook shares on why pastoral relationships are importantI was allowed the opportunity to speak on the last evening.  As I prepared for this final session, where both new and experienced ministers were in attendance, I was led to speak on a puzzling passage of scripture in the Old Testament, found in 1 Kings 13.  In this passage, God commissioned a young prophet from the southern nation of Israel to go to the northern tribes and pronounce a sobering prophecy to King Jereboam.  God told him he was to speak the message and then go directly home, without eating or drinking anything.  The young prophet obeyed God’s directions and did exactly as he was instructed-until he was on his way home.  Meanwhile, an older prophet heard of the young prophet’s mission and met up with him as he journeyed home.  When these strangers met, for some reason unknown to us through the scriptures, the older prophet decided to lie to the young man.  He told him that an angel had instructed him to bring the young prophet to his home and share a meal.  The young prophet trusted the old prophet and agreed.  While the men were eating, God spoke to the older prophet and told him to declare that the young prophet would lose his life because he had failed to fully obey God.  As the young prophet proceeded home, a lion attacked him and he was killed.  The older prophet mourned the death of the young man and was so affected that he requested that upon his death, his sons bury him with this younger prophet.

I agree.  This IS a very bizarre passage.  Don’t you wonder why the young man would so quickly turn aside from doing exactly what God had told him?  And why the old prophet would lie and deceive the young man?

I believe this story is here for us to learn two very important lessons.  First, we must ignore distractions and follow through with doing exactly what the Lords tells us.  Second, we must not blindly trust the advice of others, even ministers, just because they are older.

Ministers building relationships at the 2014 MinConAfter such a sobering story, how can young prophets/ministers keep from being deceived by older ministers or saints in the faith?  The simple answer is that they must get to know them.  In the above story, neither of these men knew one another.  If they had known one another, known each other’s hearts, known each other’s motivations and goals, there may have been a different ending.

This is yet another reason why conferences, like the General Baptist Minister’s Conference, are so valuable.  Older, more mature Christians must get to know younger ones.  Young preachers need to hear mature ministers share their hearts, struggles, and goals, all of which remove the stranger barrier and help prevent deception from happening.  When you listen, interact, and share with others, you are more equipped to discern whether another believer is truly looking out for your best interest and offering sound advice.

You might say that if the young prophet had remained focused and done only what he was directed to do, this may not have happened.  Or, if they old prophet had not lied this may not have happened.  Both of those are true, but I also believe that if both of these men had known each other, their story would have turned out differently.  I am so thankful for the fellow ministers and believers who want to sharpen their discernment by building relationships with one another.

General Baptist Ministries offers several conferences throughout the year.  The upcoming Mission and Ministry Summit will take place July 21-23 in Springfield, Illinois and you do NOT want to miss it!  To register, head over to generalbaptist.com or call 573-785-7746.

 

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June 4, 2014

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National Missions, Pastoring

Summer Time

By Carl Nichols

Cookouts, sunshine, swimming pools, and vacations are all a part of summer.  No doubt people from your church will travel, and attendance will likely look like a roller coaster ride from June through August.  With that in mind, our staff at Relevant work very hard to set and manage expectations while seeing fruitful results during the summer.  Here are 5 things we have learned:

  1. Don’t assume that you can’t grow during the summer.  Although most churches do see numerical dips, don’t give up during the summer.  Even if you don’t grow, understand that this can still be used as a season of equipping and preparing for a healthy fall season.
  2. Look for relational opportunities for your people to connect.  Memorial Day, July 4th, and Back to School Blowouts are always relational and build excitement.
  3. Don’t do something just to do it.  If it doesn’t fit your mission, vision, and values, say an emphatic NO.  During the summer, all staff should take some down time.Always clarify the win for any event or activity you play so you have a clear scorecard of your success.  For more on mission, vision, and values, make sure and attend the first session of our “Healthy Church” track (The Foundation) at Summit.
  4. Make sure you, your pastor, and your staff all take some down time.  Everyone expects you to take a break in the summer.  They do!  You should, too!  I take 3-4 weekends off from speaking during the months of June and July.  This allows our people to hear from other great communicators, many of whom are a part of our own movement or staff.  Additionally, I make sure each of our staff has a couple of weekends to themselves as well.
  5. Do something fun for your kid’s ministry that makes them want to attend as much as they can, and even be excited enough to bring a friend.  This year at Relevant, we are doing “Red Hot Summer” that is focused on something red or hot every week of June and July.  Popsicles, sunglasses, and beach balls are just a few examples.

summer-49019_1280At Relevant, we kick off summer on Memorial Day weekend with a family fun day with water games, activities, food from the grill, and a very intense young versus old softball game.  Additionally, we kick off “fit groups” for relational building while people work to get that beach body they have always wanted.  Our win here is relationships that cannot be built on Sunday morning and that sometimes fall by the wayside because many of our small groups don’t meet during the months of June and July.

What’s your biggest summer struggle?  Click on ‘Leave a Comment’ at the top and join the discussion!

 

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May 29, 2014

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Congregrational Ministries, Leadership, Pastoring

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The Powerball Theory

By Dr. Franklin Dumond

I keep not-winning the multi-million dollar Powerball drawings. Every few months I hear about someone who had the chosen set of numbers, with the result that early retirement appears to be on their horizon.church growth is not a lottery system

My wife and I have often speculated about what we would do with several hundred million dollars. We always come up with mortgages paid off, new cars all around, and student loans for the boys retired early. We quickly run out of things to purchase so I suppose that if we win we’ll just have to purchase a large vault to pile full of the left over cash.

Since only one of several million people win and since I don’t buy tickets I guess I’ll keep my day job, continue my mortgage payments, and offer a little help to my recent college graduates.

Church leaders often have a lottery mentality of church growth. They assume there is one thing they can do to bring the crowds back to worship. The four areas I run across most often in this church growth sweepstakes are:

1. Worship Style. I often hear people advocate a return to traditional worship as THE key to church growth. I even more often hear people bemoan their lack of contemporary worship as THE missing ingredient to bring about church growth. Neither a reactionary return to keyboard driven worship nor a proactive investment in a praise team will result in a crowd at church. The lesson here is that what-we-do is not as important as who-we-are as we develop relationships with people and invite them to join us on the journey of Christian faith.

2. Technology. It is rare these days to find a church without a sound system and it is almost as rare to find a church without a projection system. These technological tools will not, by themselves, reach people. If the culture of a congregation does not value reaching and caring for people, no amount of technology will do the job.

3. Décor. New paint and carpet may be sorely needed but new décor cannot by itself attract people. Since the vast majority of unchurched folks never enter a church building the color scheme, while important, will not be decisive in reaching the unchurched.

4. New Preacher. Pastoral leadership is a key factor in a church’s growth, yet in a congregational system of church government it will almost never be THE major factor in a church’s lack of growth. Long before lay leaders plan for the pastor’s replacement the honest question of “Who is really in charge here?” needs to be answered.

While there is no one thing that will result in the sweepstakes win of a record worship attendance, there are four core processes that will always be effective in winning people and growing the church. I like the way Bill Easum and Bill Tenny-Brittian identify them: invite, assimilate, disciple, and commission. These processes, when repeated and sustained, will attract a crowd and grow a church.

What do you think are some of the core processes that attract a crowd and grow a church?  Click on ‘Leave a Comment’ at the top to share your opinion.