Tag Archives: pastoral care

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July 30, 2015

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Christian Life, Congregrational Ministries, General Baptists, Leadership, Pastoring

Life in Those Old Denominations: 5 Ways to Participate

Having just completed our annual Mission & Ministry Summit I have been reminded not only of the history of our own denomination but also the value of belonging and participating in a denominational network. Nevertheless, while hundreds of General Baptist leaders gathered in Collinsville, Illinois for Powerful Worship, Practical Training and Personal Missionary Connections, (you can read about the event here) hundreds of others chose not to participate. As I reflected on participation in denominational enterprises it struck me that there are at least five ways I can participate.

  1. Participating through shared theology. The heart of our General Baptist movement, network, denomination is a commitment to our core theology of a General Atonement. This seems old-hat to those of us who have always held such a simple belief. As stated in the Scripture, Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man so that whosoever will may be saved. It seems strange to think that this concept was considered heresy in most Baptist circles in the 1820’s when our movement was born. It also seems strange to think that many evangelicals today avoid that simple truth without realizing that they then portray a view of God as capricious, arbitrary and unreasoning.

When I served as pastor, I regularly met new people in our community who came from a church background that was non-General Baptist. They were delighted to learn that we believed as they did that God offers equal opportunity to all who would by faith accept Jesus as a personal savior.

Whenever I espouse belief in a General Atonement rather than a Limited Atonement, then I am participating in our General Baptist denomination by sharing a mutual theology.

  1. Participating through shared mission. The natural outgrowth of belief in a General Atonement is taking the Great Commission seriously. Thus when I pray for, support or participate in the denominational mission, then I am participating in the General Baptist cause. Shared mission involves missionary activity throughout the world, church planting within the United States, and various initiatives to teach and train as we make disciples in obedience to the Great Commission.
  2. Participating by personal networking. Shared theology and shared mission puts me in connection with others and while I cannot be connected personally with every adherent of the General Baptist cause, I can and do make connections with some others. Many times these connections are framed within my local church or regional association. On other occasions they cross regional boundaries as I find personal connection with like-missioned people across the nation or around the world.
  3. Participating by officially belonging. While shared theology, mission and network are excellent starting points, officially belonging is an important and meaningful way to participate in the life of our denomination. This official connection generally occurs through participation in a regional association that in turn is connected to the General Association of General Baptists. Churches that are not part of a denomination may become direct affiliates of the General Association to establish an official connection. Help is always available from denominational officers and denominational offices to assist any church who shares our core theology, mission and network to make official connections.
  4. Participating by showing up. Attending the first time is always a bit awkward whether it is a pastor’s conference, The Summit, or a Council of Associations meeting. Repeated attendance, however, means that soon we learn the expectations and nature of the gatherings. Repeated attendance also means that soon we learn not only how to navigate the denominational circuit but also that we anticipate seeing, greeting and catching up with folks who have become partners in the gospel. After 40 years of attending the General Association and after directly working with The Summit for 10 seasons now, I still look forward to showing up and checking up on folks I may only see once in a while.

 

 

 

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July 28, 2015

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Christian Life, Congregrational Ministries, Executive Office, General Baptists, International Missions, Leadership, National Missions, Pastoring, Women's Ministries

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Life in Those Old Denominations: 3 Reasons for Belonging AND Participating

By Dr. Franklin Dumond

Having just completed our annual Mission & Ministry Summit I have been reminded not only of the history of our own denomination but also the value of belonging and participating in a denominational network. Hundreds of General Baptist leaders gathered in Collinsville, Illinois for Powerful Worship, Practical Training and Personal Missionary Connections.

Powerful Worship was made possible by a Collective Worship Team of musicians and vocalists from several churches. The main sessions were completed by powerful preaching from both General Baptist and guest preachers who obviously had a message to share. Each preacher (Mark Powell, Darren Patrick, Alex Himaya, and Clint Cook) shared passionately and effectively. (Note: DVD copies of the main sessions are available for purchase from Congregational Ministries.)

Practical Training came from workshop sessions offered throughout the week. Workshop tracks allowed participants options to build a series of connected workshops or to enjoy highlights from several workshop tracks. Along with missionary connections, special training came from our own Church Planting Team and guests assisted with rural church, discipleship, personal enrichment, church systems and other topics. To conserve the learning, audio recordings were made of most workshops and access to those downloadable recordings is available through a drop card system that may be purchased from Congregational Ministries.

Missionary Connections were not only available in the workshops but were also part of the main stage event, a featured element of the exhibit hall, and an important part of two very powerful group prayers. On Tuesday evening Executive Director Clint Cook presided over a very moving commissioning service as the assembled leaders laid hands on newly appointed International Missions Director Mark Powell and newly appointed church planter Steve Gill to commission them to their new tasks. On Wednesday evening all the current missionaries, church planters and ethnic ministries were grouped together for a special joint prayer of blessing on their lives and service.

Looking back over the week I was reminded of three very important reasons for being part of a denominational network.

First, we do together what we cannot do alone. No one church can accomplish individually what we accomplish collectively. What one church can supervise the gathering of 42 churches in India? What one church can undertake the management of an orphanage in Honduras? What one church can plant a series of fast-growing, high-impact churches to reach thousands with the gospel? What one church can set the stage for revitalization of hundreds of existing churches? While no one church can undertake these ministries, when we work together they are rather easily accomplished!

Second, as part of a network of churches we are exposed to the help and encouragement needed to be more effective in our local ministries. One of the amazing things about The Summit is that since the meetings were re-engineered in 2007 a broader connection among and between General Baptists from different parts of the nation and different parts of the world have developed. With these new connections there is a synergy of effort as well as a keen reassurance that we are not alone in the struggle.

Third, as part of a denominational connection I can take advantage of services and programs that are offered to assist and expand my own ministry. Conferences and events offered by the denomination are provided at very modest costs and in convenient locations. If I accessed similar services as a private payee I would spend hundreds of dollars more for the same or similar conferences and events. Consultation services, missionary presence and church planter connections are all designed to assist and expand each local ministry to more effectively reach the world.

Executive Director Clint Cook puts it like this, “General Baptist Ministries exists to maximize Kingdom impact by starting, equipping and inspiring local churches to accomplish the Great Commission.”

Brand name loyalty is not what it once was. Markets for automobiles and dishwashing detergent can no longer depend on a buying public that is motivated by brand name loyalty. Church connections, too, are often driven by factors other than brand name loyalty. For me, however, there are compelling reasons for connecting to those old denominational structures, so I want to do my part to establish and improve my connections.

 

To purchase recordings of the workshops or General Sessions, contact Congregational Ministries at cmofc@generalbaptist or by calling 573-785-7746.

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November 11, 2014

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Congregrational Ministries, General Baptists, Pastoring

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Making it on a Pastor’s Pay: 4 Reasons Salaries are Low

By Franklin Dumond

Honest discussion of the salary and benefit needs of a pastor should not be uncomfortable. The Scripture is very direct: pastors are expected to work hard; churches are expected to offer fair compensation.

congregation in pewsThe pastor’s salary should be reviewed on an annual basis. The finance committee should review the entire salary package as each annual budget is prepared. Years of experience, educational level, and cost of living adjustments should all be part of the discussion. Support staff such as secretaries and custodians should also have salary packages reviewed annually, but they should be evaluated and paid in comparison to their skills and positions, not in comparison to the pastor or staff ministers.

Church paid salaries have historically been lower than the average salary amount in most communities. Too often the old adage “Lord you keep him humble; we’ll keep him poor!” has been an actual fact. The scandal generated by a few notorious preachers has sometimes reinforced the tendency toward lower salaries.

A few reasons for lower church salaries are:

  1. Unbiblical priorities. The New Testament is very clear that pastors are to be respected, treated with dignity, and paid fairly. The Apostle Paul instructs, “Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:6-7
  1. Unrealistic expectations. While all believers are expected to trust God, and not man, members may expect their pastor to live on less as an example to the flock, while the flock continues to live on more despite the noble example of the underpaid pastor.
  1. Untrained lay leaders. Many lay leaders who serve on finance and budget committees simply have never been trained to develop a pastoral compensation plan. For example, the specialized tax status of pastors is often a mystery to lay leaders. Even self-employed businessmen do not always understand the special dual status of the pastor, who is considered an employee for income tax purposes but self-employed for Social Security purposes.
  1. Unfair models. The salary model churches often use is based on the net, or take-home, pay of the average church member. While this can be a fair approach to compensation, it generally does not take into consideration that the gross salary of the average worker is substantially greater than the net pay. Most workers benefit from having an employer who provides health insurance, job training, and retirement benefits, in addition to the matching share of Social Security paid by the employer. Yet all too often the total package for a pastor is based on the take-home (net) pay of an average worker, not on the total package paid directly and indirectly to that worker by their employer.

Personnel committees, finance committees, and pastor-search committees do well to avoid two perilous pitfalls in planning for pastoral compensation. First, it is never appropriate to use an average of church member’s income to determine the pastor’s salary unless an honest study is done of the actual income of the members. Best guesses about average income will always understate the income levels. Census data on average household income in any census tract will provide surprising insights into actual household income within the congregation.

Second, it is important to consider the long term implications of a parsonage to the pastor who is more than 30 years of age. Home ownership in our society is a keystone to retirement. The general practice of a 30 year mortgage means that if a pastor does not purchase his own home by his early 30’s he will not have it paid for by the usual retirement age. While the parsonage is convenient for the church and may be necessary for the pastor due to lack of housing, it should be used sparingly in the long term pastorate. Churches sometimes rent their parsonage to provide housing allowance for the pastor. To encourage a long term pastorate some churches provide a down payment in the form of a loan or grant to the pastor which is forgiven over a period of a few years. Other churches use the parsonage for second or third staff members as the church grows and develops.

Every salary package should address three broad areas: base salary, fringe benefits, and professional expenses.

This article is the final installment of a six part series by Dr. Franklin Dumond, Director of Congregational Ministries, on understanding and planning for a pastor’s salary.  To learn more about the process and intricacies of paying your pastor, catch up on part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5.