Archive for the 'Leadership' Category

Al Mohler: The Tragic Lessons of Penn State and a Call to Action

Published on November 10, 2011 in Leadership and Sports Links. 1 Comment

Dr. Mohler explains a change that is being made today in the policy manual for the institution he leads:

No one thought it would end this way. Joe Paterno, the legendary head football coach at Penn State University heard of his firing by the school’s board of trustees by phone last night. Just two weeks after achieving the most wins of any NCAA Division One football coach in history, Paterno was fired. His firing — a necessary action by the Penn State board of trustees — holds lessons for us all.

Almost a decade ago, a graduate assistant told Coach Paterno that an assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, had been observed forcing a young boy into a sexual act in the school’s football locker room showers. Sandusky was himself a big name in Penn State football, and he was considered a likely successor to Paterno if the head coach had retired. Sandusky also ran an non-profit organization for boys, and he brought the boys onto the Penn State campus. He continued to do so even after his own retirement from Penn State’s coaching staff.

Read the rest here.

People Need a Pastor

Published on September 3, 2011 in Church and Leadership. 2 Comments

Collin Hansen summarizes an intriguing conversation between Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, and Michael Horton:

As the church grows, so do the demands on church leaders. They implement new programs and recruit new volunteers to staff them. Cradle to grave, everyone has somewhere to go.

This might be the typical pattern, but is it inevitable? What are the costs of bigger and better church programs for every stage of life? What is the pastor’s role in relation to the members?

It’s popular for evangelicals to say every member is a minister. But Matt Chandler, Michael Horton, and Tim Keller discuss in this video whether that idea truly reflects Scripture and the best interests of the church. Indeed, Horton argues that the office of the ministry is in trouble. Watch the video for his explanation why along with responses from Keller and Chandler.

People Want a Pastor from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

 

Why are pastors and preachers important to the church?

Published on August 30, 2011 in Church and Leadership. 0 Comments

Bryan Chapell summarizes the doctrinal importance of pastors and preachers.
RSS subscribers will need to click through.

People Want a Pastor

Published on August 2, 2011 in Church and Leadership. 0 Comments

Collin Hansen summarizes an interesting conversation between Tim Keller, Michael Horton, and Matt Chandler.

As the church grows, so do the demands on church leaders. They implement new programs and recruit new volunteers to staff them. Cradle to grave, everyone has somewhere to go.

This might be the typical pattern, but is it inevitable? What are the costs of bigger and better church programs for every stage of life? What is the pastor’s role in relation to the members?

It’s popular for evangelicals to say every member is a minister. But Matt Chandler, Michael Horton, and Tim Keller discuss in this video whether that idea truly reflects Scripture and the best interests of the church. Indeed, Horton argues that the office of the ministry is in trouble. Watch the video for his explanation why along with responses from Keller and Chandler.

People Want a Pastor from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

 

Confronting Idols and Making Disciples

Published on June 22, 2011 in Leadership development. 0 Comments

Well worth 5 minutes of your time.

Confronting Idols & Making Disciples from Bill Kinnon on Vimeo.

HT: Kinnon.tv

Ever feel like this is how you came to lead?

Published on May 28, 2011 in Leadership and Stupid Stuff. 0 Comments

HT: Darryl Dash

Motivation to Care For Your Pastor

Published on May 27, 2011 in Leadership. 0 Comments

As I have written previously (see motivation for caring for your pastor) one of the ways that the Bible motivates people to care for their pastor is by encouraging them that it is in their own best interest.  Care for your pastor, because he is the beast of burden that grinds the grain for your spiritual bread (see 1 Tim 5:17-20 below).

This in mind, would you forward this information to the leaders of your church or think of a way to encourage your pastor?

Thabite Anyabwile:

This past Lord’s Day, I had the privilege of preaching 1 Timothy 5:17-20.  “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’  Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.  Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.”

It was an honor to preach this passage to a congregation that has been full of love, support, and encouragement to me and my family these past five years.  There was great liberty in unfolding text without fear of being misunderstood, without need of rebuking the people, and withut having to fight against an impulse to complain or to pander because we’ve been treated with “double honor” since arriving.  What a blessing!

But if I am to believe some of the survey statistics published on pastors and their view towards the ministry, the vast majority of my fellow pastors do not feel this way and are not receiving proper care from their people.  Consider these figures compiled by the Schaeffer Institute:

Hours and Pay

  • 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
  • 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
  • 70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.

Training and Preparedness

  • 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
  • 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they
    thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.

Health and Well-Being

  • 70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
  • 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if
    they could, but have no other way of making a living.

Marriage and Family

  • 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
  • 80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.
  • 80% spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.

Church Relationships

  • 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
  • 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
  • #1 reason pastors leave the ministry — Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Longevity

  • 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
  • 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
  • 4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.
  • Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
  • Over 1,300 pastors were terminated by the local church each month, many without cause.
  • Over 3,500 people a day left the church last year.

That’s a sad and alarming picture, isn’t it?

Read the rest here.

What Moses Did Wrong

Published on May 26, 2011 in Leadership and Sermon on the mount. 0 Comments

Tim Keller reflects on the nature of Moses’s mistake, and in so doing gives leaders a timely exhortation:

I have always found Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-22 to be shattering. He begins by reminding his listeners that anyone who murders will be judged. But then he gives three case studies of actions that seem far less serious than murder.

I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, “Raca” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.

To be bitter and angry in your heart toward someone can lead to great evil, so that makes some sense. But the term raca means only something like “you air-head!” and the word translated fool is likewise not an outrageous or cutting insult. Jesus’ listeners would likely have been smiling as they heard these terms and would have been shocked as he ended the sentence threatening them with hell-fire! What was Jesus’ point? “The deliberate paradox of Jesus’ pronouncement is that ordinary insults may betray an attitude of contempt which God takes extremely seriously” (R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 201).

This passage helps me understand Numbers 20. As in Exodus 17, the children of Israel are in the desert wilderness facing parching thirst. They charge Moses with being, at worst, evil or, at best, an incompetent leader. Again, God tells Moses to go to “that rock.” This time however he tells him to speak to it, and the rock will pour out water sufficient for everyone (v.8). Moses gathers everyone at the rock, but instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily upbraids the people. “Listen, you rebels!” he cries. “Must we bring you water out of this rock [again]?” (v.10) Striking the rock with his staff in his fury, the water comes out. God, however, tells Moses that he now would not enter the Promised Land, because Moses “did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites” (v.12).

What did Moses do wrong?

Read the rest here.

Thom Rainer: “You are My Pastor”

Published on May 21, 2011 in Church, Leadership and Pastoral Search Committees. 0 Comments

Thom Rainer:

You are my pastor. You are not perfect. You get frustrated like everyone else. You don’t always say exactly what you should say. You do indeed make some mistakes. On that reality you readily agree.

But your imperfections are often magnified in the light of your leadership role. When you please one congregant, you often displease another. You can’t make everyone happy, and you hear criticisms more times than most of us could endure.

You Are My Pastor Who Loves

Despite your imperfections and the critics who vocalize them, you still love the people in the church you serve. You sat by that man whose surgery was a matter of life and death. You gave him the assurance that God would be with him. Your presence gave him the calm and peace he needed to come through the procedure safely.

You also met with that homeless man who came to the church. You could have ignored him, but you saw him as one of “the least of these.” You ministered to him. You gave him food. You found a place for him to stay. And you shared the gospel of Christ with him.

You are my pastor who takes calls in the middle of the night. You were awakened abruptly by the teenager’s parents when he was in the terrible automobile accident. You arrived at the hospital in time for his mom and dad to fall on your shoulders . . .

Read the rest here (please!).

10 Simple Things Good Pastors Say

Published on May 19, 2011 in Church and Leadership. 0 Comments

Jared Wilson writes a thoughtful list of 10 things good pastors say.  Given my own shortcomings, I have ample opportunities for 1 and 2.

Click through to the list.

HT: JT