The Web Site and Blog of Author and Pastor Chris Brauns
True or False: If we do everything right in our local church, the our people will be completely unified.
I recently posted on how this statement is often misapplied to a pastoral search on the When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search web site. You can read that post here.
See also, Expect Conflict.
Do you know of a church looking for a pastor?
When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search is now shipping. Kevin DeYoung (who endorsed it) posted on it this morning on the Gospel Coalition blog:
Earlier this year I was asked to write an endorsement for Chris Brauns’ book When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search: Biblical Principles and Practices to Guide Your Search
(Moody 2o11). I can’t do many blurbs (fewer and fewer all the time), but I really liked Chris’ last book (Unpacking Forgiveness) and the topic for this new book sounded interesting.
Obviously, this book will not scratch everyone’s itch. In fact, if everyone in the congregation starts reading this book, the pastor is bound to get anxious. And the board will get antsy if your pastor starts passing out the book at the next leaders retreat. So this is not a must read for everyone.
But it is for anyone on a search committee. Most Christians will have a pastoral search process take place in their church at some point. And from the stories I hear, many search committees have no idea what they’re doing.
Read the rest here.
My next book, When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search: Biblical Principles and Practices to Guide Your Search
If you know someone involved in a pastoral search, send them by the new site. There are a number of helps available on the web page. A sample chapter is available.
Click here to go to my new blog.
My next book has not yet been released, but you can preview, When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search: Biblical Principles and Practices to Guide Your Search (Believer’s Lifesystem), on Amazon.
Brauns highlights for 2010 (D.V.!). We are thankful for your prayers.
As Kipling said, leaders must, keep their heads when all men doubt them, yet make allowance for their doubting too. We must always be strong enough in our foundational commitments to Christ that we don’t topple every time someone questions us. Yet, we have to be humble and listen (Proverbs 19:20).
Still, no one has ever led anything without there being small critics who lob missiles from the cheap seats. If you are humble and on your knees before Christ, yet, you face a barrage of criticism, bear in mind the encouragement of President Roosevelt gave at the dedication of the Panama Canal: small minded critics are like bubbles that float down the stream.
Why, gentlemen, there never was a great feat done yet that there were not some men evil enough, small enough, or foolish enough, to wish to try to interfere with it and to sneer at those who are actually doing the work. From time to time, little men will come along to find fault with what you have done; to say that something could have been done better; that there has been some mistake, some shortcoming; that things are not really managed in the best of all possible manners, in the best of all possible worlds. They will have their say and they will go downstream like bubbles; they will vanish; butt he work you have done will remain for the ages. It is the man who does the job who counts, not the little scolding critic who thinks how it ought to have been done. President Theodore Roosevelt at the dedication of the Panama Canal. November 16, 1906
Many going into ministry assume that the greatest source of pain in the pastorate will be inflicted by those who do not profess faith in Christ.
D.A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge wisely counsel those considering the pastorate:
Read through Paul’s epistles rather rapidly in three or four sittings and observe that it was his relations with Christians that gave him the greatest pain. Should you end up in vocational ministry, your experience will not be any different.
Perhaps, the reason it hurts so much is that to be called to to the pastorate is to be given by the Spirit a heart for a flock. We’re always most vulnerable to those we love.
I read today to great profit Gordon’s recent book on preaching or the lack thereof. I would recommend it for pastors. (Gordon will make you feel a bit defensive at points which is a good thing). I would also recommend this book for pastoral search committees.
In a footnote Gordon had this bit on watching television. I’m guessing he is not a real big fan. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he buys televisions just so he can smash them.
Television-watching prohibits [the discernment needed to distinguish the significant from the insignificant]. One simply cannot regard the significant as more important than the insignificant, and then plop himself in front of a television for two to three hours an evening. The only way the conscience can survive such a colossal waste of a human life is for the individual to refuse to entertain the question of the difference between the significant and the insignificant.
He’s right, of course. But, it’s okay to watch 24. I absolve you. But, nothing else but 24 and Jack is underground for the summer. Turn the television off. Read something.
If nothing else, read through the prayer suggestions at the end.
Most pastoral search committes / pulpit nominating committees would say that they believe prayer is important. But, how many really pray . . . As always, it would be encouraging to hear if you find this helpful. You can e-mail me at chris at theredbrickchurch.org (or course, you have to use the @ sign without spaces).
Let me say at the onset, I do NOT think pastoral search committees or pulpit nominating committees should only interview a potential pastor about preaching. But, certainly, preaching should be a major part of what they interview a potential pastor about.Below are some potential interview questions about preaching. You probably won’t want to use them all. Maybe you will only want to use one or two. But, at least these give some idea of how you might interview a potential pastor about preaching.
I know the questions are all numbered one. When I pasted the material into my blog, it did that with the numbers, and I don’t have the energy to change them all right now. . .
If this material is helpful, I would love to hear about it. You can e-mail me at chris at theredbrickchurch.org.
Read endorsements for Unpacking Forgiveness here.
Click here to order Unpacking Forgiveness.
“. . . Chris Brauns has done a magnificent job in helping us understand the true nature of biblical forgiveness. Every Christian will profit from reading and applying this book.” Jerry Bridges.
“ . . . Unpacking Forgiveness is an engaging, convicting but emphatically encouraging treatment of this hugely important (and sometimes mindbogglingly challenging) part of life. Dr. Brauns writes from the standpoint of a faithful, wise, experienced and caring pastor . . .” Ligon Duncan, First Pres, Jackson, MS
A Brick in the Valley
