Category Archives: Pastors

Disciple and discipline: Interesting how much they have in common

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You will know the name Jimmy Doolittle.

He flew those bi-planes in World War I for the United States, and then barn-stormed throughout the 1920’s, giving thrills by taking risks you would not believe. He led the retaliatory bombing of Tokyo in early 1942, a few months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. He played a major role in the Allied victory over the Axis, eventually becoming a General. His autobiography is titled I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.

Doolittle and his wife Joe (that’s how she spelled it) had two sons, Jim and John, both of whom served in the Second World War.

The general wrote about the younger son:

John was in his plebe year at West Point and the upperclassmen were harassing him no end…. While the value of demeaning first-year cadets is debatable, I was sure “Peanut” could survive whatever they dreamed up.

Later, General Doolittle analyzes his own strengths and weaknesses and makes a fascinating observation:

(I) have finally come to realize what a good thing the plebe year at West Point is. The principle is that a man must learn to accept discipline before he can dish it out. I have never been properly disciplined. Would have gotten along better with my superiors if I had. s

“I have never been properly disciplined.” What an admission. It takes a mature person to say that.

From what I read, Doolittle was not exaggerating. He was a man with a thousand strengths, but his few weaknesses kept creeping up and blindsiding him. Numerous times, even after he became a national hero, the officers in charge of his current assignment would ground him because of crazy stunts like buzzing airfields upside down and flying under bridges and endangering his passengers.

Prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944), the actual place and time were the biggest secrets on the planet. Everyone was sworn to silence. Doolittle tells of a general who shot his mouth off in a bar, talking freely about the invasion, speculating on when and where, even though he personally had not been briefed.

Eisenhower had no patience with such foolishness.

The next day, that general was on a plane back to the States and had been demoted to a colonel.

He learned self-discipline the hard way.

What lack of discipline looks like.

Doolittle observed that had he ever been properly disciplined, he would have related to his superiors better.

That’s one way you can tell the lack of discipline–how one relates to authority.

Those who teach these things say that in checking out prospective ministers for your church staff, you will want to look into the relationship of that individual with his father. If he is improperly related to his father, look for trouble with you his supervisor.

Lack of discipline shows up in so many ways:

—In sloppy workmanship.

–In a rebellious, rule-breaking attitude.

–In an immature resentment of authority.

–In being unable to say ‘no’ to oneself.

The story of High Priest Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas from I Samuel 2 illustrates the kind of lawless behavior caused by a lack of discipline.

Now, Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel (referring to their sinful behavior as priests in the Tabernacle). …. And he said to them, ‘Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? No, my sons, for the report is not good that I hear the Lord’s people circulating. If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?’ But they would not listen to the voice of their father (and God decided they deserved the death penalty).

We read that and think, “Eli, you are the high priest! These sons are accountable to you. You can fire them, demote them, and send them home. Instead, all you can say is ‘what I hear is not good’ and ‘God will judge you’? Is that it?”

The sons paid dearly for the father’s failure to discipline them from an early age.

Whose job is it to teach discipline?

Answer: The parents, teachers, coaches, scoutmasters, choir leaders, pastors, grandparents, and bosses.

Those to whom we looked for guidance growing up did us a great injustice if they did not hold us accountable for our work and at least make an honest effort to teach us self-discipline.

In the absence of being taught discipline in childhood, we are obligated to become our own teacher, to put ourselves through the paces, to learn to say ‘no’ when tempted to take the easy way out, and to say ‘yes, you will stay and do your job’ when to quit and go home looks so attractive.

It’s not called “self-discipline” without reason.

The Bible puts a high prize on this kind of discipline.

So many Proverbs come to mind here….

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (Pr. 13:1)

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who roles his spirit, than he who captures a city. (Pr. 16:32) The hardest person to conquer is often ourselves.

Understanding is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the discipline of fools is folly. (Pr. 16:22) Some people cannot be disciplined.

Shreveport pastor Perry Lassiter pointed out that “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) makes the same point. The Greek praus (meek, gentle) refers to those who are so strong they control themselves. The word is the opposite of uncontrolled, self-indulgent, or self-assertive. Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29, and Scripture calls Moses the meekest man on the earth (Numbers 12:3).

Perry said the word praus referred to tame animals. They were mighty in strength, but were able to do wonderful feats because that strength was controlled and focused.

Paul told young Timothy, With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth (II Timothy 2:25).

The fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22-23, involves nine Christlike qualities,  the eighth being “self-control.” The believer who cannot control his impulses still has miles to go before attaining maturity and effectiveness in the Kingdom.

The most perfect picture of the strength-under-control which is the ultimate self-discipline is our Lord on the cross. Peter said, While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously (I Peter 2:23).

So, what does discipline look like?

–Discipline looks like Jesus on the cross. For the joy set before Him, (He) endured the cross, despising the shame…. Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:2-3). Discipline stays with the hard job because the payoff is worth it.

–Discipline looks like Jesus when arrested. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place…. Do you think I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:51-53) Discipline does not retaliate, but keeps its focus and its cool.

–Discipline looks like Jesus on trial. Like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7). On trial, K(ing Herod) questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing (Luke 23:9). Discipline control its tongue. (See James 3)

Pity the church with an undisciplined pastor.

The undisciplined pastor will get some things right, but not consistently. He will often produce great sermons for which he did the requisite study and preparation, but he will also be lazy for long periods and rerun old sermons.

The congregation with such a pastor will never know whether to count on the pastor or not. His word, given quickly, cannot be depended on. He will initiate programs but not follow through, make commitments which he does not keep, and have good intentions which come to little.

The undisciplined pastor will set goals and forget them, begin disciplines for self-improvement and church health and grow tired of them, and become a poster child for overeating, under-exercising, and chronic excuse-making.

The well-disciplined pastor is a winner.

He reminds us of the praiseworthy woman of Proverbs 31. She sees a field and buys it. She plants a vineyard. Her lamp does not go out by night. She is not afraid of cold weather for she has prepared warm clothing for the family. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The disciplined spiritual leader is able to lead the people of God because he has conquered himself.

He does not retaliate when accused, but stays the course. He is able to love the attackers.

He does not carry grudges or harbor resentments when offended or mistreated. He is able to forgive and go forward.

He uses his time wisely, takes care of his health, and leaves no part of his ministry unattended.

In fact, the more I think about it, my pastor friend Dr. Mike Miller is the epitome of the disciplined man of the Lord. Mike worked as a jet pilot in industry before coming to Christ, and was thus forced to learn early on the value of self-discipline and the dangers of its lack.  Mike owns two doctorates and is a great student of the Word.  He is well acquainted with current theological trends, and keeps up with important books in his field. When he stands to preach, the congregation never doubts that it will receive a well-studied and thoroughly thought-through message.

As one who has wasted more than a little time over my life, I look with great appreciation at the great way this pastor–any pastor!–invests his life.

Maybe pastors need a plebe year.

Let’s say it’s the first year of seminary. The upper classmen (and upperclasswomen) yell at them, harass them, and act like self-righteous church-members who demand their rights. They call them all hours of the night, asking them to get out of bed and meet a family in the ICU at the hospital. They catch the seminary student just before worship and criticize him, threaten him with the loss of his job unless certain adjustments are made, and see that his mind is on anything but worship.

Is that how normal life is for the pastor?

Well, to be fair, it’s not all that way. Often a pastor can go, oh, a full month without a church member making unfair demands or a deacon threatening him with unemployment.

In the short run, it’s painful. In the long run, it’s what we signed on for.

When our Lord was sending out the disciples, He cautioned them on the mistreatment they could expect. Then He added, A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! (Matthew 10:24-25)

We go into the ministry expecting this, and sooner or later, we get it. What we do not expect, what comes as a surprise, is the source of the mistreatment: from within the family.

Godly pastors with proven track records often contact me to say their deacons are pressuring them to obey their list of requirements or to leave. The pastor who takes a strong stand for the Lord often ends up paying a price.

To the pastors and other ministers who are laboring on faithfully under such ungodly bombardment, I have a word for you from God’s Word: God is not unjust so as to forget your work, and the love that you have shown toward His name, in having ministered to the saints and in still ministering. (Hebrews 6:10)

Be faithful, brethren.

How to spot a fake

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In the latter months of World War II, as the Allies were closing in on Germany, the Nazis developed a ruse that worked well for a while.

They would find German soldiers who spoke English well and dress them as Americans. They would arrange for them to be “lost” and to rejoin the Allied forces as they moved forward. Their task: to infiltrate the American troops and assassinate Generals Eisenhower and Patton.

In time, the good guys developed some tests for exposing the fakes. One German was cut down by the Americans when they saw how he was walking. He was ramrod straight whereas all our troops slouched when they walked.

Another group learned to address the soldier using “pig Latin.” If he was stymied by that, he was exposed.

And they developed questions. Two, I recall, were: Who is Betty Grable? and What position did Lou Gehrig play?

The answers were: movie star/pinup girl and first base for the Yankees. It was understood that every GI in the world would know this.

If you have been in the warfare against the forces of righteousness and the enemies of all that is good and holy for any period of time, you have come up against counterfeits and pretenders, fakes and shams.

The question is, how do you tell? And what should we do about them?

Across the world, untold millions of Christians cannot afford a Bible and have trouble feeding their families. And yet, here in this country, some preach that following Jesus is the road to great wealth. They drive expensive automobiles, live in million-dollar homes, and think nothing of investing a small fortune in clothing and jewelry. They give a pittance to missions overseas and when confronted, will drag out a few children they have assisted to silence critics.

Are they fakes? Absolutely.

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Word wrangling: the preachers’ rodeo event

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“Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.” (II Timothy 2:14)

I’m not sure most of us preachers fully believe the scriptural command to avoid word-fights.

After all, aren’t some words worth wrangling over?

“Wrangling about words” conjures images of cowboys at the corral trying to tame a bucking theological term that won’t hold still.

It’s an interesting translation of the Greek logomacheo, with the logo meaning “word” and macheo referring to fighting.  “Wrangling” is as good a translation as any. Maybe “wrestling,” or simply “fighting over words.”  (Logomacheo is found only here in the New Testament, but the noun logomachia, found in I Timothy 6:4, is translated “disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth….”  A little free information there. )

Be that as it may, many of us preachers do love to argue about words.

Wonder why that is.

The Apostle Paul suggests the problem is our “depraved minds.”  Those old natures do enjoy a good dare, a challenge, a fight.

A pastor friend said, “When I was a young pastor, there is nothing I enjoyed more than arguing with another preacher about some issue or other.”  He grew out of it, thankfully.

Well, why shouldn’t we love a good fight over biblical words? Here are some reasons why Paul says it’s a bad idea….

–it’s useless. (2 Timothy 2:14).  That is, it settles nothing.

–it leads to the ruin of the hearers. (2:14 again)  The word “ruin” is literally catastrophe which means “destruction.”

–And, according to I Timothy 6:4-5, such wrangling leads to “envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction.”  Looks like some excellent reasons to avoid that corral and leave those mavericks to someone else.

A couple of current stories about word-wrangling which may (or may not) make the point….

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The pastor should be the host of the church service

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“…fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

That morning as I had breakfast in the hotel dining room, a tall blonde lady entered the room and called out, “Good morning, everyone.” I figured she had to be the hotel manager.

She was.

Terri told me later–as I sketched her–she had been on the job just two weeks. “Before, I managed a hotel in Opelika,” a few miles down the interstate.  I complimented her on the way she greeted people. And I told her something.

I work with pastors. And I end up reminding some that they are the manager of this enterprise. They are the chief greeter. The mood-setter.

The pastor is the actual worship leader. No matter who else wears that title.

A word to the pastors among us….

You have a unique opportunity as the undershepherd of the Lord’s flock.  You are the overseer (See Acts 20:28 and I Peter 5:2-3).

This means you are in charge.

Get out there and greet people.  Be confident.  You are the daddy in the room.  Act like it. Make sure needs are being met, that your staff is on the job and carrying out their assignments, and that visitors are greeted and assisted in finding their way.

I am not suggesting you act like a boss, but rather, that you show yourself as the chief servant, here to bless everyone, make sure each person is feeling a welcome in the house of the Lord, and seeing to any questions or difficulties.

A visiting evangelist pointed something out to me.

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If you enter the ministry, bring a healthy curiosity!

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I came by it honestly. My dad, a coal miner with a 7th grade education, was interested in everything. He read and learned and talked to us of all kinds of subjects.

In college, I changed my major from physics to history because the professors in the science building were focusing more and more on tinier and tinier segments of the universe. But history deals with it all, every person who ever lived, every civilization, every lesson learned. Nothing is off limits to history.

That did it for me.

I’m reflecting on a life-changing week I enjoyed. On a Monday afternoon, I was among a busload of preachers and spouses from across Europe who spent several hours touring the ruins of Pompeii, the Italian city devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in August of A.D. 79. It was truly unforgettable. So much so, that….

After my arrival home in New Orleans 36 hours later, I was in our public library reading up on Pompeii. I checked out a Robert Harris novel Pompeii, and finished it the next night. (Note: I recommend anything Mr. Harris writes. The best historical novelist ever.)

I felt like I had been living in Pompeii that week.

I returned to the library and checked out everything I could find on Pompeii.

Okay.  The question is…

Why? Of what possible use is this in my ministry?

Answer: I have no idea. Maybe no use at all, maybe a lot.

A strong curiosity is a wonderful thing for any Christian to have, but particularly preachers. Why?

Well, several reasons….

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The time I rebuked our guest preacher

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She called to confirm that I was indeed coming to address her church’s seniors at their monthly meeting.  “Yes,” I assured her. I had it on my calendar.

Then she said, “Brother Joe, can I talk straight to you?”

Absolutely.

“The last speaker we had,” she said, “was awful.  He had promised to speak on (some subject; I forget what) but when he rose to speak, he preached three sermons–I mean he went on for an hour–and never once dealt with what he had promised.  He was harsh and hard to listen to.  Honestly, it was offensive.”

“The people are still talking about it.”

She was quiet a moment, and said, “We don’t want a repeat of that.”

I took a couple of minutes to tell her what I would be speaking on.  That satisfied her.  And a few days later, she called to say they were all pleased.

I have been where she sat.  I know the feeling, and I appreciate her boldness.

It takes a certain amount of courage–call it moxie or nerve or bravery–to confront a speaker, whether before or during or after he finishes.

Here is my story.

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What is a pastor’s heart? He wanted to know.

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A young pastor who feels he might be out of place in leading a church sent me a note. With the constant demands upon his time and the unending situations that call for wisdom and patience, he’s feeling like the fellow who was eaten alive by a school of minnows. He wonders if he’s cut out to be a pastor.

He said, “I hear people talking about those who have the heart of a pastor. What exactly is that?”

Great question. I’ve preached since the early 1960’s but have never been asked that until now.

Perhaps a pastor’s heart is like what someone said of art: “I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.”

Here are some clues to the identity of a pastor’s heart…. 

–My friend Chris was grieving over the reassignment of their church’s associate minister and his family to a new congregation several states away. In the church hallway, she was passing one of the women on the church staff. The minister said, “Good morning, Chris. How are you today?”

Chris burst into tears.

With that, the minister pulled up a chair and gave Chris the next 30 minutes of her day. In telling me about it–and expressing her wonder at such sensitivity and kindness from the staff member–Chris said, “They must teach this in the seminary.”

No. They don’t. It’s what a pastor’s heart looks like.

I’m tempted to say that one either has a pastor’s heart or he/she doesn’t. But it’s probably not that harsh. The Lord who specializes in giving new hearts (Ezekiel 36:26) can surely tweak the heart of a willing servant to make it even more loving and gracious.

–Rudy French is a preacher, an evangelist, and, with his wife Rose, a member of the Southern Baptist Mission Service Corps. At the time of this event, Rudy was on a mission in Korea. He sent me this note.

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The minister should be able to teach

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“And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged….” (2 Timothy 2:24).

I am a teacher.

When I was a senior in high school, a classmate gave me one of those unforgettable moments that lives in one’s mind forever. Principal Andy Davis had summoned me to his office to help classmate Jerry Crittenden with a math problem. Now, Jerry was a big football player, lovable and kind-hearted, and a joy to be around. But in math, the guy was lost.

Toward the end of our session, Jerry said, “Joe, you should be a teacher. I can understand it the way you explain it.”

Eighteen months later, following a frustrating freshman year of college that taught me one huge thing–I do not want to major in physics!–I realized I was called to be a teacher. The Father had gifted me with a love for history as well as a delight in learning, and had surrounded me with some excellent teachers as role models.

At the time, I thought the idea was to become a history teacher in high school and later, after getting the necessary education, in college. Then, as a senior in college, God called me to preach. Soon I was pastoring churches and preaching every Sunday. However, I think members of my churches over these years would say Joe never quit teaching.

And that’s good.  I love to teach.

Able to teach. What an interesting thing the Apostle Paul did. In the middle of calling his preachers to hold down the noise, to quieten the arguments, and still the controversies, he wants them gentle and patient and kind–and able to teach.

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What Scripture says to young preachers still applies

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“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Timothy 4:11-12).

Most of us started preaching when we were young.

We automatically made a ton of mistakes.  it just goes with the territory, and no young minister should beat himself up over it.

Young preachers can  be shallow, silly, arrogant, sloppy, and most of all ignorant.   I’ve been a young preacher and at one time or the other, was all of those.

When I began preaching, as a college student, I filled my messages with slang and preached a lot of things I’d heard and thought about (but not thought through!), but very little from the Word.

I didn’t know enough of the Word to be able to preach it.

When I began preaching, I searched the Scripture for texts which would lend themselves to my shallow, superficial type of preaching.  I wanted catchy phrases, clear and picturesque sentences which would encourage me to venture out with creative ideas of my own, which I would then attempt to adapt to scripture (!).

I didn’t know any better.  I had never made an attempt to learn the Scriptures, but had heard messages from all over the place, many of them the very kind of preaching I was now attempting.  To say I’d not had exemplary role models is an understatement.

My college preparation had been for the classroom, not for the pulpit. I had not been to seminary.   And even after I got to seminary, I did not suddenly become mature and wise and smart.

I’m still working on that.

In the early days my preparation during the week consisted of trying to find a snappy text, worrying over a passage, fretting over it, trying to find two or three good points my mind would grasp and from which I might branch out with some haranguing and harassing of the congregation.  It’s what I’d been shown by example to do.

I feel like going back to my first two churches and apologizing.

Let no man despise thy youth.

I know what that means.  It takes very little imagination to conjure up images of seasoned adults entering churches where I would be preaching and leaving shaking their heads.  It wasn’t that I was preaching heresy or offending people by my pulpit mannerisms or style of dress.  And my language wasn’t terrible.

I just wasn’t doing much of anything.  Because I didn’t know any better.

So, we can share Paul’s concern about this young pastor sent to shepherd the Lord’s people in the city of Ephesus.

 

Here is how The Message rephrases Paul’s admonition to young Pastor Timothy—

Don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young.  Teach believers with your life:  by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.  Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching.  And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed–keep that dusted off and in use. Cultivate these things.  Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted.  Just keep at it….

Young ministers need lots of reminders and many friends along the way who believe in them strongly enough to speak encouragement, truth, and discipline to them.

Let no man despise thy youth.  

John MacArthur says Timothy was in his thirties, “still young by the standards of that culture.”  Both Hebrew and Greek culture placed a premium on age and experience.

It’s interesting watching the various ways churches relate to young preachers.  One of my pastor friends went to the biggest church in his state when he was 31.  I became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Columbus MS at 33.  And yet, I have known churches not running a hundred to reject a preacher in his thirties as “too young.”

Then, at the same time, we see churches rejecting prospective pastors in their 50s and 60s as too old.  It’s ridiculous, of course.  I’m 84 years old and loving preaching the Word as much as I ever have in all these years.

Dr. Mac Brunson made the news a few years back when he moved from the mega-FBC of Jacksonville Florida to Birmingham’s Valleydale Baptist Church.  I think he was 60 years old.  Good for him and good for them.  I hope he stays 20 years.  And I hope some churches looking for preachers take a lesson from Valleydale and quit demanding a shepherd who is 35 years old with 40 years of experience.

I know pastors who are wise and mature at 30 and some who are immature and shallow at 60.  Age is irrelevant.  When will God’s churches ever learn that?

Be thou an example… 

–Be an example of believers in word.  In speech.  Every generation of young people seems to develop its own speech to define it and differentiate itself from the oldsters.  Young pastors, try not to sound like a kid.  Be mature.

—Be an example of believers in conduct.  Righteous living.  Young pastor, show the congregation what righteous behavior looks like.

—Be an example of believers in love.  Caring for others, valuing them highly.  Young pastor, show the congregation what it means to love one another.  Embody the verses of John 13:34-35.

—Be an example of believers in faith.  In faithfulness and steadfastness.  Immature people can be flighty and quick to discouragement.  Young pastor, show the congregation–and other young people–how to remain steady even when things aren’t going to suit them.

—Be an example of believers in purity.  Purity in thought, righteousness in speech, godliness in action.  Youth is a time of great adjustments, development, and raging hormones.  Young pastor, demonstrate settled maturity and godliness in spirit and personal life.

Practice these things. Be committed to them.  Be conscientious about yourself and your teaching.  Persevere in these things…. (2 Timothy 4:15-16).

Stay with the plan, young pastor.  Do not try to be an overnight sensation.  Work at becoming what God has intended you to be.  Steady as she goes, as they say.

Work at it.

Sometimes when I’m sketching, almost invariably someone standing nearby will ask, “Are you self-taught or have you had training?”  Actually, there is no simple answer to that.

—Yes, I’m self-taught.  And yes, I’ve had training.  And yes, I’m still working at learning to draw, even though I’ve been doing this in one way or the other for nearly eight decades.

–In a sense, anyone who learns a skill is self-taught.  You can sit in a classroom or workshop under the instruction of a gifted teacher, but you’re still going to have to do it yourself. You are the one who decides whether you will learn.

Let the young minister determine to apply himself, to focus, to learn his Bible, to learn how to craft a sermon and how to deliver it.  Let him learn how to deal with difficult church members because no pastor gets a pass on that.  They’re in every church, and they predominate in several.

How does a young minister learn to pastor a church? Here are some answers…

  1. Observe those who are doing it well.  In my younger years, the Lord called me to the staff of one of the largest churches in our state where I was able to watch seasoned ministers visit the hospitals, work with a huge body of deacons, preach before congregations of many hundreds with television cameras broadcasting their every word to the corners of the state.  I saw the pastor tackle huge problems and deal with strong laymen, saw it up close, but without having to make any of the decisions myself.  Then, when the Father sent me to pastor a medium sized church three hours away, I was ready.
  2. Just do it.  We learn by our successes and by our failures. Especially our failures.  There is something about the human animal that wants to think if a program went well we must be good at what we are doing.  But if it was a disaster, we need to go back and study what we did and improve on it.  Therefore, we learn more from our losses than our gains.
  3. Read, read, read.
  4. Ask questions of those who are doing it well.  You can learn from other ministers, no matter the size of their congregations. I urge pastors to join the local ministerial association and befriend each person.  Each one has something to teach you, if you pay attention.
  5. Study the Word and stay on your knees in prayer.
  6. Keep a journal.  At the end of each day, record what happened, who visited you, what was said, the challenges you dealt with.  In time, this will be one of the most valuable treasuries of leadership-lessons you possess.
  7. When you bring an outstanding minister or professor to your congregation, ask him to remain an additional day so you can sit in your office with him, picking his brain, tossing out your questions.  You’re taking notes all the time, and after the session ends, you write down everything you learned and want to remember. (And of course, you will pay the guest well for doing this.)
  8. When you are secluded with an outstanding lay leader/businessman-type in your church for an hour or more, interview him.  I was in my 40s and pastoring in North Carolina.  One of my deacons had been appointed by President Reagan to a high office in the federal government.  Once, when his wife had surgery in Winston Salem, three hours away, I sat in the waiting room with him all morning while he told me his story, how he had gone from being an unknown banker in Charlotte to president of the American Bankers Association.  I never forgot those stories and insights and have benefited immensely.
  9. Never stop learning. No one knows it all.  You never reach a point of saturation.
  10. Find ways of teaching what you have learned to other young ministers. There is something about the teaching process that forces you to get clear on what had been fuzzy and then fixes forever in your mind the lessons you are sharing.

 

 

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My wish for every pastor

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“Brethren, do not be children in your thinking…..but in your thinking be mature” (I Corinthians 14:20).

I could wish that every pastor would use discernment. That he would “be smart.”

To put it another way, I wish every pastor would determine that in the new year, he is going to do nothing impulsively, out of fear, or motivated by false guilt.

The “un-smart” pastor–to coin a term–does things that are unwise and unhealthy and in the long run, not beneficial to the Kingdom nor to his people.

Here is my take what an unsmart pastor does about his preaching–

1) The unsmart pastor skips the hard work of sermon preparation. He is lazy.

The smart pastor knows this is his most important work and is always thinking about the next sermons, even to the point of rising from the bed and looking up something that occurred to him.

Pastors would do well to use this time just after Christmas and early in January when nothing much is going on to make long-range plans for his preaching.

2) The unsmart pastor refuses to do long-range planning for sermons, but decides this week what to preach next Sunday.  He is shallow–and will work himself into an early grave.

The best sermons are not microwaved but marinated.

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