Pastors are depicted as shepherds, servants, and leaders responsible for guiding and protecting the flock, reflecting Christ’s example (John 21:16; 1 Peter 5:2). Illustrations often contrast good and poor pastoral care, using images like shepherds defending sheep from wolves or servants faithfully laboring. They highlight the challenges, responsibilities, and sometimes failures inherent in spiritual leadership.
The late Duke of Wellington once met a young clergyman, who, being aware of his Grace's former residence in the East, and of his familiarity with the ignorance and obstinacy of the Hindus in support of their false religion, gravely proposed the following question: "Does not your Grace think it almost useless and absurd to preach the Gospel to the Hindus?" The Duke immediately rejoined: "Look, sir, to your marching orders, 'Preach the Gospel to every creature.'"
-F. F. Trench
On a lovely Sunday morning in August we arrived at Osborne. We were desirous of seeing Her Majesty, but did not succeed. We only saw her house, her gardens, and her retainers. Then we went to Whippingham Church, having been told that the Queen would attend service. But again we were disappointed. We only saw the seat the august lady was known to occupy. The ladies and gentlemen of the court came to church, and those we saw; we even heard the court-chaplain preach, but of the sovereign we saw nothing. Well, this was a disappointment we could easily get over. But with me it led to a serious frame of thought. I said to myself: "What if the flock committed to your care should come to church to see the King of kings, and yet through some fault of yours not get to see Him! What if you, the great King's dependent, detain men with yourself, by your words and affairs and all sorts of important matters which yet are trifles in comparison with Jesus! May it not be that we ministers often thus disappoint our congregations?
-Pastor Funcke
St. Francis, reflecting on a story he heard of a mountaineer in the Alps, who had risked his life to save a sheep, says: "Oh, God, if such was the earnestness of this shepherd in seeking for a lowly animal, which had probably been frozen on the glazier, how is it that I am so indifferent in seeking my sheep?"
"Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul makes this request seven times in his epistles. He knew that the success of the minister depended largely on the prayers of God's people. Some congregations seem to be pervaded largely by a heavenly atmosphere. You feel its hallowed influence the moment you enter the house. It matters not how rich may be the tones of a bell; if it be struck in vacuo or under water, you get no sound, or only a heavy thud; strike it in the air and how mellow its notes ring out. So with preaching in or out of the atmosphere of devotion. A praying people make a strong pulpit. A Paul may plant and an Apollos may water, but it is God who gives the increase, and He gives it only in answer to prayer.
Much of a pastor's success results from his wife's prayers, steadiness, encouragement, and correction. Her contentment rests largely on his recognition of her as his help-meet.
Perhaps no one in the entire church has as difficult a job as the pastor's wife. But if her husband praises her (Proverbs 31:28), he will find her his greatest support. She will be blessed by knowing they both serve Christ.
We have to understand that the model of our family life outweighs our finest messages.
The church looks beyond the sermon and into the home.
-David S. Gotaas From "Who's Keeping Your Vineyard?"
Moody Monthly
There is one person in your church
Who knows your preacher's life
Who wept and smiled and prayed with him,
And that's your preacher's wife.
The crowd has seen him in his strength,
When wielding God's sharp sword,
As underneath God's banner folds
He faced the devil's horde.
But deep within her heart she knows
That scarce an hour before,
She helped him pray the glory down
Behind the closet door.
She's heard him groaning in his soul
When bitter raged the strife,
As, hand in his, she knelt with him
For she's the preacher's wife!
You tell your tales of prophets brave
Who marched across the world,
And changed the course of history,
By burning words they hurled.
And I tell how back of each
Some woman lived her life,
Who wept with him and smiled with him-
She was the preacher's wife.
-Author unknown Baptist Challenge
News item: SHEEP SHOOTS SLEEPING SHEPHERD
Egyptian shepherd Mokhtar Adam Fadl was sleeping soundly beside his flock when he was shot dead – by one of his sheep. The animal killed Fadl by kicking his gun and accidentally firing it, police said. The shot hit Fadl in the chest as the 20-year-old Bedouin slept in the desert near Sidi Barrani, northwest Egypt. Police in the district of Marsa Matrouh said they confiscated the locally made gun as it was not licensed. They took the sheep away, but not to prison.
Now THAT got your attention — a weird piece of news I thought would wake you up! But wait a minute, how weird IS it really? Do you know any “shepherds of the flock of God” who have been wounded by the “sheep of the pasture,” one or more of the saintly congregation who choose to slander, cause pain, and sometimes mortally wound a servant of God? It’s no laughing matter–and we’ve sobered up real quickly, haven’t we!
You see, I’m a P.K. – which actually means “preacher’s kid” though it may also mean “peculiar kid” or “precious kid”! And I know, from living in a parsonage and working closely with my pastor dad, a little of what it feels like to be “wounded” in the “house of the brethren.” Thank God, we need not remain wounded, for the GREAT Shepherd is able to bind up those wounds, to heal completely whatever hurt has been caused… BUT it does hurt… there is pain… and the sheep need to put away the guns and pray for the shepherd–not shoot him!
Are you one who has hurt your shepherd and his family? He’s not perfect, but he’s God’s servant–and is to be respected, loved, listened to, and prayed for! Great Shepherd of the Sheep, help us all–and if YOU have wounded your shepherd, may God give you the grace to make it right, to restore the relationship that God has ordained for your spiritual life…
Maybe you’re the wounded shepherd, his wife, or one of the kids! Come today to the Great Shepherd of the Sheep — let Him “dig out all the dirt” in those nasty, unfair, uncalled-for wounds, let Him pour on the ointment of the Holy Spirit’s comfort, bind up the wounds, and heal your heart today. He will–if you will let Him.
So much for the sheep shooting the shepherd–a weird piece of news, yes–but a thought-provoking message for us all! Believe it — find a way to love your shepherd and his family today–and you will have a great day!
Scripture: “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them… I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me (Jeremiah 32:38-40).”
Prayer: Great Shepherd of the Sheep, help us all. Whether we’re the sheep guilty of the wounding, or the shepherd who’s taken the blow, may You speak peace and healing to us all, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Examples of recent pastors who have fallen into sin. A magazine in a large southern city carried a 10 page cover story telling the raunchy tale of an independent Baptist church in the area. The pastor and two members, all brothers, are accused of flagrant sexual immorality. One swapped wives with a man in his former church; then both families moved to this new city. The other brother, who administrates the church school, had left his wife and the church he pastored and went to Florida with a 17 year old high school girl. He and his wife are back together now. The senior pastor is accused of sexual sin by five women in the church, three of whose names are given in the articles.
Another church nearby had a young pastor who defiled more than a dozen women in the church, left his wife, and married the wife of another man in the congregation. It was known he had been involved with numerous girls in his home church. (This part used 8/5/90)
[see also #590]
As many as four in ten pastors will be forced to leave a church -- either by firing or pressured resignation -- at least once during their ministry careers, according to researchers.
But experts in pastoral ministry say many forced terminations can be prevented by wise leadership, and very few terminations disqualify a pastor from future ministry.
“Sometimes the best pastors are still going to be in bad situations, and they have to know how to handle it when it comes and still walk with the Lord,” Hershael York, a preaching professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort, Ky., told Baptist Press. “The main thing a guy has to realize is that even when we go through this, it just cannot affect our faith and trust in Christ.”
Preventing terminations
Between 23 and 41 percent of pastors experience “forced termination” at least once, according to an article published last year in the Journal of Religion and Health. Some 452 Southern Baptist pastors and staff members were forcibly terminated in 2012, according to a forced terminations report compiled by state Baptist convention workers who deal with church in conflict.
The most common causes of forced termination among Southern Baptists are “control issues,” “pastor’s leadership style” and “poor people skills on the part of the pastor,” according to the forced terminations report. Among the top 15 causes of forced terminations, only two are related to sin by the pastor -- “ethical misconduct” at number 8 and “sexual misconduct” at number 10.
The “main cause” of terminations “is almost always personality conflict,” York said. Church members “buy on emotion and justify with facts. If a pastor does something that emotionally ticks someone off, what they’ll often do is start looking for a justification of why they don’t like that guy. It may be something fairly trivial and they know that, and so they can’t say the trivial thing that upsets them. Then they’ll look for the thing they can use” to force the pastor out.
Developing good people skills is a key facet of establishing a pastor’s ministry and guarding against forced termination, York said, noting that ministers must “think on the perceptual level” and determine how they can speak the truth without being “unnecessarily offensive.”
Among the most self-defeating statements a pastor can make are possessive references like “my church” and “my pulpit,” York said. He also cautioned against appearing arrogant and advised pastors to express their love for the church frequently.
“A pastor really needs to tell his church he’s grateful to be there, he’s thankful to be their pastor, he loves them,” York said. “It’s just hard for people to dislike somebody who’s always being grateful and expressing his affection for them.”
Social media and text messages make it easier than ever to stay in touch with church members and express affection, York said, though he cautioned pastors to use social media appropriately.
When conflict comes
Even when a pastor has good people skills, occasions may arise when a faction in the church pressures him to resign. In such instances, Jeff Iorg urged the pastor to seek outside help and pursue dialogue rather than conflict.
Baptist associations, state conventions and independent mediation ministries all offer assistance to pastors and congregations experiencing conflict, Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, told BP. He added that directors of missions and neighboring pastors can be valuable in helping to resolve conflict.
“Sometimes it’s hard for pastors to admit that they’re wrong,” that “they need to adjust” or that “church members are perhaps right” in their perception of problems, Iorg said. “An outsider can help” pastors see their mistakes and adjust.
Iorg acknowledged “there are people who are so entrenched in their opposition or so angry or so bitter or so difficult that [outside help] won’t solve the problem.”
Confrontational meetings and votes are almost never the best forum in which to settle disputes between a congregation and pastor, Iorg said.
“Pastors -- unless there’s a clear doctrinal or moral issue in play -- don’t need to force division into a church, if at all possible,” he said. “So they need to be as patient as possible to bring about a solution that doesn’t involve that kind of public confrontation.”
Roger S. Oldham, vice president for convention communications and relations with the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said a 1986 article in The Quarterly Review, a publication formerly produced by the Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) proved helpful to him many times in counseling pastors facing pressure to resign. The article advised pastors not to be intimidated into a resignation at the first signs of conflict with individual church members.
“Differences of opinion about vision and leadership within a local church are inevitable,” Oldham, a longtime pastor before assuming his current role at the EC, told BP in written comments. “Though powerful personalities can make it seem the easier way out, uprooting one’s family, with all the upheaval that entails, is seldom the best way to deal with those differences.”
The article, titled “Forced Termination?” and written by Howard V. Pendley III, summarized common arguments made by church members seeking a pastor’s resignation -- including the “it’s better for your family” argument -- and showed how those arguments are often inaccurate.
“It is seldom ‘better’ for one’s family to abruptly sever their friendship networks, move to a new location and face economic uncertainty merely because a few members may be dissatisfied with the pastor’s vision for the church,” Oldham said. Church members who use this line of reasoning “often show their own lack of support within the congregation and hope the pastor will meekly acquiesce to their wishes,” he said.
Other arguments discussed in the article include:
• “A large number of the members have expressed dissatisfaction with your ministry.”
Is the supposedly dissatisfied group “composed essentially of a fringe group of perennial malcontents; or does it represent the most highly respected, mainstream leadership of the church?” Pendley wrote. “If it is the former, the pastor may be intimidated into resigning; but so long as he maintains the support of the latter group, it’s not going to be easy to terminate him forcibly.”
• “Please don’t force us to take this to the church. If you do, there will be a terrible church fight, and the congregation will probably split.”
Pendley noted in response, “Churches do split; sometimes it’s better for everyone concerned if they do. But a church rarely splits over a dispute concerning its pastor. Unless the minister leaves, taking with him a substantial number of the church members, it’s not likely that the church will split. When the smoke clears, however the vote comes out, the composition of the church will usually be almost exactly what it was before the vote was taken.”
• “Pastor, everyone knows that it’s easier to find a job when you’ve got a job. We won’t be unreasonable. We’ll give you up to thirty days (or ninety days, or six months) to relocate. Your next church doesn’t even have to know about all this trouble.”
While it is true that finding a job is easier when a person has a job, “it’s unrealistic to believe that the pastor’s prospective new church won’t have investigated extensively enough to know at least something about the circumstances under which he left his former church,” Pendley wrote.
Pendley also presented do’s and don’ts for pastors under fire, including:
• Don’t panic. “You almost never have to make an instantaneous decision. Don’t let your critics force you to do so.”
• Don’t be intimidated.
• Don’t let the matter come to the church for a vote unless you’re reasonably sure you will be sustained.
• Do conduct a discreet poll of as many of the significant congregational leaders as you can identify.
Sin often is a combination of three things: an undetected weakness, an unexpected temptation and an unprotected life. "Put those three together and you have the making of tragedy," says Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee.
If pastors don't stay on guard, Rogers says, they can easily fall into sin, creating a chain reaction of consequences. The sin of casualness leads to carelessness, which develops into callousness, he says, for "sin fascinates and then assassinates. Sin is so deceitful."
Over the years, a person may become careless, especially those who have been in the ministry a long time because "we can think that we'll never be overcome by that sin or this sin."
"Then I've seen strange alchemy, a devilish metamorphosis takes place," Rogers says, of watching pastors stumble. "I've seen them do and say things that they would never have dreamt of doing or saying before they were hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Rogers challenges pastors to study the lives of the great men of God who committed sin. When they fell, "you'll find almost every one of them fell not at the point of their weakness but at the point of their strength," such as Abraham, who is known for his great faith, but did not have faith to trust God for the care of his wife, and Simon Peter, who is known for his courage but was reduced to cursing and denying Christ "at the finger-pointing of a little girl."
A Christian can be used for evil "if you take your eyes from Jesus Christ and become casual and careless," Rogers says. Before long that person will become callous, and that's when disaster can strike, including death.
Sin has a cost, so "deal with sin quickly," for a life of unconfessed sin leads to "spiritual dryness" and a lack of joy, Rogers says.
When a Christian sins, Rogers says God has four steps he can take that person through:
CONVICTION. Conviction is a feeling of being dirty, along with a desire for cleansing. However, "If you're living in sin and there's no conviction, let me just tell you plainly, you need to get saved," Rogers says. "If God's hand is not heavy upon you, you are lost." If a person does not get his life right with God because of conviction, then God uses a second step.
CHASTISEMENT. Chastisement can take a variety of forms, Rogers says, citing sickness, sorrow, failure and heartache. If after conviction and chastisement the Christian has not turned from his sin, Rogers says God uses a third step.
CHALLENGE. "You don't want to be there," Rogers said. Usually a challenge "will come only one time," from either a preacher, a family member, a tragedy or a sermon, "but God in some way will say, 'You are the man'" who did something wrong, as the prophet Nathan told King David. If a Christian still has not repented after conviction, chastisement and challenge, Rogers says God brings about a fourth and final step.
CONSUMMATION. At this point, Rogers says, God is saying, "Something is going to be done about this" because if a person is truly a child of God he cannot continue in sin. "I'm telling you, there is a line that you cannot cross," Rogers says. "God will kill you because you're his child. If you're living in sin and God kills you, you'd better thank God for it because if you're living in sin and God doesn't kill you, you've never been saved."
Rather than being casual, careless and then becoming callous toward sin, Rogers says, "I want to plead with you from my heart: Pay the price, stay pure." Though other ministers may give way to sin, "you cannot," and, he adds, "When you've been on the trail as long as I've been on the trail, I can promise you, you'll be so glad you did."
*
SMILE
A Sunday school teacher was teaching her class about the difference between right and wrong. "All right children, let's take another example," she said. "If I were to get into a man's pocket and take his billfold with all his money, what would I be?" Little Billy raises his hand, and with a confident smile, he blurts out, "You'd be his wife!" (NORMality)
A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon ask, "How do you know what to say?"
"Why, God tells me."
"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"
After a church service on Sunday Morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up."
"That's okay with us, but what made you decide that?"
"Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to set down and listen." (Sunday Funnies - Net 153)
Perhaps this article found in a church bulletin will interest
you. It's entitled, "How to Get Rid of a Pastor." Not long
ago a well-meaning group of laymen came from a neighboring
church to see me. They wanted me to advise them on some
convenient and painless method of getting rid of their pastor.
I'm afraid, however, that I wasn't much help to them. At the
time I had not had the occasion to give the matter serious
thought. But since then I have pondered the matter a great
deal, and the next time anyone comes for advice on how to get
rid of a pastor, here's what I'll tell him:
Look the pastor straight in the eye while he's preaching and say
"Amen" once in a while and he'll preach himself to death. Pat him on
the back and brag on his good points and he'll probably work himself
to death. Rededicate your life to Christ and ask the preacher for
some job to do, preferably some lost person you could win to Christ,
and he'll die of heart failure. Get the church to unite in prayer for
the preacher and he'll soon become so effective that a larger church
will take him off your hands.
Sin often is a combination of three things: an undetected weakness, an unexpected temptation and an unprotected life. "Put those three together and you have the making of tragedy," says Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee.
If pastors don't stay on guard, Rogers says, they can easily fall into sin, creating a chain reaction of consequences. The sin of casualness leads to carelessness, which develops into callousness, he says, for "sin fascinates and then assassinates. Sin is so deceitful."
Over the years, a person may become careless, especially those who have been in the ministry a long time because "we can think that we'll never be overcome by that sin or this sin."
"Then I've seen strange alchemy, a devilish metamorphosis takes place," Rogers says, of watching pastors stumble. "I've seen them do and say things that they would never have dreamt of doing or saying before they were hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
Rogers challenges pastors to study the lives of the great men of God who committed sin. When they fell, "you'll find almost every one of them fell not at the point of their weakness but at the point of their strength," such as Abraham, who is known for his great faith, but did not have faith to trust God for the care of his wife, and Simon Peter, who is known for his courage but was reduced to cursing and denying Christ "at the finger-pointing of a little girl."
A Christian can be used for evil "if you take your eyes from Jesus Christ and become casual and careless," Rogers says. Before long that person will become callous, and that's when disaster can strike, including death.
Sin has a cost, so "deal with sin quickly," for a life of unconfessed sin leads to "spiritual dryness" and a lack of joy, Rogers says.
When a Christian sins, Rogers says God has four steps he can take that person through:
CONVICTION. Conviction is a feeling of being dirty, along with a desire for cleansing. However, "If you're living in sin and there's no conviction, let me just tell you plainly, you need to get saved," Rogers says. "If God's hand is not heavy upon you, you are lost." If a person does not get his life right with God because of conviction, then God uses a second step.
CHASTISEMENT. Chastisement can take a variety of forms, Rogers says, citing sickness, sorrow, failure and heartache. If after conviction and chastisement the Christian has not turned from his sin, Rogers says God uses a third step.
CHALLENGE. "You don't want to be there," Rogers said. Usually a challenge "will come only one time," from either a preacher, a family member, a tragedy or a sermon, "but God in some way will say, 'You are the man'" who did something wrong, as the prophet Nathan told King David. If a Christian still has not repented after conviction, chastisement and challenge, Rogers says God brings about a fourth and final step.
CONSUMMATION. At this point, Rogers says, God is saying, "Something is going to be done about this" because if a person is truly a child of God he cannot continue in sin. "I'm telling you, there is a line that you cannot cross," Rogers says. "God will kill you because you're his child. If you're living in sin and God kills you, you'd better thank God for it because if you're living in sin and God doesn't kill you, you've never been saved."
Rather than being casual, careless and then becoming callous toward sin, Rogers says, "I want to plead with you from my heart: Pay the price, stay pure." Though other ministers may give way to sin, "you cannot," and, he adds, "When you've been on the trail as long as I've been on the trail, I can promise you, you'll be so glad you did."
*
If you are looking to grow deeper spiritually in the coming months, try one of the following next steps!
You were Planned for God’s Pleasure
Ask God to help you find purpose –-You’ll never find purpose until you’ve made the most important decision imaginable –-make God the CEO of your life. If you’ve never made that commitment to Christ, go here and Rick Warren will walk you through that important step.
Breath Prayers –-God wants us to connect with Him on a moment-by-moment basis. When we pray once a week or even once a day, we fail to take advantage of everything God has for us! Breath prayers are a great way to keep in contact with our Heavenly Father throughout our day. Just repeat short heart-felt prayers, such as “You are my God,” “I love you Lord,” and “Thank You, Jesus.” Consult Chapter 10 of The Purpose-Driven Life for more information.
Commit it all to God –-Your Heavenly Father wants every bit of your life, even the parts you don’t want to give –-especially the parts you don’t want to give! Take a look at your life and find the areas you haven’t really given over to Him. Make a commitment to surrender those areas now. Where do you start? Start with the one part of your life that came to your mind when you were asked to commit it all to God. The area you least want to give up is the area He most wants you to give up. That may be your wallet, your children, your career –-anything you’re unwilling to give up. Do it today!
Devote your job to serving God –-You weren’t simply designed to worship God while in church; you were designed to worship Him around the clock. You worship with the day-to-day details of your life. You can worship God by giving your best at work, teaching a child to write his name, or sweeping a floor.
Express your worship by writing a prayer to God –-Have you ever read an old love letter from your spouse? Writing is a great way to express your admiration for another person; it’s also a good way to express your love for God. Try writing a prayer to God. Whether you imagine yourself a writer or not, the process of putting a prayer together will help you think through what you want to tell God about what He is doing in your life.
You were Formed for God’s Family
Focus on the relationships in your life –-By the year 2014, your key memories of 2004 probably won’t be your successes or your failures, but instead they will be the people who are close to you. Don’t let another year go by without making an intentional effort to focus on the relationships in your life.
Go deeper with a Christian friend –-God never asked us to build a Rolodex of church friends … He asked us to be a part of His family. He is more concerned with the depth of our relationships than the breadth. Make the commitment this year to go deeper in at least one of your same-sex Christian friendships. Maybe even ask a friend to be an accountability partner with you, so you can encourage one another to grow in your relationship with God.
Heal broken relationships –-Determine today that you’ll actively try to mend the relationships in your life that are broken. When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment, He connected loving God with loving others. Why? It’s hard to have a good relationship with God when we don’t have peace with the people in our lives.
Institute a no-gossip rule for yourself and your family –-Nothing destroys a friendship like gossip. Make a commitment between you and anyone else you have influence over not to indulge in gossip. Don’t spread hurtful information. For that matter, choose not to listen to gossip as well. Make a point to walk out of the room or confront the gossip.
Join a small group Bible study –-God designed the church to be a family. If you’re not building relationships with fellow believers, you’re not fulfilling one of God’s five purposes for your life –-fellowship. You were never meant to live an isolated life. One of the best ways to establish relationships is by studying the Bible with a small group of friends.
You were Created to be Like Christ
Keep God’s Word in your mind –-Try to pick out a verse every week to memorize. You can begin with verses that focus around issues you’re dealing with, for instance, if you’re struggling with temptation, memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13. Struggling to forgive yourself for a past sin? Try Romans 8:1. Regardless of the verse you choose, you’ll grow as you hide God’s Word in your heart.
Laugh more this year –-You might not realize it, but laughing can be considered a spiritual discipline. The Christian life was never meant to be a somber funeral but instead should be a joyous celebration. In the Sermon on the Mount, as Jesus is going through different characteristics of Kingdom living, He mentions laughter as the ultimate destiny for those grieving in this world (Luke 6:21). Jesus really resembled a lover of life more than a stoic religious zealot (Matt 11:19; Luke 7:34). If you want to become like Christ, you’ll need to learn to take God more seriously and yourself less seriously.
Make Bible study a constant habit –-If the only time you open your Bible each week is when you show up at church on the weekends or at your small group, you’ll never become the Christ-like follower God wants you to become. The Bible teaches that you were created to be like Christ. An important step toward Christ-like-ness is absorbing the truth of His Word. Make Bible study as regular as brushing your teeth. (We’ll go out on limb and say that is a regular part of your life already! Ha!)
“Nip temptation in the bud” –-Temptation is one of the greatest spiritual killers out there. If you want to escape the snare of temptation, try letting a fellow Christian in on your struggle. If you have a Celebrate Recovery program in your church, that’s a good place to start!
Open your heart to God’s surgical maneuvers –-When you become a follower of Christ, He starts a grand surgical procedure on you as He forms your heart into His image. Pain is often a sign that Jesus has His surgical knife on your heart. Although it might hurt for awhile, ultimately, it is a part of God shaping your heart. Take stock of the pain and trials in your life right now and allow God to use them to transform you.
You were SHAPE’d to Serve God
Pitch in and help out at church –-Try volunteering at your church. It doesn’t matter if you are a brand-new Christian or a seasoned believer, there is a place for you to serve somewhere at your church. Talk to the pastor or volunteer director at your church.
Question your beliefs about success –-God’s standard of success isn’t the same as ours. Jesus tells us that the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the one who serves. Ask yourself, “How do I measure success?”
Reach out to a church member in need –-You don’t have to go across the ocean to find people in need. If you have a small group, be sensitive to ways you can help your fellow church members in real and practical ways. Maybe you can buy a group member groceries, give her a ride to a doctor’s appointment or just provide a shoulder to cry on.
Search for your God-given SHAPE –-God has especially designed you to serve Him in ministry. He gives you unique spiritual gifts, heart (passion), abilities, personality and experiences that He expects you to use in ministry. Spend some time trying to discover your SHAPE this year and begin using that SHAPE in ministry! CLASS 301 and the SHAPE interview afterwards provide wonderful tools to start you on this process. Go here to get more information about bringing CLASS 301 to your church.
Test your SHAPE by getting involved in a ministry –-You’ll never know what ministry God SHAPE’d you for until you give it a try. Make the commitment to do that this year. You’ll be able to tell quickly if it isn’t for you. Then you can try something new! Eventually, you’ll find a good fit.
You were Made for a Mission!
Understand God’s global plan –-Since the day Adam first sinned, God has been reconciling the world to Himself. Currently, God is working through people just like you to make Himself known in cultures across the globe. Does God want to use you to reach the nations? Pray about what your part will be in God’s global plan.
Visit a neighbor with the intention of sharing Christ –-Most of us have neighbors, friends or relatives who don’t know Christ. Make a commitment to visit them and tell your story about what God has done in your life!
Write out your life message –-Each of us have a special story about how God changed our life. Your story is unique to you. Take the time to write it out in 1, 3 and 5-minute versions. Then have the courage to share your story whenever God gives you an opportunity.
eXpress the Good News in your actions and words –-We must learn to share our faith in Christ both verbally and in the way we live. One way is no more important than the other. Even though we might feel more comfortable sharing our faith in a particular manner, it doesn’t excuse us from doing it the other way. Using words without actions will seem shallow. Using actions without words will seem timid. Make it a point to express your faith to one person a month in the coming year.
Yield your rights to help lead a person to Christ –-If you only lead people to Christ on your terms, you aren’t living up to your biblical responsibility. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that we must forfeit even what we consider rights so others might come to know Christ. Take a look at the list of people in your life that need a life-changing relationship with God. What will you have to give up to see them make that commitment?
Zzzz. zzzz. get some rest! –-Worshipping, building relationships, growing spiritually, serving and sharing your faith requires a rested soul!
Results of 1991 Survey of Pastors (Fuller Institute of Church Growth):
90% work more than 46 hours a week
80% believed pastoral ministry affected their families negatively
33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family
75% reported a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
50% felt themselves unable to meet the needs of the job
90% felt inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
70% say they have a lower self esteem now compared to when they started in ministry
40% reported serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
37% confessed to having been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend
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As mentioned in the book Pastors at Risk by H.B. London & Neil Wiseman (Victor Press, 1993)
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Results according to Shiloh Place Ministries (shilohplace.org), which drew its information from Focus on the Family, Ministries Today, Charisma Magazine, TNT Ministries, and other respected groups:
• 1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America.
• 4,000 new churches start each year in America.
• 7,000 churches close each year in America.
• 50% of pastors’ marriages end in divorce.
• 70% of pastors continually battle depression.
• 80% of pastors and 85% of their spouses feel discouraged in their roles.
• 95% of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses.
• 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.
• 50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way to make a living.
• 80% of pastors spend under 15 minutes a day in prayer.
• 70% of pastors only study God’s Word when preparing a message.
• Nearly 40% of pastors have had an extra-marital sexual affair since entering ministry.
• 80% of seminary graduates who enter ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
• 80% of pastors’ wives feel their husbands are overworked.
• 80% of the adult children of pastors sought professional help for depression.
• 90% of pastors said their training was inadequate for ministry.
• 85% of pastors report that their biggest problem is dealing with abstinent elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors.
• 90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is uncooperative people.
• 70% of pastors are grossly underpaid.
• 80% of pastors’ wives feel unappreciated by the congregation.
• 90% of pastors said ministry was completely different from what they thought it would be.
• Only 70% of pastors felt called of God into ministry when they began.
• Only 50% of pastors felt called of God into ministry three years later.
• 80% of pastors’ wives feel pressured to be someone they are not and do things they are not called to do in the church.
• Over 50% of pastors’ wives feel that their husbands entering ministry was the most destructive thing to ever happen to their families.
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