I wrote recently on the Superstar Preacher, and there's no doubt that the superstar syndrome is a major problem among us. Some of it is not the preacher's fault. Some of the blame lies at the front door of the church. Note a classified ad [which I hate for pastors anyway] for a pastor I saw recently in a state Baptist paper.
SENIOR PASTOR: Seeking a senior pastor that believes in the inerrancy of the Bible and has proven skills in preaching, teaching, visitation, counseling, visioning, soul-winning, discipleship and administration. We are a conservative and progressive church with a bright future for ministry and growth in a rapidly growing community just outside of Charlotte, NC. We have six ministers and numerous outreach programs and specialized ministries, including a large Deaf ministry.
What is this church thinking? How can a man be skillful in all the above areas?
Years ago Darrell Robinson wrote about "The Ideal Pastor":
He preaches only 20 minutes, but thoroughly expounds the Word.
He condemns sin, but never hurts anyone's feelings.
He works from 8 AM to 10 PM, doing every type of work from preaching to janitor work.
He makes $100 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a nice car, and gives
$50 to the church weekly.
He stands ready to give to any good cause, also.
His family is completely model in deportment, dress, and attitude.
He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years.
He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spend all his time with older people.
He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time in evangelizing, and is never
out of the office.
This is ridiculous, of course, but the above classified shows clearly that too many churches are looking for men who can't possibility live up to the expectations placed upon them. God save us from churches looking for superstar preachers!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Abortion and the Election
This entry is a couple of weeks old, but Al Mohler has done a marvelous job of writing about the abortion issue and particularly the issue's effect on the 2008 election.
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2630
There are only a few make or break issues for me. Abortion is one of them. I cannot ever vote for a candidate who is pro-choice--Period. If Obama is elected, the pro-choice proponents will be in charge of both Congress and the White House. God help the unborn.
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2630
There are only a few make or break issues for me. Abortion is one of them. I cannot ever vote for a candidate who is pro-choice--Period. If Obama is elected, the pro-choice proponents will be in charge of both Congress and the White House. God help the unborn.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Today's Superstar Preacher
I was alerted by Rodney Decker's blog of an alarming, sad, even infuritating entry from David Black. I went to David's blog and copied it. This is the sad state of many in ministry.
7:53 AM I just received this email from a professor in a major evangelical university. Read it and weep (emphasis in red has been added).
Dear Colleagues:
Greetings. I write this letter to several of you at the Seminary because I am coming to Raleigh to speak at an event on Saturday Nov. 8 related to the _____, in my capacity as ________.
I … would like to minister at the Seminary by giving a presentation to your Chapel or other venue, or to speak at a big Baptist Church in the area. Since I am coming to Raleigh for the other event, I offer my services to you. Most of my expenses are already paid, so all I would need is an honorarium.
The reason I am bold to write you is because I am a licensed Baptist pastor (with the _______________ Church), I am a dynamic speaker using PowerPoint, I am the Director of the world-renowned _______ Institute, and am official editor of the _________. My presentation on _______ is powerful, faithful to Scripture, and a strong apologetic for the Christian faith. It is very well received among believers, especially Baptist seminaries and colleges and Churches, where the Scriptures are revered. I received a standing ovation at _______ Seminary and at _________....
I am sorry for the rather short notice, but I guarantee my presentation will exceed your expectations, and your students will be greatly encouraged in their faith and learning. Your in Christ,With best wishes,
WOW!! Contrast the above with the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit with you was not without result. 2 On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. 3 For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. 4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but rather God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— 6 and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to • walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Quite a difference from the e-mail! God please deliver us from superstar preachers.
7:53 AM I just received this email from a professor in a major evangelical university. Read it and weep (emphasis in red has been added).
Dear Colleagues:
Greetings. I write this letter to several of you at the Seminary because I am coming to Raleigh to speak at an event on Saturday Nov. 8 related to the _____, in my capacity as ________.
I … would like to minister at the Seminary by giving a presentation to your Chapel or other venue, or to speak at a big Baptist Church in the area. Since I am coming to Raleigh for the other event, I offer my services to you. Most of my expenses are already paid, so all I would need is an honorarium.
The reason I am bold to write you is because I am a licensed Baptist pastor (with the _______________ Church), I am a dynamic speaker using PowerPoint, I am the Director of the world-renowned _______ Institute, and am official editor of the _________. My presentation on _______ is powerful, faithful to Scripture, and a strong apologetic for the Christian faith. It is very well received among believers, especially Baptist seminaries and colleges and Churches, where the Scriptures are revered. I received a standing ovation at _______ Seminary and at _________....
I am sorry for the rather short notice, but I guarantee my presentation will exceed your expectations, and your students will be greatly encouraged in their faith and learning. Your in Christ,With best wishes,
WOW!! Contrast the above with the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:
For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit with you was not without result. 2 On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. 3 For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. 4 Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but rather God, who examines our hearts. 5 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— 6 and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. 7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to • walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Quite a difference from the e-mail! God please deliver us from superstar preachers.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Everything Pastor
Bill Mounce has an excellent discussion on the Koinonia blog about the pastor-teacher. His entry begins with the Greek grammar of Ephesians 4:11. Is the pastor/teacher one office or two or some kind of combination. When he finishes with that, he deals with the astronomical problems a pastor of a larger church faces when he alone is the 'captain of the ship.'
http://zondervan.typepad.com/koinonia/2008/10/pastors-and-tea.html#more
I am the "lead" pastor of my church. I do have a finger in a lot of areas of church life, but I don't have to make all the decisions. I have other pastors on staff who have their own areas of responsibility and do it well. I also have lay-ministry teams that take care of many other areas of church life. I don't have to know all the details; I don't even go to all the meetings, but I do know generally what is happening and my opinion is often asked and appreciated. There are some situations in which I simply am not qualified to give an intelligent answer. I have to trust people who know what they're doing.
Someone needs to set the direction of the church. I think that is the primary responsibility of the lead pastor, senior pastor, or whatever you want to call him. But he needs help. If he doesn't want it, he will burn out and the church and his own ministry will be a disaster.
http://zondervan.typepad.com/koinonia/2008/10/pastors-and-tea.html#more
I am the "lead" pastor of my church. I do have a finger in a lot of areas of church life, but I don't have to make all the decisions. I have other pastors on staff who have their own areas of responsibility and do it well. I also have lay-ministry teams that take care of many other areas of church life. I don't have to know all the details; I don't even go to all the meetings, but I do know generally what is happening and my opinion is often asked and appreciated. There are some situations in which I simply am not qualified to give an intelligent answer. I have to trust people who know what they're doing.
Someone needs to set the direction of the church. I think that is the primary responsibility of the lead pastor, senior pastor, or whatever you want to call him. But he needs help. If he doesn't want it, he will burn out and the church and his own ministry will be a disaster.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Church Pirates/Planters
I've written several times this year on the problem of church pirates who disguise themselves as church planters. Let me vent one more time. These are the staff members, be they pastors or some other staff, who rob their church to start a new one. The problem is usually that the disgruntled pastor/staff wants to follow the contemporary model while the church they're in does not. He leaves, takes a 100 or more folks with him, and starts his church, leaving the established church to lick her wounds.
Leaving the established church and starting a new one down the street is bad enough. Often the new church is not satisfied. The new church continues taking advantage of the relationships formed through the years in the established church to fill various ministries through stealing sheep. The new church continually calls on people from the established church to "fill in" in various roles. The established church is supposed to take the high road and just grin and bear it.
The above scenario, played out every day in churches all across the SBC, is a primary reason established churches have a problem with church planting. Most of it is not planting; it is pirating. If a man feels led by God to leave his estblished church and start a new one let him leave the town he's in, go to another state, and plant a church. Let him not, however, split a church to start a new one. That is wrong on every level.
Leaving the established church and starting a new one down the street is bad enough. Often the new church is not satisfied. The new church continues taking advantage of the relationships formed through the years in the established church to fill various ministries through stealing sheep. The new church continually calls on people from the established church to "fill in" in various roles. The established church is supposed to take the high road and just grin and bear it.
The above scenario, played out every day in churches all across the SBC, is a primary reason established churches have a problem with church planting. Most of it is not planting; it is pirating. If a man feels led by God to leave his estblished church and start a new one let him leave the town he's in, go to another state, and plant a church. Let him not, however, split a church to start a new one. That is wrong on every level.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
BTC
This is what I'm talking about! Sheryl Crowe has started a new line: Bootheel Trading Co. I think one of the jeans is named after Kennett.
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