Thanksgiving

For what am I thankful today? I am thankful for a family that loves and supports each other, a church family that is second to none, a talented and gifted church staff, friends, and most of all that Jesus is alive! God bless and have a great Thanksgiving!

Missions Education

I had the privilege this week to be part of the WMU report at the South Carolina Baptist Convention. My small part was entitled, "Why I Believe in Missions Education." For some time I've been greatly concerned about Southern Baptist's commitment to missions education. Many churches have dropped RAs, GAs, Mission Friends, and the WMU struggles to gain support among many pastors.

I've been tempted by AWANA and other children's programs too, but my support for our traditional missions education is stronger than ever for two reasons. Biblically, it is clear that knowledge undergirds behavior. Paul's letters, for example, are often divided by commentators between the theological and the practical, with the theological coming first. The Apostle obviously knew that good theology undergirds good behavior.

Some today say that Christians can get all the missions education they need through trips. While not minimizing the importance of hands-on missions, I would disagree. Missions education consistently challenges us to reflect upon important theological themes, such as the sinfulness of all human beings, the person and work of Christ, and His mandate to take the Gospel to the whole world. While these themes are taught elsewhere in church-life, of course, they are at the forefront of missions education. Our personal experiences must have a theological foundation for proper reflection and mature discipleship. Missions education offers that foundation.

Practically, missions education is important because the more people are exposed to what God is doing in the world, the more likely it is that they will hear His clear call in their lives. It is true that believers respond to a call to missions while on a trip, but it is also true that they hear his call while in GAs or RAs or some other small-group. Doesn't it make sense to give people every possible opportunity to hear God's voice? Give people that once-a-year hands-on experience, but reinforce that experience throughout the year through missions education.

Jesus said that we were to make disciples of all nations [Matt 28:19]. We have our marching orders. How can we afford to leave out the area of church life that keeps those marching orders ever before us?

Early Sheryl Crow

I ran across this newspaper clip today. I can't remember what year this is [early 80s], but here I am interviewing Sheryl Crow during the "Miss Delta Fair" Pageant in Kennett. She had been touring with Michael Jackson as a back-up singer. At the time I was working with KBOA-KTMO in Kennett as their news director.

Fall 08

The woods in back of our house shows the colors of fall in South Carolina. One thing we really like about living here is that we actually have a fall to enjoy.

Pastor Expectations

Several years ago Gary McIntosh and Robert Edmondson wrote a great book, It Only Hurts on Monday: Why Pastors Quit and What You Can Do about It. It is really a book for churches to help their pastors. In the book they quote Ruth Truman who sums up church expectations of their pastor:

"There is no job on earth that expects a man to work every possible waking moment, to comfort the sick and dying, to be the tower of strength for the bereaved and/or the anxious bridegroom, to counsel the maritally afflicted, to pray at a moment's notice, to be all-wise in the problems of child care and in-family jousting, to administer a large budget, to raise money for loan payments without issuing bonds, to run a church program efficiently with an all-volunteer staff that serves when it feels like it, to act as building and grounds maintenance supervisor, to prepare miraculously and preach eloquently, to dress meticulously but not too well, to be a saint in all his interpersonal relationships with language that even your grandmother couldn't question, to love his children and see that they are raised in an exemplary manner, to keep his own marriage and personal habits above question, to be never grossly in debt, and to set a pattern of living that all can follow in personal faith and spiritual development. In case you've forgotten what I am talking about, the above is the job description in abbreviated form for the 20th century ( and I would add the 21st century) Man of God, commonly known as minister."

No man can live up to these kinds of expectations, yet these are the expectations of the church. When these expectations aren't met, then forced termination is around the corner. Even if there is no official church vote, the pastor feels forced out.

What can be done? Primarily, the church must have a more sane idea of who a pastor is and what he is called to do. A pastor is no more than just a human being, with the same weaknesses everyone else has. The pastor is called to lead the church "spiritually." He is to preach, pray, and bear witness of the Good News of Christ. He will have his ministerial strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone is a good administrator. Not everyone is a great pulpiteer. A church must ask, "What kind of man does God have in mind to lead us?" Find that man and allow him to minister within his strengths and then the church must do the rest. God has gifted staff members and lay people who make up for the weaknesses the pastor will naturally have. Finally, the church must not expect any more from the pastor than they do themselves. God expects faithfulness from all of us.

That's just a paragraph but it's a start to finding a more healthy relationship between church and pastor.