15 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Started in Ministry

1. Everyone Will Not Understand You … SO Stop Trying To Explain Yourself. Cast Vision … And MOVE Forward!
2. Everyone Will Not Like You … So STOP Trying To Be Popular.
3. You Don’t Have To Be The Person Who Actually Solves Every Problem … Admit You Are Not The Smartest Person and Let Your Experts Be Your Experts.
4. Spend WAY More Time Talking About Who You Are Rather Than Who You Are Not.
5. A Leader Is Always An East Target Because They Are … A Leader. So, Get Over Yourself And Get On With What God Called You To Do!
6. When The Holy Spirit Presses Something Into Your Heart … Don’t Ignore Him.
7. Do NOT Expect God’s Next Step To Make Sense.
8. You Can’t Plan A Move Of God … But You Must Be Prepared For One!
9. Do Not Resist Something Just Because You Do Not Understand It!
10. People Who Claim You “Are Not Deep Enough” Are Obsessed With Information But Have No Desire To Live Out Transformation.
11. You Don’t Need To Listen To Everybody … But You Had Better Be Listening To Somebody Because God Didn’t Ask You To Take This Journey Alone.
12. Never Apologize For Asking People To Commit To Something … Jesus Didn’t!
13. The Church Has Been Underachieving For Way Too Long … So Dream BIG And Don’t Apologize For It.
14. There Will Be Days When You Want To Quit … Don’t … Jesus Didn’t!
15. The Gospel Changes Lives … PREACH Every Sermon Like It’s Your Last!

[from Perry Noble dot com by perry]

Church Security - More Incidents

Three men burst into two seperate churches this past Sunday yelling, "God is dead!" The incident caused a disruption and they were escorted out by church members. It was a situation that caused fear for church members.

Shreveport (LA) Police say the man first ran into the Heritage Baptist Church at Kirby Street and Creswell Avenue, yelling "God is dead," and a few other things, before getting escorted out.

"I thought it was humorous in the sense that if there's no God why spend so much of your time trying to disprove that which doesn't exist," said Heritage Baptist Church Pastor Earl Blackburn.

The suspects repeated the offense again just a mile away at First Baptist Church of Shreveport. "It was right in the middle of service. He just came in and started screaming about God isn't real and it's all fake, it's all a lie," said church member Michael Morales. "It was just very disturbing," said Morales wife, Elizabeth. Morales says he and several other men watched the man go outside and get into a pick-up truck with two others passengers.

"A couple of guys called the cops as soon as he walked out and we gave them a great description of the guys and of their truck and we got their license plate number," said Morales.

This is a church security incident that could have escalated very quickly. Notice the church members were able to keep their wits, and reportd a great description, which led to the suspects being apprehended.

Due to the descriptions, police quickly found the truck and charged the driver with DWI. They believe he had just dropped off the other two men at Highland Park, where the men were eventually arrested.

A police spokesman stated, "I just checked with detectives in major crimes and we're going to try to book them in under a hate crime. This could have gotten out of hand quick."

What is your church doing about security?

[from Church Security Member by Church Security and Safety Today]

The 3 P's of Church Planting

• Prayer


• Passion


• Perseverance

Ten Deadly Sins of a Dying Church

1. Doctrinal Drift

In a desire to reach more people, churches have often watered-down doctrinal truths believing that they are creating a more inviting environment for seekers. The Word of God may not be very sensitive to an unbeliever, but it should be intelligible. Make no mistake, the younger generation likes straight-talk. They are tired of the mush.

2. Evangelism Atrophy

Most churches in America aspire to have evangelism as a driving force but they have lost their passion. Ask every one of them, however, and they will proclaim it as a core value. Yet, a quick look at their checkbook, annual budget and programs will tell the truth. For most churches in America evangelism is a great thought and desire, but in all actuality very little in the way of evangelism is done.

3. Failure To Be Relevant

The Gospel was not written in a cultural vacuum. The words we read today were written thousands of years ago. They still apply today, but we must learn to understand them in their cultural context and then find ways to help 21st century people understand.

Church is no different. We have to do church in a way that connects with this culture otherwise the church simply becomes a huddled mass of cloistered believers hiding from a sin-sick world.

4. Inwardly Focused

The new unspoken mantra of the modern American church is; “It’s all about me.” While no one will readily admit it, all one has to do is look at the ministries and programs. What can be quickly discovered is that most churches build ministries to satisfy the already fed. These programs are good to keep the flock happy. Not necessarily a bad thing, but too much of a good thing ends up being a bad thing.

5. Personal Conflict

Church people have found a way to make an argument out of almost anything. Political power struggles rule the day.

6. A Priority Of Comfort

Dying churches refuse to reach out beyond their own comfort-zones. When any real ministry does happen and dirty, sinful people walk in among the righteous, it upsets the apple cart. It simply isn’t comfortable.

7. Biblical Illiteracy

The latest research by Gallup and other pollsters reveal that most long time members of churches don’t really know what they Bible says. Phrases like; “God helps those who help themselves” are regularly quoted as scripture.

8. Hording

It amazes me the amount of money many dying churches have in their saving accounts. The thought is that they are saving it for a rainy day, but I wonder what God thinks about this? Will he be happy if we, like the man with one talent, have not invested his Kingdom resources in the Great co-mission work when returns. Which would be best; Die rich, having saved our resources and done as little as we can get by with, or Die broke with the knowledge that we have done all we can.

9. Failure to Follow

Too often pastors are treated like hirelings and not called, anointed people of God. The pastor is forced to walk on eggshells to avoid losing their job.

10. Idolatry

You may think this is absent from today’s Church, but it is very alive. Beloved programs, versions of the Bible, furniture, paintings on the wall and the placement of objects have caused more quarrels than I care to mention. We have taken these items to god-like levels in the church and forgotten the main thing.

[from Essential Church by Thom and Sam Rainer]

Buildings for Churches

What has happened to the 250 Circuit City stores that have closed? Many churches are seeing some great opportunities in these abandoned stores and other run down theatres and strip malls.

Read this from the Orlando Sentinel: "There are 250 Circuit City stores that have gone dark," said Matthew D. Messier, who specializes in faith-based and nonprofit real estate for CNL Specialty Real Estate Services in Orlando. "Through 'adaptive reuse,' churches have stepped in. ... Because of what's happened with the economy, there are more options for churches now."

The International Council of Shopping Centers has no data to support the trend but said it's apparent throughout the country. "Vacancy rates are high, and they need to fill those spaces," said Erin Hershkowitz, a spokeswoman for the industry group. "If it's a big box, like a Circuit City, that's a perfect venue for a church."

During boom times, commercial landlords rarely wooed churches. Houses of worship typically draw parishioners the one day of the week when neighboring stores are closed and cannot benefit from the foot traffic. Upstart churches have been leasing empty storefronts for years, though they tend to move on when they outgrow the space or can afford more-attractive quarters. But shopping centers are now filled with For Lease posters. And unconventional space in high-traffic retail settings has become so attractive to some churches that they are leaving their old sanctuaries for trendier digs.

The Rev. Byron Bledsoe, former pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in east Orange, recalls getting national recognition years ago from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for baptizing new members. But on the flight home from the awards ceremony in Kentucky, Bledsoe said, he knew the church could do a better job of attracting newcomers to Christianity rather than "rechurching" members from other congregations. So he helped lead an effort to transform the church. It was renamed C3 Church, which stands for Connecting the Community with Christ. It renovated its fellowship hall and soon began attracting newcomers. But Parkway's steepled sanctuary still did not convey the image of a church dynamic enough to draw potential converts to the faith. "We knew early on that our facilities were a hindrance to what we were trying to accomplish," Bledsoe said. "We had a ton of resources locked up in bricks and mortar."

Working through Messier and Nicholas A. McKinney at CNL, the church in 2007 sold its buildings and 20 acres on Lake Underhill Road for $8million to Eastland Baptist Church, which had lost its property to an interchange expansion at State Road 436 and Colonial Drive. C3 Church now leases space for its sanctuary from Regal Cinemas in Waterford Lakes Town Center. Its offices are in a three-car garage at Bledsoe's home.

[from MMI Weblog]

A Catholic Group Questions a Public Catholic Funeral for Kennedy

A Catholic pro-life leader has some scathing words concerning Senator Ted Kennedy's Catholic funeral.

Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, released this statement concerning Senator Kennedy. "We must, as a matter of precept, pray for the salvation of heretical Catholics like Senator Edward Kennedy, but we do not have to praise him, let alone extol him with the full honors of a public Catholic funeral and all the adulation that attends such an event."

He adds that while Senator Kennedy called himself Catholic, like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden, they are actually wolves in sheep's clothing. "They do not hold to the teaching of the church. They, in fact, take every opportunity seemingly to contradict the teaching of our church," Euteneuer says. "So in the case of Senator Edward Kennedy, he was not only against his church's teaching on the issue of abortion, but the same with embryonic stem cell research, the same with gay marriage and various other issues which set him in diametric opposition to his church's very well-defined and clearly articulated teaching."

Euteneuer says he is speaking out now to remind everyone that Catholics cannot honor a person with a full and public Catholic funeral when, like Senator Kennedy, he really was not.

[by Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow]

Sample Letter to Overwhelmed Leaders

Dear Overwhelmed Leader,

Thanks for talking with me the other day. Most leaders are overwhelmed at some point. Whether it is the amount of work they have and not enough time to get it done, or because they don’t know what to do next, there is a way out of it.

First, it takes considerable prayer. Most leaders get overwhelmed and fail to pray. From personal experience, I’ve found that overwhelmed leaders need to pray more. They need to pray for guidance, wisdom, and strength. Commit yourself to pray more, even if it means that some of your duties take a lower priority for a while.

Next, you need to remember that you shouldn’t be alone. As John C. Maxwell constantly reminds us, leaders without followers are simply taking a walk. You need people around you to support you, as you can’t do it by yourself. Slow down and figure out if some of what you are doing could be done by others. It may require some time to train others, but it is about more than just the time to take the action. The more work you have the more burden you have. You likely need to lighten your load.

Finally, if you just aren’t sure where to go next with your leadership then you may need some time off. Equip your team to survive without you. Take a much needed break. Refresh your spirit and your passion. Perhaps God is calling you to something else. If not, it may just be a time for you to take a sabbath from your leadership. This may be for just a weekend or for a few weeks. Don’t leave your team in the dark. Work with your team and your fellow leaders to build a plan into your team.

I pray that this guidance helps you deal with the issues at hand.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

Sample letter to Outside Leaders

Dear Outside Leader,

I know it has been a struggle for you to lead while feeling like you are on the outside of your church leaders. Dealing with cliques can be a difficult time. It often reminds us of high school and can lead us to act like we are still there. I have a few thoughts on how to handle this kind of situation - I hope they help you out.

The Bible teaches us that David went through the same thing with Saul. It took David years of being on the outside before he became king and was able to lead effectively. In that time, he was chased, hunted, and had spears thrown at him. During this time, David spent many days alone and in hiding, with only the Lord to guide him.

While being on the outside may not be as bad as what David went through, it can be a tough situation to endure. Make sure you are listening and talking with God during this time. This may be a time when God wants to shape your heart and passion in a way that would not happen otherwise. Just like David, Moses went through 40 years before God fully prepared him to lead a nation.

While your leadership may never be as large as David or Moses, it is important to accept where you are at and to keep moving. God has a purpose for you and lessons to teach you. He wants to prepare you for bigger things, and this is likely one of those seasons.He may keep you where you are at a bit longer before something changes. Keep at it. Obey the Lord. Seek His counsel.

Finally, remember to focus on your team. Your team is looking to you for direction and leadership. Give it to them. Even if you don’t get the same thing from the leaders above you. Be the leader you need, not the ones you see.

All the best in your leadership journey.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

Sample Letter to Mature Leaders

Dear Mature Leader,

I’m very proud of you. I remember when you first started your leadership journey - you seemed so eager and passionate about your vision. Over time, I’ve seen you deal with being overwhelmed and being on the outside. There have been times when you seemed to be driven by your sinful nature, but thankfully you overcame that through wisdom and counsel. Now I see a mature leader that has learned a lot.

I have only one more thing to teach you - it is time to teach other leaders. As I have taught you, it is time for you to teach someone else in the ways of leading volunteers in the church. You may not think you have a lot to say. You may not think you have a lot to teach. You do.

Each of us takes a different journey. No matter which path you have taken to get here, it is time to train the next generation. The leaders God provides to you to train will need your honesty. They will need your guidance when times get confusing. They will need your shoulder when times get tough. They will need your prayers, both when they are around and when they come to mind.

Please invest yourself into another leader. The church is begging for leaders that are willing to sacrifice some of their personal time to lead. You don’t have to be in full-time ministry to train leaders. You also don’t need to be a best selling author. You just need to be willing to let God shape you into a leader of leaders, one leader at a time.

Let me know what you decide.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

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Don Brock (DGBrock)

The Snake

5 Lies of the devil message video, the snake from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

A Gentle Response

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Prov 15:1)

I receive a fair amount of communication, announcements, snail mail, email, forwards, voice mail, text messages, and phone calls. I read a lot of newsletters, Blogs and web sites. I hear a lot of interaction in person.

I am exposed to many situations both inside and outside the church. And, I do understand human emotions and the challenge of conflict resolution. I've seen so many situations where a conversation gets out of control and hurtful words are said in a moment of anger -- all because a leader didn't know how to (or chose not to) defuse the situation with a gentle answer. I have learned from my own mistakes.

I wonder how many staff members have been fired and friendships completely severed because neither individual knew how to minimize the damage through carefully chosen words? I meet people all the time who won't even speak to a former leader because of the pain.

If you were able to reverse time and observe the conversations that preceded a broken relationship -- I wonder how many times we would find that this one Bible verse was ignored.

How great would it be if leaders could remember:

- You don't have to say everything that comes into your head.
- You don't have to have the last word.
- It actually helps if you seek first to understand ... rather than to be understood.
- Email is a very bad tool for resolving conflict. It almost always escalates the tension.
- Phrases like "you always" and "you never" are rarely helpful.
- Questions are almost always better than statements.
- You really don't know it all.
- God has the ability to speak to others also.
- The issue is probably not the presenting issues. If you listen, you might learn the real issue.
- It doesn't matter how obvious it seems, you do not know everyone's heart.

[from LeadingSmart by Tim Stevens]

Pastor Warning - Church Security

Church security has become a serious issue in recent years. But, it has just been taken up a notch.

Authorities have now warned clergy in Anadarko, Okla., to be vigilant days after a Pentecostal pastor was found brutally slain in her own church. An autopsy determined Carol Daniels died of "multiple sharp force injuries" but police have not released further details. "This is the most horrific crime scene I've ever witnessed," District Attorney Bret Burns said.

Authorities are now warning pastors that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.

District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as "horrific," held a closed-door session with about two dozen pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.

"We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations," Burns said. "We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations." He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.

The body of 61-year-old Pentecostal Pastor Carol Daniels was found Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," but law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.

Burns did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.
"There are a lot of things we're not prepared to rule out," he said. "I'm concerned about the nature of this crime. I'm concerned about the community."

No arrests have been made, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Tracy Schumpert, pastor of the town's First United Methodist Church where the meeting was held, met afterward with a worker from an alarm company.

"I think we'll take precautions," she said. "But I don't feel overly fearful.

"You want your church to be accessible, but you also are aware of what the world is like and you're aware of the people you minister to and take precautions."

Ben Sullivan, executive director of the Christian Center of Anadarko, which runs a soup kitchen and food pantry, said he's not fearful of another attack but plans to tighten security at his facility a few blocks away from where the killing happened. He said the center will probably close before dark and volunteers will work in pairs.

"We're always keeping our eyes open because of the work we do. We deal with people that aren't in the best of situations," he said.

Daniels, who lived in Oklahoma City, made the 60-mile drive to Anadarko every week, even though the small, weather-beaten church had no regular congregation.

On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and a candle stood at the front door of the church, where a sign with Daniels' name read: "God Loves You!"

Police are warning local religious leaders to secure their churches telling pastors, "be safety-conscious with their staff and their surroundings."

Our Focus is the Harvest (Evangelism), Not the "End" of This Generation

You might remember Edgar Whisenant. He wrote a best-selling book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 — and a much less popular sequel, The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989.

The second book said Jesus didn't come back in 1988 because the author, who was a former NASA engineer (!), missed his mathematical calculations by a year.

The mood of the 1980s was uneasy. After Ronald Reagan was elected president, some Christians began to surmise that Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was the Antichrist. When he died they gave the title to the next Soviet leader, Yury Andropov, and then to his successor, Konstantin Chernenko. When Chernenko died unexpectedly, people were certain that Mikhail Gorbachev was the Antichrist because he had that awful red birthmark on his forehead.

But Jesus didn't return during Gorbachev's tenure. In fact the Soviet system crumbled and Christian missionary activity began to blossom all over the cold Russian landscape. The people who expected the sky to fall any minute found someone else to fill the Antichrist's shoes. First it was Bill Gates, then Osama bin Laden. Today it's a toss-up between Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan despot Hugo Chávez.

Through the years there have been gloomy rumors about computer chips and global conspiracy. I remember one story warning us that JCPenney credit cards carried the mark of the beast. Today if you believe everything you read on the Internet, that same evil mark is on President Barack Obama's birth certificate.

All this date-setting and foolish prognostication bothers me because Jesus said it is strictly off-limits. He told His disciples before His ascension, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:7, NASB). That means we don't have the right to predict the date of His return or to make guesses about the timeline of final judgment.

The apostle Paul also warned the early church to stay away from date-setting. He told Timothy: "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels" (2 Tim. 2:23). Paul wanted his followers to keep their focus on the main thing — the spreading of the gospel — so they wouldn't get sidetracked.Christians hold different views of the last days. Pre-millennialists focus on the imminent rapture of the church — an event that is described in the New Testament. Post-millennialists focus on the triumph of Christ through history — something that is also reinforced in the book of Revelation. Preterists emphasize the ever-increasing government of God — which Isaiah and other prophets spoke of.

I am not writing here to push a particular view of the end times. When people ask me about my eschatological position I tell them I am a "pan-millennialist" — as in: "It will all pan out in the end." I know Jesus will return in triumph. But we can't figure out these things beforehand. Anyone who claims to be an "expert" in the mysteries of Christ's return has forgotten that Jesus Himself said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matt. 24:36).

What concerns me most about an unhealthy focus on eschatology is that it distracts us from the ultimate priority of evangelism.

Read More

[by J. Lee Grady]

Pastor Found Dead in Church

ANADARKO, Okla. — A pastor in southwest Oklahoma was killed and her body was found inside her church, but authorities had few leads in the investigation, officials said.

The body of Carol Daniels was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. The small A-frame building sits along a main road in the Caddo County town of about 6,600 people, which is about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said Daniels had trauma to her body, but officials did not disclose details about the killing, including how, when or where she died.

Investigators said they have no suspects in Daniels’ death and few leads to follow. Officials on Sunday spoke with several people who gathered around the building after word about the slaying spread. Many of them wept and hugged each other.

Brown said Daniels, who was in her mid-50s, lived in Oklahoma City and drove to the church each Sunday for services.

Mitchell Pendarvis, who lives next door to the church, was surprised to hear about the killing.
“I don’t know what to think and I’m trying to think,” Pendarvis said. “I mean, who would do this to this woman?”

[from Church Security Member by Glen]