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Category: General

2 steps to respect

Published January 23, 2012

From time to time I hear from associates about how their ministry is not respected by their congregation, their organization, or someone on the staff. As a youth pastor I had a janitor try to ban the youth from using the sanctuary because they sometimes made a mess. Others I know felt that their lead pastor or their supervising board did not respect what they did – asking for time sheets, wanting office hours posted, or scheduling other things in conflict with their ministry events.

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Was that a compliment?

Published January 16, 2012

I have learned over the years, not to get too excited by every compliment I receive. There was a time I believed each one was about me and my greatness. Then something strange happened that had me looking at both my compliments and critiques differently.

I regularly preach in the congregations I serve, sometimes as the primary speaker at an alternative worship service, other times to fill-in when the lead pastor is away, and other times as part of the regular rotation. At one church, I would receive compliments after I preached about the way I told stories in my sermons. I heard how I connected with people where they were, and made the gospel easily applicable. I was beginning to think I might be the next Billy Graham. Then, suddenly, the compliments started to change. I started to hear from other people about how good I was at preaching the Bible – sticking to and expounding upon the text. No more would I be Billy Graham, but now I might be the next N. T. Wright. What changed?

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I walk the line

Published January 9, 2012

Being an associate is like walking a tightrope. Well, I’ve never actually walked a tightrope. I’m afraid of heights. So I guess I’m saying that being an associate is like what I imagine it would be like to walk a tightrope. Or maybe it is more like a Johnny Cash song. Either way you have to walk the line.

The line we associates walk is the fine one between overstepping and paralysis, between competing with the lead pastor and waiting for her/his blessing before doing anything, between being a help and being a burden, between owning your ministry and disregarding the rest of the ministry of the congregation. Lean too far either way and you are headed for a crash.

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The caulk ministry model

Published January 2, 2012

Caulk is the gooey stuff used around windows and sinks that fills the gaps. It stops water from seeping into cracks, getting behind your tub, and doing damage that would be costly to repair. Caulk is also used to seal window and door frames to keep the cold air out in the winter and the cool air in during the summer, making those in the home more comfortable. Caulk is wonderfully useful around the house, but it is a terrible ministry model.

Associates are often tempted to do “caulk ministry,” filling the gaps, or making sure nothing falls through the cracks in the ministries they serve. I found myself doing some caulking recently.

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Finish list

Published December 26, 2011

The post I wrote for today called, “Have you emptied yourself?” accidentally posted yesterday, Christmas Day, instead of today as intended. So here is a bonus post.

New Year’s Resolutions are passé. Many of us tend to make the same ones each December, and find that we have broken and forgotten them before February. We have been frustrated by them and defeated by them. But the idea of starting the year with a list of things we would like to change or improve in 2012 is a good one that intrigues many of us.

Jon Acuff (jonacuff.com), author of Stuff Christians Like and Quitter, is offering a new approach for 2012. He advises we create a “Finish List” – read Jon’s How to build a “Finish List” and surrounding posts to learn more.  A “Finish List” is different than a list of resolutions. We should not include things we will try to do in 2012 (read a great post by Michael Hyatt on this topic called “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRYING AND DOING“), but things we are committed to finishing in 2012. I like this because it is not results oriented.

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Have you emptied yourself?

Published December 25, 2011
Jesus "though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness." -Phil 2:6-7

My morning devotion on Christmas Eve directed me to Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV) – a passage we read to understand more about Jesus, but a passage originally written to a group of Christians in need of an ego check. The church in Philippi was apparently bickering over power issues, and issues of right and wrong. These are issues we associate pastors know well.

Paul’s advice to the church was to adopt the “mind of Christ,” a posture of humility. In context, I hear Paul saying something like, “You think you deal with people who don’t get it? Imagine being Jesus – God in the flesh – and having to deal with the likes of you and me. Thankfully Jesus did not wield that like a big stick. Instead, he put it aside and subjected himself to even experiencing crucifixion. That is why he is who he is!”

We associate pastors are leaders who are working under the authority of other leaders, and called to facilitate the members of our congregation to participate in that leadership. That is a lot of leaders in a small area. If we are not careful can become the too many cooks who spoil the broth.

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