I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.
PRAY & GO: Your Invitation to Become a Great Commission Christian – by Thom S. Rainer.
Thom Rainer has written a great book that is used for Church Answer’s Hope Initiative, a 30-day journey that can be done as a group or individually. When you sign up for the Hope Initiative you also get other supporting resources and video encouragement in you 30-day journey. The intent of the book is to help you become more active in sharing your faith as you pursue the fulfillment of the Great Commission of introducing others to Jesus. A great book to help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.
I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.
A TREASURY OF A. W. TOZER – by A. W. Tozer
If you have never read A. W. Tozer, this might be the book to get. It is a collection of Tozer’s writings from a few different books he has published. Tozer is an older author who speaks with a directness to his audience and a reverence for our Holy God. Much of his writing focuses on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the pursuit of holy living. The short chapters make it a great devotional read.
When our girls were little, I loved seeing the world through their eyes. They were curious about things that I had long become accustomed to and never noticed anymore. They noticed the little bugs crawling on a windowpane. They were excited about the colours of flowers – and weeds. Their little fingers loved to touch the dirt and play in water.
As Christian leaders, we need to reignite our curiosity. We need to be comfortable asking questions, even when we have no answers. It seems that somewhere in our growing up we decided we should be more concerned about answers than questions. Yet questions help us to learn more than answers. They open new ideas and new angles on answers we thought we had sorted out. We need to be more curious.
We should be curious about the people we work with whether on our team or those we serve. We assume many things about each other, and don’t know how little we know until we start asking questions. Ask people about their families, or their pets. Ask people about their dreams and experiences. Be curious enough about people for them to believe you truly care about them. I love learning about people. I love to hear stories of how couples met, or what their families are up to. I love to hear how they started a business and it grew.
Curiosity can benefit us as we give leadership to programs and ministries. It is when we are curious that we ask the questions that no one else is asking. We ask about how the program is really working. We want to know how the leaders are doing. Are they feeling adequate or is more training necessary. Are they feeling they have an impact on those they connect with? Do they have ideas to improve how they run the program and are waiting for someone to give them the courage to try them? When you are curious, you may discover great things happening that you can share with others to encourage them. I enjoy finding people who are serving in an area of their expertise. Some people serve because someone is needed in that role, while others serve because they are uniquely equipped to excel in that role. While willing volunteers are greatly appreciated, I love finding those who are serving in exactly the role they were created for.
Curiosity helps us to learn. As long as we stay curious, we will continue learning. We will search out new books or learn new skills. We will sign up for classes. Curiosity can draw us into new areas of growth as we willingly pursue new interests and new skills. My curiosity has helped me to try new things. When I was a youth pastor, I decided I needed to learn to play guitar so I could lead the youth in singing. I loved it. Some years later I tried my hand at songwriting. I wasn’t good at it but had fun trying. At one point, I learned how to create balloon animals. It was fun learning how to shape balloons into recognizable creations, and then to even use them to tell children’s stories.
Our eyes can be opened to new experiences – and so can our tastes. Just this past week my wife, Lynnette, and I tried a new restaurant, the Cozy Pierogi. I had driven by the place a few times and was curious about their menu. It turned out to be pretty good! As we try something new, we often discover new favourites. Curiosity introduces new experiences into our lives as we are willing to step into something foreign but interesting.
Last week I wrote about the courage to risk. I believe curiosity can pay a part in our courage to risk. Curiosity invites us to courageously try something new to see if it may be better than what we were doing in a program we were running.
We would all benefit from becoming like a little child occasionally, to be curious about things that we believe we have completely figured out. And as your curiosity opens your eyes, you may discover new and wonderful ways of interacting with our world and the people around us.
It is common to seek out safety and security. We want to know that we, and those in our care, are not in danger or lacking in anything. But progress is only made as someone has the courage to step out and try something new. If safety is our number one priority, we will never try anything new.
To be a good leader one must be willing to try something new, at least occasionally. We recognize that what we are doing may not be enough, that there might be other options out there that are better than what we are doing right now. The problem is, we don’t know if there are better options unless we try. Trying something new is a risk. When we step out of the safety of our comfort zone and the familiar, we move into uncharted territory for us and the church or organization we lead.
A pastor may need courage to try something new in a worship service – something a little unusual. I risked a change last Sunday. We had completed a sermon series I was working through and didn’t want to start a Christmas series just yet. As I thought about the service, I got an idea I felt may have been from God, but it was different. I am still a new pastor at this church, having only served them for about three months. I wasn’t sure if I was trying something they might respond to or not.
Here’s what I did: I introduced the Sunday as a Scripture Sunday. At the beginning of the service, I gave the congregation a heads up, that I would ask them to read or quote their favorite scripture. I made sure we had mics for people to go to so everyone could hear them read. I introduced the morning with a brief look at 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 which highlights the value and importance of scripture. I referenced 1 Timothy 4: 13 where the Apostle Paul encourages Timothy to include public reading of scripture in their worship services. When I opened up the floor for people to read their verses, I was pleasantly surprised at how many people came up to quote or read verses.
I had no idea how that morning would turn out, but I risked it and was pleasantly surprised. And I was encouraged to see how scripture was obviously an important part of many people’s lives.
There are many areas in a church or an organization that could benefit from a change. Have the courage to try. Though it can be tough to introduce a big change, it may help to approach it as a trial and see how it goes. Sometimes people are willing to try something new if they know it is not forever and will be evaluated later. If after a trial period it turns out to be less than ideal, then put it aside and move on, but if it is a good idea, now you can evaluate and improve it and keep going!
Courage is also required when reorganizing responsibilities, and letting someone else take over a responsibility you previously held. As much as you can prepare someone else, training and equipping them for that role, there is still the risk that they may do a terrible job and you will have to deal with problems after. Yet, if you have done your part to prepare the person taking over, they may even do a better job than you, though likely not exactly as you would had done.
Courage is necessary when you have to speak truth into a difficult situation. When you have to confront someone about their actions, you never know how they might respond. You may be risking a friendship breakdown. But sometimes you have to courageously speak up for the best for the larger organization.
Courage is required when leading a church toward a new vision. Even when many people from the church contributed to developing the vision, you do not know what the end result will be. You are moving toward a new vision, trusting that you have carefully sought out the best route. The risk is you don’t know exactly what it will look like until you get there. But take courage and move forward.
Courage is vital for any leader, vital for any pastor who is concerned about leading their church well. Prayerfully assess the risks and ask God to guide you as you courageously move in the direction you believe God is leading. Take courage and lead on.
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:11
There are times when we need to critically assess certain things. The Bereans in the verse above were carefully assessing the good news the Apostle Paul shared with them in order to determine if what he said was true or false. Rather than writing him off, as some other towns did, the Bereans understood the value of examining the situation carefully and responding appropriately.
There are many times in the work of the church or an organization where critical examination is beneficial. Hare some examples of areas that require careful assessment.
Programs
Churches often begin a new program with excitement and a hope that it will be meaningful and accomplish a certain purpose. The program may succeed and serve the church well, but there may come a time when the program no longer serves the same purpose, or something else might serve the church better. If you do not assess the program critically, you may be holding on to something that no longer has value. Instead, ask these questions regularly:
What is the goal of this program, and is it achieving that goal?
Is this the best program to achieve that goal?
Would the church be best served if this program was dissolved, or replaced?
Budgets
In my years of serving the church I have been part of many budget-setting meetings. It is surprising how often a budget line is approved or denied without real assessment of its value.
Sometimes budget amounts are simply left as is, or increased slightly because of overspending the previous year. This lacks critical thought process about why each amount is designated for each area.
In my years of serving the church I have been part of many budget-setting meetings. It is surprising how often a budget line is approved or denied without real assessment of its value. Sometimes budget amounts are simply left as is, or increased slightly because of overspending the previous year. This lacks critical thought process about why each amount is designated for each area.
Some churches invite program or ministry leaders to submit budget requests. This might require that some assessment take place if those leaders prayerfully determine what their plans and expenses are for the next year, while keeping the vision in mind. The following questions could be helpful:
What is our ministry plan for the next year?
What expenses will we ask the church to fund, and why?
New Hires
As a Transition Pastor, I am continually working with churches who are looking for a new pastor. I am hired to help them make a wise choice. This includes asking the leadership questions to help them assess each candidate carefully. When a church has been without a full-time pastor for a period of time, there is a desire to find their next one quickly. As they receive resumes, it is easy to fall in love with a candidate without being critical enough. While it seems harsh to the average church leader, you must evaluate your candidate according to some strict expectations. You want the right person, not just someone who seems nice. Here are some questions to ask regarding the candidate:
How closely does this candidate match your job description?
Are the candidate’s beliefs and philosophies closely aligned with the church’s?
Will this person be the best one to lead your church toward its goals?
There are many other areas a church leader needs to assess critically, and there are many other questions to ask in the evaluation process, but most importantly, do the critical assessment necessary to ensure you have the best results moving forward.
The following guide is created to help boards and committees move beyond discussion and questions to the point of decision. The goal is a well thought-out and God-honouring decision.
1. Clarify the decision:
Do I have all the information I need to consider this decision? Collect and disperse needed information to all involved in the decision-making process.
Review all related information. (read, watch, listen, etc.)
Does this decision have to be made right now, or can we wait a bit to pray and gather all pertinent information?
Determine who will be affected by this decision, and how.
2. Write the motion:
WRITE OUT THE QUESTION BEING DEBATED. Write out a motion that clearly defines the decision being made and asks for a “yes” or “no” answer. Either you vote for or against the motion.
One person makes a motion: I move that _______________________________________.
The chair calls for a seconder. If someone seconds the motion, you can go on and have the necessary discussion leading to a decision on that motion. If there is no seconder, then the motion does not stand and you move on to the next order of business.
After walking through the steps below, the chair then calls the board to declare their “Yes” or “No” to the motion. A simple majority wins, yet you want to strive for a unanimous vote if at all possible.
Good motions include:
The precise decision being made
Any related deadlines
Who is responsible for the action in the motion
3. Biblically informed:
Does Scripture say anything that speaks to this decision? Read appropriate scriptures.
4. Vision directed:
How will our decision help move our Vision forward? Some decisions may not directly relate to the vision, but any that work against it should be avoided.
5. Guiding Documents:
Guiding documents need to inform a board’s actions and decisions. These may not always need to be consulted but you need to be aware of them enough to make sure you only make decisions that uphold them and are consistent with them.
Possible guiding documents
Policies and Procedures
Constitution
Statement of Faith
Job Descriptions
Etc.
6. Prayer:
Pray about decisions that are coming up prior to the meeting.
Pray during the meeting. Ask God to speak to you through this whole process.
Listen to God and ask Him to give you direction on how to vote on the issue.
Pause for prayer before the decision is made.
7. Board unity:
Discuss the issue together. And then decide together. Strive for unanimity. It should be a rare decision that gets passed by a vote where even one board member is opposed.
The board speaks as one voice – Once the decision is made, whether you were in favor or not, you abide by and support the decision that was made.
I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.
HOLY CONVERSATIONS – by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann
Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, is a practical workbook for anyone who is looking to lead a congregation to a unified vision and purpose. This book would be especially appealing to those who have little or no experience in leading a church through vision setting and strategic planning. They offer a number of examples, resources, and tools in the appendix that you could use as is or adapt to your local setting. If you are looking to lead a congregation to become more purposeful and with a unified mission, consider this book as a resource.
When I was in Grade Four, my Dad felt called to attend Bible School. I remember one time in his third year, where he came to me and my brother, now about 12 and 13 years old. He told us that we had no food left in the cupboards and we needed to pray together that God would provide for us. Money that was supposed to come in had not. So, we prayed. Then, a little later, I remember hearing a sound at the front door. We
opened the door to find four big paper grocery bags full of food. Whoever dropped it off was long gone, but God had put it on their hearts to bring it to us at just the right time! I will never forget that feeling of knowing without a doubt that God had provided!
Just four days ago I was driving early. It was still dark and there was quite a bit of traffic. I was a little wary because we hit a deer a few months ago and I did not want that to happen again. With all the traffic I couldn’t see well. There were headlights shining in my eyes and my low beams didn’t reach into the ditches like I wished. Finally, I managed to get some space between me and other traffic and could turn on my high beams. As I did, it felt as if God was saying “Okay, now you can see. I’m looking after you.” Within seconds there were a couple of deer on the opposite shoulder of the road. I saw them in time and slowed down. As I got closer, they turned and headed back away from the road. And then within minutes I saw a couple of elk on the opposite shoulder of the road, coming steadily onto the highway. Because of my high beams I saw them clearly and came to a stop as two of them made their way onto the road and stopped to look around. Slowly the two of them started walking again and cleared the road. And then, again, because of my high beams, I noticed some more movement just as I was about to drive – a third elk. Where I needed to see, I could have my high beams on and God kept me safe!
When God does these kinds of things, we need to remember them. We need to tell others and pass them on to our families and friends.
There are many stories in the Old Testament that are repeated again and again. Many psalms celebrate significant stories of the people of Israel and God at work. They even had special holiday festivals dedicated to reminding people of God at work. One significant festival was the Passover, a yearly reminder of God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt when the death angel passed over the homes of the Israelites who had painted the blood of goats on the doorposts.
Many of us have had unique experiences with God where we know God intervened in our lives in a way that was much more than coincidence. Unfortunately, even though the event was significant to us, we tend to keep it to ourselves. We need to tell the stories. We need to share them at our Thanksgiving suppers. We need to pass them on to our children and grand children, reminding them that God is still at work in our world.
The problem is that we too quickly forget. We don’t write songs about these significant events like bards of old might do. We don’t write the stories down. Unlike the Israelites, we don’t set up stone altars as reminders of God’s work.
God is still at work in our world. Let’s remember when he works in our lives and lets share the stories with others so we can celebrate God and his goodness together.
A history teacher tells you what happened in the past. Or, they might inspire you to travel to historic sites. A first aid instructor will help you get a first aid certification. Or, they might inspire you to pursue a career as an EMT.
All instructors convey information…but some inspire. In the same way, sermons can convey information…but they should inspire the listener to action. Something should happen as a result of hearing the sermon.
As I was looking ahead to writing this blog, I heard some great material on a podcast I follow(Revitalize & Replant with Mark Clifton) where these two pastors were talking about how to write meaningful sermons. They referred to a model you may be familiar with. They said every sermon needs to answer the following 3 “what” questions: What? So What? and Now What?
The first question – “what?” asks what the scripture says. This is the research that forms the content of the sermon.
The next question asks, “so what?” This focuses on the importance of the scripture. Why is it something we are discussing? Why do we need to know this?
The third question is the one I want to focus on. Most preachers will do a pretty good job on the researching and writing of a sermon. Many identify the importance and value of the scripture. But many sermons fall short on the final question: “now what?”
“Now What?” is about the application of the sermon. Actually, it’s about even more than that. It is about inspiring the listener to want to do something as a result of the sermon they just heard. They cannot just go home with their family, eat their Sunday dinner, and go on with life.
A good preacher will not be satisfied until the sermon calls the listener to action.
Writing a good “now what” conclusion for a sermon requires an understanding of the scripture and what God is intending to communicate. The preacher takes it to heart and recognizes the action God is calling him to. He knows the content so well that the action required emerges from the text.
Further, the preacher needs to understand his local context, because God does not speak to people in a vacuum. We all live in a certain country or province or community. We all have certain political realities we live in. The preacher needs to know how to make the call to action one that fits his local church. This is one reason why it is important for the preacher to know the people who will be listening to the sermon. The application is then connected to the local setting.
I have discovered that giving a few ideas how to respond may help some people, while others will have already felt God speaking to them about a specific response.
Beyond just suggesting ways to respond, the preacher needs to find a way to inspire the congregation to respond. Just to be clear, it the Word of God by the power of the Spirit that changes lives, yet the pastor needs to prayerfully work in tandem with the Spirit to determine what the action should be and how to describe it in such a way that makes people want to respond.
In Acts 2 Peter preaches a powerful sermon. Look at the response of the people in verse 37:
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”
The people were not satisfied with information. They felt a response was required of them, but they were unsure what to do. Peter responds: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
As a preacher, you want people at the end of your sermon to be asking, “what shall we do?” So take the time to answer this question before you conclude. This should not just be tacked on at the end, but something that is given equal consideration as the body of the sermon because it is just as important.
If you want your sermons to change lives, you must help people see what is expected of them after hearing the sermon.
A leader must be a self-starter who is ahead of the people he leads.
A Christian leader must know their role and how to do it without requiring external instruction. Leaders do not wait to receive direction.
If you have a job description, make sure you understand it and know it so well that you continually look for ways to fulfill it. If you did not receive a job description or are running your own organization, develop a description of your role so you have guidance in how you will spend your time.
This often requires an understanding of the mission and vision of the church or organization you lead. You need to know where you are to be leading others toward, and how you will measure success as you work toward it.
With the job description and vision in mind, prayerfully set the course for how you will spend your time. Identify your responsibilities and areas to delegate. I constantly check in with God for wisdom and discernment on what is important for each day and what needs to be left for another day.
A self-starter knows what is needed and how to determine what activities they should pursue for the day. This means knowing the daily and weekly requirements that can not be missed.
A self-starting leader schedules their efforts. I have found it helpful to occasionally set time aside to determine what needs to be done in the next year, next six months, next 30 days, and the next week. A self-starter knows that you cannot stumble into each day with no idea what needs to be done in the near future. Planning is a key characteristic of a self-starter.
For example, in my role, I preach a sermon each Sunday. At the beginning of each week, I know that this is something I need to prepare without putting it off for later. There are also some recurring meetings that I can anticipate and prepare for in advance according to my role in these meetings and my expected contributions. A self-starting leader knows how to schedule and then do what is required.
Being a self-starter means you do what needs to be done. Be clear what is required, and then you do it. Don’t wait for others to direct your activities. If you do, then you are definitely not a leader but are following the leading of someone else.
Planning and preparation is arriving to commitments on time, if not early. A self-starter is an achiever because they do the work required to get the job done.
The self-starting leader is courageous, pushing beyond comfort zones. This includes trying new things, not taking unnecessary risks, but open to taking risks to move beyond what is to what could be. This leader is the visionary who is willing to look out and pursue a new future or new direction because he sees what others don’t. While he tries to get others on board, he does not wait for everyone to agree with him before he takes necessary steps to what could be.
A driven leader is a self-starter. This leader is ambitious and passionate about moving the people and organization forward. This leader is not content to only do what has been done, or just doing enough to make people happy, but eagerly seeks opportunities for positive change.
A Christian leader asks God to continually guide as they move ahead to get things done and move people to the future God has for them.
Elevate with Andy 