Church leadership

Perfect Public Prayers?

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Public prayers can have great significance or be almost meaningless.

Years ago, I knew an older man whose mind was starting to deteriorate. It wasn’t easy carrying on a conversation with him, yet when asked to pray, he would pray these great prayers. They were not necessarily eloquent or filled with theology, but you could sense the love for God and the sense of friendship with Him.

When I refer to public prayers, I mean those usually prayed in our Sunday services at church. Here’s why I think some are more significant than others. Sometimes it seems a prayer is prayed strictly out of tradition or routine. The service always opens in prayer, so the pastor needs to pray something. Or the pastor prays before he begins his sermon just because that his is routine. Sometimes it even seems like it is just filler or used as a transition. We’ll pray now so the musicians can sneak onto the stage and magically appear at their instruments.

Some public prayers seem like the ramblings of someone who has no idea what they want to pray about, so they just stumble into their prayer. In some cases, you know exactly what a person will pray because they always pray the same prayer. It seems that the one leading in prayer sometimes just says a few nice words, but has forgotten they are addressing the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe!

On the other hand, there are some prayers that are well thought through and prayed with heartfelt words like the older gentleman above. So how can we improve our public prayers?

First, remember whom you are addressing. When you are praying in a public service, you are not praying to the congregation. You are praying to the God of the universe. You are praying to the One who deserves all our praise. You might even want to begin your prayer with the lines of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven,” or a similar address to the Creator of the world. As you lead in public prayer, you are functioning in a priestly role, bringing the congregation before the Father and connecting with Him.

Do not pray to teach someone something. Some public prayers seem as if the person praying is using that platform to try to tell the congregation something, rather than leading the congregation into the throne room of God. A prayer is not a time to teach a theological truth, though it is definitely a time to give thanks to God for that truth and what it means to us as believers. (And please don’t pray the announcements: “Thank you, God, that we can have a Valentines Banquet for our married couples next Friday at 7 and that we can get free tickets for the event.” Keep the prayer a prayer.)

When you are asked to pray publicly, do some preparing. Musicians practice their music. The pastor probably writes out his sermon. He might practice it out loud. Why would we not prepare, maybe even practice, what we want to say to God in our prayer?

I’m not sure where I got the impression, but when I was younger, I looked down on people who used written prayer. In my mind, you were less spiritual if you didn’t just “pray from your heart.” In my church we never used prayers of old or that others had written. Yet I have learned the value of writing out what I wanted to say. Sometimes I write out the complete prayer, other times I have a point form list to refer to. Taking time to do this means I have put some thought into what I will say.

If we write it out, we will be less likely to forget something we wanted to include. In a pastoral prayer you may want to have a reminder of the various needs of the congregation, including names of individuals needing prayer. In an opening prayer you may want to thank God for something related to the theme of the morning, or of the sermon coming later. It can be a time thank God for being the great and awesome God we have come to worship.

Writing out a prayer can help us avoid some of the annoying habits we get into without realizing it. We can cut down on the “umms” or stop repeating the same phrase. For some reason, a common word I often hear in prayer is “just.” We just want to thank you, we just want to ask you to help, we just…. Our words mean something. Saying “just” trivializes what we are asking God for or thanking him for.

It is a privilege and honour to lead in public prayer. Let’s treat it as the privilege and honour it is to approach our Heavenly Father on behalf of those gathered to worship.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Leading Without Accolades

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I remember a leader telling me that she was discouraged because she never heard from people if they appreciated what she was doing. We all long for approval and acknowledgement. We want validation because it feeds our desire for people to like us and like what we do. We need to keep leading even when the accolades are not freely given.

The general population is not good at giving approval for something they expect. If we lead well in church, we will rarely get feedback because we are doing exactly what we signed up to do. We are leading in the way we agreed to when we took on the responsibility. Sometimes, when the verbal accolades are not given, we may be able to read the body language of the crowd to recognize their approval. If people laugh at a joke you shared in a speech, take that as an accolade. If they respond with clapping or raised hands during worship you lead, receive that as a sign you are leading well as they are responding physically.

It is also important to recognize that people are more likely to give negative feedback than positive feedback. If there is absence of negative feedback, take that as a good sign. No feedback may mean that people are okay with how things are going.

As leaders, we also need to learn to get our affirmation elsewhere. We cannot depend on the people we lead to be a gauge of how well we are leading. Instead, we need to be clear about what our role is and do it to our best ability. Yes, we love and need feedback, but we must learn to lead without it coming from the ones we lead. And then when we do receive positive feedback, accept it as a bonus rather than an expectation.

Sometimes we can look at the success of our leadership and receive positive encouragement from that, but sometimes our leadership is not met with the success we long for. We may be doing it all right, but still have no success to point to.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

In Galatians 1: 10 Paul points out that our goal should be to please God rather than look for the approval of men. Yes, it feels really good and is affirming to hear the “well done” of people, but it is even more encouraging to know that God approves of us and our leadership. Some years ago, my leadership was challenged to the point that I ended up losing my position. This affected me deeply. It was incredibly encouraging when I was at a pastor’s retreat, and God used others to affirm His love for me. Three different times in those couple of days, God said to me, “You are beloved Son in whom I am pleased.” Once it was a strong impression in my mind and twice it was as different people prayed over me. The approval of God was worth much more than that of men.

It is also valuable to recognize that anything good is done only through the work of Christ in us. 1 Corinthians 3: 7 points out, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow”. God equips us and invites us into leadership roles. Our first responsibility is to Him! As we serve in leadership, we ought to serve with a desire to please God first.

When the accolades do not come, continue to lead as God has called you. Do your job well and do it for the Master who called you to that role in the first place.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Pushing Past Nervousness!

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I remember the first time I had to speak publicly to a large crowd. It was only to make an announcement, but I was shaking so bad I didn’t know if I would be able to get the words out. Most of us will be nervous at some point, but if we want to lead, we need to push past the nervousness. Instead of just avoiding leadership, we need to find a way through. Too many people are willing to ignore their interest in leadership rather than learn how to get through it.

I’ve been in roles that require public speaking for 30 years, and still experience nervousness – though not quite like that first announcement I made years ago. Let me share some of the things I do to help me push through.

Prepare Well

I still get nervous from time to time, especially if I am leading something new or if it is a special event that we have worked towards for a while. My first step in dealing with my nervousness is to make sure that I know what my role is. If it is to make a speech, I write it out. If it is to lead an activity of some kind, I make sure I have all the directions written out step by step. Sometimes it is helpful to consider what questions others may ask as I lead, so I can address those in my write-up.

If I need any resources or props, I gather them ahead of time, and place them where I will have access to them as needed. If I am depending on others for assistance, like someone running the presentation slides for me, I make sure the presentation is easy to follow with a clear guide on how they can follow along.

Create a Step by Step Plan.

While this may be part of preparing, I want to make sure I point out that a clear plan helps calm my nerves. If I am preaching or making a speech, I need my script or outline. When leading a meeting I want to be clear on what will happen when, and make sure that my supporting documents are in the order of the agenda. I want to have my documents ready to go, and be ready to call for decisions to be made or actions to be created.

The clearer I am in my head as well as on paper, the less nervous I am.

Do a “Walk-through” Practice.

I like to physically enact the event if possible. This means talking through the talk or reading over the agenda to make sure everything makes sense. It’s a little like the basketball player who shoots 100 baskets every morning. The more we have already “experienced” an event, the more likely we will be more comfortable when the real things comes and execute it better. The practice allows time for correction if you realize something needs changing.

Prayer

As a Christian leader, prayer needs to be part of every aspect of our leadership. I probably should have put this higher up in the article! I pray through every event or talk I lead. I want to be clear that I am doing what God is asking of me. I want His guidance in preparing. I want to hear His voice as I practice to discern if changes are necessary. I want to make sure He gets the glory, and that everything I do gives Him honour.

And as I place myself and my endeavours in his hands, I can relax a bit, knowing that I am not on my own.

Just Do It.

After all the prayer and preparation and practice, there comes a point where I just have to do the event and trust that God will help me do it as well as possible. One of the ways to push through nervousness is to just do it. I’ve found the more often I do it, the less nervous I am. Just this past Sunday, as I was waiting for my time to go up and preach, I realized that I was not nervous at all. God has helped me to push through again and again so that my nerves do not hold me back like they used to.

It’s okay to be nervous, just continue to push through and see how God will help you to do your best for Him.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Curiosity Opens Your Eyes

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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.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Courage to Risk

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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.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

The Importance of Critical Assessment

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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.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

A Decision Making Guide

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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.

8. Anything else to consider?

  • Consider any other aspects of the decision.

Download GUIDE here.

Keep Looking up,

Andy Wiebe

A Leader is a Self-Starter

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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.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Church Leadership Series: Part 8: A Church Leader Must Not Be A New Christian

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A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall.

1 Timothy 3: 6 (NLT)

It is a great joy to welcome new believers into the church! But Paul gives a warning: “A church leader must not be a new believer.” We should look to those who are spiritually mature to lead us.

Paul doesn’t give us a length of time to wait, just that we are to wait. This is good, because some new believers mature faster than others. There are some who could take years to be ready while others might be ready in a year. The important thing is to give the new believer time to learn and grow in their faith in Christ.

What might be some problems with new believers in church leadership? Paul, in his letter to Timothy cautions that a new believer put into leadership too soon may become proud. The new believer may see this leadership role as a position of elevation in the eyes of others and think of themselves as something special, rather than as a servant. And Paul is concerned that this new believer, in their pride, may fall. The NIV puts it like this: He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. The devil fell because of his pride. He wanted to be higher than Jesus. Paul is concerned that a new believer will fall prey to the same sin and hurt his walk with God.

Other concerns may be tied to some of the earlier instructions given to church leaders. A leader needs to have a good reputation and live a goldy life. The new believer may not have that to begin with. He may need to have time to mature and become more like Jesus, and to gain that good reputation with others around him.

Another concern may be that a new believer will not be able to teach in the same way that a mature believer can. If a new believer is good at research, they may be able to put together a good lesson, but their teaching would generally be theory because they have not yet had time to put into practice what they are learning as a new follower of Jesus.

A new believer may also still carry sinful habits. He needs to learn to set those aside before stepping into leadership. While it is great to desire leadership, there should first be a strong desire to live in right relationship with Jesus by the power of the Spirit.

Churches often talk about discipleship when referring to the process of maturing as a believer, where over time the new believer becomes more and more like Jesus. A new believer would benefit from some discipleship first, whether formal or by spending time in the activities and teachings of the church. Part of that discipleship could include observing and learning from the leadership board or shadowing a leader as they go about their duties.

The official church leaders should be people who have already shown their leadership in the church as maturing believers. Asking them to serve on a board or a committee is a natural next step, affirming that they are already one of the people that others naturally look up to and learn from. Ongoing discipleship prepares maturing believers for the next steps in church leadership, taking on smaller roles to begin with and then being asked to higher levels of leadership as they prove themselves.

Church leaders should be mature and passionate about Christ and His church. They should learn and develop and grow until they are among the best in the church and well prepared for leadership. If you are that new believer, then do your part to continue to grow and be discipled as opportunities allow. God will build you up to the time when others recognize you have already become a leader. When that happens, step into leadership with a confident faith in God and a desire to serve.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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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.

ON BEING A PASTOR – by Derek Prime & Alistair Begg

This is a great book for any pastor, especially for one who is just starting out. It covers many aspects of the pastor’s role and how to do it well. It is a bit dated, yet most of the content still speaks to the pastoral role today. The first chapter is a great discussion on the call to be a pastor, pointing out that the role can be difficult, but very rewarding if this is what God wants you to do. The authors, both pastors with years of experience themselves, then talk about the character of the pastor, his home life, and how to lead a serve a congregation well. The authors both share examples of how they have applied the teaching in many sections of the book. It is good to see the way two different pastors do the work of ministry. A great book for anyone in ministry!