How to Help the Pastor be His Best!

While there are several things that make the ministry of the Pastor difficult there are several ways that a church member can help the Pastor be the best Pastor he can be.
Here are three basic suggestions, and then a few thoughts.

1. Pray for Him.
The work that the Pastor does goes beyond the 9 to 5 as it is spiritual warfare that he is engaged in. 24/7 your Pastor is battling principalities and powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6:12-18 key vs 19)

2. Support Him.
In this battle it can feel as if your Pastor is the only one watching for your souls. (Heb. 13:17) Loneliness is a part of the position. People may not understand some decisions he makes, others may get angry at an observation he brings to the forefront, and some flat don't like his way of handling things. Remember he is God's man for God's church and he needs to know that your trusting God as he leads the congregation.

3. Love Him.
Your Pastor is far from perfect. He has faults that grieve him, he has failed in ways that have hurt people, and he experiences negativity on a daily basis. He works with sin and its pain. He feels it all. and worse, he feels it on the outside as someone whose only answer is a God that most people know of but do not really know. Its a tough sell, and so the last thing he needs is to be around people who judge him, don't forgive him, and neglect him. Love him for his works sake.

and now some thoughts.....

Let your Pastor develop relationships his way.
Jesus himself had friends who were closer than others, let the pastor choose those people and don't be offended if your not in his inner circle. (You wouldn't like it in there anyway)
There are people who are my friends who minister to me, and friends who I minister to, if you want to help me be the best, let me choose my closest friends and don't try to be someone I have not allowed you to be.

Let your Pastor have bad days.
What part of Human don't we understand?

Don't be a flake.
If you make a commitment, keep it. If he has entrusted you with the souls of others, (Children or Adults in ministry) finish the course. There is nothing worse than people who take responsibility for something and then because of flakiness pass it back to me or put it on others to do what YOU have committed to do.

Appreciate what God has done by giving back.
Like the nine lepers who were healed but never turned back to give God praise, many Christians take the new life God offers and go on their merry way. If you appreciated what God has done, go and tell the world.

Don't pity the Pastor.
Don't think "Oh Poor Pastor". He chose this path. God called, He committed.

While the position of Pastor is the most difficult thing I have ever done, the church can go a long way to making it better by taking heed to these things. They are not only things you ought to do, it should be part of our church culture as we encourage others to help the Pastor be at his best.

How to Help the Pastor be the worst!

Today I just wanted to share some thoughts on the best way you can get the worst out of your Pastor. Tomorrow I will share how to help the Pastor be the Best!

1. Complain. About anything. No matter how small make sure your voice is heard! The Pastor in any church is only doing the best He can with every aspect of the ministry and sometimes the best is not up to your standard. So let everyone know.

2. Call him at your Convieniece. He has nothing else to do right? He only works two days a week and doesn't have to work nights like the rest of us. And His family is in the ministry as well, so they don't mind the phone going off all the time.

3. Be Confrontational. We have every right to challenge authority.

4. Care only for you. The Pastors the only one getting any benefit out of this thing. He gets the Praise, the paycheck, the pats on the back, and the peoples attention. Why shouldn't I get mine?

5. Make Him Cut first. He's the one whose called. Were just volunteering.

6. Don't Keep your Commitments! I mean there are more important things than the Church. And he will understand, Right?

7. Choose whatever Church you Want! I realize that He says that God sets the members in the body but God doesn't understand how unhappy I am here.

While I realize that very few people really think this way outwardly, I do believe that at times we do inwardly. and its these inward thoughts that betray the truth of our heart.

These things only cause the Pastor to fight against the church instead of fighting the real battle.
Against Satan.
Help your Pastor be the Best He can be, and don't do these things.

Tomorrow I will have a list of seven things you can do to make your Pastor the Best He can be!

Have an awesome day. and Pray for Dale

A letter from Pastor A

What a day, Sunday!
Our Attendance was down a little, not sure what that was about but we still saw God do some amazing things.

Some great people joined our church body.
A great lady took a huge step into Baptism
and one thing that I want to address this morning.

Kathy Butchers great decision to join newLife.

That was a big step for her and a bigger statement for us.
I am not saying that everyone needs to do this, but it think it made Sunday bigger than we think.

Kathy was not saying that Bayview Baptist was wrong, but Different.
Kathy was not saying that Bayview Baptist was worse, but Different.

Kathy was saying that SHE is experiencing new life as never before.
Kathy was saying that SHE is enjoying her new life as never before.
Kathy was saying that SHE is embracing her new life as never before.

and I think that Kathy was saying for all of us who were members of Bayview that we are different.
Not wrong, not worse, but different, and that we all are living new lives in Christ.

Sunday was nothing more than Kathy expressing her love for the difference.

I too love the difference and am thankful that God moved on Kathy's heart to remind us all of what God has blessed our church with.

My Daddy used to say, "Make Hay while the Suns Shining"

And the Son of God has been Shining into the hearts of many through our church!

After my post yesterday someone went to prayer and opened up a whole bunch of work for us.

Since Yesterday........

I heard an awesome salvation testimony that will be combined with an outdoor baptism on Sunday.
I will be speaking today to a young man who has been far from God, who wants to join our church. (From Vince's Discipleship Work!)
I heard that there are several young men who visited Church on Sunday who want to talk to us about Christ as well as Baptism. (Thanks Steve and Darla for inviting them)
I got to open up a conversation with a family in need of Christ.
Carol wrote about a family in need of prayer as well. (see yesterdays comments)

Wow, if that's all it takes, I am going to repost yesterdays post every Thursday.

Thanks for your prayers!

Three days to Sunday

The last few services have been incredible, but I am concerned that we are quickly coasting.
No Baptisms scheduled for Sunday
No one scheduled to Join for Sunday
I have heard of no one getting saved this week

Church, are we done for the year?
Is this it?
Its been great I know, but are we satisfied? or worse, Is He Satisfied?

Have we stopped praying?
Have we stopped sharing?
Have we stopped teaching?

Have we have we've stopped being the church God has called us to be.

We have three days to Sunday, God created the earth in Seven and we are not asking for Him to create the earth, only to place someone in our life to share the gospel with, and open their heart to Him.

What are you going to do with your three days?

Early Church Methodology Arguments

Complaints from religious people about how things are done in a church are historical if not hysterical.
Lets look at a few.

#1 Your Life Healing Methods are Reprehensible. John 9:1-11
While we cannot deny that you healed a blind man, your ways are unacceptable.
I mean spitting on the ground, so much that you could make a mud out of it, and then putting it on his eyes? Regardless of his ability to see afterwards, its out of line. And on a Sunday! How dare you interrupt our worship. (Luke 13:14)

#2 Those you do heal, Brag about it. John 9:11
Yes we get the miracles that you perform in peoples lives, but how arrogant can you be to accept peoples praise for your acts of transformation?

#3 The "Group" you associate with don't fit our Christian Standard.
It has been said that you fellowship with a Samaritan woman (John 4), you have a tax collector on your staff (Matthew 9:9-13), and there are no Bible college educated people running your programs. (OK one, but His praise of your name negates his education as its obviously a little too excited.) The rest are fishermen. It has also been reported that there are a couple of crazy strippers coming to your "Group". (Luke 8:26-39)

#4 The way you teach is unacceptable.
Every time someone asks a question you answer it with a story. You obviously just want to entertain people. Your teaching is too shallow. We try and teach people the deeper truths of things like murder, and you say Anger is the same thing (Matthew 5:21-26). We try and teach people to put down adulterers, and you say that adultery is looking and not touching and worse you teach that if you can't handle it, to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands (Matthew 5:27-30)? A little silly don't you think?

#5 Your not Respectful to us of the Religious Establishment. (other Pastors)
Calling us snakes and comparing us to the devil shows you care nothing for our work.
(Matthew 23:13-33) A man of God would never call other Pastors Liars and accusing our mothers of having inappropriate relationships with the Devil. (John 8:39-50)

Personally, I don't care how a persons eyes are opened to the gospel, as long as they can see. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

I think that we all ought to Shout about what God has done and is doing in our lives.
If not we make the rocks do it. (Luke 19:40)

I love the "GROUP" that attends our Church. We do have divorced people here, we do have an ex tax collector here, we do have uneducated people here, we do have fishermen and loggers here, we do have people who were once wild and crazy for sin, who are now clothed and sitting in their right minds, Loving their wives and children.

Our Teaching is Simple. Oh some tell me that our doctrine is shallow but I guess if what we teach is leading people to Christ, encouraging them to Love God and others, and helping them live victorious lives than I think I stay with that over creating more pharisees.

I don't respect pastors who are nothing more than Hirelings. They move from Church to church for no other reason than to enhance their careers. They gossip, they lie, they become busy bodies in other men's matters. But I also support men who love God and others.

These arguments have been going on for thousands of years and will continue until Jesus comes back. When that happens, I would rather be standing there with multitude of people we have reached for Christ, than with nothing more than my own righteousness.

I love you church, and am thankful that you have allowed me to be your Pastor.
Let's keep up the GOOD Work!

Amazing Sunday, but Amazing Sadness

Sunday was a great day.
To see the faces of those getting baptized, to hear the Excitement and cheers of those who love Jesus Christ Praise God for that simple step of faith is enough to excite even the coldest of Christians.

But, and I hate to add that, But, after the service I was approached by a man from out of town, a Pastor of another church, who was greatly offended at our services and felt called upon by his god (little g) to rebuke me in the foyer.

He was angry, judgemental, bitter, calloused, arrogant, and His wife did not seem any happier.

Souls Gladly received the word of God, Souls were baptised, and Souls were added to the church. (see Acts 2:41) this past Sunday, but all this man could do is question our doctrine.

Why don't you have a Sunday Night Service? (Doctrine?)
Why don't you wear a suit? (Doctrine)
How long will it be before this group, yes he called you a group, is charismatic. (if that means happy we are, if it means speaking in tongues we aren't.)

and while I tried to encourage him to look at the fruit of our labors, he focused on his form of doctrine.

If what we teach, leads people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ..........
If what we teach, leads people to obey the word of God in Baptism and faithful church attendance..........
If what we teach, leads people to study the scriptures and pray one for another.......
If what we teach, leads people to Love God, and Love others are we not teaching correct doctrine?

What we are teaching is leading people to become like Christ, but this man, did not show any love for God nor others.

and so I came to this.

If the "Doctrine" that created this Pastors Christianity is what he wants me to preach,
And the result is arrogance, judgementalism, and self-righteousness, Ill take what we have been teaching and the fruit of Love, Life, and Liberty.

I love our Church.
I have never been more excited to be around people who sincerely trust God, honestly love God, and openly share God.

and I think Highly of our People. Its your labor of Love that has resulted in the past months blessings. Your love of God and others has resulted in souls being saved and lives being changed!

It was an Amazing Sunday, but I am very sad for this man, whose anger kept him from rejoicing in the work of God in Astoria. Please pray for Pastor Bo and his wife Jamie that they might one day be free to rejoice in the work of God.