Archive for the 'preaching' Category

 The Christian blogosphere is abuzz with reaction to Willow Creek’s revelation that spiritual growth in their church has been less than satisfactory.  Village Missionary Steve Hall originally directed my attention to a blog at “Out of Ur.”  Attendance at programs in the church did not translate into changed lives.

Much of the reaction falls in the category of “Gotcha!”  These writers knew all along that Willow Creek was like the Platte River-a mile wide and an inch deep.  For example, Bob Burney writes:

Just as Spock’s “mistake” was no minor error, so the error of the seeker sensitive movement is monumental in its scope. The foundation of thousands of American churches is now discovered to be mere sand. The one individual who has had perhaps the greatest influence on the American church in our generation has now admitted his philosophy of ministry, in large part, was a “mistake.” The extent of this error defies measurement.

Much gentler, H.B. London writes in the Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, Nov. 9:

As I read various reports, I could not help but think of the thousands of pastors who did not buy into the “seeker sensitive” strategy who lost members and even their own ministry because they were out of touch. Teaching the fundamentals of faith was not enough.

You can find just about every blog article you wish about the controversy and then some at BILLYCHIA.COM.

Personally, I commend Willow Creek for their courage in asking hard questions about their spiritual effectiveness.  They could have easily coasted along surviving and thriving on their numbers.  They surveyed their attendees because they were interested in much more than numbers.

Not that I didn’t have problems with the Willow Creek approach, at least as I perceived it.  I never felt that the worship of the body of Christ was to be directed toward “unchurched Harry.”  I have this old-fashioned idea that we should worship God.  The idea of selective preaching to gain a crowd rather than preaching the whole counsel of God is abhorrent to me if that is indeed what was done.

I also had problems with the performance mentality in which everything done had to have the quality of a Broadway production.  Bill Hybels once spoke to a class I attended.  I asked him about Virginia.  Virginia definitely stood out in a crowd.  She was a large, over weight woman who was mentally handicapped.  She cut her own hair or, I should say, she chopped her own hair.  She had black, high-topped sneakers and always wore a ragged dress.  She sang in our choir, always wanting to stand in front.  Virginia didn’t know any better.  So, I asked Bill what he would do with Virginia.  He told the class that he would try to find a place for Virginia out of the limelight.

Of course, I was being smug and setting Bill up for an unspiritual answer.  I too was playing “Gotcha!”  He was exposed as not valuing the “least of these” and not being Christ-like.  In actuality, however, Virginia often embarrassed me.  I often wished she would quit the choir, especially when we had a visitor who did not know the story behind her.  I didn’t want her up front either!

I think a country church has the wonderful potential to produce growing Christians.  A pastor in a country church can model what it means to follow Christ and he knows the spiritual level of his people.  He has a unique opportunity to mentor them.  I experienced this myself as Village Missionary Ray Bell mentored me.

But we shouldn’t be too smug as we learn of Willow Creek.  Would our people be any better off spiritually if we surveyed them?  Would we have the courage to ask them about the effectiveness of our preaching or our programs?

Big or small, rural, suburban, or urban any of us can fall into the trap of ministering to succeed.  I did at times.  If we minister out of faithfulness to God and His Word perhaps He will be pleased to produce true spiritual fruit.  Perhaps then, according to Hebrews, we will be able to give adequate account for the souls under our charge.  Even such souls as Virginia!

 As word of my cancer has spread, many people have come up to me and expressed their loving concern.  Several have told me that they are praying for me and asked me how I was doing and how I was feeling.  This has been especially true at Stonecroft Ministries where the staff takes very seriously the ministry of prayer.  I am extremely thankful for your concern and the tremendous missionary family I have the privilege of serving.

Physically, I am feeling better than I have felt in a long time because I have lost some weight.  My prostate cancer was not diagnosed because of the presence of symptoms.  Instead, my annual blood work indicated an increasing P.S.A. level that led to a biopsy.  Actually, it is very serious if you have symptoms with prostate cancer, as symptoms are an indication that it hasn’t been detected early enough.  Men, please have your annual blood work done!

As I write this, it is exactly one month until my surgery on Dec. 3.  I am doing well emotionally and spiritually now but it is conceivable that as surgery draws near I won’t be doing as well.  I can imagine that the closer the day is, the higher my anxiety will be.  Could it be that the day of the surgery, as I pull into a parking space at the hospital, my hands will freeze fast to the steering wheel?  Will they drag me kicking and screaming into surgery with me only becoming calm when they give me the “La-La” juice?

The possibility of my becoming a basket case brings me to another way that God is strengthening me.  God has strengthened me through the knowledge that no matter how weak I become God will not forsake me.  His staying with me through any trial has nothing to do with my strength but everything to do with His strength and the completeness of what He has done for me in Christ.  Are not the fantastic (virtually unbelievable, but completely believable because they are from God) promises of Romans 8:31-39 perfectly appropriate for minor trials such as mine as well as the severest trial?

I can be weak, fearful, full of anxiety about the surgery or its outcome without ever worrying that my weakness will separate me from God.  He has promised me it will not!

Of course, it would not be good public relations for the Executive Director of Village Missions to be screaming as he enters the hospital!  Neither is it good for a Village Missionary to scream in panic when encountering a trial!  Unfortunately, many of us maintain the appearance of strength on the outside while inwardly we are screaming.  After all, we have to maintain the image of the pastor or the director who is in control!  That is nothing but hypocrisy and such false spirituality does no one any good.  Yet total weakness in the face of adversity would undercut everything we have ever preached about the sufficiency of Christ!  It would certainly undercut everything I have written in this blog thus far about my cancer.

What is the answer?  In my weakness, knowing that God has not forsaken me, I must cling to God’s strength.  It is good to come to the end of our resources and it is even necessary to come to the end of our resources so that we turn to the strength of God.  We must turn to God in the midst of our anxiety and panic.

Paul identifies and illustrates what we must do in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  He came to God in his weakness caused by the “thorn in the flesh.”  God kept reminding Paul of the sufficiency of His grace.  He informed Paul of a spiritual growth process in which power was “perfected in weakness.”  I think the process was a weaning away in Paul his reliance on his own strength in favor of a developing reliance on God’s strength.  He came to the place where he even relished weakness because of the opportunity for the display of God’s power in him.

I have entered the school of weakness.  It has a curriculum that can be learned in no other way.  I am strengthened in this trial by knowing of an unending love that does its greatest work of grace in the times I am the weakest.  How am I doing?  I am actually doing better by having this opportunity for the display of God’s power than I was doing before I had cancer.

May we embrace every trial we encounter as part of the rich and thoughtful design of God to display His power in our life!

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Tim 4:1-3 NASU
 

Preaching is our most important responsibility as shepherds of the flock of God.  God has tasked the pastor with the faithful, accurate proclamation of His Word and I believe He will hold us accountable for the unfaithful discharge of our chief responsibility.  We are not responsible for what our flock does with the Word of God—the Spirit of God and they are responsible for that—but we are responsible to announce its truth plainly and boldly.
 

I intend this article as a bridge from the series I was doing on creating opposition in the church through our own fault and the opposition that comes when we take a Biblical stand.  On the positive side, if we focus on “Preaching the Word and loving the people” we can avoid much opposition.  In this article I want to explore “Preaching the Word.”
 

Let me add that I in no way want to add further burdens or false expectations to anyone.  I know that many in ministry feel as if one more straw would break their camel’s back.  I firmly believe, however, that proper attention to our preaching ministry will lighten our load and not add to it.  A pastor who is deepening his preaching ministry will often be deepening the spiritual depth of his flock and will certainly be deepening his own walk with the Lord.  We do much to help ourselves when we pay attention to our preaching.
 

By emphasizing preaching I do not deemphasize “loving the people.”  Lack of sacrificial, Christ-like love will undermine everything you say.  You will model for your people a person who says one thing and does something quite different.  They will be quite complacent in remaining in their spiritual hypocrisy as they observe yours.  Ideally, “loving the people” should be the outflow of a deepening personal application of Scripture in which we are becoming more Christ-like.  Paul wrote the Galatians, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal 4:19-20 NASU).  Certainly Christ must be formed in us as we expect His formation in God’s flock through our preaching.
 

Our preaching ministry will in most cases make or break our ministry.  Generally speaking, well fed sheep are happy sheep.  They are much less likely to be breaking down fences in search of food, pushing and biting each other, and going off in wild directions when they have plenty of good, green grass.
 

What are some common pitfalls we face in our preaching ministry?
 

Lack of adequate preparation is certainly one.  It is hard work to prepare a sermon!  For one thing, how can we grapple with our personal application of the text if we are throwing together a sermon at the last minute?  Village Missionaries perhaps struggle with this more so than other pastors.  We stress a relational ministry in which we are with our people.  That takes time—sometimes a lot of time.  Yet with discipline we can carve out adequate preparation time as well.
 

Some of us may need to get up early.  We might have to schedule our study time, allowing the possibility for major interruptions.  Often, we waste the time we have looking at e-mails, doing this and that—everything but the deep digging into the text that we need.  Certainly, the most critical and important thing we do deserves the priority of our attention.
 

Another pitfall involves inattention to communication.  I recently learned of a Village Missionary who is preaching 45 minutes or longer to his congregation.  He is sharing all the deep truth he learns in his study of the Word but his congregation is dismayed because they don’t understand much of what he says!  If he continues on his present path, he won’t last long, no matter what we try to do to help him.
 

We need to understand that it is our responsibility as a communicator of God’s truth to communicate.  Communication, especially in today’s world, involves sensitivity to the needs of the listener.  You remember the basics of your preaching class.  We have to begin by giving people a reason to listen.  Our message should center on one idea, the homiletical idea that gives unity and clarity to the message.  We have to help people transition through our message, making sure that main points are highlighted as main points and each is logically related to the other and certainly tied to the text.  Extraneous material needs to be avoided as it only confuses the listener.  We conclude our message with something that cements the truth and gives a call to action.
 

It is hard work to study a text of Scripture.  It is even harder work to communicate it clearly.  I don’t recall ever preaching a message where I was fully satisfied that it was the best it could be.  Someone who feels that he should preach at least 45 minute messages on a Sunday morning should start by preaching 20 or at the most 30 minute messages.  Only the very best preachers can hold a congregation’s attention beyond that.  When your congregation starts begging you to go longer and expresses disappointment at the shortness of the message, then you will have the freedom to lengthen your messages.
 

Another pitfall is preaching hobby horses or minor points of doctrine.  Old timers in Village Missions may remember that Rev. Duff discouraged missionaries from using the word “predestination.”  I imagine as a former Presbyterian minister Rev. Duff believed in predestination (maybe he did not) but he knew that this doctrine was beyond the scope of our statement of faith and tended to divide believers.
 

Rev. Duff launched this mission with a non-denominational approach that majors on the majors and works quite well, especially in rural communities.  He recognized that a strong stand for major gospel truth will bring people to faith and growth in Christ, while inevitably alienating some.  He also recognized that a strong stand for every detailed minor position will inevitably alienate many, including other believers.  In such a case, the work of the Gospel is not furthered but hindered.
 

We have not changed our approach!  For one thing, imagine how difficult it will be for the Village Missionary following you if he has a different doctrinal perspective!  The one who takes a strong stand on all the five points of Calvinism will make it extremely difficult on a following missionary with a less reformed perspective.  The one who believes in the free will of the sinner will make it difficult on the one with a reformed perspective if “free will” is taught and promoted.  The one who teaches a post-trib rapture will make it difficult for the pre-trib guy.  Major on the majors and use sensitivity and wisdom in dealing with the minors!  If you must discuss doctrines other than the statement of faith do so by surveying the various perspectives.  Much better yet, preach through books of the Bible and faithfully teach your passage.  Be able to defend what you say from that passage and the context of the book. 
 

I realize I will be ruffling some feathers by writing this.  Some feel they must campaign for their particular flavor of theology and feel it would be compromising to not lead their congregation to a “liberating” knowledge of the truth.  Yet, how wonderful if our flock would simply grasp and live the truths reflected in our statement of faith!  Given our world’s ignorance of Scripture, it will take many years of ministry before they will understand the simple but major doctrine reflected in our statement of faith.
 

Another pitfall is to not work at improving your preaching.  There are many resources out there to help us, whether they are books, tapes, or preaching seminars.  Especially if we are getting complaints about our messages, we should be striving to improve.  Your D.R. can be a great resource.  Why not record your message, send it to your D.R., and ask him to suggest ways to improve your preaching?  It is much better that this happen then a church member sending a tape to establish his complaint about your preaching ministry.
 

Finally, perhaps the most serious pitfall of all is to not apply personally what you preach.  Your congregation will constantly be watching you to see if you believe the truths of the gospel enough to apply them.  How can we preach on the Great Commission, for example, if we don’t try to lead someone to Christ ourselves?  How can we preach on humility if we react with anger to criticism from a member of our church?  I know how hard it is under the pressure of ministry to do the hard work of personal application and I’m not saying I did a very good job.  Yet I do remember wonderful, devotional times of study as the great truths of Scripture penetrated my soul.  It is one of the areas I miss most about the pastorate.
 

Applying your own sermons will sustain and even bless you in ministry.  If they don’t, do you think your messages will sustain and bless your flock?  My challenges in applying messages reminded me of how challenging it was for the congregation to do so.  Perhaps avoiding this pitfall of not applying your messages will do the most to avoid the others.  As a vibrant, real experience of Jesus Christ shines through your message and your life, perhaps they will not even mind if you go a little longer.  But please, not an hour!

1 Peter 2:19-21 (NASB): 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.I mentioned in my blog last month that I had presented a seminar at the Moody Missions Conference about the opposition pastors face in this country. The title of the seminar was “Do Pastors in North America Experience Persecution?” As you notice from the passage above, Peter recognizes the fact that believers can foster self-induced difficulty. We can sin and because of that sin, others will treat us harshly. Alternatively, we can suffer for doing what is right. In my seminar, I considered both causes of “harsh treatment”—our own sin or mistakes and the doing of “right” that causes opposition. In this blog, I want to consider the various ways that we can cause problems for ourselves. These are sure-fire ways to develop opposition to our ministry.

In the future, we are going to have to pay even closer attention to avoiding self-inflicted wounds. Like it or not, we probably lost some or much of our credibility as pastors with the revelations about Ted Haggard. Here was a pastor who built an extremely “successful” church and was one of the leading representatives of the evangelical movement. It doesn’t matter that we had no say in his selection as our leader or that we disagreed with his charismatic theology; he represented us to the outside world. He has given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme and occasion to distrust every pastor who claims that he walks with the Lord. Ted Haggard and others like him have weakened our credibility even in the small communities where many of us serve.

So then, what are some of the ways we can “sin” as pastors, thereby creating deserved opposition to our ministry? In my seminar, I mentioned twelve general areas where we can create problems for ourselves. In this blog, I will consider seven of those areas.

Of course, immorality will bring us harsh treatment and deservedly so. A pastor today needs to be especially on guard against immorality. The number of pastors involved in internet pornography or some type of immoral behavior is staggering. Paul had only the highest standards of personal conduct and called the Thessalonians as witnesses to that conduct. He reminded them of his high standards, writing, “You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:10).

Ted Haggard ought to be a reminder to us that God will expose our sin, no matter how much it reflects badly on His Name. We need to enact safeguards around us that guard us from falling into immorality. Do you have safeguards on your computer? Is your computer screen accessible to others and can others view your files? If not, why not? Do you think that you are stronger and more able to resist temptation than other pastors who have fallen? Do you have someone that holds you accountable? Do you have a policy against counseling a woman alone? Are you seeking to cultivate your relationship with your wife? Does she know where you are at all times? The examples of fallen pastors ought to make us fearful of allowing ourselves any leeway in this area.

Another way we can create opposition against our ministry is laziness. Some pastors are simply lazy, sleeping in, goofing off, and playing when they should be praying. Paul described his hard-working approach to ministry, “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). A congregation, especially in the country, quickly discovers whether a pastor believes in what he is doing enough to work hard at it. They soon detect lack of preparation in messages and lack of dedication in visiting. A poorly fed and cared for flock quickly becomes a restless flock that scatters and creates problems for its shepherd.

Leading a congregation before we earn the right to lead, often a pitfall of new pastors, will stir opposition to our ministry. Paul spoke of how he had earned the trust of the Thessalonians, “But we proved (italics mine) to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). Have you proved to be gentle among your congregation? Then they might be willing to follow you. Depending on the previous circumstances in a congregation’s history, it might take you years before you earn enough credibility to lead. Are you willing to invest the time necessary demonstrating character and commitment to Christ and demonstrating that they can trust you?

Unfortunately, many rural churches have had pastors who claim to love them but really don’t. Dr. Glenn Daman, director of the Village Missions Center for Leadership Development comments in his new book “Leading the Small Church” about the disturbing tendency to use rural churches as steppingstones to career enhancement. He writes:

Too often, freshly minted pastors view small churches as steppingstones to bigger and better things. They approach ministry as a profession to pursue rather than a calling to develop. They treat the church as a business to expand rather than a living organism to nurture. Although they may enjoy a season of ministry in a particular congregation, they often leave to pursue a more dynamic and growing ministry. They preach faithfulness in marriage and ministry but model adultery in their commitment to the congregation—too often leaving to pursue a more alluring and attractive suitor. Daman, Glenn, Leading the Small Church, (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006), 61-62

No wonder congregations, especially rural congregations, distrust their pastor!Not understanding the culture will often create undue opposition for our ministry. For example, many small churches have a family, relational, culture. This is wonderful in terms of care for one another but can be frustrating in terms of speedy decisions. The patriarch will have to come on board and a decision will have to go through a time of percolation. It is an interesting passage to use but evidently, Paul wanted Titus to know something about the culture of his church people. He wrote in Titus 1:12-13:

12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them severely that they may be sound in the faith.

I think Titus knew a thing or two about serving in a difficult culture! I have heard some Village Missions’ fields described in a negative way but none quite like Crete!Trying to be the dictator will most certainly create opposition for us. Some pastors will “Lord” it over the flock, making sure they control every decision. I knew of one pastor who even refused to let anyone else make the coffee or choose the color of the carpet. Others control board meetings, making sure that they get what they want. Asserted authority in the church never holds as much sway as earned authority. Paul leaves us the right example when he writes, “nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority” (1 Thessalonians 2:6). If the Apostle Paul did not assert his authority as an apostle, why should we assert our authority as a pastor?

Another sure fire way to stir opposition is using people to achieve success. People will quickly sense whether you genuinely care for them or whether you are using then to achieve your personal goals. What a contrast Paul presents to a pastor driven to succeed and willing to step over people to do so! Again reminding the Thessalonians of his ministry, he writes, “Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Ministry must be about a pouring out of our lives to people. Their good, their benefit, their walk with the Lord must be always placed above our gain.

We need to be careful here. We will never be so crass as to say, “I want to achieve success.” We will speak of building God’s kingdom and advancing the church, but deep down our motive may be building our own kingdom. We must cultivate a spirit of servanthood where the spiritual benefit of others is our chief concern.

Similar to using people to achieve success is a programmatic approach to rural ministry. In today’s church culture, programs are king. Pastors are often in a vain search for the magic program that will draw people to their church. Yet often because the rural or small church is so relationally driven, programs, unless they are carefully adapted, will not work in a rural setting. In 2 Corinthians 11:19-20 Paul writes of how readily the church accepted manipulation:

19 For you, being so wise, bear with the foolish gladly. 20 For you bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face.

A glitzy advertisement arrives in the mail promising to double our attendance in one year if we implement, at an affordable cost given its proven worth, their sure-fire program. We try to get all our people on board, devote all our energy to adopting something that does not fit our culture and then wonder why the results are much less than we were promised! We blame the people for not getting behind our program and they rightly blame their shepherd because he does not understand his sheep!Next month’s blog will continue this subject as we look at five more ways we can create opposition to our ministry.