What a Pastor Needs...

LifeWay recently conducted a national study of 1,000 Protestant pastors. Here's what they found:

Pastors feel privileged to be called to their places of ministry. They have a deep love for those they shepherd. Most of them could not conceive of doing anything else. But, many pastors are hurting.

One of the key symptoms of the pain experienced by pastors is discouragement. Over one-half (55%) of pastors are presently discouraged.Some interesting facts discovered in the study:

• There was no pattern of discouragement related to the geographical location of the church.
• There was no pattern of discouragement related to the size of the church.
• There was no pattern of discouragement related to the educational level of the pastor.
• There was a significant pattern of discouragement related to the age of the pastor. The younger the pastor, the more likely he was to be discouraged.

Most pastors experience intense loneliness at times. The survey noted that over one-half again (coincidentally the same number, 55%, as noted above) said they were lonely.Which pastors experience the greatest amount of loneliness? 

• There was no pattern of loneliness related to the geographical location of the church.
• Younger pastors were more likely to be lonely than older pastors.
• The larger the church, the greater the likelihood that the pastor was experiencing loneliness.
• The greater the education level of the pastor, the more likely he is to be lonely.

Why the Pervasive Discouragement and Loneliness? Here are some possible reasons:

• Spiritual warfare. The Enemy does not want God’s servants to be effective in ministry. He will do whatever it takes to hurt ministers and their ministries.
• Unrealistic expectations. The expectations and demands upon a pastor are enormous. They are unrealistic. But if one person’s expectations are not met, that person can quickly let the pastor know that he is a failure.
• Greater platforms for critics. In “the good old days,” a critic was typically limited to telephone, mail, and in-person meetings to criticize a minister. Today the critics have the visible and pervasive platforms of email, blogs, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
• Failure to take time away from the church or place of ministry. Workaholism leads to burnout. Burnout leads to depression.
• Marriage and family problems. Too often the pastor neglects his family as he cares for the larger church family.
• Financial strains. Many pastors simply do not have sufficient income from the churches they serve. That financial stress can lead to depression. Some pastors do not know how to manage the money they do have, leading to further financial strain.
• The problem of comparison. Every pastor will always know of a church that is larger and more effective. Every pastor will always know of another pastor who seems more successful. The comparison game can be debilitating to some pastors.

One thing that every pastor needs more than ever is prayer. They need support and encouragement.

Without prayers and encouragement, I know I would not be able to stay in the battle. So, thank you to all who pray without ceasing!

Faithful, Not Famous

I would guess that many pastors are tempted to be a "people-pleaser". I know I am. You naturally want people to like you, but being in ministry isn't a popularity contest.  Ezekiel faced this same situation. 

Ezekiel 33:30-32 says, "Son of man, your people are whispering behind your back. They talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors, saying, `Come on, let's have some fun! Let's go hear the prophet tell us what the LORD is saying!' So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't do it!"

The exiles admired Ezekiel for his preaching, but they did not put into practice what he told them. They did not apply it to their own lives and change, but he preached it anyway. Godly leaders “perform” for an audience of One. 

It is also tempting to try harder and think you are doing something wrong when you look at how other churches are "doing it"; or how mega-churches just keep getting bigger. A recent article I read says that worshippers are getting a spiritual "high" that keeps them coming back for more. 

What this boils down to is, "How do I define success in ministry?" Is it all about the numbers? Mother Theresa’s perspective helps me to stay grounded in the deepest truth about what success really is; it rescues me from my own inner strivings when I need rescuing. She says,

I was never called to be successful;
I was called to be faithful
and in my striving to be faithful
my life will be fruitful
and because it is fruitful
you could say I am successful.”

Are you a NOMOPHOBIAC?

Do you feel anxious when your cellphone isn't nearby? Do you worry about losing your cellphone? Do you always need to keep your cellphone on? Do you obsessively check missed calls, emails, and texts? Are you one of those people who walk around with a bluetooth ear plug? If so, you may suffer from nomophobia, the fear of being without a working cellphone. The term, which is derived from no mobile phone, was first coined in 2008 by the U.K. Post Office. Research studies have revealed the following stats about nomophobia:

• People check their cellphones an average of 34 times per day.
• 66 percent of people fear losing or being without their cell phones.
• 75 percent of people use their cellphones in the bathroom. (Multi-tasking, I guess!)
• About 30 percent of people would rather leave the house without a credit card or cash than their mobile phones.
• 55 percent of women would rather leave home without makeup.
• 11 percent of respondents with would rather leave home without pants than their smartphones. (That doesn't sound very "smart" to me)
• 63 percent said they would climb through trash to find a lost cellphone. (yuck)
• 25 percent said they would physically fight a thief to get their phone back.
• 40 percent said they would start to miss their phone in less than an hour.

Matt Woodley, managing editor, PreachingToday.com; sources: Deborah Netburn, "Nomophobia—fear of being without your phone—is on the rise," Los Angeles Times (2-17-12); Samantha Murphy, "Are You Afraid of Phone Separation?" Mashable (7-13-12)

Spreading THE Good News

There is alot of bad news in the world today, but there is also good news. In fact there is a website that has nothing but good news stories on it daily. It is called "Happy News". They report on uplifting and positive stories from around the world. We all need a good dose of good news every day - but that's not good enough...

As followers of Christ, we believe that the church has the best news in all the world, the real GOOD NEWS and that good news is: 1 Corinthians 15:1 Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. 2 And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.  

We believe that the mission of the church is to proclaim the Good News and to be a sign of the kingdom of God. Christ has commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all things he has commanded. This is Article 10 in our Confession of Faith.

Here's THE good news in a nutshell: "God loves you. He isn’t mad at you. Jesus died for you because sin is destroying your life. God loves you so much he has saved you from everything that is destroying you. So why should you keep on living as though this unpredictable and unforgiving world is all you’ve got? Why don’t you come and start experiencing God’s love and enjoying the blessings of his kingdom? You already belong to him. He made you. He’s already paid for your sins. What are you waiting for? He’ll turn your sorrow into joy, your pain into purpose. He’ll give you peace like you've never known. He’ll bring meaning to your life. He’ll help you reconcile your relationships. He’ll give you rest. Trust him. He’s waiting for you."

A Life Where Christ is King

In this post I would like to share an article written by Fred Liggin concerning the shootings in Aurora, CO.

We are shaken by mourning as we hurt for those suffering due to the horrific events in Aurora Colorado on July 20.  And I am reminded of a most sobering reality.

No government, regardless of how strong or well-meaning can thoroughly legislate morality. To be sure, it can create laws that limit behaviors destructive to society (“You shall not steal”). But as a Christ-follower I am led to believe that what will bring lasting and systemic change is Jesus (“You shall have no other gods before Me”); by how He lived–bringing peace through a life of sacrificial love that paves the way toward a humanity invited to live for a cause greater than self. His life gives breadth and depth to both how and why He died and was risen. It is His life, death, resurrection and ascension as Lord that makes possible eternal realities in our present world; God’s love, righteousness and peace, indeed God Himself, accessible to all of humanity in tangible ways. It makes these eternal realities present because it is a life that follows Jesus as Lord out of hatred into sacrificial love; out of violence into peace; out of judgment into mercy; out of darkness into light. Jesus as Lord and Creator shows us what kind of life really works when God is King.

The events of July 20 remind us that there is too much godless, dehumanizing, hatred and injustice in the world filled with lost hearts for Christ-followers to lose this focus. Too much is at stake to be tangled up in various debates. If Jesus truly is King of kings and the only hope for the world, we must live like it as everyday people in every day places in every day ways. As Christ-followers our lives must be the proof of our theology. Not just our words or persuasive arguments. For what cannot be up for debate is that “faith without works is dead” and the world will know us by our love. (James 2:14-26; John 13:35).

So we must go. Go into the public square, the city streets, the cubicle next to yours, your neighbor’s house, your child’s bedroom, and tell the story of the One who brought peace through sacrificial love, and not through violence. Offer them Jesus the Son of God and Son of Man, not just a plan. If Christ-followers want lasting change in this present world, then we must tell His story because only it can shine a light on where true hope, restoration, redemption and salvation is found.

May His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. And may God’s comfort be known in the hearts of those suffering due to the brokenness and depravity of this rebellious world.

The Difference

There is a lot of talk about the difference between "religion" and relationship". I grew up in a church that focused much more on religion than relationship. It was all about following the rules. Many of you have been there. If you talked about having a relationship with God, it was seen as weak. That wasn't enough. It couldn't be that easy. You had to do something in order to gauge how "Christian" you really were in comparison to others. It was "salvation through moral effort". That seems to be what Isaiah is saying about the people of Jerusalem.  

Isaiah 29:13 says, “And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote".

Religion doesn't engage the heart, but relationship does. Just going through the motions of "going to church, praying, giving money, teaching Sunday school, etc" can't earn a special place in God's heart. We already have it because of what Christ first did for us.

In Timothy Keller's book, The Reason for God, he says, "Self-salvation through good works may produce a great deal of moral behavior in your life, but inside you are filled with self-righteousness...you are miserable. You need a complete transformation of the very motives of your heart". Keller is saying that as long as we focus on the outside rules, we will never experience the internal change from the free grace that God offers. "Religion operates on the principle "I obey - therefore I am accepted by God." But the operating principle of a grace-filled relationship with God is "I am accepted by through what Christ has done - therefore I obey", says Keller.

Following the rules might make a difference for awhile, but following Christ and having that relationship based on what He has done will make a difference for eternity!

A Bold Prayer of Contentment

Our reading for today is from Proverbs 30 written by a guy named Agur. Not much is said about him, but he obviously has the gift of wisdom. I was especially struck by verses 8 and 9 this morning:

"First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.  

I'm not sure I've ever prayed this kind of prayer (give me neither poverty nor riches). I take that back; I have prayed that God would not give me poverty, but I've never prayed that God would NOT give me riches. In fact, I can't help but think of Tevye from "Fiddler on the Roof":

Tevye: Again with the rich. What is wrong with being rich?

Perchik: It's no reason to marry. Money is the world's curse. 
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.

Agur states the reason for praying such a bold prayer. It is so he would not forget who the LORD is. If he were to be rich, he would rely on his riches instead of God. If he were poor, he would rely on himself to provide by stealing. He simply asks God to provide what he NEEDS. That's it.

Sounds like another prayer we all know well:

Matthew 6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

I guess if it was good enough for Agur and Jesus, then I should be doing it too. How about you?