Wasting Away in Lay Speakerville

Seeing her didn’t raise my expectations. A gray-haired woman, who looked like she had been resuscitated from a mortuary, shuffled up to the pulpit, slowly unfolded several pieces of paper and started talking about her ministry in the church with a time-worn southern drawl. The idea was that she would tell us what her ministry does and why it’s important to the Kingdom of Heaven, and then the congregation would drop some extra cash in the offering plate to support it.

Everyone was attentive at the beginning, but then, three stories and ten minutes later, as she meandered all over God’s green earth, we were wondering if she was going to let the pastor preach his sermon. Maybe she was also going to give the altar call and benediction. I was just hoping she’d let us sing another song—but even that appeared unlikely.

Along the way, two of her awkward stories about ministry volunteers showed them to be wondrously inept. I wondered how the church could expect me to give anything to a ministry that had such buffoons as volunteers and such poor spokespeople. It became clear that her memory and sense of place weren’t as strong as they used to be. Why did the leaders of the church ever give her a microphone? The ministry and its volunteers were probably far better than she represented. Probably.

Now, I’ve been to this church before, and this is something they appear to do frequently, either to raise money for a ministry or simply to highlight a personal testimony. The outcome is usually better—but not by much.

So—all you lay speakers—listen to me. When speaking in a church service, if you haven’t said something to grab my attention within the first thirty seconds my mind starts looking for an exit. And if you pass two minutes, you’ll find me far away on a tropical island sipping fruit smoothies in a hammock under a grove of palm trees. Nearby, the gentle waves of a sapphire lagoon caress the virgin sand. Please don’t even try to steal me away from my imaginary paradise by regaining my attention. My little island is so much better.

Pastor, why would you do this to your audience? Do you know how this reflects on your ministry? Apparently, not. So I’d like to suggest that you adopt three non-negotiable rules for non-professional speakers—if you feel a need to give them a microphone:

• NEVER give a microphone to someone who hasn’t been thoroughly vetted and approved. In other words, a qualified staff member can attest to this person’s Christian character and to his speaking ability.

• NEVER permit a person to speak who has not submitted a manuscript for approval. Extemporaneous speakers aren’t allowed. Neither are outlines. Every word must be written on paper and read from the paper. Everything that is written must conform to Christian doctrine and to the mission and vision of the church.

• NEVER approve a manuscript that exceeds 500 words or 2 minutes when read. As a general rule, shorter is better. Use the KISS acronym: Keep It Short and Simple. Your speaker doesn’t have to tell everything about the ministry just the most compelling part. There’s a saying that should drive you, “Always leave them [your audience] wanting more.”

And if the lay speaker strays from the approved text, NEVER invite him back. Why not? Because he has made your ministry look unprofessional, he’s made you look weak as a leader, and he’s offended the congregational members that have placed their trust in you. A bad guest speaker reflects poorly on your ministry. If you do that too many times you’ll risk losing people’s confidence and loyalty. You might also lose them to another church—and I’ll join the exodus. Or maybe I’ll just return to my tropical island.

Mob Boss Minister

Driving by the front door of the church building, we saw the senior pastor walking in from the parking lot. He looked back at us, so I gave him a friendly wave. His stern expression revealed that he had no interest in being friendly. Unmoved by my warm gesture, he continued walking as my teenage son commented from the seat beside me, “Pastor Frank looks scary. He looks like he could be in a movie for the Mafia.”

He was right. Frank looked like he was about to order a hit on someone. Truth is, Frank looks like that all the time. His intimidating nature can really put you off your game. Even when he’s less aggressive, his serious and dour demeanor casts a pall on everyone around him. He smiles and it looks like it hurts.  Poor man.

I chuckled even as I considered how true my son’s observation was of Frank. Everyone has a bad day now and then, but some people look like a Mob boss with indigestion. So, to all the Franks in the ministry, skip the “fra diavilo” sauce and pass the cannolis! Cheer up! If the weight you carry is too heavy it isn’t the one Jesus gave you. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light”? (Matthew 11:29-30)

Maybe it’s time to offload some of that weight. Maybe there are tasks that someone else can do, or that don’t need to be done at all. Maybe you’ve been confusing activity with ministry. Filling up your schedule doesn’t mean you’re effective, only that you’re living at the mercy of other people’s demands. You know, the “tail wagging the dog” thing. Maybe you need to rediscover that spiritually anointed ministry flows from your relationship with Jesus Christ and from a balanced and unhurried life. You’ll probably have to retrain some of your key leaders that less activity in your life will mean more fruit in your ministry. But that’s OK. It’s a Kingdom principle. Even the apostles had to pass off some of their tasks to other people so that they could focus on prayer and teaching/preaching. You can read about it in Acts 6:1-7.

The Apostle Paul recognized our common human tendency to stray from tending to our soul. So he reminded us to do three things that are essential for spiritual health—and that together comprise the foundation of spiritually authentic ministry:

• Prayer: Rather than stressing about life, God wants us to talk to him about it. He wants to hear our heart’s honest desire. (Philippians 4:6)
• Meditation: God wants us to reflect on his Word for our personal benefit. Paul also includes anything that is consistent with the noble character, right standard, pure quality, and lovely nature of God’s Word. (Philippians 4:8a)
• Application: Whatever we learn or receive from God’s Spirit through prayer or meditation will be lost if we don’t apply it to our lives. Conversely, whatever God reveals to us will be formed in us if we put it to use. (Philippians 4:8b)

Prayer, meditation, and application are your primary activities as a pastor (remember Acts 6:1-7!). Why? First, because they are the means to your experience of pervasive joy, evident gentleness, and protective peace (Philippians 4:4-6). I could keep adding to this list of benefits. But you get the idea. You can find more by reading Galatians 5:22-23. Really. This stuff is in the Bible. Who knew that this would apply to pastors?

Second, prayer, meditation and application are your primary activities because people reproduce what they are. When you exude genuine spiritual fruit from a life that includes substantial time with God in prayer and mediating on his Word, the people who follow you will eventually do the same. Isn’t that what you’re really working for, anyway? We—and our children—look to you as our spiritual leader to be an example to us of these things. If the principles in God’s Word don’t work for you, how can they possibly work for us?

So, if you’re finding it hard being joyful, gentle, and peaceful—maybe you need some time off. Seriously, your spiritual retreat would do us all a world of good. You might just reconnect with God in a way that fills your spiritual cup to overflowing with something that you haven’t experienced in a long time. Please. I’d like nothing more than to hear my son say, “Pastor Frank doesn’t look like he’s in the Mafia anymore!” Why not? Because, instead, you will be radiating the joyful, gentle, and peaceful heart that our Heavenly Father has formed in you. Who knows? You might even feel like waving back.

Wounded & Healed

Have you ever been wounded in the ministry by people who should have cared for you? Have you ever had to leave a dysfunctional staff and then get refocused for healthy, productive ministry? Anne Jackson shares this video of her friends, Blake and Ally, who had that experience, found God’s healing grace, and are now in a healthy church. …

http://vimeo.com/3766726

Have you had a similar experience? Were you able to continue in ministry? How did you make it?

Getting the Story Right, Part 3

THIS IS CONTINUED FROM PART 2

Jesus, the God-Man

The virginal conception and divine paternity of Jesus are revealed in the following passages.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together [sexually] she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit [not from a man].  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:   ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:18-23)

“Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’  And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit [not a man] will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God [not the son of a man].” (Luke 2:34-35)

Jesus was not like any other man. The nature of his birth proved his DNA to be both human (Mary) and divine (our heavenly Father).  Because of this dual nature, he was the Son of God, a trustworthy Messenger from God who informed us of the Kingdom of God and the means to enter it. And he was the Son of Man, the sinless offering who became a full and sufficient sacrifice for the transgressions of anyone who would receive the benefit of his sacrifice. This benefit is that his sacrifice satisfies the judgment of God against any person because of his or her sin. And now, because of Jesus’ great victory over sin, death, and hell, proven by his Resurrection, we can all be beneficiaries of the forgiveness and redemption that God secured by himself on the Cross in the person of His son.

The Lesson

One of the lessons that we might glean from the story of Joseph and Mary might be this: God favors those who live honorably and who have hearts inclined toward him. This idea is echoed in the words of the prophet Micah.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.”

(Micah 6:8)

So what about you? What is your life like?

• Are your actions in harmony with God’s expectations?
• Does your speech reveal your kindness and mercy toward others?
• Are you walking in a humble attitude of reverence toward God and dependence on him?
• Do you have an inner spiritual ear that is listening for his quiet voice?

The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth

In many courtrooms across America, people are still asked to place a hand on the Bible and pledge to “tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.” Christian preachers and teachers should go through the same exercise every week while they are preparing their lessons, and in the moments before delivering what they have prepared. People deserve more than half the truth, or a version of the truth. As a pastor and teacher, you have an obligation before God to give them the whole Truth and nothing but Truth. When you have that firm commitment, preparing as fully as the scriptural text and preaching moment requires, God will help you.

Returning to our youth pastor, simplifying the Christmas story to one of a “crisis pregnancy” between a slutty girl and an immoral boy who doesn’t want to step up to the plate and take responsibility for being a father does a great injustice to what actually happened. It reduces the story to something that is common, rather than exceptional and holy. It betrays a belief that people, regardless of their age, don’t have the intelligence to rise to a full and accurate understanding of Biblical Truth. And so, it offers them a distorted portion of truth that is devoid of its transforming power. Disciples who are offered unbalanced, incomplete, or misshapen doctrine will develop a shallow faith, at best. Predictably, many of them won’t live very long by a Book that can’t help them rise above their sinful condition, and they won’t follow a pastor very far who doesn’t inspire them with the power of the Word.

Getting the Story Right, Part 2

THIS IS CONTINUED FROM PART 1

Joseph’s Righteousness

“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)

Mary’s pregnancy was proof of her immorality as a single woman. The Old Testament Law prescribed death for such women, a sentence that was still occasionally meted out in Joseph’s day. So, according to the requirements of the Law, Joseph would have been considered a “righteous” man for exposing her to the disgrace of a public divorce (and possible execution by stoning). But this isn’t what Joseph did. The Bible tells us that the reason why he DID NOT expose Mary publicly, which would have made her the object of ridicule and judgment, was BECAUSE he was righteous. This suggests that his righteousness was not defined or limited by the Law.

Joseph’s “righteousness” is best explained by the Apostle Paul, who spoke of living by the Spirit of the Old Testament Law, rather than by every “letter” of the same Law (2 Corinthians 3:6). This is precisely how Abraham could be considered righteous prior to the giving of the Law through Moses (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6), and how Joseph could be considered righteous when not abiding by the strictest application of the same legal code. They lived by a faith in God apart from the Law, a faith that compelled them toward goodness—that quality of character that can be described only by others as “righteous” (Galatians 3:11—12). Joseph, Jesus, and Paul accepted the Law as a guide pointing us in the direction of holiness, but they also understood that the Law, by itself, does not fully define, and thus limit, holiness. As a static legal code, “the letter kills” (2 Corinthians 3:6). But when we have apprehended God’s purpose for the Law, to protect us and provide for us, and have embraced what inspires the Law, the Holy Spirit of God, then we discover the life of the Spirit that is not limited by the Law.

Mary’s Righteousness

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30)

True holiness requires not only knowing God’s righteous commands; it requires knowing the heart of God and being moved by the Spirit of God. This is why Joseph did not expose Mary to public disgrace. He wasn’t fearful of his reputation being marred by his association with a “sinful” woman; he was known to be a good and righteous man. People in Nazareth would have trusted his report of her infidelity, and this is likely what concerned him. They would have quickly reacted according to their incomplete understanding of the Law, following it’s “letter”, and judged her unmercifully.

But Joseph knew Mary to be a good woman, not licentious, one whom God would favor (Luke 1:28). Her Godly character, like his own, is what had drawn him to her in the beginning. So he acted according to the Spirit of the Law—breaking the engagement privately—until God revealed to him in a dream the piece of this puzzle that had him perplexed (Matthew 1:20): How could a woman of faith, a Godly woman, debase herself by having sex with a man outside marriage? The Angel in Joseph’s dream revealed to him that Mary’s pregnancy was not inconsistent with her pure-hearted devotion to God; it was because of it. The baby growing inside her womb had been conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph wasn’t the father (Luke 3:23; John 1:45, 6:41) and neither was any other man. Mary was a virgin; the father was God.

CONTINUED IN PART 3

Getting the Story Right, Part 1

A youth pastor preached a peculiar sermon on the conception of Jesus to a group of students. His points followed these events of the Christmas story: 1) Joseph and Mary were engaged, 2) Oops! Mary got pregnant, 3) Joseph was afraid that this would harm his reputation, 4) he fearfully (and cowardly) broke off the engagement rather than experience humiliation in the eyes of the people who knew him, and 5) he reconsidered his decision and he married her. Joseph wasn’t the godly man that the Bible portrays him as being. He was just another young man dealing with the fear of his girlfriend’s crisis pregnancy. The youth pastor’s interpretation of the Biblical story made it sound like so many other stories of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. In fact, in the United States today, close to half of all births are to single women.

Amazingly, the pastor never mentioned that Joseph wasn’t the father. He omitted the key point of the story: the incarnation of Jesus—you know, the insignificant little doctrine that Jesus was formed by God, the Father, in Mary’s womb, and that Jesus was therefore God-in-the-flesh, or Emmanuel. The youth pastor never mentioned the Virgin Birth. What makes this even stranger is that it happened in a large evangelical church.

Dumbing Down the Doctrine

This situation illustrates a problem in conservative churches today. Rather than fleshing out the full Biblical story with the rich doctrine that it contains, many pastors assume that people aren’t smart enough to understand supposedly esoteric theological explanations. They assume that the Bible has to be “dumbed down” so that people will get at least some of it.

Several years ago, a college-educated church member pulled me aside to let me know that I was preaching over the heads of most of my listeners. “These are simple people,” she said, “they don’t have a college education.” She was right to the extent of my vocabulary. I immediately simplified my speech—without watering down the doctrine—and the positive response of the people was overwhelming.

The problem with “dumbing down” the doctrine is that it offers people an incomplete picture of Scripture from which they can independently develop false interpretations. Using the youth pastor’s message as an example, if Jesus were the product of a typical crisis pregnancy then Joseph, or someone else, could be the sperm donor—or so people might speculate. Maybe Mary wasn’t so pure. Maybe she was sleeping around. Maybe the conception of Jesus wasn’t so immaculate. So then, Jesus might have been fully human and not divine. Maybe he wasn’t really God’s Son. Maybe he was an ordinary guy who aspired to be God’s Son and who “had the amazing ability to pull it off” (I heard a liberal college professor say this to his class.)This subtle progression of reasoning undermines everything else in the New Testament and erodes the faith of a Christian.

Wouldn’t it be better to dig deeply into God’s Word during sermon preparation, to meditate on it with a heart of faith, to apply it to your life with an earnest pursuit of godliness, and then to develop an urgent sense of what God wants your people to hear? Wouldn’t it be better to preach biblical doctrine in a manner that challenges people to think and then watch them rise to new heights of discipleship? When you preach to the lowest common denominator you give people the impression that the Bible is a simplistic book that isn’t capable of addressing their deepest needs. Then, when their spiritual growth compels them to seek more doctrinal meat than you are giving them, they will either learn to be content with your nutritionally inadequate spiritual milk and remain immature, or they’ll go elsewhere in search of someone who can feed them deeper, more spiritually satisfying, biblical truth (1 Corinthians 3:2: Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2). These hungry disciples will continue their healthy growth toward maturity in someone else’s church. Of course, there is another possibility. Some people may grow weary of your trite, simplistic, inadequate explanations of Truth and conclude that the Bible is irrelevant to address situations in real life. They might walk away from church, and God, altogether.

A disillusioned former church member wrote about his reasons for leaving the church of his youth many years earlier. He concluded by saying,

“Those of us who chose to walk away could also choose to walk back. What might prompt us to do that? Hard to say. The shortest answer is for churches to be places that clearly offer something powerful and positive not found elsewhere. That might give churches and strays a reason to bother with each other.” (Peter Greene)

So let’s take a moment to consider the part of the story that the students didn’t hear.

CONTINUED IN PART 2

Delegation

A staff pastor laments relying upon other people to contribute to his success, “I’ve worked really hard….  I’ve utilized principles and people to help cover [my] weak spots.”

Using ministry principles, tactics, and volunteers to cover “weak spots” is something every successful pastor does. It’s important to know your strengths and to build on them, but it is equally important to know your weaknesses and to either avoid them or compensate for them. Rick Warren (Saddleback Valley Community Church) and Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church) aren’t youth leaders or office managers. They hire people to do what they don’t do well and don’t have a passion for. There is solid biblical support for this.

In Acts 6, we learn that the need for the fair distribution of food to widows in the Jerusalem church was needlessly burdening the Twelve Apostles and distracting them from the ministry to which God had called them and for which they were uniquely gifted: teaching, prayer, and leadership. Rather than becoming personally involved in the situation they delegated responsibility (vs. 3) and authority (vs. 6) for meeting this need to seven men, likely under the leadership of Stephen (vs. 5). This enabled the Apostles to devote themselves unhindered to prayer and “the ministry of the Word.”

We read that, as a result of this decision, “the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…” In other words, the Apostles divided the work and doubled the outcome.

Delegation Divides the Work and Doubles the Outcome

Giving people significant responsibility is not a matter of covering your “weak spots.” Viewed positively, it is a matter of authorizing them to perform tasks that contribute to the success of the entire ministry. Everyone wants to feel like they are making a significant contribution to a cause that is bigger than they are. Your job is to inspire people with a God-given, biblical, and realistic vision for an outcome that is desirable and preferable to what they have now, and to train and mentor them so that they can accomplish that vision with you and with one another. Follow this basic process:

1. Let them see you do it.
2. Explain to them why you did it that way.
3. Let them try it with you observing.
4. Talk to them about their experience
5. Let them try it again (never alone).
6. Reward their success.
7. Authorize them to continue performing those tasks, reporting to you.

Can’t Win for Losing

Many of us can relate to the frustration expressed in the following comment: “I’ve tried to focus on the small areas of success while watching other areas of failure crop up constantly.”

There’s an old expression that people sometimes say in this position: that they “can’t win for losing.” No matter how much they try to succeed they can’t overcome their persistent failures. Sometimes it feels like we move one step forward and two steps back. The truth is, all pastors experience that from time-to-time. What makes some pastors successful is that they have moved the equation into the positive category, two steps forward and one step back. Obtaining this net positive result requires a combination of determination and smarts. We persistently critique, analyze, and correct our performance in an effort to improve our outcomes. While we might experience some set-backs, in the big picture we will eventually have more wins than losses. We lose only when we give up.

Everyone in ministry experiences an endless parade of successes and failures. How I wish every battle ended in victory! But it doesn’t. Sometimes we step out unprepared:

• We don’t know who the enemy is.
• We don’t have adequate intelligence on the enemy.
• We don’t have all the material and human resources that we need.
• Our timing is off.
• Our attitude is wrong.
• Our morale is low.
• We don’t have the will to fight.
• We haven’t inspired and persuaded the troops.
• We don’t have a winnable strategy for deploying the troops.
• We haven’t supplied the troops with the right weapons or trained them adequately.
• We haven’t stopped to seek God’s will, guidance, and blessing.

And when we step out prematurely or unprepared, sometimes we experience great losses. Joshua did. But then he learned from his experiences and became a stronger leader.

Another ingredient here is bringing our expectations in line with reality. Joshua didn’t take on the Canaanites in one fell swoop. He slowly acquired more victories than defeats by taking on one city at a time. I might hold out hope of playing my guitar like Eric Clapton, but it just ain’t gonna happen—at least not this year. I’d be setting myself up for disappointment. So I bring my expectations in line with my potential and celebrate every time I learn a new chord or rhythm. Sometimes these little accomplishments eventually add up to a lot of progress. You know, baby steps.

Finally, instead of fretting over crop failure, learn why the crop failed:

For every problem you face in ministry, there is a solution with a corresponding benefit. If you can’t identify the problem and don’t know the solution there are more experienced farmers out there who have learned how grow a successful crop. Swallow your pride and ask another pastor for help.

Realistic Self-Assessment

A dejected staff pastor writes, “I am not gifted or called for youth ministry. I’ve actually been really bad at it.”

Realizing that youth ministry—or any other form of ministry— isn’t your bailiwick is a great moment of self-discovery. Being “really bad” at one type of ministry doesn’t mean that you will perform poorly in others. All it means is that you have successfully narrowed your field of acceptable options. In order to make a successful transition to more enjoyable ministry elsewhere you will need to know how the field of options has narrowed. This requires a realistic self-assessment. Begin by asking yourself a few important questions about your experience, such as:

CAREER

• What did you enjoy about this ministry position and would hope to repeat in future ministry positions?
• What didn’t you enjoy about this ministry position and would hope to avoid in future ministry positions?
• How does this experience narrow the field of ministry options for you?
• How does it point you in the direction of more successful ministry?
• What are you really passionate about in ministry and can this become an occupation for you?
• What was your biggest area of failure and what can you do to prevent it from happening in the future?
• What was your biggest success and why was it successful?

RELATIONSHIPS

• How did this situation affect your relationship with your wife and children and what will you do in the future to protect you family from the potentially negative influence of your work experience?
• What insights can your wife share with you about your personality, gifts, skills, character, and calling to ministry?
• What advice would your senior pastor give you about your ministry skills and goals?
• How have people encouraged you and have their comments helped you recognize strengths that could guide you into ministry that you would enjoy?
• What advice would a trusted counselor or mentor give you?
• How did other people contribute to your failures and successes? (youth, parents, volunteers, senior pastor, etc.)

FAITH

• How was your devotion to the Lord during this period and how did it contribute to your ministry?
• Were you capable of receiving insights from God’s Word about your situation? What were they?
• Did your experience tend to isolate you from the Lord or drive you to him, and how will you respond when similar circumstances arise in the future?

Interim Ministry During Pastoral Flux

A certain staff pastor has endured considerable turnover in the senior pastor’s office during his brief three-year tenure. The first senior pastor was ending a long and successful ministry. The second was an interim pastor whose doctrine was problematic and who treated staff members harshly. He outstayed his welcome long before the year was over and left the church. Afterward, the church hired a senior pastor who is a gifted leader and who is widely appreciated as a good man. The staff pastor would like to know how to respond to the uncertain wind of changing pastorates. I wonder if he’s tried kite-surfing.

A friend of mine is a kite-surfer. With each hand he is tethered to a kite about thirty feet above his head. Beneath his feet a special board enables him to maneuver on waves that are constantly in flux because of the wind, tides, and currents. Using the wind, he gathers speed or gives it away, he takes a hard turn to the left or an easy one to the right, he jumps hard on a wave to get airborne or he glides easily across the surface on a stretch of calm water. And if he loses the wind, or fails to harness its power, or doesn’t judge the waves properly, he will fall into the ocean. His ride will be over.

The key to his success is staying in motion while responding to rapidly changing conditions.

The Four Winds

My friend’s experience as a kite-surfer is not unlike that of staff pastors. Staff pastors can ride above the uncertain waves created by changing pastorates if they use the prevailing wind of congregational opinion to maintain momentum toward the goal of Christ-honoring, God-glorifying ministry. The staff pastor must listen closely to people in an effort to discern the direction of their movement. Are they moving toward supporting a pastor or moving away from him? Are they forming separate camps? Is a storm building or waning?

My friend the kite-surfer has to be able to discern what kind of wind is blowing. Similarly, a staff member must be able to discern the nature of the wind that is blowing in the church. There are four winds of opinion that the staff member should look for.

Successful staff pastors are able to respond to the changing conditions around them. This doesn’t require endorsing opinions or aligning yourself with parties. You don’t have to like the wind’s force or direction, and neither do you have to follow its direction—especially if it’s going in the wrong direction. But you must be aware of the direction the congregation and its leaders are moving and respond skillfully or your ride will be over.

The Four Skills

In addition to discerning the wind, several key skills will keep you from sinking.

As a starting place, stay true to your job description. This should clearly delineate your ministry area (youth, worship, pastoral care, etc.) along with specific responsibilities that you have and tasks that you are expected to perform. Don’t assume that this is optional or that it is a list of suggestions. Some senior pastors view job descriptions that way, as fluid documents that change over time, but not all. Don’t be caught drifting away from your job description when another senior pastor enters the scene who expects you to abide by the “letter of the law.” It will be better for you during this transition period to follow every “jot and tittle” of your job description without having to be reminded to do so.

Secondly, be flexible enough to do whatever other tasks you might be given by the senior pastor du jour and to do them without complaint. Be prepared to bend in the wind. Trees that don’t have the flexibility to bend in a strong wind will break. Often those trees are already dead, or they are alive but planted in weak soil, or they are alive but unhealthy. What about you? Are you spiritually alive, planted in the fertile and strong soil of nurturing relationships, and nourished by the health-fortifying properties of God’s Word and prayer? If the answer to those questions is “yes” you will probably have the flexibility to bend with whatever storm passes through the church. Most importantly, don’t resist the wind. Be willing to bend.

Next, tread carefully. Some people in the church will freely share their opinions about the departed senior pastor or about the current senior pastor. The persuasive tone of their voice will be hard to resist. You’ll feel persuaded to adopt their opinions—if you haven’t already. Maybe everything you are hearing and thinking is right. Maybe the pastor is everything people are saying about him—to his credit or discredit. But can you know with certainty that every voice you hear is trustworthy? Remember, you have your own career in ministry to look out for. It will be best to steer clear of factional groups, no matter how sympathetic you may feel. When you hear comments from people, don’t hesitate to tell them:

• “I really don’t have anything to say about that.”
• “That’s interesting, but I can’t comment.”
• “I don’t know enough about the situation.”
• “Thanks for sharing that with me. I can’t speak to that issue, but I’ll keep your comments in mind.”
• “I can’t do anything about that. Have you talked to a board member?”

Another person to tread carefully around is the senior pastor. If he feels that his employment by the church is threatened he may attempt to garner your support. He may take you into his confidence and slander church members. He may give you a distorted account of a conversation he had with a prominent church leader or with several leaders in a recent board meeting. He might be very persuasive. He also might be wrong. If you align yourself with him too closely, you could find yourself in the board’s crosshairs. This leads to the next point.

Finally, don’t attach yourself to the senior pastor’s star. Some staff members become enamored with the senior pastor’s charisma or authority. They feel as though they can ride his popularity into a successful ministry of their own. Of maybe they feel that their professional duty binds them to be loyal to him regardless of the personal price it may require. After all, the nature of ministry is sacrifice.

Be aware that, especially during this period of transition, the senior pastor’s performance is being watched and scrutinized by the church and board. If he makes the grade after he’s hired, he’ll stay. Many churches have a probationary period for senior pastors or a mandatory vote at the end of his first, second or third year that will confirm him as a permanent senior pastor. He might stay; or he might go. If you’ve attached yourself to his star and it falls, you may well flame out with it. You’ll both be looking for a job.

You would be wise to read the church’s bylaws to see what provisions there are for a probationary period for the senior pastor or for a congregational vote on his continued employment after he begins his ministry. Either one of these related situations could set him up to prove his job performance quickly. If he feels a sense of urgency, he may ride you hard so that he gets the congregational support he’ll need to stay.

On the other hand, if the senior pastor is genuinely gifted, compassionate, self-confident, and competent; if he has a winsome personality; if he is a careful and faithful expositor of the Word and an inspirational speaker, he will be well-liked by the church. He will quickly gain their support. You’ll see it in the way they respond to him, you’ll hear it in the tone of their voices when they talk about him, you’ll notice it in the words they use to talk about him. There will be a certain warm, contagious feeling surrounding him. Aligning yourself with him and following his leadership will be easy and natural. Supporting him will be to your advantage.

The Serpents and Doves

During transitional periods in churches, I’ve found the following words of Jesus to be helpful:

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues.” (Matthew 10:16-17)

Maybe you were expecting an encouraging word. Listen to me. When wolves are in the area I’d prefer to hear a warning.

Be Wise as Serpents

As a staff pastor, be keenly aware of your surroundings, treading carefully in all circumstances and relationships.

• Be wary of confiding in people, whether board members, staff members, or church members. You have no way of knowing who has the senior pastor’s ear, or how your story might be amended and distorted as it spreads throughout the church. Everyone loves a good story. Do what you can to make sure that you aren’t one of the characters. The wolves could be anywhere.
• Be careful with whom you associate. In every situation that is in flux, lay leaders emerge. They are probably on the church board. They take a stronger leadership role because the congregation trusts them and because they feel obliged to lead. Learn who they are. Watch their behavior. Where do their sympathies lie? You might need an advocate sometime soon, so prayerfully consider befriending them. If you do this and the senior pastor discovers it, he will likely assume that you are being seditious, consorting with the enemy. Your association will be viewed as a betrayal of his trust. So, be wise and judicious. And as I mentioned above, be aware that the wolves could be anywhere.

Be Innocent as Doves

As a staff pastor, be untainted by sin and by sinful ways of relating to people.

• Allow your good character and positive attitude to be evident in all situations. Don’t talk about people behind their back. Instead, be a peacemaker; speak well of people and not ill.
• Be careful not to develop a critical spirit; there will be plenty of people around you with critical spirits and the criticism may fly.
• Let the Holy Spirit overflow your life as you walk in a holy relationship with God.

People will take notice of you and will praise you in conversation with others. The dove’s symbolism in scripture as a bird of peace is helpful in this verse. If you have successfully steered clear of factional groups as a minister of peace your wings won’t get clipped.