December 2011 Archives

In a recent issue of Outreach, I wrote about the seven sins of dying churches. The response to the article was significant, but one response was recurring: "Thom, now that we've heard about the characteristics of dying churches, can you tell us about the characteristics of healthy churches?" I went back to my research of over 2,000 healthy churches in America to find unifying features, and I am excited to share them with you.

I grew up in a pastor's home. My brother and I were both called into ministry, and one of my sons is my pastor. I consult pastors on an almost daily basis. Pastors are very special to me. When I meet their wife and kids, it doesn't take but a few minutes to realize when a family longs for more from their pastor parent and spouse. The Christmas season is a very important time for any family, a time when pastors should be especially sensitive to meeting their family's needs.

When I graduated from Bible college in 2007, I went back to my home church to be the student pastor. I had mixed emotions about going back to my home church, but over time it became evident that this was exactly the plan that God had for me. The student ministry was very small. We had not had a full time youth pastor in years, and the youth group had diminished.

Holidays can provide that extra time for romance most couples desperately needed in today's fast paced, booked up schedules. Consider how you might weave a little romance into your marriage over Christmas or New Year's--or other holidays this year. In Pam's new book, 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband, she challenges wives to make this his best year ever. Why not try to out surprise each other by planning to use a holiday or few to fan the flame of your love?

Ministers who are employed to perform ministerial services, and who are paid a salary that meets or exceeds the "salary test," are professional employees exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ministers not compensated on a salary basis, or who earn a salary below the salary test, may not be covered by the Act. Department of Labor regulations suggest that the Act does not apply to any ministers, and a few federal courts have ruled that the so-called ministerial exception prevents the application of the Act to ministers.

Last week, I was in another state speaking for two nights. Tuesday, I had gotten up early and found a downtown diner that catered to the locals. I met a lot of people and put away a big breakfast. A few hours later, my host and another pastor took me for lunch in a buffet restaurant.

One of the first words that comes to mind when most think about the holiday season is "busy." Sad, but true.

You may know Eugene Peterson for The Message, the translation of the Bible. What you may not know is that Peterson is a pastor, not an academic. For decades he has faithfully served a congregation in Maryland teaching, preaching, and shepherding. He has also written books about what it means to be a pastor.

1. The Vision Is Not Clear

If people don't know where a church is supposed to be going...then it will attempt to go everywhere and eventually wind up nowhere.  (Interesting experiment-ask people this coming Sunday at your church, "What is our vision" and see if people give you the same answers or different ones.)

Imagine trying to lead two million persons across a desert with no map, no food, and no water. Moses had an administrative nightmare not only in leading the Israelites and providing for their needs but also in judging them in matters of personal and national decisions. His was an impossible task.

Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20 TNIV). 

Yes, Jesus Christ is coming again.

As a student and teacher of Bible prophecy for 35 years, it is my belief that the next event on the prophetic calendar will be the Rapture of the church, as I mentioned last week. The Rapture is the event when we will be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

It's Sunday around noonish. As the congregation files out of the sanctuary heading toward the parking lot, listen closely and you will hear it.

One of the central roles of a worship band is to help the congregation to sing. Do you have advice on how a worship band can best cue the congregation? What kinds of things could I tell my instrumentalists and singers to do to help the people come in on the first words of a song or verse? How would you in general encourage congregational singing?

Avodah (Ah´-voe-dah) is a Hebrew noun used in the Bible that has two distinct yet intertwined meanings: worship and work. It is also derived from the Hebrew verb L'Avod which has two meanings; to work and also to worship. The dual meaning offers powerful wisdom for modern times for how we are to view our work lives.

"Suzie, do you see that tree?" My friend, Vera, pointed out a massive tree that was dying. There were a few leaves trying to hang on, but dead branches were fractured and falling.

Middle school and high school were miserable for me.

I desperately wanted to fit in and be liked by the popular kids.  But I was awkward, quiet, shy, and a little A LOT insecure.  I wanted so much to fit in that I stifled so much of who I was.

(Habakkuk 3:18-19)

When the storms of life hit, we are often tempted to run for cover. When they continue indefinitely, we struggle to find encouragement. When the rain and the wind gather strength until they turn into what seems to be a hurricane, we find ourselves saying, "I can't do this any longer," The truth is this: we can't, but God can. 

( Zondervan, 2011 ) Scot McKnight

The what-is-the-gospel discussion continues. The latest contribution comes from New Testament professor Scot McKnight in his new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited (Zondervan, 2011).

If trust is a key component to healthy relationships, then it begs the question, "How do we build trust between our youth ministries and the parents of our students?" The list could get long...and obviously we won't all be good at all of the stuff on the list, but I tend to think the area of trust is an area that fits into the classic "chips in your pocket" analogy.