Tag: Holy Spirit

  • Letter #4 (K.I.S.S.)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                K.I.S.S. (Not the rock band.) Keep.  It.  Simple.  Stupid.  It’s been said so much that it has become a cliché.  But it’s still a great rule of thumb for ministry.  The gospel is the simple and uncomplicated news that anyone can be restored to a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus because Jesus is the Messiah.  The enemy of your ministry will do anything he can to prevent you from staying on track with that simple, uncomplicated message.

                As pastors of a small part of God’s flock, we feel responsible for any and all activities, programs, outreaches, hospital visits, encouraging phonecalls, discipleship training, prayer meetings, youth outings, special songs on Sundays, or any other “good works” that occur in, for or through our congregations.  As the shepherd of that local flock, you definitely are the leader of the flock and should be aware of what’s going on in, for and through the flock.  But you have not been called to do all the good works yourself.

                Each sheep in your flock has been given gifts, talents and strengths by the Holy Spirit.  Part of your job is to help the sheep discover the attributes God has placed in their lives and to use them to fulfill the work of the whole body in the local church.  The body won’t achieve its calling from God if the only part working is the heart.  You do not have to do everything by yourself.

                Satan tries to get you to become so busy directing all the activities of the congregation that you lose focus of what your job as pastor really is.  He tries to complicate your life with so many meetings, reports, trips, and responsibilities that you forget to focus on the good news you are to keep before them as they mature as disciples.

                The truth of the matter is that you are to help your people become mature disciples so they can take their place in ministry within the local church body beside you as the whole congregation moves forward for the kingdom of God.  The truth of the matter is that you cannot do it all by yourself, and I, personally, believe you will overload and undermine your ministry if you try to do everything alone.  Sometimes we small church pastors become so distracted in our ministry that we fail to realize this.

                We become overwhelmed by ministry because, without recognizing what is happening, we have allowed the devil to complicate what we do for God’s kingdom.  I’ll say it again—you do not have to do everything by yourself.  One effective way to uncomplicate your ministry is by including your congregation in ministry.  And teach them to keep their own ministry uncomplicated, too.

                The gospel is simple.  Ministry does not have to be so complicated that we lose sight of that simplicity. 

    K.I.S.S.  (More to come about this topic later.)

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #3–Timing

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Trust God’s timing.  He gave you the vision to pursue.  He promised to meet all your needs if you will seek His righteousness first.  He will bring the vision into reality if you will focus on it and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but it will happen in His timetable, not yours.

                Allow me to illustrate what I’m saying.  Our congregation was led by the Holy Spirit into creating a safe place for local youth and children to gather with their friends.  Since God uses people to achieve His works on this earth, He began to put people with the right skills, knowledge and resources into our path. 

                However, the moving of those people took time.  We had hoped to have the buildings ready in a particular time frame.  That didn’t happen.  I firmly believe it didn’t happen at the time we wanted it to happen because God had something greater in store for us than we originally envisioned.  He was orchestrating peoples’ lives to be a blessing to us and to work their own lives out for good, also.  And that takes time.

                If you can believe God has given you the vision to achieve, believe He will bring it to pass at the right time.  Exercise patience.  Keep praying.  Keep on leading your flock toward spiritual maturity.  Continue to cast the vision before your congregation and encourage them to persevere in the face of difficulties or delays.  Trust God’s timing.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #2–Vision

    Dear Small Church Pastor

                You’ve probably preached the verse that says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)   That vision, that over-riding thought, that dream for your congregation, is very likely God’s will for your church.  There’s a solid chance that the vision is that “one thing” the Holy Spirit is leading you to achieve for His kingdom.  There is something you can do in order to discover if it is.

                In order to know God’s will for your own life, you had to seek God, talk to him and then listen to His voice.  You’re going to have to do the same things in order to discover His will for your congregation.  You’re going to have to pray, pray, pray, and then, pray some more.  Then be quiet and wait on the Holy Spirit to answer you.

                I know that’s a “WELL, DUH!” statement.  Here’s the rub—Too many of us small church pastors pray and pray and pray, but we don’t stop talking and listen.  We’re too busy to be still in His presence and allow Him to talk to us.

                The enemy has convinced us we are supposed to invest our days and nights in hospital visits, making follow-up calls to visitors—if we ever have any—keeping the church yard neat, overseeing the new bathroom remodel, meetings with the Kiwanis Club or Chamber of Commerce, cooking for the benefit dinner, having board meetings, planning the every month outreach activity, prepping sermons and Bible studies, etc..  The enemy has convinced us we should be doing what everyone else is doing.  He has convinced too many of us that we should be doing that “everything” deal.  (Remember the first letter?)

                None of these activities are bad things to do.  However, they do devour our time and keep us away from being still and waiting on God to speak to us.  If you are going to discover the will of God for your people, His vision for them, then you are going to have to stop doing everything and start doing what matters the most.  Make time to get alone with God in order to have regular conversations with Him. 

                Allow me to share something one of our district leaders once said to a group of pastors.  He said, “When I was pastoring, I should have spent more time in prayer listening to God than I spent in hospitals talking to sick folks and their families.”  There’s wisdom in that statement.  He had discovered the key to being a great leader lies in being a great listener to the Holy Spirit. 

                Invest more time in sharing what’s on your heart with God, then stop talking, be quiet and still, and listen as He shares what’s on His heart with you.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #1–Everything

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Stop trying to do “everything” other congregations are doing.  You are not the pastor of the larger church that has several times more folks on Sundays.  You don’t have the same resources, the same members, the same calling.  Your calling is to your group of people and their community.  Stop trying to do what “everyone else” is doing.

                Please allow me to share a nugget of wisdom I received years ago from a cousin who has pastored churches of all sizes.  Seek the mind and will of God for your unique congregation, determine what the Holy Spirit is leading them to achieve, and then become experts at accomplishing that one thing.

                Your congregation is made up of people who all have different gifts and callings on their individual lives.  It takes all those differing people to achieve what God wants that unique group to do for His kingdom.  The same concept holds true for the overall body of Christ.  Each unique congregation, as a whole, has a special calling on its corporate life.  Find out what that calling is and build on it.  Help your congregation become famous for doing that one thing well.

                You will become frustrated, physically fatigued and feel like a failure if you try to do “everything.”  Your enemy wants you to think you have to be constantly busy doing stuff for God’s kingdom.  If you give in to the temptation to do “everything,” you will find yourself doing nothing well.  Find one focal point for your congregation and do that excellently.  If the Holy Spirit leads you to a second calling for your congregation, become expert at that, too.  (Notice that word “IF!”)

                Assemble your people regularly for worship.  Train them to be disciples of Christ. Commission them to go spread the gospel.  Then unite with them in ministry as you all fulfill God’s call on each life.  As you do these things, have enough faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit to believe He will help you discover the calling for your congregation. 

         Stop trying to imitate others. 

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor