Tag: small church

  • Letter #31 (Unity–2)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         In the last letter I discussed one of the challenges that will need to be overcome in order for a congregation to become cohesive.  Allow me to invest this letter in presenting a technique I found useful more than once in my ministry.  That technique involves focusing on identifying everything possible that the members of a congregation have in common.

         Despite their differences, such as spiritual gifts, occupations or food preferences, most congregants have many similarities.  Diligently seek those similarities. 

         Most people who attend a worship service enjoy music, regardless of the style.  Talk to them about what types of music they enjoy and incorporate these into your music.  Most of them do want to experience the presence of God individually and corporately.  Ask them how they have experienced God’s presence in the past and give opportunity for the Holy Spirit to move in them while they worship.  Most want the pastor to help them walk closer to Jesus.  Find out what types of teachings and sermons they feel will help them to be more like Jesus and be diverse and creative in how you minister the Word of God to them.  You should be able to find agreement among them when identifying and celebrating these commonalities in worship.   Start with these if you need to as you seek to discover other ways your attenders are already alike.

         Remember that your attenders are people.  They will not only experience things together dealing with spiritual topics.  They also experience life in the physical, mental and emotional realms.  Look for similarities there, too. 

         What types of occupations do they have?  What are their hobbies?  Where do they go for recreation?  Which restaurant is their first choice when they go out to eat?  If they have children or grandchildren, where do they attend school?  In which extra-curricular activities do the younger family members participate?  Do they enjoy reading novels or watching movies?  Are they involved in community affairs?  What’s their favorite sports team, if they are interested in sports?

         Finding similarities on which to focus as you seek to develop strong unity in your congregation will give you information that should help guide your efforts.  There will always be differences of opinion in any congregation.  However, if you can show people how they are more alike than different, your goal of unity will not be as distant as you might think.  When people realize they do have things in common with those who may differ with their opinion, you can use that realization to foster unity.

         An example from my own life: While growing up, I attended a small country church house that was populated with folks from several denominations.  The attenders knew they did not agree on every single doctrinal point in Christianity.  But they had come to a conclusion which, as best as I can determine, is still in force today in that congregation.  They have agreed to disagree without allowing animosity to develop. 

         When they disagree on something, they communicate their opinions, they choose to make compromises when possible, they vote or seek consensus, and then they move on as a congregation.  If they vote on some issue, they all choose to back the results of the vote.  They have chosen to maintain their unity by loving each other.

         Continue praying.  Continue seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit.  Continue teaching about unity that is powered by the love of God.  Continue encouraging unity in your people.  Unity is achievable.

    Sincerely,

     A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter # 30–Unity (1)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         Unity is an elusive characteristic that we are told to strive to achieve.  We are told it is good when brothers can dwell in unity.  We should pray for unity.  We should seek it diligently.  We should encourage it.  But just how can we do this? 

         How can we develop unity within our congregation when there are personality clashes?  How do we achieve unity when the children of our leaders argue while in Children’s Church?  How do we unite if there are differences of opinion about how to move out of our four walls and into our community?

         To be honest, as far as I can determine, there are no “one size fits all” solutions to this challenge of creating unity.  There are some actions we can take, though, which will aid in the development of unity among our members.  Allow me to address one of these actions in this letter.

         A congregation that has agreed on a common goal and a plan to achieve that goal will usually develop a spirit of unity as the members do their part in working the plan.  In order to create that goal and its plan, there must be open and honest communication about the various possible goals and ways to achieve those goals.  All ideas presented must be accepted at face value and given the opportunity to be discussed and evaluated.  (Run it up the pole, brainstorm, dump the can and see what falls out, etc.)  Again, open communication and consideration is a must at this point.

         If you can get your congregation/leaders/committee to participate in that first phase of creating a common goal and a plan to achieve that goal, the hardest hurdle to unity is being overcome, and you will begin to see progress in creating the unity needed to achieve that common goal.

         But what do you do if you can’t get them to agree on a common goal and action plan?  If that’s the case, experience says you have a spiritual problem that is going to have to be faced and defeated before unity will arise in your people.  If you realize a small faction, a larger group, or even all the people are refusing to cooperate with others, there is some deception from the devil that has taken hold of minds and has convinced them they should not or cannot cooperate with each other.

         If this occurs, you will have to deal with the situation spiritually first before anything physical can be accomplished.  You will have to fast, pray, teach Biblical doctrine, counsel, encourage, face and conquer spiritual opposition, seek the Holy Spirit’s anointing and guidance and demonstrate love to your people every chance you get as you focus their attention on Jesus.  Then do that again.  And again.  And again.

         Dale Carnegie in the 20th century and Samuel Butler much earlier in the 17th century stated that a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.  In order to change a person’s opinion, the heart (the will) must change first.  If you can do your part as pastor to open truth to the people so the Holy Spirit can change hearts that are determined not to cooperate, that is all you can do.  It is the influence of the Holy Spirit spreading the love of God into hearts that can change them.  You can’t do that. 

         You can’t force the changes needed for unity to exist.  You can provide the opportunity for the changes to occur, but you cannot decide for someone else that they will change.  You face this every time you give an altar call for people to respond to the good news about Jesus.  You can tell them about Jesus and forgiveness, but you can’t make them choose to repent and seek forgiveness.  The same thing holds true for creating unity.  You can create opportunities for unity to be developed, but you cannot develop it in a heart.  God has to do that.

         If you will persist in doing your part and rely on God to do His, then you should be able to see unity begin to develop in your congregation.  When you begin to see the cooperation and mutual love that can exist in a congregation that is unified, all those prayers and seeking God will be rewarded as God’s presence envelopes all your people do together. 

         I’ve already written enough for you to pray about for now.  Remember lasting changes will occur slowly or quickly depending on the Holy Spirit’s presence and the people’s willingness to yield to that Spirit.  (I speak from experience here.)  We’ll cover more about unity in the next letter.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #28–Heritage

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         I had occasion recently to attend a Christmas worship service in the church house where I officiated my first funeral message.  One of my uncles passed, and I was asked by the family to present his eulogy and the funeral message. 

         The building was erected in the late 1800’s.  You can see the footprints and handprints of its builders in the rough-sawn planks that cover the ceiling, walls and floor.  It was the same church house and cemetery where my maternal grandparents were laid to rest, as well as my mother and all her siblings.  Numerous cousins and extended family members either had their funerals there or had been interred in that cemetery.  You could say my family has deep roots in the place. (No pun intended.)

         Sometimes a small church pastor is sent by God to such a location as the one I just described.  As the pastor begins ministry in that congregation, the heritage of the congregation can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.  Many congregations have great histories.  Revivals of the past, record missions offerings and long-established spiritual traditions all reflect the heritages of many small congregations.  However, the memories of those past events can become a two-sided coin that impedes the progress of a congregation’s spiritual growth.  The memories can become the focus of the people, who long to see those memories come to life again.  And their focus on the past can slow their movement into the future.

         A small church pastor should tread patiently and carefully when it comes to the heritage of a congregation.  Trying to deal with any aspect of a congregation’s heritage that may be hindering their spiritual growth is tricky business that requires much prayer and discernment from God.

         The pastor should learn as much as possible about the history and traditions that exist in a congregation.  Some things will be pleasant memories that are casually discussed and some things will be so ingrained in the congregation that they are considered as absolutes to their operation and will be expected to be held in extremely high regard, almost to the point of idolatry.

          Examples: A congregation in a neighboring county accepted the use of a computer and projector for singing without much opposition because they enjoyed being able to worship without having to hold a book when they wanted to clap along with a song or raise their hands as they worshipped.   I also know of a congregation that would wait until a particular member would quietly raise a hand and start to weep before anyone else would express any reaction to an inspiring sermon.  Their comments about this included a statement that the individual knew when God’s spirit was moving and no one wanted to “get ahead of that person” during worship.

         Once the pastor has learned about the history and traditions, prayerfully consider what has been learned to determine if anything is standing in the way of the congregation getting closer to following Jesus.  If there is anything, then slowly, graciously and lovingly broach the subject after asking the leadership to help you pray about something.  Remember to bathe every decision in prayer, seeking the guidance and timing of the Holy Spirit when dealing with anything such as this.  As with any change, speak to your leadership before speaking to the general congregation.  Be sure the leaders are willing to make any adaption to a tradition.

         Keep in mind that those folks who are the backbone of the congregation have much time, money and effort in the history of the congregation.  They are the ones who probably did the cooking, painting, sweeping, repairing, singing, praying and witnessing that were integral parts of any heritage they have.  And if they were not the ones, their parents and grandparents were.  They have family ties to their past, in all likelihood.  Remember how thick blood is.

         Those parts of the heritage that are blessings and points of encouragement should be celebrated when the occasion arises.  You might remind the current members how their ancestors would pray earnestly for revival and encourage them to do the same.  You could point out how growth in numbers usually came after those prayers were coupled with community-wide evangelistic outreaches that they could do themselves.  Honestly admit to the people when the traditions are helpful and point out how they bring people closer to Jesus and encourage them in their faith.

         You might have a heritage, with its traditions, in your own family.  Remember how much that means to you.  A congregation feels the same way about its heritage and traditions.  The local congregation’s past can be a source of inspiration and encouragement for your people.  Seek God’s guidance and anointing as you approach the reality of having to patiently deal with the good side and the unfortunate side of any local heritage.  As I mentioned in Letter #27, remember your source, especially when you deal with a congregation’s heritage.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #25–Generosity

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         (This letter may strike a nerve or seem controversial, but I present it with all the grace and concern I can muster from my experiences.)

         According to a minister who was associated with it, there is a very small church located in our area that has a bank account totaling over $100,000 (That’s right–one hundred thousand dollars).  It has a small facility.  The congregation is quite small in number.  You might ask yourself how this could happen.  It may be that this happened because they did not share their financial blessings with anyone else over a very long period of time.  They merely banked them “in case we need the money.”

         The building is well-kept.  The grounds are neat.  They even have a newly designed sign out front.  But they are lacking something, and it reveals itself in the few cars and trucks parked on the grass when they meet.  They are so “thrifty” when it comes to spending money that, in the eyes of those who are familiar with their situation, they appear to lack generosity.

         The lack of generosity in financial matters has a way of spreading to every other area of a congregation.  Its insidious influence can be seen in the lack of outreach to a community.  It shows up in no new faces in the worship services for months, even years.  The lack of generosity is revealed in the percentage of income that is invested in local, regional, national and world missions annually.  It is evident in the lack of new salvations or re-commitments to God recorded during a calendar year.  It is demonstrated in the reality that few, if any, members of a congregation have ever shared their faith with anyone else.

         Generosity is a mind-set.  Generosity is a lifestyle.  Generosity is a valued characteristic of people who understand that blessings are designed to be shared, not hoarded in self-interest. 

         Generosity is the opposite of a clenched fist that desperately tries to hold onto blessings in fear of losing them.  Generosity is the open hand that freely gives because it has feely received.

         Allow me to encourage you to teach about, encourage and promote generosity in your people.  As you teach, encourage and promote, remember that generosity includes more than just money.  It also includes time and talents. 

         You might want to present a series of messages that show how time, talents and finances were generously shared in the Old and New Testaments through the free-will offerings as well as through tithes, through working together to achieve common goals and through dedicated time investments that benefitted people.  Then you might highlight examples of generosity from all three areas in your locale. 

         As you lead your people, provide opportunities for people to give their time, talents and money toward missions, community outreaches, local charities or joint work projects with other congregations.  Encourage them to be generous toward others individually as they encounter needs around them.

         Set an example of generosity in your own life.  If you are giving of your own blessings toward them and others, some of them will eventually realize you are practicing what you are preaching.  Examples are great teachers.

         One of our pastorates involved a congregation that had learned the value of generosity.  One year as I looked at what we had accomplished through outreaches into the community, I realized we had invested thirty-four percent of all our income into local, state and national missions.  I know that’s not a record, but I also am keenly aware of the limited incomes of the families in that congregation.  They gave in their own need.

         During that same year, we volunteered to provide labor to rebuild a home that was terribly deteriorated for a single lady.  The rebuild took months of weekends and vacation time to accomplish.  We also fed over 300 people each month at our missions dinners.  That congregation had invested themselves generously in the cause of the Kingdom of God by sharing the blessings God had sent to them.

         As with all aspects of ministry, developing an attitude of generosity will take some time if it does not already exist in the people.  If the attenders are already tithing, fostering generosity may be easier to accomplish.  If not, the people need to understand their responsibility to the tithe, a responsibility that reflects an understanding that God already owns all our resources and that we are simply giving back into His Kingdom work that which He can acquire in any method He chooses to use.  And tithing does involve generosity in general, in my opinion, because it involves giving from what we have into a need that should be met through the congregation.

         If you are blessed with a congregation that understands what a free-will offering of time, talents and treasure entails, you are at a definite advantage over someone who is having to start from scratch by teaching about giving in general.  Such an already generous congregation often will continue in their giving in ways that may surprise even a veteran pastor, because they are individually meeting needs that are never openly mentioned to the whole congregation.

         Example: I know of someone who often has helped older people who have trouble operating a new smart phone or a new laptop to access the internet.  (I suppose generosity can include sharing knowledge, too.)

         A final thought that may stimulate your curiosity—take a minute to search out the word “freely” in the Bible.  It can give you one starting place when it comes to promoting generosity.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #19–Work Together

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         There is a special blessing that comes to the small church pastor and its congregation when they gather to work together.  Let’s consider this blessing and some of its benefits.

         One benefit of working together is that you have the opportunity to build stronger relationships with the people present, just as when you eat together.  You know as well as I do that work does not always require such concentrated focus that people cannot talk about everyday life while working.  It’s during those times that you can learn more about your congregation, their likes and dislikes, dreams, fears, concerns and personal needs. (Sound familiar?)

         The metal roof and steeple of one of the churches I pastored had seen years of weathering which had discolored them.  We decided to gather volunteers, pressure washers and a high lift to clean the roof.  As we were working, we talked about the history of the church, who was involved in establishing the ministry in that community and how the congregation had developed over the years.  We talked about their family histories, too, and where their children had gone to school, what careers they had sought and who was still living in the area.  We talked about why someone had missed the work day because of illness in his family.  We talked and we learned a great deal about each other that day, and that knowledge helped solidify our relationships.

         Another benefit of working together is you discover people’s strengths and weaknesses.  You discover what they do well and areas in which they can be helped to improve.  You might even discover your own strengths and weaknesses and how you can improve your own abilities.  Always remember that working with others might just give you new information about how to achieve something that you did not know how to do before learning that information.  And you can share things you know with others who may not know those beneficial bits of information yet.  Essentially, you have the opportunity to learn from your congregation, and they can learn from you.

         At one of the churches I pastored, the floor in part of the building was sagging because of previous damage from termites.  I asked for volunteers to help bolster the underpinning of the frame building.  As we were setting up our equipment and began to place supports and new lumber under the floor, I discovered that one of the men who was helping had worked for a company that set up mobile homes.  He had done exactly what we were attempting to do numerous times and knew every step involved in securing a sound foundation for the building.  That knowledge came in handy that day.

         In addition to these two benefits, working on and completing a task together helps relationships to grow because those involved in the work have accomplished a common goal together.  Having a common goal is an important aspect of leading a congregation.  When members of a small church gather to share their skills and knowledge in order to get something done, especially if it is some outreach into the community in fulfilling the great commission, a strong bond is created among the workers.  When people plan a project together, prepare the supplies needed for the project and then go about doing the actual work to accomplish their goal, there is a sense of unity that is developed.  That unity is necessary for the congregation to develop its identity in the community it serves.

         One of our congregations decided they wanted to host a benefit dinner for a young boy who had serious medical needs.  They wanted to reach out to that family to simply help with their financial struggles while making numerous trips to specialists, some of which were not very close to their home.  The small congregation enlisted family members and friends to help.  They planned the meal, collected the necessary food items, advertised the benefit well and gathered on the appointed day to work and help that family. 

         The benefit meal was a huge success and provided a larger donation to the family than expected.  Everyone was tired at the end of the day and the kitchen and fellowship hall needed a thorough cleaning, but they had achieved something together that had been a much-needed blessing to the family of the sick child.  The sense of accomplishment pulled that congregation together and solidified their commitment to helping their community whenever they could.

         The key to the idea of working together is the “together” part.  Whether you are cleaning a roof, repairing a floor or cooking a meal, working alongside others in the important part.  Resist the temptation to include the same few people all the time.  Include as many as possible from the congregation.  But don’t stop there.  Encourage the congregation to invite their family members, friends, colleagues at work, neighbors…anyone else available…to come along and join in the project.  Expand your circles of influence and include new people every time you get the chance to do so.  Bring together as many as possible to get the job done, whether it’s physical work, like cleaning, repairing or cooking, or spiritual work, like praying for community needs.

         Here’s a final thought.  Ever since God created Eve to help Adam and complete him as his wife, there have been people working together to accomplish goals.  Families, neighborhoods, communities, clubs, sports teams, businesses and, yes, small church congregations all rely on the “together” principle for success.  The one who puts the people together will discover there are many more benefits to working together than I have mentioned in this letter.  So, get some folks together and go to work.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #17–My Wants vs God’s Will

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

        “I hope you’re wearing your steel-toed boots today.”  I’ve said that to my congregations from time to time when I had a message from God that was one of those pills that’s hard to swallow, but needs to be taken in.  So, put on your boots, and I pray you’ll receive this letter in the spirit of brotherly love in which it is sent.

         Sometimes, probably more often than we like to admit, God will ask us to do something we really don’t want to do.  We all have our likes and dislikes, our pet peeves, our preferences.  These often control our words, actions and reactions to life’s varying situations.  There are things we simply prefer not to do if we get our way.  There are people we don’t particularly like to be around, and there are situations into which we don’t go because we don’t want to be in those situations.

         Moses didn’t want to go back to Egypt to be the deliverer God told him to go be.  Gideon didn’t want to go fight the army of Midian.  Jonah didn’t want to go preach repentance to Ninevah.  I could go on, but you get the picture.

         God will select someone and give that someone a special job to do without regard to whether or not the someone wants to do the job.  I am of the opinion that God may even choose someone because He knows he/she doesn’t want to do what God wants them to do.  God knows the outcome He seeks, and He knows who will be the best one to achieve that outcome if the someone will rely on God to accomplish whatever the task is.  Remind yourself that God knows more than all of us put together.

         Now, here comes the rub—Are we willing to do what we don’t want to do because God wants us to do it?  Ouch!  Are we willing to set aside our wants so God’s will can be accomplished?  Will we obey the voice of God, or do we insist on doing things according to our preferences, our likes and dislikes, our “want-to’s?”

         Allow me to give you an example from my own ministry.  At the conclusion of one of my pastorates, I left the church feeling controlled and abused.  I was at a bad place spiritually and even considered ending my ministry efforts.  I made up my mind that I would not step into a similar situation again.  I had decided that I would not pastor a small church again.

         However, God had other plans.  Through a series of devotions that “just seemed to fall at that time” and times of prayer, scripture reading and contemplation, He reminded me of who was in control of my ministry and who it was who opened opportunities to me for ministry.  God reminded me that He was placing me where He wanted me.  God also reminded me that obedience to His will pleases Him more than anything else we can do.

         I mentioned Moses, Gideon and Jonah earlier.  Let’s remember something about these people who finally obeyed God and did what He wanted, instead of what they wanted.  Moses did lead the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and oversaw the operation of an entire nation for a little over forty years.  Gideon did lead a small army of God-selected warriors against impossible odds and defeated the Midianites.  Jonah did preach to Ninevah, resulting in an entire city turning to God in repentance.

         They were all successful.  They were all blessed for their efforts.  They were all used by God to bring glory and honor to God.  They all were taught, guided and empowered by God to accomplish what He wanted them to do.  They obeyed the call and the outcome accomplished much for the kingdom of God.

         I need to ask you now, is God asking you to do something you don’t want to do?  Is God calling you back into the fray of fighting for His goals, not yours?  Is God opening a door for you to walk through, even if you think you know all the detractors on the other side of the door?  Is God asking you to obey His voice, His will, instead of following your wants?

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #15–Honesty

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         That old saying “Honesty is the best policy” holds true in most aspects of life, especially in the small church setting.  Be honest with your congregation.  If you are having a rough time dealing with something life is throwing your way, be honest about it, and avoid the mistake of pretending everything is going great when you’re around your congregation.

         Small congregations have an ear to their community, and they’ll know if something isn’t going well in that community.  They may not bring it up, but they’ll know.  You might be surprised at how understanding they will be when you admit you’re struggling about something.

         No pastor is impervious to trials and setbacks.  No pastor is walking on cloud nine every single day.  So don’t pretend you are all the time.  Your congregation knows everyone is open to satanic attack, and they know everyone will have hard times, too.  Remember that they ask for prayer about things they’re going through and seek guidance and help in the hard times.  When you let them know your own prayer requests, you form a stronger bond with them through your honesty.

         Something else about honesty, never—NEVER—sugar-coat the gospel.  It’s great to preach about the love, mercy and grace of God.  Everybody loves those sermons.  But if you do not include God’s justice and punishment on evil, you’re doing your folks a great disservice.  Be honest about God’s judgment on wickedness, just as you are honest about God’s unconditional forgiveness for all who repent and seek that forgiveness.  Those who are under your spiritual umbrella need to hear about heaven and hell, not just heaven.

         If you are a small church pastor and feel God is leading your ministry to change something about how they all “do church,” tell them.  Explain what God’s guidance on this matter is and what the benefits are.  Include them in the decision-making process about any changes that are led through the Holy Spirit.  Have open, sincere conversations with them about God’s leading in your life as their pastor. 

         One last item today on this vast topic—avoid anything that remotely looks like manipulation when it comes to leading your flock.  Honesty in communication with them will dispel any idea the devil tries to plant in their minds that you’re attempting to get them to do something you want to do and they haven’t bought into yet.  Honesty in communication will also help you build more trust between them and you as their pastor.  When they can believe what you say, they should follow your lead as their pastor.

         When a congregation believes the pastor is honest with them, they tend to be honest with the pastor.  That honesty on both parts will benefit all concerned in the long run.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

    (PS—More about honesty later.)

  • Letter #10–Family

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

          Let’s take a look at one of the great blessings found in a small congregation.  They usually all know each other and may even be related through family ties.  I’ve discovered this “family feeling” is quite common in a small church setting.  Although it sometimes proves to have its downfalls, having a close relationship with each other can be utilized by a pastor to strengthen a congregation’s commitment to the Lord and to each other.

         It will take some time for a congregation to trust a new pastor, but when the pastor demonstrates a willingness to accept everyone and their families, that trust can be achieved, and it will enable the pastor to become more than a weekend evangelist who visits them in the hospital when they’re sick. 

         Remember to forego comparing anyone in the congregation to people in another location.  They want to talk about people they know.  Talk with the people who attend, ask questions about their families and friends and listen attentively to what they say.  Take an interest in all their relationships, even the ones they don’t talk about much.

         When the opportunity avails itself, work on projects with the people in your congregation.  Set work days at your facility and enlist as many people as possible to join in.  If they talk about working on some project at home, volunteer to help them.  Bring your spouse and children, if you have any still at home, and involve them in what’s going on at the church house and the members’ houses.  Go to their family reunions if invited.  Invite them to yours.  Attend their children’s ballgames or birthday parties when you are available.  Demonstrate to the people that you are willing to become part of their lives.

         People who work together, eat together and experience life together grow together.  They learn from each other as they learn about each other.  Those times of informally gaining personal information about each other will bring people to the point of being able to trust each other.  (Remember Letter #5 on Relationships) Allow me to give an example about learning and trusting from my own ministry.

         One of my former congregants was a cattle farmer.  He mentioned one day that he was going to run some new fencing to separate a field for grazing.  I volunteered to come help him install the fence.  As we met early the next day, I asked how he usually laid out the fence line, how he spaced his fence posts and how many runs of barbed wire he was going to put up.  He responded with the information needed to do the job, and we began.

          As we were attaching the wire strands to the posts, he commented that I was the first pastor he had met who knew anything about manual labor, especially farm fencing.  I related how I had grown up on a small farm that had livestock and understood the concept of needing good fences.  He learned I had much in common with him and his way of life.  He had also learned that if I said I was going to do something, I did it.  I learned to trust him, and he learned to trust me.  Every time I see him now, he gives me a firm handshake and a brotherly hug. 

         Remember to keep your word when you tell someone you will do something.  If you have to, write down your promises or put them on your calendar so you can remember what you promised. 

         Speaking of calendars, put birthdays and anniversaries on your own calendar, as well as on the church calendar.  If there is not already a church calendar, create one with the help of someone in the congregation who is interested in this type of activity.  (This is a good way to involve others in producing something useful for the entire congregation.) 

          After acquiring their permission, include the attenders in groups in your social media accounts.  Do everything you can to communicate about daily life with as many people as possible in as many ways as possible.  Let the congregation know you consider all of them as integral parts of your own life.

         You are their shepherd, their pastor.  You are part of their spiritual family and the diverse physical family that makes up the congregation.  Build up the physical family ties, and you will discover that you will be able to better build up the spiritual family under your care.  That “family feeling” is one of the best blessings your small church will possess.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #7–K.I.S.S. Revisited

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         In the first installment for K.I.S.S., I suggested you include the members of your congregation as ministry partners in order to simplify your life.  I pray you are encouraging your membership as they develop the gifts and talents resident in your congregation in order to accomplish that aspect of keeping ministry simple.

         Allow me to make a second recommendation toward achieving a more simple life for yourself and your congregation.  When preparing sermons or Bible lessons, focus on Jesus.  Focus on who Jesus is, what he has accomplished, what he taught his original disciples, and what he promised to do for, in and through them.  Focus on the gospel message and how to live out the teachings of Christ.  You will find that centering your message on the good news that there is forgiveness through faith in Jesus will simplify your ministry.

         Satan will try to get you sidetracked from this central message.  Remember he is the source of confusion, division and strife.  Satan will try to get you involved in arguments over controversial doctrinal points.  He will attempt to bring factional “us versus them” thinking into your congregation, and, if he can, he will use you to create unintended factions within your attenders through what seems to be innocent questions.

         Always remember Satan is a deceiver, a manipulator and a thief, and he wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy the works you and your congregation are doing for the kingdom of God.  In order to achieve his insidious purposes, he works through people to bring up “What do you think about…” kinds of questions.  He uses, “I heard…,” “I’m confused about…,” or “My friend/uncle/brother/neighbor/etc. says….”

         It’s during these seemingly innocent times that your spiritual enemy is working to complicate your life and ministry by getting you to “major on the minors” in life.  To combat these deceptions, I encourage you to always use scriptures in answering any question that might be a controversial subject.  My normal response to any doctrinal issue that arises is, “Let’s see what the Bible says about this.”  Always remember that the Bible holds the truth about any situation that arises in life.  What I think about a situation does not matter when it comes to what the Bible actually says.  Taken in its proper context, scripture always has the correct answer to any question, even the ones the devil tries to use to complicate ministry.

         When those controversial subjects arise, and they will arise eventually, attempt to steer the conversation back to the simplicity of the gospel.  If that fails, allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak through scriptures to those who are posing the questions.  Remember Paul’s advice to his protégé Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:20 to “…avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.” KJV (“Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.” NLT)

         Allow me to give an example of this concept for maintaining simplicity in ministry.  A missionary we know operates in a country where the population is over 99% non-Christian.  He never compares Christianity to that national faith, nor does he debate the ideology of the other faith’s founder to that of Jesus.  He only talks about Jesus and his teachings.  His ministry is very successful, reaching over 9 million people monthly through various media avenues.  That success is influenced by the fact that he keeps his ministry focused on Jesus only.

         Focus on the simplicity of the good news about Jesus as much as is possible in every facet of your ministry.  If some divisive topic rears its head, go to scripture for guidance and rely on the Holy Spirit to deal with those topics as only he can by moving in the hearts and minds of those involved.  Remember:  KISS.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #5–Relationships

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

                Build supportive relationships with other small church pastors.  You’ve already read my suggestions to involve other people in your ministry.  You need the help of your congregation as you minister to them and with them.  You simply cannot do everything alone.

                There is another source of help available for you, if you will make contact with that group and build meaningful relationships with the people in it.  That group is made up of all those other small church pastors in your area.  Those folks can help you, and you can help them.

                When you begin to reach out to other pastors, avoid the temptation to center your conversations on the bad stuff you encounter.  Satan would like nothing more than for you to tear each other down by constantly dragging up past or present hurts and disappointments.  Do not avoid problems, just don’t only rehearse and nurse them.  Use your time together to talk about how to reverse them.

                Ask questions to gain knowledge and insights the other pastors have.  Talk about successes and future plans together.  Listen to what’s in their hearts and share what’s in yours.  You can help each other.  You can encourage each other, pray for each other and remind each other that each one of you is not working in the kingdom of God alone.  You are on a great and powerful team, and good team members work together to win the game.  You are in the most important “game” of all time—the contest between the kingdom of light/good and the kingdom of darkness/evil.

                Getting together with other pastors is an action you are going to have to intentionally make.  You must intentionally choose to associate with other pastors for mutual support.  If your fellowship/denomination has regular opportunities to gather for support, take advantage of them.  (If not, create some.)  Go to the trainings, conferences, meetings and luncheons every chance you get.  I understand you can’t attend every meeting available, but you can stop making excuses for not attending and go to some of them. 

                One last thought before I close—I used to be like Moses and thought I had to deal with everything by myself, because I was the pastor.  A fellow minister stepped up as my “Jethro” and helped me to realize that not seeking help, advice and encouragement from others was a bad decision on my part.  I’m glad I listened to him.  I chose to set aside my pride and self-sufficient attitude and get help with what I was facing.  I sometimes forget his advice, but when I follow it, I am a better pastor.

                There is help out there for small church pastors.  Part of that help lies in other small church pastors.  Build supportive relationships with other small church pastors.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor