Be sure and listen to the great songs to lift your spirit
By Ken Blue
The American Heritage Dictionary defined neglect as, “1. To pay little or no attention to; 2. To fail to care for or attend to properly. 3. To fail to do or carry out, as through carelessness or oversight: Habitual lack of care.”
There are many ways to kill a flower. You may pull it up by the roots and stomp on it. Another, less strenuous way is simply to ignore it. Only eternity will reveal how many churches and ministries have died as a result of neglect. Neglect may be one of the greatest sins in the church. The book of Hebrews warns of its consequences.
One area that is most often neglected is the buildings and grounds. The pastor should either drive or walk around the grounds every week to inspect the lawns, shrubs, parking lot, lights, and building. It need not be said again that, it is not what you expect that gets done, it’s what you inspect. So, don’t neglect these.
A second area that the pastor must not ignore is that of finances. You must know what the fixed expenses are. You must also know how much cash the church has available, and what the projected weekly income will be. Also, the pastor must be in control of the finances. He need not handle any money, or sign any checks. But he must oversee all expenditure. The best way to do this is to start with the budget. Also, use purchase orders that the pastor must approve. Just remember, if the church gets in financial trouble, the only person who will be held accountable will be the pastor. Don’t neglect this important area.
This next area of neglect should be considered the greatest crime. It is the neglect of new members. Churches compass land and sea, and spend thousands of dollars and man hours to reach one family. They court them in every conceivable manner. Then, once they have joined the church, they are forgotten and ignored. This is the horrible crime.
The problem is the mindset of the pastor. He sees getting members as the end objective. However, this is just plain dumb. Membership is not the end; it is just the beginning! If a church worked as hard to get members through the other three steps of assimilation as they do get a new member, people would not be neglected. Also, small groups that are properly led, under dedicated leaders will solve the problem of neglect. The pastor must rearrange his thinking process.
Every church has VIP, VTP, and VDP in its membership. Obviously, those in leadership positions are the key to your ministry success. The sure way to disaster is to neglect your leaders. The very important people must have your attention and encouragement. The very teachable people must be taught how to do ministry. These are your future leaders. The very draining people must be ignored, and not allowed to discourage you or waste your time.
Lastly, the preacher must not neglect his study of the Word. Although, no one can see that part of your private life, it will become evident in your preaching and teaching if your are studious or not.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.