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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

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division in the local churchDivision in the local church

By Ken Blue

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10.

I know of nothing that causes strife and division in the local church like voting and giving undue attention to the church constitution. There are churches that cannot make a decision without first consulting the constitution to see if it is permissible and then voting to see how many will oppose it. Growing churches cannot function when hamstrung with policies which require a vote on every decision.

Why not plan the entire year with your leadership; then build the budget around those plans? Having done that let the membership review it. Tell them to contact the deacons if they have questions. The pastor and staff should not be contacted about budget matters. Finally, have a Victory and Vision Banquet where the budget is approved, but not discussed. Once the budget is approved, move forward in freedom to accomplish the ministry goals that have been set.

The pastor should also have liberty to appoint men and women to fill all needed ministry positions. It is unwise to vote on these people.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The fewer things a church votes on, the less division it will have.[/pullquote]

The fewer things a church votes on, the less division it will have. There are four things, if voted on, that will allow the church work to go forward. These are: 1. Vote on the annual budget. 2. Vote on any change in the constitution. 3. Vote on the purchase of property or building new buildings. 4. Vote on the hiring of a new pastor. The pastor should take the leadership in all these matters; otherwise there will be much ado about nothing.

THE IMPLODING CHURCH

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  imploding church

By Ken Blue

How do you keep from having an imploding church? Let’s assume you are going to start a church from nothing. The one thing you must consider is, where are we going to meet? Will we meet in a home, a barn, or some other facility?

Next, on your priority list will be soul winning. You can’t have church without people, and you can’t have people without some form of contact. Therefore, every thought, and effort will be on how to reach others, and get them into the new church. This will be the driving force at the time, and rightfully so.

As new families come into the church, you have the challenge of how to teach the different age groups, and provide child care for the infants. These are just a few of the growing pains, but you learn how to solve them.

New growth brings new needs. People need real discipleship. They need ministries to serve in. At this point, you may have to consider a new meeting place to care for the growth. So, property is located, buildings are built, and finances are needed. More and more the church adds new demands. The church is humming with excitement.

That is why success may be your downfall. Little by little, the vision shifts. Everyone now has someone to fellowship with. They are becoming one happy family. Everybody knows each other, and pays extra attention to each other.  The growth has brought new demands. Thus, most of the money, time and service is bestowed on the existing congregation. Everyone is busy, but something subtle has happened.

Planning meetings are no longer about soul winning, and growth. All the plans now are about how to feed the monster. The outreach has shifted to programs, and activities.  A new missionary may be added once each year for conscience sake.

The church has now reached its stagnation point. Everything is about the “church family.” The very thing that gave life and growth, is now forgotten and left behind. Most of the members have grey hair. They are comfortable and don’t want to be disturbed.

The death of the church is inevitable. The only way to keep a church alive is to have new, young blood added every week.  Where are all the great soul winning churches of fifty years ago? They are either dead and gone, or dead and being embalmed each year. Your church, too, will die unless you keep outreach hot, and on the front burner. A church must be a maternity ward, or it becomes a museum.  If you neglect these, stand back and watch the implosion.

PLANNING YOUR MINISTRY

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PLANNING YOUR MINISTRY # 1

planning

It is a fact that most pastors and churches never create plans extending beyond next Sunday’s sermon. They have no written annual plans for outreach, maturity, worship, buildings or missions. One reason is the pastor may not understand its value. Another might be fear or laziness. You may wonder why one would be fearful to establish a plan. The answer is simple; if you plan, you might fail. Thus, the safest course of action is not to act or plan.

October is a good time to hold the planning session for your church. The date, time, place and who will attend should be put on your calendar months prior to the scheduled date. The pastor must spend some time alone looking at his purpose statement and asking himself some questions about it. Each question must be prefaced with “What do we need to do to…” The answers should be written down for his personal guidance at the planning meeting. This is pre-planning.

Prior to the meeting, an agenda should be created and distributed to all who attend. The time to be granted on each item must be listed. The moderator should ensure that the meeting stays on course and adheres to the allotted time. 

Write the question on the board, and then the moderator should ask, “What do we need to do to…” Answers should be written on the whiteboard under the question. The only response allowed to each idea is, “good, write that down. Now, what else do we need to do…?”  Do not allow any discussion or comments on the ideas until the team has run out of suggestions, if you do, you will squelch the meeting and people will stop giving ideas. Follow this procedure with all major ministry questions. This is the brainstorming of the session.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]A clear plan not only gives direction, it liberates and gives purpose.[/pullquote]

Once all the ideas are in on each ministry, decide which ideas the church should turn into ministry goals. Once this has been done on the major ministries, set dates on when each idea will be implemented and completed. Also, determine who will be responsible for that goal and what the expense will be. This gives ownership and responsibility for each goal. Review points should be set to determine progress.

A clear plan of how you are to achieve each goal, not only gives direction, it liberates and gives purpose. I want to challenge each pastor to schedule a planning session for his ministry. It will be one of the most helpful things you can do. So, start planning to plan.

THREE INDISPENSABLES

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               Personality

 

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Aptitude            Character

 

By Ken Blue

It is impossible to give accurate percentages on the learning curve between audio, visual, and participating. These depend on the presentation, and the memory retention of each individual.

However, when it comes to ones effectiveness in any field, there are three indispensable qualities. Especially is this true of the ministry. These are personality, aptitude, and character.

  • Personality: “the condition or fact of relating to a particular person; The complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group; especially : the totality of an individual’s behavioral and emotional characteristics.” Merriam Webster Dictionary.

One should note especially the words “relating to a particular person.” If you cannot relate with a person, you will not be able to minister to them. One book I would recommend is How to Win Friends and Influence People. “How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published. Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold 15 million copies world-wide.” Wikipedia.  The more people you can “relate” with, the more you can reach them with your message. It will not matter how much Bible you know, or how well you can preach, if you have flaws in your personality that repels others.

  • Aptitude: “a natural or acquired capacity or ability; especially : a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand.” Merriam Webster Dictionary.

The capacity to learn and understand differs with each individual. However, it is my belief that most of us use very little of our God given potential.  In the ministry, one must learn how to visualize, and plan. If others are involved, then he must have the qualities of leadership in order to get others to join in. Then there is the matter of organization. This includes men, materials, money, and time. Finally, the pastor must be able to control all the above. All these can be learned, if one will pray for wisdom, and commit himself to mastering them.

 

  • Character: “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation.”

 

Without a doubt, your character is your most valuable asset. You must be seen as sincere, honest, caring, well mannered, polite, ethical, non-pretentious, nor high minded, or self-important.

If people see the absence of these in a pastor, they lose all respect for him, and hold him accountable. You may “wow” people with your personality. You may impress them with your aptitude to preach or minister. But, they will never overlook your character flaws. Most pastors who ruin their ministry, is because of the “little” character flaws that are seen by others.

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 1 Timothy 4:15-16.:

 

IS THE MUSIC IN STEP WITH YOUR MESSAGE?

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 marching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

Perhaps the best example of “the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing,” is in the lack of coordination between the Pastor’s sermon, and the music director’s selection of songs. Seldom do these two connect the music with the message. I have watched song leaders pick songs for the service five minutes before a service begins.

Pastor, if you perform a wedding, the party selects wedding songs and music to match the occasion. If you serve at a funeral, the songs match the event. At a birthday party, they sing “Happy Birthday.” So, why is it that most song services in church have no connection to the sermon? The reason, no doubt, is ignorance of its importance, or a lack of planning by the pastor. Many pastors have no idea what their sermon subject will be a week from Sunday. That may be the real cause of the problem.

Another reason for the problem, is the pastor is too lazy to plan his preaching schedule, and topics. Therefore, he doesn’t have any plan for the music ministry. This takes time, thinking and planning. Many pastors don’t have any plans beyond next Monday morning. This is inexcusable.

Everything that happens in the service should reinforce and support the purpose of the sermon. This includes all the services. That means that the Pastor must plan all sermons or subjects weeks before they are preached. He must then meet with the music director and see that the songs support the sermon.

How is it at your church? Do the songs have any real purpose or are they just filler? Are the songs selected because they are familiar, and old favorites, or do they promote the theme of your message? Think about it, and see how next Sunday’s selection matches the goal of your message.

One way to correct this problem is for the pastor to fill out the order of service, and see that all involved in the music ministry receive it. Include in it the song selection. If you are doing a theme for a month, ensure that everyone, who needs to know is informed of what you expect. The more people you have supporting your objective, the more likely you are to achieve it, and the more you communicate, the more they will be able to help you. You are trying to get a point across with your sermon, I hope. Why not plan so the music will assist in that goal? Are you lazy?