10 Ways to Protect Your Spirit from the Demands…

Pastoral ministry can be hazardous to a pastor’s spiritual health.  But it doesn’t have to be.

Too many pastors are living in constant frustration, anger, depression, and burnout.  Many have given up.  Many more who would give up if they could.  Healthy pastors always match their output with an equal amount of input.  Spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Here are 10 principles that will help any pastor receive enough input to match their output.

Worship When You’re Not in Church

When we take regular times to worship outside the church, we remind ourselves that it’s about putting God first, not our church.

Pray When You’re Alone

Prayer is a dialogue with Jesus.  Prayer is having a conversation with Him.  Our relationship with Jesus needs both.

Read the Bible Without Looking for Sermon Material

Too many pastors use the Bible almost exclusively as a source of sermon material.  When we do that, it doesn’t feed us, it empties us.  We need to let it fill us, encourage us, challenge us and excite us again.

Work On Your Marriage as Much as Your Church

Too many pastors are living as roommates with frustrated and increasingly angry spouses and kids.  They’re angry that have been out a distant second to the church.  And that anger is spilling over i=on their relationship with Jesus.

The truth is, our family should be our secondary priority – secondary to Jesus, not second to the church.

Develop Friendships Outside Your Church

We all need people who can encourage us when we’re down, laugh with us when we’re happy and call us out when we do something stupid.

We need people who feel more comfortable hugging us than shaking our hand and who would never dream of calling us ‘pastor’ because they know us too well for that.

Take Regular Days Off

It’s called Sabbath.  And it’s not a suggestion.  It’s in God’s Top Ten List.

Find an Enjoyable, Physically Engaging Hobby

Also, consider engaging in physical activities that allow you to get outside your own head.  Something wonderful happens when we get so involved in a physical endeavor that we stop thinking for a while.  Then, when we get back to thinking again, we think more clearly.

Sleep More

According to the most recent studies, highly-driven people aren’t getting nearly as much sleep as they need.  Pastors are no exception to this rule.

Laugh More

Joy is under-rated in the lives of most pastors.

Listen More

It’s too easy, especially after we’ve spent several years in pastoral ministry, to stay in the mode of teacher and forget how to be a student.  Learning new things – especially from new and unexpected sources – is one of the greatest ways to stay fresh.  In heart, mind, and spirit.

 

 

Steps to Greatness in a Small Church

You don’t need one more person, one more dollar or one more square foot of building to start being a great church.

There are great small churches in every country, serving every ethnic group and in virtually every language.

But still, people don’t realize that a church can be both small and great.  That has to change.  We can do this.

Good isn’t good enough anymore.  No more excuses.  It’s time for small churches to be great churches.

Know that Small Churches Can Be Great.   

Perhaps the biggest impediment to an explosion of great small churches around the world is mall churches and pastors who don’t know they can be both small and great.  Believe it and act like it’s true.  Because it is.

Don’t Try to Act Like a Big Church

Yes, there are principles that all great churches hold in common.  But a great small church is not a miniaturized version of a great megachurch.

A great small church won’t have parking lot attendants and professional signage leading families to hi-tech, age-segmented children’s ministries.  There are alot of megachurches that have all the cool stuff.  But that’s not what makes them great.

Do something small church pastors can do that a megachurch can’t do – hang out in the lobby after the service.  Build relationships.  Pray with and for people.  Tell dumb jokes.  Hug, laugh and cry together.  Be a church family.

Discover What Your Church Can Be Great At

Any church can be great at something.  Starting with the things they’re already good at.

Train people better.  Reach out to the people who have fallen away from the faith.  Start doing the basic Bible stuff.  Then experiment.  See what works and what doesn’t.

Refuse to Settle for Anything Less Than Great

The key word here is to “settle”.  Do what you need to do.  Including doing some things as a less-than-great level when needed.  But never, Never, NEVER settle for “I guess that’s as good as we’ll ever get.”

Any church that feels like they’ve arrived at their peak then stays there, is settling.  Settling is dying.

Keep Doing What Your Church is Great At

Great things take time.  You and your church are great at something – or you can be.  Stop trying to be like the megachurch you visited or read about.  Don’t try to cut-and-paste anyone else’s template onto your church.

BE WHO GOD CALLED YOU TO BE.  AND BE GREAT AT IT.

5 Simple Statements Any Small Church Pastor Would Love…

It takes so little to remind a small church pastor that you care for them and are asking God to bless them.  Too many small church pastors are doing most, maybe all, of their ministry alone. That isolation can become toxic.

On top of that, when they look for help, they often find more frustration than encouragement.  So what can be said in support of the pastor of a small church?

1. A Small Church Can Be A Great Church

What if, instead of insisting that a church must get bigger to prove its value, we found out what’s great about a small church ministry, then encouraged, supported and resourced it?

The New Testament does not have a single command for the church that can’t be fulfilled by three people working together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2. “I’m Praying For You.”

A note.

A facebook comment.

It takes so little to remind a fellow small church pastor that you remember them and are asking God to bless them.

3. “Can I Take You Out To Lunch?”

So many small church pastors fell alone and abandoned.  Often by their own denominations, fellow pastors and ever their church members.

4. “How Can I Help?”

There are so many resources that big churches take for granted  -even toss away- that could make a huge difference to the budget and the ministry opportunities of many small churches near you.

5. What Can I Learn From You?”

Ministry wisdom doesn’t just flow from big to the small.  We can all learn something from the experiences and even the struggles of small church pastors.

How? By listening.  By asking them to tell their stories.  And by not trying to fix what might not even be broken.

It’s time to reach out beyond our own resources and care for some of the hardest-working ministers in the world.  The faithful, but hurting pastors of small churches.

Reaching even one pastor with just one of those statements might save a ministry – and heal a minister’s heart.

I Don’t Want Churches to Be Small; I Want…

Welcome to The Pastor’s Project where the goal of this ministry is to encourage pastors and save small and rural churches.  Both desperately need our support and prayers.

Did you know that one billion people around the earth worship in a church that is 100 or fewer people in size?  Did you know that 90% of churches in the United States have an average attendance of about 100 and 80% of those congregations are around 50?

With that in mind, I don’t want churches to be small, I want small churches to be great!  There are three truths we must acknowledge if we want these churches to be great.

My desire at The Pastor’s Project to help small churches isn’t because I want churches to be small.  I believe no matter how great any church is, it can always be greater.  Healthier. Better. Whatever its size.

Truth #1:  Small Churches Can Be Great

A lot of people don’t realize this, including small church pastors.  We’ve become so obsessed with church growth that we’ve inadvertently sent the message to millions of prayerful, Godly, hardworking small church leaders that they can’t be a great church until they’re a big church.  THAT’S SIMPLY UNTRUE!

A church can’t be great if we don’t think it can be.  Instead, believe this; You don’t need to become big for your church to become great.

Truth #2:  Great Small Churches Look Different Than Great Big Churches

One of the obstacles preventing many small churches from being great is that so much of our pastoral training comes from a big church perspective.  When we pastor a small church there’s only so much we can learn from those who lead big churches.  Even if they used to pastor a small church, which most of them have.

SMALL CHURCHES ARE DIFFERENT.

So where do we get help?  Small church leaders need to talk to each other.

Truth #3: Some Great Churches Stay Small

All things grow differently.  But growth is never as simple as older equals taller or healthy equals bigger.  All healthy, living things reach their optimal size at maturity, then they grow in different ways from that point forward.

If the church is one body with many parts, isn’t it possible, even likely, that the body of Christ needs churches of all sizes? No pastor is a failure if his church reaches its optimal stage of maturity, then starts growing in ways other than butts in seats for worship services.

Truth #4  Welcome to the No-Excuse Zone

We may not all see numerical growth in the church we pastor.  But that is never an excuse.  We are all called to participate in the growth of the church no matter what size our congregation may be.  Being small is no excuse to do church poorly.

 

Pastor’s Project Advisory Council

It wasn’t that long ago that The Pastor’s Project was a mere thought, then a dream, and finally a reality.  There was no earthly way that I could imagine that the Lord had such a ministry in mind.

But He did and He provided so many people that stepped forward and asked where they could help.  The comment I heard time and again was, “This is something that we (the church) has needed for some time.

In a previous job, I was the Director of Community Impact for the United Way of the Midlands.  Our United Way was ranked #5 in the country among 1,200 United Ways across the country.  With my previous position, I was to identify needs in the Omaha area and collaborate with partners to address that need.  Little did I know that the Lord was preparing me to develop The Pastor’s Project.

With that experience, I knew it would be critical to assembling great people with insight, wisdom, and support to accomplish success.  The Pastor’s Project has been blessed with such people known as The Advisory Council.  These men have been the bedrock for this initiative.  When called upon they’ve been there to light the way.  So it’s with great thanksgiving and appreciation I introduce you The Advisory Council of The Pastor’s Project.

Dr. Michael Curtice, Professor of Missions & Ministry Central Christian College of the Bible      Moberly, Missouri

Dr. Terry Bowland, Professor of New Testament & Ministry Ozark Christian College      Joplin, Missouri

Dr. Bill Campbell, Senior Pastor,   Woodland Christian Church       Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dr. Richard Brown,  Professor & Associate Dean, retired                  Nebraska Cristian College      Papillion, Nebraska

Kevin Ingram, President      Manhattan Christian College  Manhattan, Kansas

 

Welcome to The Pastor’s Project

Welcome to The Pastor’s Project!  Welcome to the next ministry to make a difference in the lives of our pastors and rural churches.

A year and a half ago the Lord laid on my heart a new ministry.  It was a ministry that didn’t even exist at the time.  But now it does and the mission of The Pastor’s Project is to “Encourage pastors and save rural churches.”

As I researched and collected data the following alarming statistics came to light.

80% of Bible College graduates who enter the ministry will leave the profession within 3-5 years.

71% of all pastors report not having a close friend or confidant.

50% of all pastors say they would quit today but they have no other means to make an income.

80% of pastors believe the pastoral ministry has affected their families in a negative manner.

For every 20 men who go in the ministry, only ONE retires from the ministry.

In my next post, I’ll share the “Top Ten Reasons for Ministers Leaving the Profession.”

Learning this information was the motivation behind The Pastor’s Project.  There is a huge need of pastors out in the pulpit across our country.  For many, the isolation and lack of support are too much to bear not to mention low pay, no health insurance, or retirement plan.

As the late Paul Benjamin wrote, “The word ‘survival’ looms glaringly with the fallout of preachers leaving the ministry.  Many preachers today are simply not making it in a traditional kind of church setting.  The gap between the seminary and the parsonage is too wide for ministers to bridge.  Even if he crosses it, his wife and family often become causalities.”

I am excited about the future of The Pastor’s Project.  You can read all about the ‘project’ at www.pastorsproject.com  There are currently dozens of believers in nine different states volunteering in several ways.  Bible Colleges have gotten onboard offering various supportive measures.  Churches are sponsoring Pastor’s Project presentations to get the word out.

I would encourage you to take a few minutes and read over the website and become familiar with the programs being offered.  One of the most exciting aspects of the ‘project’ is the growth and interest in The Rural Church Initiative.  Please read over that page on the website.

There is much to share and I look forward to doing just that.  The needs of our pastors and rural churches are critical to the future of our movement.  If you have a question or would like to schedule an event at your church please email me at RDCreek@cox.net

In Christ,

Richard