TimSpivey.com

Geoff Surratt on The Secret Life of Pastors

Geoff Surratt wrote a simple but great post, entitled, "The Secret Life of Pastors," I'd like to share with you. 

What is your goal as a pastor? What would bring real satisfaction? I know pastors who have 100 people who are convinced that if they could just get to 200 then things would be right in the world. I know pastors who have 1000 people who secretly believe that 3000 is the magic number. There are pastors who are just trying to get over the 10,000 hump, and pastors of 20,000 who think 40,000 feels about right. No one really talks like this, but deep down many pastors live this way. Having been on staff of churches at every level I can assure you that at the end of the rainbow is always another rainbow. No matter how "succesful" your church plant is, you will never arrive.

So let me give you four targets you can hit. I believe that if you hit these goals you will find the fulfillment you are looking for as you lead a church.

1. Love Jesus

I know, we all love Jesus. But is that what motivates us? Let me be honest about what I love; I love success, I love strategy, I love excellence, I love technology, I love a well-executed plan, I love crowds, I love speaking, I love compliments, I love new buildings, I love recognition, I love seeing a team come together. Oh, and I love Jesus too. What do you love?

We have to find a way to move Jesus to the center. We have to fall in love with Jesus. We have to do it every day. We have to acknowledge that all the other stuff of ministry is often a smokescreen getting in the way of our love for Jesus and we have to strip it all away. 

2. Love your family

Don't just prioritize your family, take time for your family, and protect your family. Love your family. Become the kind of person your family loves. Be the dad that your kids love to tell their friends about. Be the husband your wife dreams about. Pastor your church but love your family.

3. Love your people

People are great volunteers, amazing leaders, and wonderful teachers. They are butts in seats. They are building blocks of a ministry. They are the tools in our hands we use to build the monument to us that we believe our church will one day be. To Jesus people were broken hearts to be loved; a grieving widow, a scorned woman, a desperate dad. Take off your rancher's hat, pick up your shepherd's crook and love your people.

4. Love your community

Loving you community isn't just giving away water bottles to get more people to come to your church. Loving your community means letting the pain and the brokeness around your church break your heart. Loving your community means bringing freedom to the prisoners, water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, shelter to the homeless. Loving your community means finding the people lost in the cracks and caring for them when no one else does.

The sad secret of ministry is that many pastor wouldn't wish their lives on anyone. Their prayer life, if it exists at all, is dry, their families feel abandoned, and the pastor is empty. There is a constant drive for more that will never be satisfied. In contrast; a life of loving Jesus, loving your family, loving your people and loving your community is a life you can invite people into. That is a goal worth pursuing. 

Don't get in caught in the trap of more. There is no there, there.

For more of Geoff's posts, you can check his blog out at GeoffSurratt.Com.

Unbroken - The Zamperini Chronicles

The story of Louis Zamperini told in the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Sea Biscuit) is so amazing it's hardly believable. But, it's true. Time Magazine awarded Unbroken it's book of the year award for 2010. It's not only a great story, it's extremely well written. For those with eyes to read, it's got Christian themes running all through it.

Here are a few:

• The originality of every human life. Louis Zamperini had a quite ordinary birth and growing up experience. Just a part of what makes his story so remarkable is how ordinary his roots are. I just love reading how God works in the lives of everyday people. God works in everyone's lives, and does so differently.
• Endurance. Everything about Zamperini's life is about endurance. He is an Olympic distance runner. He survives 47 days stranded on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He endures 2 1/2 years of brutally harsh treatment as a POW in Japanese prison camps. He then struggles to make his life work through alcoholism and the residue left by his experience. Still alive today and nearly 100 years old, Louis Zamperini inspires anyone who reads his story to hang in there...not to give up.
• Forgiveness. After his conversion, Zamperini learns to forgive his tormenter as a POW: Matsuhiro Watanabe, aka, "The Bird." In a letter to his former captor, he wrote, "The post-war nightmares caused my life to crumble, but thanks to a confrontation with God through the evangelist Billy Graham, I committed my life to Christ. Love replaced the hate I had for you. Christ said, "Forgive your enemies and pray for them.'" You have to read Unbroken to know what a huge deal such forgiveness is. All I can say is, Wow.
• The Power of Redemption. Zamperini's life was spiralling downward rapidly. In his nightmares, he would choke "The Bird" to death. One night, he's dreaming of choking "The Bird" when he hears a noise that wakes him. It is the gasp of his pregnant wife, who Zamperini was choking unknowingly in his sleep. Through his torment and alcoholism, Zamperini comes to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade and the nightmares stop. He pours out all his alcohol on the spot, and his life does a dramatic 180.

If you don't have time to read Unbroken (shame on you!), below is a 5-minute biography of Zamperini. But trust me, read the book. It's awesome in every way. Heavy, but awesome.

 

"I Believe in You"

"I really believe in you...I really, really do," one of my spiritual heroes said to me sincerely this past week with his hand on my shoulder. It was a simple grace, but most well-timed and warming. After thinking about the blessing it was to me, I wondered when I last offered such grace to someone else. Sure, I encourage others from time to time. Yet, I need to offer more of genuinely convicted encouragement. "Convicted encouragement" is encouragment one really, really believes as opposed to the more common or generic variety.

Most of us offer common and generic encouragement to people as a way of helping people "keep their head up" or to express gratitude for someone's service. It's the kind most of us offer most frequently. Such encouragement is far better than no encouragement. It's still a blessing, but it's a thinner one.

Well-meaning people traffic in thin encouragement, but wouldn't it be something if we all trafficked in the real stuff--"convicted encouragement." The kind we really, really mean. The kind that keeps people from despairing at a key moment in their life or ministry. The kind we offer when we know the person cannot repay us or they are looking for it. The kind that nourishes life and discipleship in by simply reminding someone that God is for them by hearing it on the lips of one of His people.

Real encouragement in a difficult time is like a warm meal to famished. Someone said a word of encouragment during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. True enough, but I've also found it to be worth a lot no matter what the times. It's no wonder that in Scripture God urges us to encourage one another. We are to encourage each other in Christ so the Discourager doesn't win the battle for the heart's joy or convince people to quit on things that really matter--marriages, churches, ministry, life.

So, let's make today, "I believe in you," day. Or, "thank you," day. Tell someone at your church, one of your kids, or a church leader that you believe in them...you really, really do--and mean it when you say it. Thank them for who they are and what they do. Help them understand they matter. As you do:

Be specific.

Mean it.

And, you'll bless them in ways untold.

Question: Describe a time when someone encouraged you in a way that made a significant difference in your life or ministry.

An Opportunity for Generosity

Periodically, I'll make an appeal for support for New Vintage Church through this blog. I do so unapologetically because Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive, and because I believe in New Vintage and it's future reaching people for Christ in San Diego county and around the world. Also, this blog is, in some ways, also a ministry of New Vintage Church. 

Your willingness to offer financial support would go a long ways toward helping New Vintage become all God wants it to be and seeing this humble blog continue. NVC is still quite a ways from self-supporting. So, I'm asking for your help. New Vintage needs the financial support of visionary people and visionary churches who have a passion for God’s work in Southern California and/or who wish to support the ministries of NVC missionaries—myself, Peter Wilson, DJ Iverson and Randy Armstrong.

I’m asking you and/or your congregation to partner with us.

Our website is still very much a work in progress, however, you can find out more about NVC there. If your congregation is interested in helping sponsor NVC and you would like a ministry plan, you can ask for one at connect@newvintagesd.org.

We believe God is in the process of doing something big in Southern California. We are looking for visionary people and visionary churches to support a new church start in an area that desperately needs one.

When you support NVC, you will also help support other churches indirectly. Each of us plans to continue to serve churches beyond our own by as we have for years through writings, podcasts, consulting, conference/lectureship leadership, arts, etc. If you enjoy this blog, if you have been blessed by my ministry or that of Peter Wilson, DJ Iverson, and Randy Armstrong, please give to New Vintage. We now offer secure giving online in two ways. One is through the PayPal button at the bottom of the post. Or, you may click here to access New Vintage's online giving page.

For those of you old-school givers, you can also write a check to:

New Vintage Church

243 S. Escondido Blvd., Suite 531

Escondido, CA 92026

If you want to support a particular NVC missionary, please put their name in the memo line. If you wish to support the church generally, simply leave the memo line blank.

To keep up with what’s going on at New Vintage Church, Check out the New Vintage Church – San Diego, website, Facebook page, or follow @newvintagesd on Twitter 

Southern California needs vibrant churches committed to bringing people to Christ. NVC is one such church, and we thank you for your generosity and prayers. Every offering matters and will be received with gratitude.

Patriotism and the Christian

Patriotism has fallen on hard times lately.

Some are thrilled by this. I'm not.

As some try to convince us that our country is the source of all the world's problems, or that to celebrate America is to show narrowness and exclusivism, others say that to celebrate freedom or feel a sense of patriotism is to align oneself with the kingdoms of the world. Others say America is going to hell in the proverbial handbasket, and thus the 4th should remind us of our need to return to our "Christian foundations."

I keep thinking to myself...

What?

One can be patriotic without being sectarian, abusive to others, or aligning oneself with the principalities and the powers--or being demeaning to others. One can hope for a more moral America without eschewing celebration for the good we experience now. Bottom line: even at our worst, America is still a great country. At the very least, there is a lot that we who enjoy America can rightfully give thanks for. Perhaps one symptom of our Americanness is our exaggerated sense of what dangerous allegiance to country or "hell in a handbasket" actually is on a worldwide scale. 

Today is Independence Day, and it's one on which I like to celebrate that I live in a great country (even on it's worst day), and the fact that we can even sit around debating like we do without fear is something that testifies to America's beauty.

There is nothing wrong with loving one's country. Obviously there is something wrong with patriotism that takes a wrong turn into the aforementioned vices, or when allegiance to one's country trumps one's allegiance to Christ. While I'm warned about these things, I will admit I have hardly ever seen genuine cases of them. I see far more ingratitude and cyncism among Christians these days as it pertains to Ameria. While there is certainly plenty of fodder for those looking for it, it also seems to me that we live in a country that has a hard time being thankful for our shared blessings and heritage these days.

So today, I say it's OK to be thankful for America. It's OK to celebrate America. It's OK. It's OK. It's OK.

Maya Angelou was right:

"We really are 15 countries, and it's really remarkable that each of us thinks we represent the real America. The Midwesterner in Kansas, the black American in Durham -- both are certain they are the real American."

But we are Americans. And that's a good thing. It's not the only thing. It's not the best thing. But, it's a good thing. A really good thing.

 

Note: *This post adapted from a previous post from Independence Day, 2007.

Is Spanking Children OK?

Is spanking children OK for Christians? I believe so, under certain circumstances. But, I'd like to hear what you have to say.

From the San Francisco Chronicle "Mommy Files" blog:

A Texas woman was sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to the charge of Injury of a Child. What did this Corpus Christi mother of three do? She spanked her then nearly 2-year-old daughter.

"You don't spank children today," said Judge Jose Longoria. "In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children."

Prosecutors are requiring Rosalina Gonzales to take parenting classes, follow Child Protection Services (CPS) guidelines, and pay $50 to the Children's Advocacy Center in addition to being on probation.

Gonzales spanked her daughter in December 2010. Her daughter's paternal grandmother noticed red marks on the child's bottom and took her to a hospital to be checkied out, according to KZTV-10, Corpus Christi.

The state has put Gonzales's three children in the hands of the grandmother. The mother is working with CPS to regain custody.

Now, I've read a proposal for an anti-spanking law for California. What do you think? Is spanking OK for Christians? If so, under what circumstances? I know godly people on both sides of this one.

By the way, I'm going to go out on a limb and say Thanksgiving is going to be awkward between the mom and grandmother.

Meet Yoda - The World's Ugliest Dog

Meet "Yoda" - This year's choice for world's ugliest dog. The Chinese-crested Chihuahua mix won the prize in Northern California this week. Yikes.

Happy Father's Day - An New Vintage Church Video

In honor of Father's Day, I've uploaded the rough draft version of a video we'll play tonight at NVC. The concept is pretty simple: Celebrate the calling of fatherhood through stories. We simply set up a camera and let the New Vintage Church staff talk about their dads and their own fatherhood. 

While churches generally do a good job of celebrating motherhood on Mother's Day, I feel like we struggle more with Father's Day. Fatherhood is a high and wonderful calling. Let's lift it up when we have the opportunity.

 

Integrating Teens into the Life of the Body

Put very simply, many Youth Ministries are functionally churches within the church. They operate separately, they have different names, identities, calendars and generally don't interact a whole lot with the Body as a whole. In other churches, where integration with the whole Body is a concern, effort is made to put teens into roles they are really uncomfortable with. That is...the issue gets forced and never really gets solved. New Vintage Church is serious about the leadership development of teens and church-wide embracing of Student Ministry.

In addition to the things mentioned in the 3 previous posts, here are 3 things you can do to integrate Youth Ministry into the bloodstream of the church: 

1. Youth Ministry mission and vision should match that of the church as a whole. Nomenclature, logos, etc., can be different. But, the primary aim of Youth Ministry should a scaled-to-teen version of the church vision. It's common and fine for Youth Ministries to have a different name, "brand," etc. Just make sure the aim remains the same. If it isn't, it'll create sideways energy in the church and silo the Youth Ministry.
2. Create some direct overlap between the Youth calendar and the church's calendar. This means that when a parent gets their Summer Calendar, some events on there are all-church events (i.e., events the whole church is doing). There's a lot of room for play here, but 20% is a number I like. For instance, one of NVC's summer beach devotionals is going to be advertised church-wide, but it's also listed on the youth calendar. These are small...but it gets.
3. Involve teens in leadership of the church. I don't mean as elders, obviously. I do mean in key roles of service--not just clean-up or in the nursery. At NVC, teens run media during worship, play in the band, help direct set-up and tear-down of assemblies, work in Children's Ministry, and help lead their own small groups. All of these help prepare them for further leadership in the church and build investment in the church as a whole. It also gets teens serving alongside others in the church. Another side benefit is that when teens get the "cool jobs" in church, it makes it more socially acceptable to serve in the church in teen world.

Here's one idea for churches where you play music before/after services: let the teens come up with the play-list. Set the broadest parameters possible...and let 'em go.

What are some other things your churches are doing to integrate teens into the life of the Body?

 

Building a Healthy Youth Ministry, pt. 3 - Cultivating Continuity

The rate of turnover in Youth Ministry these days is rather astonishing. I'm told by Youth Ministers I know that under two years is the running average in Churches of Christ in California. Unless that improves, it will be virtually impossible for the Church to bless and nurture teens the way we're capable of. Below are some tips for church leaders looking to cultivate health and continuity in Youth Ministry in your church.

Serve and Protect.  Take a posture of service, not "accountability" first. Look for ways to bless the Youth Minister and his/her ministry. Don't make it your goal to keep the Youth Ministry budget from growing. Make it your goal to see the Youth Ministry flourish. By "protect" I mean don't let crazy parents have an open shot at the Youth Minister. View yourselves and offensive linemen for the ministers. One of primary reasons people leave is because moms or dads hammer on them freely. Church leaders, always eager to avoid conflict, tolerate it or tell the Youth Minister to stop doing whatever they are doing that is causing the parent to be upset. This communicates lack of support, undermines ministry, and empowers ungodly behavior. If the Youth Minister did in fact mess up, deal with that gently, while showing support by helping them avoid a ministry-ending injury. Also, if they begin taking a lot of hits...their ministry will suffer, and a vicious cycle begins.

Pay them Fairly. This is a tricky one. Here's the way we try to do it. When hiring, separate the "paid" from the "called." Then, pay the called. Look for those who really have a pastor's heart, along with the character, competency, chemistry and fit. Then, pay them more than it takes to keep them alive. Pay them a decent wage.

Care for their family, without giving them a pass to mediocrity. This is a delicate one, as I mentioned in yesterday's post. Not wanting to cheat one's family is becoming the new "my dog ate my homework." That's really sad. What is in fact an extremely important concern cannot become a free pass to mediocre ministry. Instead, leaders need to take it upon themselves to offer some rather easy blessings to the family that will help cultivate health while preserving what's needed for quality ministry:

In addition to the two previous suggestions (protection from massive injury and good pay), I would add flexible work hours. There needs to be a certain bandwidth of time when the whole staff is together. However, Youth Ministry is a night and weekend gig. If they are in the office along with everyone else, and doing Youth Ministry on nights and weekends...hmmm... If someone doesn't want to work nights or weekends, they should choose a different line of work than Youth Ministry. However, the church needs to understand the challenges that can bring a young family and pastor them in a way that would honor Christ.

Freedom. Most ministers...all they want is freedom. Give them absolutely maximum leash to make decisions, create things, make things happen. If you cannot trust them to do these things, you are either a control freak (knock it off!), or you hired the wrong person. It makes little sense to pay a trained, experienced, gifted person tens of thousands of dollars only to do what untrained, inexperienced, likely ungifted (in Youth Ministry) people tell them to do--and then fire them if it doesn't work. If you make the jump to hire someone. Don't tie their hands. If they can't handle it, adjust freedom accordingly--or hire differently next time.

What would you add? What else can we do to contribute to continuity in Youth Ministry?