Reflections on 40 years... Part 3. Be convinced

a. That the church is the hope for the world.
b. The church is God’s plan A and there is no plan B.
At times church life can be disappointing, but I’ve always seen beyond the disappointments to the possibilities.

There is something very sad when church leaders seem to give up on the church and start to look for the solution to the worlds problems elsewhere. This happens far too often. It is one of the reasons why there are so many parachurch organizations.

No-one sums it up better than Bill Hybels in Courageous Leadership:

For eight years during the decade of the nineties I went to Washington, D.C., every month to meet in the foremost centres of power with some of the highest elected officials in our country. What I discovered was not how powerful these people are, but how limited their power really is. All they can actually do is rearrange the yard markers on the playing field of life. They can’t change a human heart. They can’t heal a wounded soul. They can’t turn hatred into love. They can’t bring about repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace. They can’t get to the core problem.

There is nothing like the local church when its working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness.

Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organisation on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close.

Reflections on 40 years... Part 2. Pioneer or Persevere?

Newfrontiers is a church planting movement and therefore it is right that many leaders move on and help to begin new works. But this should not be assumed to be right for every leader. We need to know ourselves on this issue – do we pioneer and move on or do we stay and persevere? Pioneers who stay in one place too long can eventually run themselves (and sometimes the church) into the ground. However many if not most of the biggest churches in the world are led by men who have given their whole ministry to that one church.

I know this is one of my dads bugbears, and it is one I would share.

It is indisputable that the largest churches have great continuity of leadership; and many very strong though smaller churches have leaders who have stayed put for the long haul. It is also of course true that longevity alone will not produce strength or growth. Staying in place for 30 years won’t automatically mean you grow a Saddleback! So there needs to be some wisdom applied here.

Dad was an elder at CCK for 23 years, during which time the eldership remained largely unchanged. New men were appointed from time to time, but there was an incredibly strong core at the heart of the team, and this is surely one of the reasons why CCK is as strong as it is.

To stay or to go? I guess it comes back to knowing yourself. If you are a pioneer you shouldn’t be boxed in to staying in one place out of a sense of guilt or responsibility. If you are a stayer you shouldn’t feel compelled to move on and church plant because that’s where the credibility seems to lie. There is probably more danger of causing damage to yourself and others if you are naturally a stayer though. Pioneers can move on a bit quickly, and leave a somewhat wobbly situation behind them, but invariably someone else will rise up to give a lead in their place. Those more inclined to sit tight can end up as corks in the bottle, and cause frustration to others, as well as becoming miserable themselves. This runs the danger of all those years of good work being tainted. That would be a shame.

So I guess the lesson is, don’t leave too soon and don’t stay too long! Just make the right decision.

Reflections on 40 years... Part 1. Have faith in God

As promised, the first in a series of posts commenting on John Hosier's reflections on 40 years in Christian ministry...

I came into Christian ministry when evangelical churches were definitely on the back foot and you were thought to be doing well simply to conserve and maintain what you had in church life. If I had my time again I’d want to believe God for more growth, more staff and more money.

I’ve been in ministry for only 14 years, rather than 40, but looking back I think its true that any regrets I have are not of the, “I wish I’d exercised less faith” variety!

True, I’ve seen people attempt risky things which they claimed to be doing out of faith and vision, but which were in reality just foolhardiness. But the guys I admire, the ones who have really made something happen, have consistently shown great faith.

At times what we have can seem terribly fragile. Pastors can be scared into inaction: “If I do such-and-such so-and-so won’t like it; and then they’ll leave; and then their friends might leave; and that will mean our giving will go down…” Sometimes it just seems less attritional, less energy demanding, to hold on to what you have, and not push for something better.

Real leaders have got to do better than this. We have got to have faith that God’s kingdom is a growing kingdom, and that he is well able to provide us with all the resources we need. Moreover, leaders have got to lead their churches into this growth. Leaders need to be the chief fund raisers in their church; the chief developers of other leaders; the chief carriers of vision.

Have faith!

Reflections on 40 years in Christian Leadership

Last Sunday was my fathers final preaching Sunday at Church of Christ the King, after 40 years of full-time Christian ministry. Over the past couple of weeks he has been sharing his reflections on the past 40 years in a number of settings, and, having now finished working my way through Maxwell's advice to younger leaders, I plan to blog on these over the next couple of weeks. Outrageously, CCK have sneaked in and already blogged this list, but I will be giving you added value in the days to come!

Here is the list:

During the past 40 years I have led 2 evangelical Baptist Churches, served as a Tutor and Director of Studies at Moorlands Bible College and then for 23 years served as an Elder at Church of Christ the King in Brighton.

Looking back there are a number of things I would want to emphasise at this stage of my life.

1. Have faith in God.
I came into Christian ministry when evangelical churches were definitely on the back foot and you were thought to be doing well simply to conserve and maintain what you had in church life. If I had my time again I’d want to believe God for more growth, more staff and more money.

2. Pioneer or Persevere?
Newfrontiers is a church planting movement and therefore it is right that many leaders move on and help to begin new works. But this should not be assumed to be right for every leader. We need to know ourselves on this issue – do we pioneer and move on or do we stay and persevere? Pioneers who stay in one place too long can eventually run themselves (and sometimes the church) into the ground. However many if not most of the biggest churches in the world are led by men who have given their whole ministry to that one church,

3. Be convinced.
a. That the church is the hope for the world.
b. The church is God’s plan A and there is no plan B.
At times church life can be disappointing, but I’ve always seen beyond the disappointments to the possibilities.

4. Implement the vision.
Leaders need to have strong vision, but how are you going to implement it? You need either the gifting to do it yourself or to employ those who can.

5. Ask more from your people.
Believers are prepared to give a lot of time; effort and money to those things they see have purpose and are worthwhile. Good leaders can be quite demanding, but get a response.

6. Play to your strengths.
Leadership is the greatest need in our churches. But leaders need to ‘fan into a flame the gift of God’ and sharpen up on what they are good at, not waste time on what they are not good at.
Every leader can help serve the body of Christ more widely by specialising in something. This could be an area of teaching or skill that we can bring to others.

7. Preaching and teaching.
I believe that generally on a Sunday we should seek to handle the great doctrines of the faith. But increasingly people don’t know how to live day to day. Given my time again I would run a ‘School of Life’ in which I would want there to be Biblical and practical teaching not just on obvious things such as marriage and money, but on issues like reliability, integrity and loyalty.

8. Go for students.
Some say ‘you can’t grow a church on students’ – you can! It doesn’t happen in the first 5 minutes, but eventually students will begin to get jobs in your area, get married and settle down.
Students are the nation’s influencers in the future.
International students return to their own countries and take a vision that has come from your church.
Some students plant a church overseas and take your church to the nations.

9. Beware the latest fad.
It’s easy to believe that if we do it this way or that way we are guaranteed great success. But exceptions make poor models. There are exceptional churches around today that we can learn a great deal from. But their leaders are not your church's leader. ‘…the best way to be lastingly relevant is to stand on the rock solid durable old truths rather than just jumping from one pragmatic bandwagon to another.’ John Piper

10. Don’t fret too much about those who leave.
Pastors always feel it personally when individuals leave the church – especially when they tell you that it’s not personal! The fact is people always leave churches. Generally for everyone that leaves you unhappy someone joins you ‘cos they are unhappy somewhere else! It tends to even out!

11. Use the different ministries.
The church really does need all the ministries – Apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/teachers. Ask them in. And if they say what you have said a 100 times before but now people ‘hear’ it for the first time – Rejoice!

12. Pay attention to team.
A team needs complementary team members in terms of gift and personality etc. Successful teams work when each member of the team is prepared to make personal sacrifices in order to gain the benefit of being on a team. Team members need real stuff to do.

13. Be flexible.
Fast moving changes in our society and rapid cultural change mean we need to be culturally aware. Paul says, ‘After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?’ (Gal. 3:3). Flexibility shows openness to the Spirit. 10.00am on a Sunday is not sacrosanct for a church meeting, nor is it wrong. We need to be flexible however in today’s world.

14. Develop an outside interest.
You don’t have to have a hobby to be a Christian leader! But an outside interest will bring you into contact and relationship with those who are not Believers.

15. Jesus before ministry.
‘I want to know Christ…’ (Phil. 3:10)
One day our ministries will be over. We may lose our health or even our husband or wife. What will we have then? Don’t live for your ministry – live for Jesus – that I might know him.

Before I'm 40... Part 10, Find purpose for your life

And so we come to the last of John Maxwell’s injunctions to young leaders. To recap, the ten things on the list were:

1. Know yourself
2. Settle your family life
3. Determine your priorities
4. Develop your philosophy of life
5. Get physically fit
6. Learn your trade
7. Pay the price
8. Develop solid relationships
9. Prepare for the future
10. Find purpose for your life

If we manage to get the first nine items down, I would have thought the tenth should just come naturally. Surely purpose flows out of the priorities and philosophy that we develop? Which means I should be able to keep this post short!

Everyone lives for a purpose, even if they feel their life is purposeless and empty. The purpose that we live for is the god that we worship, and everyone has a god. in reality, most of us live for the god of ourselves, and this produces all kinds of idolatrous and destructive behaviour. To the type A personality self-worship will lead to the accumulation of markers of success, and experiences of pleasure. To the depressive, self-worship will lead to a despair at one’s own inadequacy and failings. Two very different results, but both springing from the same root.

Augustine long ago recognised this self-love as what, fundamentally, sin is. We were made to first love God, but we have exchanged this life-giving love for the death producing love of ourselves.

The only solution to this is to return to our first-love – a love that is made possible by Christ’s own love for us. By the power of his sin-destroying resurrection we are enabled to enter into a relationship of love with God; a love within which we will in turn find a far greater joy and satisfaction than we ever could in loving ourselves first. In Christ we find a treasure more precious than any earthly objective or status enhancer we could acquire; and in Christ we find one so utterly worthy that we can turn away from our own failings and revel in his success. In this love we find the true purpose of life.

Need a purpose for life? Its easy – live all out for God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:17)

Ambitions double-edged sword

Lance Witt writes:

Ambition is a double-edged sword. When it is God-directed and Spirit-managed, it can bear tremendous fruit. When it is restrained by humility, ambition can be a powerful motivator. But when it is hijacked by self and ego, it can leave a wake of destruction in its path.

I have wrestled with this issue for most of my life. If you have leadership gifts, you know what it is to be captivated by vision. You know what it is to have dreams of what “could be.” You know what it is to want to do something significant with your life. Here is where it gets sticky.

Is that drive and desire and motivation about me or about God and his purposes? If we are honest, we have to admit that our hearts are entangled with God-motives and self-motives. Sorting them out is complex. A discussion of motives and ambition takes us to a place in our soul that is hidden from everyone. Part of what makes ambition so dangerous is that it resides in the unseen world of the soul.

Click here to continue reading.

10 Questions for Leaders: Jonathan LeTocq

Jonathan leads Church on the Rock in Guernsey and is one of the most interesting pastors I know. A gifted musician, linguist, avid reader, politician, beautiful family - Jonathan is a talented man. And this is one of the most interesting set of answers to my 10 questions that I've had...

Who is your leadership hero? Why?
This often changes depending on what I am reading or doing at certain times in my life. When I was heavily involved with politics the determination and vision of Wilberforce was a terrific inspiration. Currently I’m reflecting on my Methodist roots somewhat so the Wesleys (both John and Charles) are great sources of encouragement; I try to read John Wesley’s journals once a year – I find John’s views and observations at the same time amazing and amusing, and his strategic, down-to-earth approach to spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom seems always fresh and applicable. Then in my personal devotions I sometimes like to use an old hymn-book for meditation and worship, often sitting at the piano, playing and singing through the old melodies and poems which tell of God’s grace through the ages. I am currently working through an ancient Primitive Methodist Hymnal which is bulging with Charles Wesley’s wonderful hymns – theology in rhyme, rhythm and song.

How long have you been in leadership?
In various forms of non-full-time leadership since teen years at school – local preacher, worship leader, student ministry leader. Full-time lead-pastor since 1989, so 20 years now. Wow! Only seems like a couple of decades ago.

What was your first leadership role?
Probably when I was asked to be responsible for leading the music and singing for assembly at primary school. I was 8 I think! We had a violin, a guitar, various percussion instruments, three vocalists and a grand piano which I played. It was cutting edge, Castel Primary School … for the 1970s!

How long have you been in your current role?
21 years leading the Guernsey church.

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?
The first ‘incarnation’ of the church was in September 1983 when the Guernsey Christian Fellowship was formed. Whilst I was effectively one of the founder members I was at the beginning of studying for my degree in London , and so did not return to the island to live permanently until 1987. In 1988 we ‘re-established’ the church as the “King’s Church Guernsey” which was when I became the lead elder, and it was renamed “Church on the Rock” in 2007.

What has been the growth curve of your church?
The original Guernsey Christian Fellowship emerged in effect out of our old Methodist Youth Group. I recently found an old phone list from back then; there were 28 members, over half of them teenage girls still at school! Like seemed to attract like and so for many years the majority of the church was in their twenties with just a few babies and a few OAPs. When we bought our current facility (a disused Methodist building) we began to grow quite rapidly from about 75 to just over 200 regularly in attendance which we are today. The average age of the church is now around 34.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?
For several reasons my biggest leadership challenge has been living and working in a small and peculiar place! 1) I am somewhat of a ‘prophet in my own town’. My family, the Le Tocqs are an ancient Norman family who have lived in Guernsey for over 800 years. In fact the earliest recorded mention of the family name indicated they were living around 500 yards from where we live today on the west coast. So either we found paradise and decided to stay put, or we’re not that adventurous. But there are certainly disadvantages being a familiar face in a small place over a fairly long period – it seems to require extra faith and grace, for me, but also for others! 2) Guernsey is a very small rock – 25 square miles to be precise – and although we have a population of around 60,000 it can get rather claustrophobic at times. At the same time we have our own independent government (we’re not part of the UK or EU) and a large off-shore finance sector which means the island can often feel like it has all the trappings of a capital city also. The Channel Islands are not easy to move to unless you’re born here, so we have many people who come and go every 2 to 5 years depending on their licence length. This makes building church awkward as many who would like to stay end up having to depart. 3) Guernsey is quite a religious place; there are 64 churches, 61 are protestant and around 30 of them would consider themselves as evangelical. Islanders did not welcome a new one with open arms in the 1980s! We had to really fight not to be treated as a cult. Purchasing our own building in 1994 actually really helped.

What has been your greatest leadership success?
Depends how you might view success. We are still married, and very happily so – which we consider to be a great leadership success judging by any statistics you’d care to use, particularly those involved with ministry and leading churches. Any other success is certainly below this on the satisfaction scale, though there are some! .

How are you developing new leaders?
Firstly through personal discipleship – for me this means training men in prayer and the handling word of God primarily, then learning to be accountable to each other in matters of character. We meet together weekly early morning for this element in their development. Secondly I invite them alongside myself, or another existing leader, accompanying me when I minister, pray for people, preach, teach or lead worship especially in other places if possible. We then discuss what went on afterwards which is a great help to me too. Thirdly I like to expose them to responsibility early on to test their calling and gifting; this may involve leading a homegroup, a ministry team, running an event, as well as preaching, teaching, leading worship or ‘anchoring’ a church service. And last, but not least, we make as much use as we can (bearing in mind the travel costs associated with the rock we live on) of the training available through Newfrontiers training bases. For us London and Bournemouth are the key ones where we have really good relationships and most of our trainees go to either of these.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?
I spent 8 years from 2000 as a member of Guernsey ’s parliament – the States of Guernsey. When I stood for election in 2000 I did so knowing that was what God wanted of me, but had no idea how much of a learning experience it would be when I was elected! In the following years I realised just how out of touch I had become with the culture around us – in fact it dawned on me that I had spent the previous few years not only primarily amongst Christians but also amongst Christian leaders as I was heavily involved with establishing Newfrontiers churches in France as well as with churches, conferences and pastors in the UK and the Channel Islands as I was heading up the Guernsey Evangelical Alliance, and joint president of Churches Together in Guernsey, running Bible Weekends and leading worship at various events. This was all good stuff but I was not being stretched and developed in helping build people for mission in the world because I was largely out of touch with it myself! When I became a politician (which took up on average two days of my week for 8 years) I was suddenly thrust into an environment where the language was different (cursing and blasphemy was rife), I had to work hard to win respect, in fact I was somewhat distrusted as an evangelical Christian and minister (“…either a Paisley” commented one MP who became a friend later “or a check-your-brains-out-by-the-door-happy-clappy freak”) and I learnt fast – and enjoyed it. Pretty soon I realised that contrary to what I had believed God did not essentially put me there to win debates but rather to win hearts and minds. By 2007 trust had grown to such a degree that I was appointed Deputy Finance Minister and narrowly missed out on being elected Guernsey ’s Chief Minister. Although I chose not to stand in our General Election of 2008 I still continue to lead Guernsey’s Parliamentary Prayer breakfast which meets monthly with about a quarter of MPs attending, and have now many friends in government whom I continue to meet with socially. Entering politics has been by far the best tutor for me in the area of leadership gift development in recent years.

Leading Through Adversity

John Maxwell writes:

Just about every successful entrepreneur I've met has numerous stories of setbacks that opened the door to greater opportunities. Consider these not-so-flattering moments from the lives of famous Americans.

* Early in his career, Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram studio went broke, leaving the talented man out of work.
* Abraham Lincoln plummeted into financial ruin as a young shopkeeper.
* Milton Hershey failed dismally in his initial attempts to open a candy store.
* Henry Ford's Detroit Automobile Company went bankrupt before reorganizing as Ford Motor Company.
* H.J. Heinz's venture to sell horseradish flopped before his recipe for ketchup met with commercial success.

In the middle of adversity, it can be difficult to stave off feelings of hopelessness, but oftentimes a bright future waits on the other side of hardship. The mental strength acquired in dealing with misfortune can be an invaluable asset in pushing forward into new ventures.

To read more, click here

Before I'm 40... Part 9, Prepare for the future

While I am thinking about how to live in the (now) 13 months before I turn 40, my father is just about to retire after 40 years in full-time Christian ministry. (I’m hoping to get him to do some guest blogging with his reflections on the past 40 years sometime soon.) Unlike many pastors, dad has actually planned his way out of ministry, carefully and systematically handing over his responsibilities to others over the past couple of years, rather than just walking out of the door and letting everything drop. Well done dad!

Preparing for the future is important.

Being a follower of Jesus uniquely equips us to live in the present. Jesus instructed us not to worry about tomorrow, and to pray each day for our daily bread. There is a now focused aspect to our faith. We are delivered from the past. Jesus enables us to walk free of whatever mess or pain lies behind us; and we have great confidence about the future, which means we don’t have to stress over it. Yet at the same time we are future oriented people because we are looking ahead to the completion of our salvation in the return of Jesus Christ and the re-creation of the heavens and earth.

For the Christian leader I think this should translate as a solid focus on what is happening now, combined with a keen expectation of what is to come. Grace enables us to enjoy and handle the present. Worry and fear work by getting us to reflect unhelpfully on what is past or to try and second guess what is around the corner. But somehow this living in the present should also enable us to prepare for the future.

While warning against self-dependency the Bible does teach principles of good stewardship. We are not to build barns for ourselves trusting that they will be our salvation, but we are to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. We are to provide for our families and act in generosity towards others. We are to cultivate habits of self-control and self-discipline that lead to godly and fruitful lives. We are meant to live in such a way now that in the future we will continue to know blessing.

So what things fall into the remit of not worrying about the future but are appropriate planning for a better future? What should the leader under 40 be doing? I think its things like these:

• Work hard on your marriage, in order that you will still have a marriage in the future
• Work hard on pastoring your kids, so that they – by the grace of God – will grow into good servants of Jesus and good friends of yours
• Make financial provision, so that you will not be a burden on others when you are older
• Continue to develop new skills so that you will continue to have much to offer
• Grow in gratitude so that even when you are old you will be able to say, like David, “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day” (Psalm 71:8).

With rapid advances in technology a major concern for industry is ‘future proofing’. Everyone wants to install the computer system that will not be obsolete within a few months; to store data in a means that will be recoverable in a decade. Pity those people whose most precious family memories are stored on Betamax tape…

As leaders we can future proof ourselves by ensuring that our future is in the right place – with Jesus! And there are decisions we can take now that are likely to lead to a better future. None of us can predict exactly what the future will bring. I think of a friend of mine made redundant in his 40’s; of another friend in his 40’s who is unexpectedly moving to a new town to plant a new church; of the friend in his 50’s who has contracted an unexpected and debilitating illness. The best way to prepare for these unexpected things is to cultivate your own soul, so that it has the resilience to handle the unexpected.

This soul cultivation cannot be put off. Start too late and it will be too late. Start it young. Start it now.

Before I'm 40... Part 8, Develop solid relationships

As we get older developing new friendships becomes increasingly difficult. There are a number of reasons for this. For most people our late teens and early 20’s are the key phase for relationship development. If you are 20 and have known someone for a year that represents 5% of your life. If you are 50 and have known someone for a year that represents only 2% of your life. This means that the older you are the longer it takes to feel like you really know someone. Also, our friendship base tends to erode as we get older – we or our friends change location, people die, arguments happen. Another factor is that we tend to get more stuck in our ways the older we get, which makes it harder for people to get to know us. These factors, and others, mean that too many people get to middle-age feeling lonely.

So there is a sense in which I’m not sure I agree with Maxwell’s instruction in this – in the sense that it is mistake to put all your relational eggs in the basket of friendships you make while in your 20’s.

I agree that there are certain key relationships that need to be formed when we are young. First among these must be our relationship with our marriage partner. This is one relationship that can never be given too much attention. Your spouse is the one person who is going to be around wherever you go, so it pays to have a good relationship with them! It is also good to develop strong relationships with a few key friends and mentors who will stick with you through the years, even if distance and responsibilities mean you rarely see one another. The people I would consider my closest friends and the people I look to as mentors are not people I see regularly – they are scattered around the country (and the world). But they are people with whom connection is immediate when we do meet and where there is a history of shared experience and understanding.

Strong relationships like that are important, but at least as important when young is learning to keep on making relationships. Some people post-40 are still pathetically dependent on the relationships they made in college. They live in a Facebook fantasy land where they are forever in their early 20’s, partying and playing and their bunch of friends are the coolest, funniest people the world has known. Rather than living in the past like this leaders need to embrace the present, and that means we need to be good at forming new relationships here and now. Rather than seeing our friendship base eroded by the waves of time, we need to be practiced at making it grow.

The thing is that it takes effort to do this. Forever having to retell our story, explain ourselves, make ourselves vulnerable, becomes increasingly emotionally costly as we get older; which is why many people stop doing it. But then many people end up lonely.

There are few things sadder than a lonely leader.

So lets get in the habit of developing strong relationships, and keep on developing them.

Biblical Productivity

CJ Mahaney's long-running blog series on being productive available as a PDF here.

Before I'm 40... Part 7, Pay the price

Succeeding in leadership is always going to cost you. This is true in every field, whether it is church, business, politics, sport, family life, or any other area of human endeavor. There is going to be effort and struggle to put in, and there are going to be sacrifices that have to be made.

What price are you prepared to pay?

My advice would be to make sure you are paying the right price. Learning your trade and gaining success are worth paying a price for, but some prices are just not worth paying. This is why it is important to have your priorities and philosophy of life worked out before you start to pay, otherwise you might end up paying way over the odds. Those with a passion to lead tend to be highly motivated, results driven people. For people like this the danger is often not a reluctance to pay the price, but a willingness to pay for it with things that should never be traded – their marriage, their kids, their walk with God. No highly remunerated job, or growing church, or high-status career is worth sacrificing these things for.

In Christian leadership, ‘paying the price’ often does mean a financial cost. The best Christian leaders I know are those who have made a financial sacrifice to do what they are doing. I think of Steve Tibbert who gave up a highly promising career for Christian ministry and a car that was worth less than the stereo system in his company car. I think of Matt Hatch who worked a low-paid call centre job in order to finance his church plant. I think of Mbonisi Malaba who could have escaped Zimbabwe for a medical career in the West but has committed himself to serving his church in Bulawayo. I have known a handful of men who have actually benefited financially by going into church work – their generous churches paid more than they would have earned doing what they were otherwise capable of doing. The sad thing is that these men don’t seem to make it in the long-haul. They get a sense of entitlement, and don’t pull enough load. In the end they get moved aside.

To be a successful leader you need to have some skin in the game.

By paying the price early in life we can expect to reap a reward as we move into our more mature years. I’ve been told that the years from age 40 to 55 are the most productive in a man’s life, so long as he’s put in the groundwork in his 20’s and 30’s.

I’m hoping that’s true!

Leading in the Truth

I like these notes from the Desiring God website - always a source of great material. These notes were from a talk about youth ministry, but the principles apply across the board:

1. Be a truth-drenched example.

1 Timothy 4:16

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

The example of your life is the hammer that drives your message home. If your life doesn't exemplify what you expect, your message will not be believable.

2. Have a truth-drenched marriage and family life.

1 Timothy 3:4-5

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

We shouldn't see if someone is fit for the ministry by how they do in seemingly less important ministries. Rather, we should see what kind of husband and father he is. If he leads his family well, then maybe he's fit for the ministry.

Paul assumes that a church leader first leads his family. A truth-drenched youth ministry will get the overflow of the youth minister's leadership of his wife and kids.

3. Cultivate a truth-drenched staff.

Acts 13:2-3

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Gather as a staff mainly to go vertical. Meet with God and see what strategy comes from this worship.

4. Preach and teach truth-drenched messages and lessons.

Hebrews 13:7

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

The main thing your youth should think about when they remember you is how you spoke God's word to them.

Don't replace teaching truth with games, media, skits, etc.

5. Develop and implement a truth-drenched vision and philosophy of youth ministry.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

Picture youth ministry as a mountain. Develop a plan that puts the cross at the top with all the other good (but less important) things below. Then the truth of the gospel will flow down that mountain over everything you do, drenching your ministry.

Going Multi-Site?

Multi-site is the current big buzz in church life. Is it a good way ahead, or just another bandwagon that lots of people will jump on only to crash off in a year or two? The 9Marks team have put together a very helpful series of articles looking at multi-site. You can get a pdf of the whole thing here, but to whet your appetite here are the headings:

PRESENTING AND ARGUING FOR THE MULTI-SITE CHURCH

Theological Defense of Multi-Site
A seminary professor examines the multi-site phenomenon and offers a biblical, theological, historical, and missional argument for the multi-site church.
By Gregg R. Allison

A Pastor Defends His Multi-Site Church
A multi-site pastor provides a biblical, practical, and pastoral defense of his multi-site church.
By J.D. Greear


IDENTIFYING AND LOCATING THE MULTI-SITE CHURCH

What Is this Thing, Anyway? A Multi-Site Taxonomy
Can multi-site churches be congregational? What kind of polity does a multi-site church have?
By Greg Gilbert

Have We Ever Seen This Before? Multi-Site Precedents
Another seminary professor looks for multi-site churches before 1980. Here's what he finds.
By John S. Hammett

Richard Baxter and the Multi-Site Movement
What's Richard Baxter's problem with the multi-site church? One word: shepherding.
By Jeffery Riddle

Clouds on the Horizon
A multi-site pastor weighs in on the current state of the multi-site conversation and raises concerns about the future of multi-site churches.
By Matt Chandler


ARGUING AGAINST THE MULTI-SITE CHURCH

Nine Reasons I Don't Like Multi-site Churches, from a Guy Who Should
A young, tech-savvy seminary professor explains why he's not getting on board the multi-site revolution.
By Thomas White

Exegetical Critique of Multi-Site: Disassembling the Church?
A pastor-scholar weighs the exegetical arguments in favor of the multi-site church and finds them wanting.
By Grant Gaines

Theological Critique of Multi-Site: Leadership Is the Church
The local church on earth is constituted by a gathering of Christians, which means the multi-site and multi-service “church” is not a church, but an association of churches.
By Jonathan Leeman

Historical Critique of Multi-Site: Not Over My Dead Body
Regardless of the fact that multi-site churches haven't existed for most of the past four hundred years, historic Congregationalists and Baptists have a lot to say against them.
By Bobby Jamieson

The Alternative to Multi-Site: Why Don't We Plant?
The multi-site church phenomenon looks like a capitulation to consumeristic culture. We should plant instead.
By Jonathan Leeman


MULTI-SITE BOOK REVIEWS

Book Review: Multi-Site Churches: Guidance for the Movement's Next Generation, by Scott McConnell
Reviewed by Bobby Jamieson

Book Review: Franchising McChurch, by Thomas White and John Yeats
Reviewed by Jonathan Leeman

Book Review: One Church, Many Congregations, by J. Timothy Ahlen and J. V. Thomas
Reviewed by Bobby Jamieson

One from the vault: John Hammett's review of The Multi-Site Revolution, by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird