This is part 3 of a 3 part series. You can find part 1 and part 2 here: Part 1 Part 2

(Originally published on March 7, 2016)

Practicing Priesthood

In the previous posts in this series, we looked at the need to set the culture in regards to depression, as well as provide training for the church. Now we come to the third aspect to consider, namely, we are a royal priesthood and are called to act as priests toward one another (1 Pet. 2:9). These are the trenches of one-anothering. Our maturing and training is lived out within a culture for the purpose of aiding one another in growth. A person struggling with depression feels isolated and alone. They scream out into the darkness, “Why?!” not, “How?!” He or she is not looking for steps but for meaning. We can easily err in this priestly role and try to be engineers—dealing symptomatically to restore normalcy. In walking with someone who suffers with depression, the priest seeks to help with the deeper struggle.

Recently Jennifer (not her real name), who battles depression, told me that, “It feels like I can’t live, but I can’t die either. My heart is continually ripped out over and over again.” Such words echo Bunyan’s Giant Despair in The Pilgrim’s Progress, “Why should you choose life, seeing it is accompanied by so much bitterness?” The Proverbs tell us that, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Pro. 13:12). Such hearts need voices of hope, to speak into their pain. In endeavoring to impart hope, we must ensure that the hope we impart is Gospel hope.

We can easily impart false or trite hopes in an effort to lighten spirits. Gospel hope, however, is the sustaining wind that carries us through the storm to our desired haven (Psalm 107:30).

Below are four different ways we can seek to unveil this hope:

Befriending

Just this week, I spoke with Edward (not his real name) whose neighbour committed suicide. Edward, oblivious to his neighbour’s depression, assumed his neighbour was simply avoiding relationship. While he may have been avoiding relationship, it was expressive of his isolation. But the greater our suffering, the greater will be our sense of feeling alone. Hope says, “You are not alone.” “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Pro 17:17). Befriending one who suffers, brings Christ near to them through his Body. God said he would never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6). He declares us His friends (John 15:15). We can model the hope of God’s presence in befriending those struggling with depression.

Remembering

Second, when we remember people, it tells them that, even though we are out of sight, they are still in mind. In Ed Welch’s book, Side by Side, he says, “If we are affected by someone’s suffering, we will remember it, which is one of the great gifts that we give to each other” (pg. 103). The Apostle Paul certainly communicated this in his prayers for the church, “I always remember you in my prayers” (I Tim 1:3, see also Eph 1:16; Phil 1:4). Remembering communicates,“You matter.” It is certainly true that we are created for a purpose, and we are meant to be shaped by one another (Pro 27:17). Remembering brings solidarity, and there is beauty in solidarity, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them… since you also are in the body” (Heb 13:3).

Sufferers of depression often feel that they are incapable of expressing their anguish. Our remembering their anguish says that at some level, “I feel your pain.” Knowing another feels their pain helps unbolt the doors of solitude. This too is a reminder that we have a high priest who can, “Sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb 4:15). The fact that weaknesses is plural means we cannot exclude a category of weakness (such as depression), from Christ’s sympathies.

Grace Hunting

Third, as we enter into their pain, we obtain a new vantage point. Our first response tends to be going on an idol hunt. We want to find the sin or the idol that is at the heart. Whilst there is a place for this, the depressed person is likely heavily engaged in morbid introspection and thus would be greatly helped seeing signs of God’s grace at work in them. Saying something like, “You are so courageous. God has given you grace this week to get out of bed and get the kids to school.” We want to commend manifested grace where we see it. For those who feel hopeless and alone, this is a reminder that God is near and working even in the mundane.

Jesus’ Suffering

Fourth, the suffering of Jesus is both our example and help. We may want to speak of the glories of heaven obtained by Jesus’ suffering. But there is also consolation in Christ’s suffering itself. Spurgeon, who suffered from depression, said, “It is an unspeakable consolation that our Lord Jesus knows this experience.” Zack Eswine, in his book Spurgeon’s Sorrows writes, “To feel in our being that the God to whom we cry has Himself suffered as we do enables us to feel that we are not alone and that God is not cruel.” Here we can begin to see our burden as belonging to him.

When Amy Carmichael struggled with an unbearable burden in India, she considered Christ and his burden bearing in the Garden, “Under one of those trees our Lord Jesus knelt, and He knelt alone. And I knew that this was His burden not mine. It was He who was asking me to share it with Him, not I who was asking Him to share it with me.” She found great comfort knowing that she was partaking in the sufferings of Christ. Jesus not only knows our pain, he endured it, and we kneel beside him in it.

Continuing Work

God is a redeeming God, who continually works his redemption into us. As we walk with depression sufferers, God is not only continuing to work in them, he is continuing to work in us. We mutually grow, building one another up in our most holy faith, as we await the day when all sin, sickness, and death gives way to the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom 8:21).

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series. You can find Part 1 here:

The Church & Victims Of Depression

Providing Training

In our last post in this series, we looked at promoting culture. This is almost like saying, “Imagine what could be,” and then making steps in the direction of what could be. However, such things will never be without those of us in church leadership providing training for the saints. This is Paul’s call to the Ephesian church, so every joint is outfitted with the training they need for redemptive up-building in love (Eph. 4:11-16). These verses teach us that ministry is a participation sport.

In my experience with Anita, I began to think that people who suffer with things like depression could only be helped by highly skilled professionals. Whilst professional involvement may be needed, this should not relegate the body of Christ to the sideline. The leadership of the church can empower the church to help and not harm people further. We harm them further when we toss out trite sayings like “Let go and let God,” or “If you were trusting Jesus, you wouldn’t be depressed.” Many of these types of responses see depression merely through the lens of sin rather than the lens of both sin and suffering.

If we as pastors are going to shepherd well, we need to think about how we can help our congregations incarnate into people’s sufferings.

We must help them to think biblically about the role of suffering in a Christian’s life. In some cases, such as my own, I had to begin studying these things at a deeper level in order to aid my congregation. Much of this training will boil down to helping the church walk in humility, preferring one another, and walking alongside one another. One way I have learned to help train my congregation is to apply the sermons with the understanding that 1 in 5 of my congregation will suffer from depression, and the other 4 in 5 will have the opportunity to walk with someone who suffers from depression.

If we bring this struggle out of darkness into light, the sufferer is better enabled to run to Christ, and the church can help point the way. This helps give the body of Christ something to grab hold of. And since we are more alike than different, the church will learn more about ourselves as well in addition to truths we already know, just applied more deeply.

Originally published on February 29, 2016

Nothing excites me more than to see new churches planted. New churches mean souls being saved, lives being changed, God being worshiped, more churches being planted and the kingdom of God growing. Who isn’t excited about that? I’ll be at two conferences in Mexico this month where church planting will be a focus. Pastor Jonathan Domingo in Ensenada and Pastor Mike Vincent in Rosarito are passionate about church planting, and their respective churches are amazing at it.

It’s my firm belief that every church should be multiplying. Regardless of size, resources and staffing. According to recent studies, there are 148 million unchurched people in the U.S. alone. Las Vegas comes in at number five in the top 10 most unchurched cities in the U.S. So, I would say now is a good time to plant a church! There are three simple steps that any senior pastor and leadership team can take to help them move in the direction of church planting multiplication.

1. PRIORITIZE

The first and most obvious step is to make church planting a priority. My life is no different than any other senior pastor. There are a thousand things every day that can consume my attention, with another thousand tomorrow. One of the most challenging tasks as a leader is to wade through the milieu and crystalize priorities. I try to achieve this by focusing on four things: prayer, preaching, people and purpose. Those four responsibilities are non-negotiable and one day before God, I will be held accountable for how I’ve handled each one.

With respect to purpose, I believe it’s the responsibility of the senior pastor to know and carry out the mission of the local church he leads and to keep the congregation and the leadership team focused on that mission. You may call it vision or mission, but ultimately, it’s the same thing. What is it that God has absolutely called you to? Our strong conviction is that multiplying the local church in a national and international context should be a priority for every senior pastor. You don’t have to go any further than the Great Commission to see this mandate. Going into all the world and making disciples means that those disciples will gather together. And when they gather together, they are the local church ultimately reaching their community.

Therefore, all efforts to reach the lost in any context comes back to establishing churches.

There’s no legitimate reason for any senior pastor to discount this as a priority. Resist the temptation to fall into the “I can’t” category. I can’t plant churches because I don’t have the resources. I can’t plant churches because I don’t have enough leaders. I can’t plant churches because I don’t know how to train people. You get the point; there will always be an “I can’t.” You’re only in the “I can’t” category if you choose to be. I have seen some of the most unlikely pastors and churches used by God to multiply the local church in ways that can only be understood as supernatural.

Commit to church planting as one of your top priorities and communicate that. Communicate it in your mission statement, on your website, in the studies you teach, the events you lead, and when you equip the people for the work of the ministry. If you are passionate about church planting, your people will be too.

2. PREPARE

Second, prepare yourself, prepare your church planters and prepare your church. I see myself as a perpetual learner in the church planting process. Because it’s a priority, I want to be as educated and experienced as possible. That means learning not only from personal steps of faith but also from others who have experience.

Maybe more than ever there are excellent resources to develop a pastor to become an effective church planter. I believe the adage, “Leaders are readers,” is especially true for pastors. It works like this, “Prepare yourself so that you are able to prepare others.” And the importance of preparing others cannot be overstated. I have heard Calvary pastors say, “If a church plant succeeds, you know it was from God; if it fails, you know it wasn’t from God.” Well, what if the failure of the church plant was a failure in adequately preparing the planter? This might not be a comfortable question to ask, but I think it has to be asked.

We have two church planting programs. The first, is our national program called Pipeline and the second, is our international church planting arm called Calvary Church Planting International. Both programs utilize a classroom, internship, launch coaching approach to prepare and support church planters and their teams for successful plants. Our national program based out of Las Vegas is being consolidated into three Pipeline workbooks – Learning, Coaching, Launching.

As you make church planting a priority and prepare yourself, take the preparation of your church planters seriously. Find solid resources and customize them for your mission and context. No need to reinvent the wheel, but also no need to send out unprepared people. If you’re serious enough to take these steps, then it proves you are passionate about planting churches; and at this point, it will be evident to the people you are leading. Your passion for planting will come through in team meetings, in home group settings, when you’re praying and as you’re teaching the Bible. In other words, the people are going to get it. Frame the mission clearly. Pray that the people in your church become as excited about planting churches as you are. They may not be the planter or part of the planting team, but they are the prayer backbone and support arm for the churches that will be planted.

Next month’s article will be part two of Successful Church Planting focusing on the importance of establishing solid partnerships with some closing thoughts.

CGN operates many Specialized Ministry Training Institutions around the world, which provide leadership development in specific fields of Christian ministry. One of those is the Pastors School, located on the campus of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. We are currently accepting applications for this residency-style training program. If you, a leader in your church or someone else you know would benefit from training for pastoral ministry under the guidance of experienced ministry practitioners, we encourage you to get in touch. Please check out the brief informational video below, featuring Director John Hwang, explaining the vision behind the Pastors School.

Who do you love? There are so many people that come to mind. Nevertheless, they might not be the ones that God has destined me to love. Have you ever wanted to know, “Lord, who are the people that I am destined to love?” The author of the Book of Hebrews has some clues for us. Before I reveal your true love list, it is necessary to briefly recall what the Book of Hebrews is about.

The Book of Hebrews makes a compelling case that Jesus is greater than: angels, prophets, Moses, the sacrificial system, the priesthood, the temple and His New Covenant is superior to the Old. Jesus’ greatness inspires great love! Jesus’ followers are to reveal that Jesus is greater than anything else by how they live, and whom they love.

In difficult times, we tend to focus more on our circumstances and selves instead of focusing on Christ and others. Hebrews is addressed to Jewish Christians who were suffering for their faith in Jesus and were tempted to abandon Jesus for ritual Judaism. After demonstrating how Jesus is superior, we are then challenged to live like Jesus and love others rather than being self-focused. In addition to loving Christ supremely, here is a list of your five true loves:

1. Love other believers.

“Let brotherly love continue” (Heb. 13:1). Love one another like a family. Before it can continue, it needs to exist. If you are isolated from a true community of other believers, you need to seek it and develop it. Once it exists, you need to vigorously maintain it. Loving other believers and being loved by them is enriching and transforming. Furthermore, it stirs the world to jealousy. Genuine love among believers is the evidence that we are Christ’s disciples (Jn.13:35), and that kind of community is so attractive to non-believers.

2. Love those who are unable to benefit you materially.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also” (Heb. 13:2-3). Strangers, prisoners and the mistreated rarely have much to offer in the material sense. Showing hospitality to strangers and prisoners is often inconvenient, and occasionally, frightening. In context, the author of Hebrews was likely thinking of those who were suffering because of their faith in Christ. But the principle has broad application. We are encouraged by the unexpected benefits, for by so doing, some have unwittingly entertained angels. You never know whom you are blessing. You might entertain an angel like Abraham did (Gen. 18:1-22), or simply discover the great value of loving without expectation of any return. Undoubtedly, you will show the type of love that draws people to Jesus, the source of that love.

You might be surprised that people are not always “what or who” they appear to be. One time, when I was speaking at a conference, I saw a man who appeared “homeless.” I tried to show the love of Christ by approaching and engaging him in conversation. We were talking for quite a while, right up until the host introduced the worship leader for the event, and my new friend excused himself to go on stage. You just never know, it might be Jesus that you are showing kindness to (Matt. 25:35-36). So, treat those in need like a fellow human being created in His image, rather than a project.

3. Love your Spouse.

“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). Marriage is the most noble and blessed relationships between people. There is no other relationship designed by God to forge two distinct people into one (Gen. 2:24). Marriage is to display the love that Christ has for His bride the church (Eph. 5:32). Sexual intimacy is reserved for the marriage relationship. It is one of many fringe benefits of marriage (1 For. 7:2-5, Song of Solomon). Respecting God’s boundaries will display your love for Christ as well as your love for your spouse. Be faithful and don’t defile your marriage by sexual intimacy prior to marriage (fornication) or sex outside of your marriage (adultery). That type of love for Christ and for your future or present spouse is noteworthy and attracts people to Christ.

4. Love your neighbor.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6). The principle is to be content not covetous, yet covetousness is related to our neighbor (Ex. 20:17). Coveting is primarily an attitude, but here the directive relates to behavior, “Let your conduct be without covetousness …” If I am jealous of my neighbor’s house, spouse, kids, wealth, career or other stuff and long for my neighbor’s life (coveting), I have effectively lost the ability to show how great Jesus is.

On the other hand, when I display the reality that Jesus is greater than all my neighbor’s stuff, then it is reasonable for my neighbor to be jealous and want what I have – Jesus. You are even reminded why Jesus is better than your neighbor’s stuff. First, He will never leave or forsake you. Stuff and people are always separated from you, but Jesus never will be. Second, He is ever present to help you, so you need not fear. Real contentment in this life flows from trusting Jesus not things. Jesus brings greater security than stuff. When you are content in Christ, you can love your neighbor.

5. Love your spiritual leaders.

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Heb. 13:7). Those who teach sound doctrine, live sound doctrine and lead with sound doctrine are a gift from God. Love and respect them and follow them as they follow Christ. Let them lead with joy and not grief, because ultimately, it will be best for you (Heb. 13:17).

Who else are you destined to love?

This is a message to pastors and those involved in church leadership, but I believe it is relevant to us all!

We experienced a new record of “interesting” in a one-week period at church recently. We had two “Satans” and one “Jesus” visit.

It’s pretty common for the unusual to happen at our inner city church, but this took things to a whole new level. Two devilish distractions didn’t quite make it into church, but “Jesus” did. From the beginning of worship, we were concerned for him. He was weeping, and we wanted to reach out to him.

One of our leaders was just waiting for worship to be over, so he could pray with him and see how he could help.

When our worship leader said, “Amen,” “Jesus” went straight to the stage, shouting that he was the third person of the Trinity. He was fast!

The ushers and I were right behind, trying to calmly escort him out. He didn’t want to leave, so we helped him a little more. I was proud of our men, as they were extremely respectful but also firm. As “Jesus” was leaving, he shouted out that he was the reason gas prices dropped by 5 cents. He added that he was hungry and didn’t have shoes.

Someone found him a pair of shoes, and our head usher took the young man to dinner. It seemed he was either high or off his medications. Either way, it’s sad, and now I’m known as the guy who kicked “Jesus” out of church!

Since my first church plant 18 years ago, we have had people come to church with every conceivable circumstance. I remember the first young man who came to church drunk and wanted to talk during the Bible study. The church consisted of only about 15 people at the time. There were no ushers, no boundaries, just a really tall, muscular, drunk guy weeping.

I asked him if we could speak after I was finished, and several minutes later, he agreed. We had a great chat, and from time to time, I would see him in town.

We continued a good relationship, and he knew that he was loved and not judged.

I wish I could say that I always “did the right thing,” but that’s definitely not true. I could mention (to my shame), several instances when I was more concerned about “church” than people. It’s easy to justify:

“You can’t help a drunk person, when they are drunk.”- Usually true.

“You can’t stop service for every single person that wants to interrupt.”- Also true.

Here’s the thing I’m learning. How I respond to interruptions and hurting people says A LOT to the church. 
Those of you who are pastors or church leaders, can I make a suggestion? Learn to relax a bit more! Things are going to happen in our services that turn the focus and throw us off a bit. Maybe that’s ok.

Jesus didn’t preach in sterile church environments.

The greatest truths the world has ever heard were probably spoken with the sounds of crying babies and the bleating of sheep in the background.

We work hard to create an environment where people can come into church distraction-free, but that is not always possible…and that’s OK. Let’s learn to relax. God is bigger than distractions. God is greater than disruptions. Who knows, if those moments will be an incredible opportunity to learn about mercy by showing mercy.

Every elite athlete has at least one thing in common – they have been coached to maximize God-given potential. In the context of sports, coaching is presumed and is an accepted and expected part of the culture. On the other hand, meaningful coaching and mentoring is less prevalent in the context of Christian ministry. Accordingly, the benefits of development are hindered and hamstrung.

If you want to influence God’s kingdom, there is likely no more rewarding use of your time than coaching existing and emerging leaders. The same is true for those who receive coaching. Kingdom leverage is created every time a leader is coached to be more effective. Church leaders continue to need support at every stage of development, because of the unique challenges that are experienced along the way.

Some of you have been blessed to have coaches and mentors along your journey. They encouraged you that you had the right stuff to finish well and motivated you to discover your God-given potential. They warned you about potential dangers you might encounter and how to avoid or overcome the obstacles that are inherent in every leader’s journey. Unfortunately, too many of you did not receive that type of support. You embarked on the journey and God was gracious, faithful and blessed your ministry.

Yet, don’t you agree it would have been beneficial to have someone who was ahead of the curve, with whom you could relate, to coach you along the way?

Have you ever thought about coaching others or receiving coaching?

What do coaches do?

Coaches provide intentional, relational support to create accountability for existing and emerging church leaders.

They assist in assessing and aligning God’s people with His plan. Gary Collins, a leader and pioneer in coaching, defined Christian coaching as, “The practice of guiding and enabling individuals or groups to move from where they are to where God wants them to be.” Christian coaches encourage others to find God’s vision for their lives and from following their own agendas to pursue God’s purposes. Miller and Hall, in their primer on Christian coaching offer the following definition: “Christian coaching is a focused, Christ-centered relationship that cultivates a person’s sustained growth and action.”

Coaching is primarily related to support. A coach doesn’t have to have all the answers, nor are they supposed to constantly tell other leaders what to do. Coaches often are most effective when they help leaders learn to listen to God for themselves. A coach’s goal is to help others succeed. The art of effective coaching can be learned, and the basic process is relatively simple. By following a basic framework and implementing some general coaching skills, you can learn to coach.

How does coaching differ from mentoring?

The primary distinction between coaching and mentoring is the process of training. Coaches generally ask questions to help a leader discover God’s answers. On the other hand, mentors generally give answers, rather than ask questions, in an effort to guide a leader. The coaching or mentoring style may both be used at any time of training. The mentor-disciple relationship is generally characterized by a mentor instructing a disciple, “Do this.” Yet, in a coaching relationship, the coach is primarily helping the leader to discover the answers [e.g. What do you think you should do?] and occasionally instructs the leader to “Do this.” Bob Logan notes, “Good coaching isn’t the art of giving good answers. It’s the art of asking good questions.” When a person discovers a course of action for himself, it will be followed with greater passion and conviction than when a trainer simply tells a leader what to do. What keeps existing and emerging leaders from receiving effective coaching, or becoming effective coaches?

There are numerous reasons, including ignorance of the benefits, but the four most common that I’ve observed are as follows:

1. Time:

Both coaches and the coached are concerned that they don’t have the time to for a coaching relationship in addition to their numerous other responsibilities. Nevertheless, an effective coaching relationship can be established in one hour per month, for 6-12 months. If you are presently unable to figure out how to carve out one hour a month, you’re very likely in need of coaching.

2. Money:

It can be discouraging to say the least when you see a leader charging $200+ for an hour of their time to serve as a coach. Let’s put aside the issue of whether that is a wise or valuable investment of resources to become more effective. I’m aware of many capable and Christ-like mentors who are offering to coach for no money or relatively little money. Trying to make a living by coaching is extremely challenging. So, the more capable leaders who simply recognize that they can give some of their time for the kingdom purpose of training, the more that money will be eliminated as an obstacle.

3. Fear of accountability:

The same attribute of chutzpah that motivates many to seek to become leaders is an obstacle to admitting that we don’t have all the answers and need help. When you discover that you are encountering obstacles to Christian life and ministry, then coaches are an answer. Rather than let the fear of accountability or inadequacy paralyze you, create a healthy relationship with accountability to overcome.

4. Where to begin:

Here are some ideas to overcome the obstacle of wondering where to begin. First, become familiar with a basic approach and general coaching skills. I’ve written a book on the subject called “Coaching,” and it is available for free here. Second, the team at Calvary Church Planting Network [CCPN] and Velo Church Leaders are prepared to coach 30 to 50 leaders for free in 2016. Third, we are interested in expanding the sphere of coaches willing to help aspiring leaders. So, if you want to receive coaching or be part of a team offering coaching, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bruce@velochurchleaders.org.

Ask yourself this question, do the words I use matter? The answer should be a resounding, “Yes!” rhetoric is the art of discourse; an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. A rhetorical device is a technique an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading him or her toward their perspective.

There is a true art to the creative use of the most powerful and simple of words. These are skill sets we learn as children in our homes, schools and playgrounds. A classmate of mine in the 4th grade, named Travis, paid a high personal price because of certain words used on the playground one day. Travis was known for being the “cool” kid and held the record for swinging the highest on the swing set.

On a cool fall day, as he was doing his “swing thing,” some of the cute girls started to challenge him to jump out of the swing when it was as high as he could go. (Please note that he had a pretty deep crush on one of the blond girls.) At first he refused. Then came the onslaught of never-changing playground rhetoric. “We dare you,” did not even warrant a response. “We double dare you,” received a, “Nah.” Then there was the, “We triple dog dare you.” The next thing we saw was Travis flying through the air doing his best Superman impression.

The problem was he couldn’t actually fly. Interesting thing about gravity: It is not a respecter of how cool you are or what sports you play. It treats us all the same, and he fell to the earth like a lifeless sack of Idaho potatoes. When he hit the ground, we didn’t hear the “thud” of flesh to the dirt. We heard the “crack” of bones. You see, he made the error of trying to arrest his fall with his arms and broke both of them above the wrists. He was the center of attention that interesting season as we watched him try to do his class work with both hands in casts.

There are always those who will push us to do immoral and destructive things, yet we have the God given, moral obligation to say, “No.”

How often do we become the center of attention because of our acquired injuries that result from the unsolicited taunts of others? Probably more than any of us want to admit. Consider for a moment all the young people in our broken society who are hospitalized or die from the unnecessary over encouragement of their so called friends.

They, like us, need to know there is a way out. Do you know the word that has the power to deliver you and me from almost any situation? This word is known for its universal power to change the momentum of any life or situation spiraling out of control. That word, “No!” If you have not mastered the innumerable uses of this simple yet multifaceted word, your existence may feel as if it’s coming completely unhinged.

What about the needs people have? I would say we need to help any time and in any way we can…when we can. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you. Do not devise evil against your neighbor for he dwells by you for safety’s sake. Do not strive with a man without cause if he has done you no harm.” (Prov. 3:27-30)

God called each of us to help whenever we can. But if you try to help all the time, you will continually be consumed by everyone who touches your life.

Be careful of what you commit yourself to, because God will hold us to account for our words. Jesus said, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” (Matt. 5:37) At times, people will come to you, instead of going to God, to get help. Guess what? You’re not God. You can’t meet every need of a dying world.

Some days, as ministers of God, we need to prayerfully consider saying, “No.” This will help us to stay healthy, both mentally and physically, for the days when we’re called into the deep end of the pool to help rescue as many drowning sinners as we can.

“I’m going to use all my tools, my God-given ability, and make the best life I can with it.” – LeBron James

A tool to change the world for Jesus: I have a neighbor who’s a tool guy. He has a pegboard on the wall of his garage with an outline of his tools, and all the cool tools are in the right place. I must confess, since I don’t know how to use power tools very well, many of his tools scare me (alas, there hasn’t been a Jewish carpenter for nearly 2,000 years). As I contemplate my neighbor’s impressive collection of tools, I can’t help but think of Jesus’ carpentry (or stonemason) tools. They were likely simple, effective, and approachable to a less sophisticated user. What we need is a simple and effective tool to reach the lost, make disciples and develop leaders in the local church. I find the idea of identifying or helping to develop a tool to change the world for Jesus to be inspiring, and I hope that you do too.

The problem: I ask church leaders, “What percentage of people with the title “leader” associated with their role in a local church, or para-church ministry, would you estimate actually engage the lost with the gospel, make disciples, and develop leaders?” These appear to be threshold functions of leaders in the church [Matt. 28:18-20]. The results are, to say the least, discouraging. After speaking with almost 100 pastors and/or network, denomination, or association leaders, the anecdotal evidence generally hovers in the 2-10% range. The highest and most optimistic appraisal was 20%. I appreciate that there is an abundance of well-reasoned, biblical, and extremely practical books and other resources devoted to leadership development. Most astute Christian leaders have libraries overflowing with these resources and have encouraged their leadership teams to digest and apply these resources [tools] in their ministries. Yet, the anecdotal assessment seems to reveal that the present models have not been as effective as we had hoped.

My research on leadership development in the church caused me to develop a few theories or presumptions:

1. The large church bias: There are certainly many churches that have developed an effective leadership model using many of the aforementioned resources [e.g. Leadership Networks’ Top 50 leadership books]. These tend to be larger churches. And in those cultures, the level of sophistication of the top-tier and next-tier users of the tools are likely substantially higher than in smaller churches. Accordingly, the existing tools are excellent, but the level of craftsmanship needed to work with the tools makes it appear to be unusable to the great majority of leaders and prospective leaders in the 85% or more of churches that need them.
2. The complexity bias: The existing tools are intended to be user-friendly and simple to use. But because the concept of creating a leadership culture is amazingly complex, the resources seem too complex for many end users. The people who produce the tools are very sophisticated and have great expertise on the subject. In this dynamic, the experts not only produce tools that seem too complex to users, but may have an unrealized bias against producing a radically simple tool.
3. The simplicity bias: I speculate that if a tool is simple enough to be reduced to a one-page [double-sided] form with a similar one-page instruction form, that it is more attractive to the great majority of users in the church.
4. The “there is no perfect tool” bias: In essence, there is no perfect tool that will be readily acceptable in all church cultures and will solve the leadership development problem. But, similarly, I know there is no perfect tool to eliminate poverty because Jesus unfortunately assured we would have the poor with us until His return. Yet, if called to the mission of alleviating poverty, I would continue to strive to develop a tool for that purpose with the broadest application possible.

The quest for an ideal leadership development tool

I’m seeking to create or identify a tool to assist kingdom leaders to more effectively reach the lost, make disciples, and develop leaders. The tool should be transferable in the sense that it can be effective in a church of 50,100, 250, 500, 1,000 or 1,000s; and transferable across cultures so that it can be applied in Southern California, Mexico, East Africa or the Philippines. Furthermore, the tool would need to be readily used by Millennials and Boomers alike since they are likely in need to share the tool. And the tool should be easily adapted to a formal or informal culture. Finally, I would hope that the tool would then be made available to users at no cost [i.e., no proprietary interest asserted].

I’m seeking to gather with some leaders who are interested in attempting to develop a simple tool or help identify an existing resource to encourage reaching the lost, making disciples, and leadership development.

My present plan is to develop a group (cohort) of up to twelve leaders who are effective leaders at churches of varying sizes, and in various areas of the world. I’d like to include some Millennials and some Boomers, and some churches that are under three-years old, as well as established ones. My hope is to develop a simple tool in collaboration and then begin some beta testing through the churches comprising the cohort and others. Lord willing, a complex problem can be reduced with a simple tool. Ideally we can create an effective tool and begin to test it in less than a year. I expect the unintended consequences will be less than catastrophic and the tool can be revised as needed.

If you, or others that you know, are interested in being part of the conversation or collaborating, your input is welcome. Comments below are always appreciated in creating healthy and provocative dialogue. And please feel free to write to me directly at bruce@velochurchleaders.org.

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Many businesses have a job description for their various positions. Whatever the job, there’s a list of guidelines for what the job entails.

Pastors have a ministry description. It’s found in Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders. Man doesn’t define the work of a pastor; it’s set by God because it’s His flock and the pastor works for Him. The pastor must remember that before a church hired him, he was ordained and appointed by God. Because of the day-to-day complexities of ministry, it’s easy for a pastor to lose perspective on his calling and try to meet the expectations of people. Since the church board hired him and has the power to fire him, he can easily slip into the mode of trying to make them happy, instead of doing what God has called him to. The temptation to be a mere hireling instead of a true shepherd is all too common.

Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that they must bend all diligence toward their calling. They do that by shepherding the flock of God. That may be a bit abstract for us since we’re not a pastoral society as they were.

For the Ephesians, it would have been crystal. They all knew what a shepherd did. The shepherd’s task was three-fold. He was to feed, lead, and protect the flock. No more and no less. The thing is, if he did those three things well, the flock would be well-served and be healthy and grow.

The first task of a pastor is to feed the flock.

Shepherds know the health of sheep is directly tied to their diet, so they seek out the best pasture. In the same way, pastors must be diligent to provide a steady diet of God’s Word. That’s exactly what Paul had done in the three years he spent in Ephesus. In Acts 20:27 he said, “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” As a pastor’s pastor, Paul knew the importance of a well-rounded spiritual diet. He didn’t center his teaching just on pet topics or scriptural hobbyhorses. In the years he spent in Ephesus, he taught through the Scriptures. If a pastor spends all his time teaching just one section of the Bible or just a few comfortable topics, then he’s feeding the sheep an unbalanced diet. They won’t be healthy.

Growing up, all three of my children were finicky eaters. If they had their way, they would have eaten only one thing for most of their meals—chicken fingers and fries. As parents concerned for their health, my wife and I knew that diet would make them sickly, so we put other food before them. Though they preferred fries, there were no fries, so they ate what we gave them. They grew up to be healthy and thanked us for the love we showed by giving them what they needed rather than what they wanted.

The children of God are often like our kids. There are certain things they love to hear about. If they had their way, they’d get a steady diet of only that. End times prophecy, the wonderful blessings and promises of God, His mercy and love. But if that’s all people ever heard, they’d end up spiritually anemic. Pastors must be diligent to make sure they give a well-balanced diet of the whole counsel of God.

Because of the day-to-day complexities of ministry, it’s easy for a pastor to lose perspective on his calling and try to meet the expectations of people.

As the shepherd tends the sheep, he keeps a careful eye on them. If he notices there’s some distress among them that can be corrected by a specialized diet, he moves them to that pasture. And so it is with the flock of God. Sometimes we go through seasons of special need, where a whole lot of folk are dealing with the same issue. When that happens, we take a break from our normal course of study to do a topical message or series. We consider such topical messages as spiritual vitamins that meet a specific need.

We’ve had periods of widespread marital trouble, so we teach on marriage. We’ve had seasons of intense spiritual warfare, so we teach on our authority in Christ and the armor of God. We’ve seen times when there are a lot of people coming to faith, so we took a few weeks to lay a solid foundation in the basics of the faith. The point is, the pastor’s goal is healthy sheep. Their spiritual diet is the most crucial aspect of that.

The pastor’s second task is to lead the flock.

Along with a healthy diet, sheep need exercise. In Psalm 23 we read, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.” If the sheep only eat and lie in green pastures, they get fat. And a fat sheep is in grave danger!

Phillip Keller was a professional shepherd who wrote a marvelous little book titled A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. His insights into the life of a shepherd and sheep open Psalm 23 as a wonderful masterpiece. Keller says that left to themselves, sheep are such creatures of habit they’ll stay in one place and so over-graze it, it ruins the pasture. They’ll keep going over the same trails until they’re muddy ruts. They’ll graze until the grass is gone, and then paw the dirt to dig up the roots. As their health deteriorates, parasites and diseases take hold. So the diligent shepherd moves the flock from pasture to pasture.

It’s no wonder God likens people to sheep. We too are creatures of habit. Many believers don’t like change. But if we’re going to grow, we must change; there’s no growth without it. So pastors must be diligent to keep the flock of God from becoming complacent and settling down to a religious routine that fails to stay current with the Holy Spirit.

Remember, God calls a man to be a pastor. With that call comes all that’s needed to fulfill the call. Where God guides, He provides. Since a pastor’s task is to lead the flock, God gives him what he needs to take them where He wants them led. That’s what a vision is. So we could say that “when God calls, He installs.” That vision is a mental picture of what God wants the flock to become; a healthy, holy, loving, growing congregation doing a specific work in their community. Faithfulness in the pastoral ministry means staying on course in the pursuit of that vision.

The third task of the pastor is to protect the flock.

In Acts. 20:29-30 Paul tells the Ephesian elders, “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

Paul spoke both from experience and by prophecy here. In many of the churches he planted, once he left, false teachers appeared and started in with their attacks. He knew it would happen in Ephesus, so he warned the elders to be on guard and watch out for false teachers. They’d come both from without and within.

One of the great concerns of a shepherd is a predator. Wolves and wild dogs hover round the edges of the flock, waiting for the chance to make off with a lamb. Lions and other carnivores see sheep as easy pickins’ so a good shepherd keeps a sharp eye out to protect his flock. His diligence is enough to keep the wolf at bay. But lions are bold and attack even when he’s watching, so he intervenes with the tools of his trade. The rod was a deadly weapon in the hand of a skilled shepherd. The sling could really put the hurt on.

David tells of two times when predators came to take from his father’s flock, but he delivered the sheep from the lion and the bear. That experience emboldened him to believe he could go against a predator named Goliath when he was harassing the flock of God, the people of Israel.

Paul tells the pastors of Ephesus they must keep watch over and protect their flocks. They face perils from without. False teachers are like savage wolves with one aim, to feast on God’s people. They also face peril from within. Some of them, the very men Paul was speaking to that day in Miletus, would go bad. The power of their position would corrupt them and they’d go off into destructive doctrines and practices that would bring spiritual ruin. The same is true today. There’s danger from without. Cults, false teachers, religious shysters and hucksters abound. They hover around the edge of the church, looking for the opportunity to rush in and rip people off.

There’s also danger that rises from within. Wolves in sheep’s clothing who appear to be a part of the flock but who have their own agenda. They worm their way into people’s confidence, then slowly start to draw people away from truth through clever means. They say things that sound godly but really just appeal to the flesh. They suggest those God has ordained to lead aren’t as pure and holy as they could be. They plant doubts in people’s minds through seemingly offhand remarks. But they aren’t offhand at all; they’re calculated to fire a dart of doubt into unwary hearts.

The pastor’s task is to feed, lead, and protect the flock of God he’s assigned to. May each of us be faithful to our calling.