Editor’s note: CGN is proud to announce our partnership with Pastoral Transitions. They have an excellent podcast which you can listen to here. This article will give you an idea about their heart and vision.

When I was a pastor, I’d have days where I thought I was the luckiest person on earth. Standing in front of a couple renewing their wedding vows, preaching a message I was passionate about and the people got it, or even taking my shift at the dunk tank during the Fall Festival.

But you know where this is going.

Sometimes, I wanted out.

Dealing with the conflict, carrying the burdens, never being able to shut it all down, there were times of daydreaming: “What would it look like if I wasn’t doing this anymore?”

And then I didn’t have to imagine it; I found myself living it.

Two completely different realities.

A question that lingers in the hallways of church offices, and in the hearts of many pastors is, “Is there life after vocational ministry?”

Turning Transition into Transformation

Ministry work is more than just a job. It’s a calling that intricately makes its way into one’s identity, community, and sense of purpose.

So, what happens when a ministry leader steps away from this calling, or is asked to step away from this calling?

Is there life after ministry? Is there ministry after ministry?

Indeed, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

But the approach to these transitions can make a profound difference.

The decision to transition out of a pastoral role often comes with a mix of emotions—grief, uncertainty, but also hope for a new beginning. Whether it’s initiated by the organization or by the pastor, the transition represents a whole-scale change of life, not simply heading down the street and filling out an application for a new job.

While much has been written about church leadership transitions, the focus is often on how to welcome a new pastor, rather than how to care for the outgoing one.

So, given the real-life experience of our own exit out of ministry, my wife and I decided to tell our story and the story of others. We launched the Life After Ministry podcast.

Purpose of the Life After Ministry Podcast

This podcast is not about trying to point the finger at the church and tell her everything that’s wrong. We care deeply about the church and want to see her become the splendid bride we read about at the end of Revelation.

Good intentions on the part of church boards or leadership teams are important—but insufficient. The tangible impact of a leader’s exit can reverberate through not just their own lives, but their families and communities as well.

If your last day of ministry was called “Day 0,” we take a look at what “Day 1” looks like.

• How do you decide what your new career is?
• What’s your financial runway, and are there smarter ways to mitigate losses?
• Where’s God in the midst of a transition?
• Do you need some counseling? How about your spouse and kids?

And what’s the impact on a church community?

If not managed well, a pastoral transition can cost a ministry far more than they anticipate. Anger and division within the congregation can lead to reduced giving, and a loss of members means fewer resources for mission and outreach. Worse, the social capital of trust and community is depleted, sometimes irrevocably. Don’t believe us? We’ve seen it, and you’ve at least heard about it.

Benefits of Turning Transition into Transformation

Imagine a scenario where the outgoing pastor is honored with grace and their transition is managed as an investiture into their future, rather than a termination. An announcement from the pulpit might go something like this:

“We love this pastor deeply and care about what’s next for them, as much as we care for the ongoing vitality of our church community. That’s why we’ve contracted with an organization called Pastoral Transitions, to closely work with them over the next six months to ensure their success and emotional well-being.”

The result?

• The torches are put away.
• The anger dissipates.
• The gossip disappears.

Everyone can breathe a collective sigh of respect and relief, thankful for the compassion extended by leadership.

Whether you’re in ministry and considering whether there’s life AFTER ministry, or you have to make a tough decision regarding a ministry staff member you love, we invite you to listen to the Life After Ministry podcast and hear stories of turning transition into transformation.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn. 14:12).

You’ve got the right stuff …

A. The Father’s Blessing for a New Season

My teenage son and I were driving back from a retreat we attended together. It had been one of those memorable father-son experiences, the kind you know you’ll remember for the rest of your life. During the afternoon, we had gone for a hike up a mountain and talked along the way about life, God, hopes, dreams, etc.

As we left the retreat center and drove home, we talked together, and I sensed God’s desire for me to “bless” my son. This was something very different than a simple pronouncement after a sneeze, or merely saying, “You’re a blessing to me, son” or even something along the lines of, “Here’s some money; I just want to bless you.” No, this was something of Biblical proportion.

Allow me to briefly digress. I was raised as an observant Jew and came to faith in Jesus as Messiah as an adult. I had experienced Bar Mitzvah as a rite of passage. Our sons similarly experienced this rite of passage as I their father, rabbi, and pastor led them through Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and explained they were now men before God, sons of a New Covenant with God and sons of God’s blessings. Yet the day that I drove home with my son from the retreat, I sensed that God wanted me to bless my son again for a new season in his life … a new blessing to prepare for a new passage.

The Father blesses the Son in various important seasons of life and ministry.

This might seem a novel concept in a New Testament context, but consider that presumably Jesus experienced Bar Mitzvah in the Hebrew tradition.

Yet, when Jesus began His earthly ministry, a rite of passage, again His Father pronounced a blessing over His Son, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).

Again, at the Mount of Transfiguration: The quest to the cross began in earnest, and another rite of passage is discovered. The disciples Peter, James, and John would be encouraged by the discovery of His glory as they were being prepared for their unique leadership roles. Jesus was far greater than their understanding of Messiah as declared at Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:16). The blessing of the Father would also encourage the Son, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5).

The Father’s blessing is highly valued.

The concept of the father’s blessing was critical to the Patriarchs. The yearning for the blessing caused Jacob to scheme in an attempt to secure his father Isaac’s blessing (although God had assured him of the blessing), and caused Esau to lament the loss of something that he had previously neglected. The importance of the blessing caused Joseph to attempt to guide his elderly father Jacob to pronounce a blessing over Joseph’s oldest son when Jacob was directing the greater blessing of God upon his younger grandson.

The twelve sons of Jacob gathered at their elderly father Jacob’s bed as the patriarch pronounced blessings that foretold the destiny of each of these twelve tribes of Israel. The blessing of a father is a critical event to help prepare for the passage into adulthood and for various seasons of passage in life ministry and discovery and fulfillment of calling.

As I drove with my son from that retreat, I too sensed that I was to bless my son. Then the words came forth, “I believe that God wants me to encourage you and bless you that you will do greater works than I ever have or will do.” These were words that I had never previously spoken to my son. They were words of great weight and were spoken with conviction. The experience was profound.

A father is a source of great influence for his children. When they become adults, he’s to be a mentor as he continues to train equip and encourage them for the seasons they encounter and prepare them for the ones that lie ahead. He’s to assure them that they have the right stuff!

The blessing, “In whom I am well pleased” is not conditioned upon perfection or performance but flows from the relationship of father and son or a mentor and disciple.

It’s only natural for parents to want their children to have a good life. But to want them to truly do greater things, especially greater Kingdom work, is supernatural. Unfortunately, that blessing can be impeded by a father’s competitive nature. A father who competes with his adolescent son in sports, resisting the son’s desire to beat (do greater than) his father, might find it difficult to yearn for his son to do greater than he has done. The difficulty pronouncing that blessing might say more about the nature of the father than the nature of the son.

B. The Son’s Blessing for a New Season

Nevertheless, a blessing apparently flowed easily from the lips of Jesus as He prepared the disciples for their rite of passage in the Upper Room when He declared,“ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn. 14:12).

The commencement address: You will do greater works …

Imagine the disciples hearing those words in the Upper Room. They were being prepared to continue the Kingdom work Jesus had groomed them for. The work would continue through them, and this was the time for their rite of passage. Certainly they would be confounded by the idea that they could possibly do greater works than Jesus. They had witnessed miracles performed by Jesus.

As they considered their own frailties and insecurities, they likely couldn’t imagine these encouraging words as an actual declaration of prophetic truth. Yet, true were the Savior’s words. For indeed the scope, magnitude, and influence of Christ’s disciples would in some respects be greater works. In the span of about fifty days, three thousand converts would enter the Kingdom at Pentecost in response to Peter’s anointed proclamation of the Gospel.

This sum would represent more than all of the recorded converts in Jesus’ entire earthly ministry. Soon thereafter, the number of converts would measure five thousand. Today the total is estimated in excess of two billion—a far greater number than the 120 who gathered in the Upper Room awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Similarly, Jesus’ earthly ministry was essentially within a thirty-mile radius of His home at Galilee. The Book of Acts records the spread of the Gospel to the known world, and today, the four corners of the globe.

Jesus’ declaration that they would do greater works is the outpouring of the blessing of a Kingdom leader to prepare Kingdom leaders.

He was letting them know in no uncertain terms that they had the right stuff because they were His disciples (he who believes in Me). He not only blessed them to prepare them for their calling, but He would help and strengthen them for that work by sending forth the Holy Spirit who would be with them just as Jesus had been with them.

C. The Need for Blessing Leaders

Church leaders who are focused on developing their personal kingdom are generally more like the competitive dad with his adolescent son. They are okay with their disciples doing good, and maybe even great, but are reluctant to bless encourage and help their disciples to do greater than their mentor. Again, this dynamic may speak more in regard to the nature of the church leader as opposed to the disciple. Kingdom leadership requires a transition from the competitive mentor to the blessing mentor who truly desires his disciples to do greater works.

The need for greater works to be done to accomplish Christ’s commission

Here’s an interesting concept that can help motivate church leaders towards Kingdom leadership: the success of the disciple enhances the reputation of the mentor. For example, the success of Joshua in regard to bringing God’s people across the Jordan River and leading the conquest of the Promised Land actually enhances Moses’ reputation. Similarly, the many miracles of Elisha are connected to his mentor Elijah. Certainly the works of the twelve elevate the reputation of Jesus. Yet, this reality is not the proper motive for being a blessing leader.

What should motivate us to bless like Jesus is a genuine love for God and others—and an understanding that greater works are needed to accomplish Christ’s commission locally and globally.

The desire to bless leaders to do greater works than their mentors leads to action in regard to the allocation of resources.

Time, talent, and treasure are focused on emerging growing Kingdom leaders to equip, encourage, and empower them to do greater works.

I began to seek to live this principle during the last few years in the context of training disciples and teachers and preparing church planters. I began intentional training with a group of men who had Kingdom potential as Bible teachers and church planters. It required some hours a week of my time and theirs. I encouraged them as their growth as teachers and leaders became evident during the course of training.

Furthermore each of them sought to discern their calling for the next season of ministry in the Kingdom. Some of them went on to plant churches, some were called to significant teaching and leading roles at our local church, but all of them were blessed with the words, “I pray that you will do greater works than I have ever done or will ever do.”

Presently, I have committed time, talent, and treasure resources to continue to coach these men (and others) and support the work God has called them to. And I’ve discovered the wonderful experience and contentment of yearning to see these men whom I disciple do greater works than me, their mentor.

Remember, not only do they have the right stuff, but so do you!

Contemplate and Consider:

1. Who in your sphere of influence do you see as having Kingdom potential (the right stuff)?

2. How can you encourage prepare and assist them to walk in their Kingdom calling?

3. How can you communicate blessing to encourage them that they will do greater works than you and that you desire to assist them to do so?

Our world is full of leadership advice. A simple online search will result in an endless number of leadership resources. From TED Talks to TikTok, and everything in between. Just type “leadership” in your favorite podcast provider and see what comes up. It’s because we want practical strategies for becoming effective leaders. And for those of us who are pastors, we want to know how to lead the church that God has put in our care.

Leadership is important, but not all leadership advice is created equal. As Christians, we must be very careful where we’re getting our information. The advice you’ll get from the world is going to be much different than the advice you get from the Lord. In fact, the wisdom from the world is foolishness to God, and God’s wisdom seems foolish to the world (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-25). When it comes to leadership, God says it best:

“’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’”^[1]

So, what can we learn about God’s kind of leadership that will help us be better pastors and leaders? Good question! Let’s take a moment, add to the already massive mound of leadership content, and talk about one of my favorite leaders in the Bible: Moses.

Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?^[2]

Within most Calvary Chapel congregations, we lead our churches using the “Moses Model” of church government.

I’m aware that there are different ways to lead a church and that some are better than others. It’s not my intention to go into detail on the different forms of church government. That’s an article for another time, and for a more academic mind.

For our purposes, we’ll just say that Moses is the guy that most Calvary Chapels pattern their church leadership after. In fact, it was the late great Pastor Chuck Smith that said,

“In the church today we see this structure (the Moses Model) in a modified form. We see that Jesus Christ is the Head over the body of the church. It’s His church. He’s the One in charge. As pastors, we need to be like Moses, in touch with Jesus and receiving His direction and guidance. As pastors we need to be leading the church in such a way that the people know that the Lord is in control.”^[3]

Great! Jesus is the head of the church, and we need to be like Moses and get our direction from Him. So, if we’re supposed to be like Moses, we need to know what Moses was like.

Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.^[4]

I think that one of the main differences between the leadership style of the world and that of the church is the issue of pride. For the Christian, pride is a leadership killer. The Bible says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.^[5]

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” – Saint Augustine

The biblical qualifications for a pastor state that a pastor must not be arrogant^[6] and that he must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit (pride) and fall into the condemnation of the devil.^[7]

So, why do we have so many prideful pastors in our churches today? That is a good question, and I don’t have all the answers, but I will say that it’s not very Moses-like.

I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!^[8]

Moses wasn’t a jealous leader. He didn’t cling to power. He wasn’t afraid of the success of others, and he didn’t use his position to hold gifted people down. In fact, Moses was a leader who rejoiced in the accomplishments of other leaders, even those in his own congregation.

“And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them.’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake?…’” ^[9]

All pastors struggle with jealousy, envy, and insecurity to some extent. Deep down we suspect that someone else could do the job better than we can, and we could be in danger of losing our position. We also find it difficult to be happy for the church that is growing down the street. It’s tough seeing our peers getting success and recognition especially when we aren’t.

It’s important that we’re aware of our weakness. Though jealousy is a common struggle, we must never let it control us, or make us negatively critical. It’s easy to become blind to our own faults, so we must learn to rejoice in the success of others, and try to build up the body of Christ through encouragement and cultivation of promising new leaders.

I once heard a story of a church that started because of the jealousy and insecurity of the sending pastor. The church was a fairly large congregation, and the pastor was a gifted teacher and evangelist. He would travel around the world for evangelistic events and mission trips. When the pastor was on the road, one of the younger pastoral interns would teach for him. The intern was also very gifted, and over time the people began to enjoy the teaching of this younger man.

On a packed Sunday, the pastor returned from a trip and stood in the back of his church. As the younger man preached, a congregation member turned to him and asked if it was his first time there. “This pastor is so gifted,” he explained. “I just love the way he teaches God’s word, and the church is really growing.” The man didn’t even realize that he was talking to the senior pastor of the church!

The following week the pastor let the intern know that God was calling him (the intern) to go plant a church somewhere else. They prayed for him and sent him out with a handshake and a “where God guides God provides.” Sadly, what could have been an incredible benefit to the church ended up being a missed opportunity. It was because of the insecurity and jealousy of the pastor.

A Moses Model pastor would rejoice in the success of others and want to see all of God’s people gifted for ministry. Remember, Moses himself was very reluctant to take any position of authority (see Exodus 3:11), and it was Moses who encouraged Joshua to lead the congregation—because he saw God’s gifting and calling on his life.

And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant.^[10]

Faithfulness and servanthood are such valuable qualities in a leader. Faithfulness means that you’re committed to God and to His people no matter what. It also means you’ll do the job for as long as it takes, and whatever the cost.

Faithfulness, commitment, and patience go together. Moses faithfully waited on God’s timing for forty years, from the time he killed the Egyptian as a young man to when he was called to deliver Israel. Moses again faithfully waited on the Lord for forty years after the Exodus, wandering around with a bunch of complaining Israelites until it was time for them to go into the promised land.

Moses was faithful, and Moses was also a servant. A true servant leader sacrifices his own comfort and wellbeing for the ones he’s serving. That’s what Jesus did for us. He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give his life.^[11]

Moses had the same attitude when it came to serving the people he was called to lead. At one point, he even prayed that he would be removed from God’s book so that the people’s sins could be forgiven! (See: Exodus 32:32.) He cared about them so much that he was willing to suffer for them.

Moses’ example of leadership is very different from the attitude of many pastors today. Many church leaders are more concerned with their own needs and desires than with serving the people. They forget that they’re called to serve, not to be served.

This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’^[12]

There are about a hundred other things we can learn from the life of Moses on leadership, but we will save those for another time, and summarize it in one final point:

A Moses model leader always points people to Jesus.

It’s not about us; it’s not about our churches or our ministries. It’s not about our clever messages and sermons, or the amount of people that love us. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about hearing His voice. All great leaders throughout church history have this one thing in common: they draw attention to Jesus rather than themselves.

When you take a leadership position without an attitude of humility, a desire to see others succeed, patient faithfulness, and the heart of service, you’re setting yourself up for failure. In short, the only way to be a Moses Model leader is to always stay focused on Christ.

I think the reason why Moses was so successful is that he lived for God’s promises through the messiah Jesus. (See Hebrews 11:26.) Moses could do this because he had a real and personal relationship with God.

“So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…”^[13]

Friendship with God is the key to successful Moses Model leadership. We need to abide in Christ, walking and talking with Him daily.

References

^[1] Isaiah 55:8–9 (NKJV)
^[2] Acts 7:27 (NKJV)
^[3] Chuck Smith, The Calvary Distinctives, 25.
^[4] Numbers 12:3 (NKJV)
^[5] James 4:6
^[6] Titus 1:7
^[7] 1 Timothy 3:6
^[8] Numbers 11:29 (NLT)
^[9] Numbers 11:27–29 (ESV)
^[10] Hebrews 3:5 (NKJV)
^[11] Matt 20:28
^[12] Acts 7:37 (NKJV)
^[13] Exodus 33:11 (NKJV)

Moses is such an incredible person to look at in the scriptures that though I lack commonality with him, I find myself drawn to his story. His narration brings you to the Red Sea parting, shepherding days, and how he handled leadership situations. Through all this, he drew near to the Lord and remained faithful to him, even after he knew that he would never see his greatest desire come to pass: Israel home and free in their land.

One aspect that recently caught my attention is how Moses worked with others. We don’t always think of him as a team player. For years, I thought of him as more of a visionary type who led from the top down, marching down the mountain with the two tablets in hand. Then there’s the story of him hiding his face behind a veil because of the glow or hiding in the mountainside, protected by the hand of God as the glory passed by. There’s also the first-person narrative of Deuteronomy, the one man retelling the story before the people of Israel who were to enter their inheritance as he was to pass into eternity. We think of the solitary man, but without closer reading, we might forget that there was a little more to it than that. Maybe Moses worked constantly and even well with other people.

The Surprising Ways Moses Valued Teamwork While Leading Israel

One of the first things that astounded me in this man’s life was how much he wanted to work with others. The first example is when he pleads with God not to send him before Pharaoh. Admittedly, this is not a decisive moment for him. Arguing with God is never a good idea. Despite this, it would seem that the Lord provided Aaron, who was already on his way over to meet Moses while the prophet was trying to get out of his responsibilities (Ex. 4). No matter how we interpret what happened, we realize Moses worked near a brother who was maybe a little too gifted at public speaking. It’s important to remember that he was in this situation because Moses insisted on it. At that moment, the roles were clearly defined in Exodus 4:30. Moses heard from the Lord and told it to Aaron. Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, and then Moses performed the signs. This is how ministry was done before the King of Egypt, but it was also a precursor to how Moses would lead the people of Israel.

Let’s take the example of Exodus 18. Moses receives his father-in-law, Jethro, and shows him all the beautiful things God is doing. Then, the next day, Jethro watches Moses in action. His father-in-law sees something that could potentially hurt Moses and the people. The man is doing too much. He was wearing himself out in matters he didn’t need to be involved in; today, we might call them warning signs of burnout or adrenal fatigue. From that day, the team grew into a cohesion of many people working together. It could be argued that this wasn’t Moses’ idea, which I would concede, but having been in a blinding tunnel of work that I couldn’t see out of, I also made many mistakes that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Jethro’s advice was needed and implemented willingly by Moses.

It seems Moses took the lesson to heart in Numbers 11. When the people’s complaints weighed him down, he cried to the Lord to alleviate his burden. The Lord responds by instructing him to name 70 elders to help. Everything seems to go well as the Lord fills the men with His Spirit until Joshua sees two men prophesying who were not chosen… I find Moses’ response to Joshua’s jealousy extremely revealing: “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” (Nu. 11:29). It appears to me that Moses dreamed of a more considerable cohesion of God’s children working together through the power of the Holy Spirit, much like what Paul would develop later in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

Teamwork: Everyone Had a Place

In the book of Leviticus, we see in God’s design for the Children of Israel that everyone had a place. It’s true that Moses spent time alone with God and spoke to Him as one spoke with his friend, but Moses also shared ministry with other people. He didn’t build the utensils, provide the materials, physically slaughter the animals, carry the tabernacle on his shoulders, pick up the sword, and fight the enemies. Instead, he appointed artists and specific people for each task so that it could continue without him. He chose twelve spies and seventy elders and sent the soldiers into battle under the head of another man, Joshua. In the end, I would argue that Moses’ teamwork was so interwoven in the fabric of his ministry that we don’t even see it. It’s much like a political candidate whose name is on the billboard but who is supported by a well-coordinated team, without which it would all be impossible.

Not everything Moses did as a team ended well. We could point to the 12 spies as a crisis moment that ended horribly. And yet, two men remained faithful to the Lord and entered the promised land, while the other ten did not. Another less-than-brilliant moment comes to mind in Numbers 20. It was the moment when Moses, in anger, struck the rock rather than speak to it and misrepresented God before the people. Was Moses alone in this moment? In verses six through ten, we realize Aaron was with him. The Lord’s rebuke in verse twelve was to both brothers. Though Moses and Aaron were both accountable to God, that didn’t stop him from committing one of his most regrettable errors. We can’t forget that another mistake at the beginning of his public life came when he alone murdered the Egyptian he caught abusing one of the enslaved Hebrew people…

Serving Together in a Way that Brought Glory to God

Was Moses a team player? Let’s be prudent in using today’s terminology ripe with modern nuances foreign to his worldview and the biblical text. Moses was, after all, just a man, though incredibly blessed. He braved situations we will never have to see because of his unique calling. He had times of recluse, times of social gathering, and times of prayerful solitude. One of the best parts of his story is that it stops us from making him two-dimensional, with a title that fits our day’s hermeneutic. We can say that he loved Israel and that his policies enabled many people to serve together in a way that brought glory to God.

And in the thick of it, I’m encouraged to see a man who gave away power to others and worked actively to a continuing legacy that would far outlive his long life on earth.

In closing, my favorite scene of Moses collaborating with others is in Exodus 17:12. “But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other; his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” As Joshua led the army into battle below, Moses watched and prayed. But he wasn’t alone. He had two men standing there with him, who at the right moment held up his hands, giving Moses and then Joshua the strength they needed spiritually. That is the sweet teamwork that inspires me most, one not too far from Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus when the Lord went to pray on the mountain with three of his disciples. It would appear from these passages that teamwork isn’t just for this world; maybe our collaboration here is just a preparation for something greater to come.

No other human being will have greater influence in a new church than the church planter. In seeking to determine who should plant, what are some key qualifications? Let us aspire as followers of Jesus, and as church planters (aspiring and existing), to see these traits demonstrated in and through our lives.

1. Christ-changed:

First and foremost, a church planter must be yielded to Jesus and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This would seem so axiomatic that it need not be articulated. Nevertheless, as liberal streams flow into the Church, it is wise to ensure this foundation. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has lamented the increasing numbers of people leading churches who do not believe the Christian faith and have not been born again. The first qualification is that the church planter be Christ-changed.

2. Christ-called:

A planter must have a sense of calling in his heart head and hands. C.H. Spurgeon advised his ministry students that if they could pursue any other occupation besides ministry, they should leave the pursuit of ministry and do so. The issue was not how many other options the prospective planter had at his disposal. It was that the ones who were truly called could not follow any other course for their life regardless of how attractive it might objectively appear to others.

Church planting requires faith: hearing God speak and responding with attitudes of dependence upon, and acts of obedience to, Him (Heb. 11:1-39). Planting is like the trapeze, the first bar represents security. But when God sends a second bar, a call to plant, the first must be let go of in order to grasp the second. The call is generally characterized by confirmation in prayer and Bible study, holy discontent, burden for pre-believers, and affirmation by mature godly counsel. Spiritually mature leaders will recognize God at work in the church planter, what Barnabas described as “The evidence of the grace of God” when he visited the church at Antioch (Acts 11:23).

3. Christ-like character:

It is remarkable to read a passage like 1Timothy 3 regarding the qualifications of elders and deacons and discover that the only qualification dealing with ability relates to the requirement that elders be able to teach. Otherwise, all the qualifications deal with character. Integrity is the key! Whatever the leader is, the followers will become. Jesus declared, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). People rarely rise above their leaders.

The tendency is to review a list of character traits (e.g., 1 Tim. 3) and fail to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart. One wrong attitude is to review the list and praise your own sense of character—and that is simply spiritual pride. A second error is reading the list sensing the Holy Spirit begin to reveal an area in your life and ministry where you need to grow, and moving on without adequate reflection. A third error is seeing a list of traits as an insurmountable standard that no one can attain.

4. Christ-confident:

Depend on the power of Christ rather than your own ability. Your confidence is either in Christ or yourself. Effective spiritual leaders have discovered the need for dependence on the power of Christ rather than the strength of man’s flesh. Sooner or later, preferably sooner, you will discover and rediscover that apart from Him, you can do nothing that will bring forth spiritual value. Nevertheless, Jesus assures us that if we are connected with Him, that we will bear much fruit (John 15:5). The church planter will be and must be emptied of self-confidence (e.g., Moses in Ex. 2-3; Peter in Matt. 26-33, John 21:1-17) to become Christ-confident.

5. Christ-capable:

Church planters generally have some or most of the following gifts: apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, teaching, and pastoring (Eph. 4:11-12). Apostolic leaders tend to embrace large-scale initiatives. Prophetic leaders tend to be a clarion voice urging people to yield to God. Evangelistic gifting is characterized by a burden to see souls saved. Teaching relates to the ability to help people understand and apply God’s truth. Pastors tend to nurture and protect God’s people. In addition, gifts of faith and leadership are often displayed among effective church planters. Assessments, both formal and informal, that reveal strengths and areas to be developed (either by the church planter or the team) help ensure capability.

6. Christ-committed:

Church planting is exhausting: The work of initiation, soil preparation, planting, cultivation, and harvest are difficult, but you reap what you sow. The best additive for a healthy garden is the gardener’s shadow—time and your presence. Thus, you commit to Christ, commit to the work, commit to the people, and allow the process of church planting to unfold naturally, supernaturally.

Like Paul, we want to be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not only me but also to all who loved His appearing” (2 Tim .4:7-8). What did Paul know that would help us to be Christ-committed and finish our race?

First, he understood that it was a fight, albeit a good fight, but nonetheless a fight. Be prepared for a battle; this is not going to be a walk in the park. Second, Paul saw the relation between finishing the race and keeping the faith. If you depart from sound doctrine and thus a healthy relationship with Christ, you are likely to fail to finish your race. Third, Paul understood that although his primary motivation for ministry was love for God, he was confident that there were eternal rewards waiting. Please remember that Christ desires to greet you with the words “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matt. 25).

Here is another insightful experience from the life of Paul. When Paul gathered with the elders from the church at Ephesus, they implored him not to go to Jerusalem as great hardship was awaiting him. Paul knew that he was called to go and also knew that he would suffer. But he replied, “None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul decided, before he went to the city where he would serve, that he would not be moved. He asserted none of these things move me.

In context, these things related to arrest and mistreatment. Ask yourself, what might move you from your commitment to your call? Would you depart from the call if people treat you like the servant you are trying to be? Would you be moved if people did not express appreciation for you? Would you be moved to quit if you did not have influence over as many people as you were hoping to influence? Would you be moved to quit if you had to work long hours each week in ministry and a marketplace job for years?

Let us aspire as followers of Jesus—and as church planters (aspiring and existing)—to see these traits demonstrated in and through our lives.

Originally published on March 1, 2016

I’m not a huge pastry fan, but I do enjoy a fresh, hot slice of apple pie with a generous scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.
The rich, creamy ice cream, luxuriously melting over the warm, flaky, buttery crust is pretty much irresistible. Pie a la Mode was invented about 1885.

Fruit pies were common in the Roman Empire as early as the 5th Century B.C., and ice cream was available to the general public by 1660. Yet, the world would wait more than 200 years before ice cream and pie were combined to offer something wonderful—pie a la Mode. The moral of the story is that sometimes “both and” is better than “either or.”

What Is the “both and” of making disciples?

We need to be both filled with the Spirit and intentional in making disciples. Some might assert that not being intentional is organic, thus led by the Spirit. But that’s not necessarily the case. Similarly, one could argue that if a process is intentional (strategic), it’s of man (flesh) and not of the Spirit.

But again, a review of the Scripture reveals that the claimed divide between organic and strategic is a false dichotomy. In fact, a review of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus demonstrates the “both and” principle (Acts 19:1-7; Eph. 5:18).

Have you ever met people who claimed to be followers of Jesus, but there just seemed to be something missing that made you wonder if they were really submitted to Him? When Paul returned to Ephesus, he found some disciples and asked the curious question “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” On no other occasion do we have a record of Paul making this inquiry. What prompted him to ask?

Presumably, there appeared to be something missing in their spiritual lives that prompted the question. Perhaps they didn’t seem to be submitted to Christ as Lord, or empowered by the Spirit for Christian living, or perhaps Paul had some discernment about what was lacking. These disciples at Ephesus confessed their ignorance of the Holy Spirit (verse 2).

Yet, the text indicates they were disciples and implies they were believers. They understood the need for repentance and desired to follow Jesus (verse 4). But they were apparently seeking to become mature followers of Christ by either the power of self-discipline or man’s efforts rather than the power of God’s Spirit.

And Paul recognized the problem. Subsequently, the Holy Spirit came upon them and was manifest (verse 6).

Jesus declared that His followers would receive power to represent Him when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). He likened it to being baptized with the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 2:4).

We believe that the baptism, or filling of the Spirit, is distinct from salvation, but it may occur at the same time or subsequent to being saved. The work of the Holy Spirit empowers Christian living. Jesus affirmed that the Holy Spirit was available to those who sought this gift from God and were yielded to Him (Luke 11:9-13).

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he instructed them as follows: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

The Greek reveals that it’s a commandment, and the tense can be translated “Being constantly filled with the Spirit.” The terminology of being filled might cause some to assume that we can leak the Holy Spirit, like a car engine can leak a quart of oil. Or we might think that the issue is how much of the Holy Spirit a believer has. Nevertheless, the issue isn’t how much of the Holy Spirit we have, but how much of us the Holy Spirit has.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit flows from being submitted to Jesus. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be disciples and to make disciples.

Once the believers at Ephesus were filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul began an intentional process of mentoring them to become mature followers of Christ (Acts 19:8-10). Paul taught the Scriptures daily to make disciples and develop leaders at Ephesus.

The Bible helps us to understand God and know His commandments. Thus, Bible learning is critical to being a disciple. For example, it is through the Scriptures generally, and Ephesians specifically, that we learn how being filled with the Spirit is manifest in praise, gratitude, mutual respect, marriage, family, and the workplace (Eph. 5:17-6:9).

But having knowledge, apart from the power of the Spirit, to apply the lessons is futile. So, making disciples requires us to be both filled with the Spirit and intentional (“both and”).

The filling of the Spirit is so critical to disciple-making that Paul issued a sober warning: “And don’t be drunk with wine in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit …” (Eph. 5:18). Please pardon the pun about “sober” warning, for the issue is not limited to excessive alcohol consumption. Paul’s exhortation is connected to the earlier cautions to live carefully in wisdom, redeem the time, and understand and do the will of God (Eph. 5:15-17).

Excessive alcohol consumption is an obstacle to being controlled by God, and is sin. And Paul notes that being drunk is dissipation. Dissipation relates to squandering energy, time, money, or other resources.

The only way to avoid wasting resources and wasting a life is to be intentional to live as Christ’s disciples, disciples who make disciples. And the only way to be a disciple is to be controlled by God or filled with the Spirit.

Thus, the moral of this story is that sometimes “both and” is better than “either or.”

Lifework

1. How can disciples neglect the need for the filling of the Spirit?
2. Why is it helpful to have an intentional process, along with the filling of the Spirit, to help become a disciple?
3. How do you believe that being filled with the Spirit and intentionally going through the discipleship process would help you in making disciples?

In this article, I want to consider twenty practices that will help you serve Jesus for a long time in one place. I began serving on staff at Calvary Monterey in 1999 and became the lead pastor in 2008, and these practices have helped me stick with the work so far. Of course, among our Calvary Chapel family there are many who have served many decades in the same location—I have gleaned plenty from their example. So, in no particular order of importance, here are twenty practices that might help you serve Jesus in one place for many years.

01. Reading

When the Apostle Paul was nearing death, he knew it. Still, he told Timothy, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13). About to die, Paul wanted his jacket, but also his books, and especially the Scriptures. He would study the word until his body was poured out as a drink offering to God. If it worked for him, if an intellectual powerhouse such as Paul still wanted to study near the end of his life, then reading will bless you. I know it has edified me greatly. Counsel, instruction, plans, theology, Scripture, church strategy, relationships—all have sharpened and improved in my life because of books. If you want to last a long time, read.

02. Relationships

Key relationships have helped me up to this point. My marriage has been an island refuge. My children have refreshed me and made life exciting. My friends have laughed and cried with me. All these relationships have nourished and sustained me, often easing the serious nature of ministry life. The stakes are so high when serving Jesus, so laughing at yourself with your friends is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). I call these people my Discouragement Abatement Team.

03. Resist Comparison

In a story from Jesus, the early-morning laborers complained that the late-day laborers received the same wage (Matthew 20:12). Comparing themselves to others took all the joy from their paycheck moment. Rather than celebrate a full day’s work and its accompanying wages, they soured on the success of others and the grace of the master. I think servants of Christ have ample opportunities to compare themselves to other servants of Christ. But we should not go there. What is the point? Instead, we ought to rejoice for how God uses others and put our heads down to do his work in our neck of the woods. We cannot run someone else’s race, but the one “set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). We must resist comparison.

04. Grace Refreshments

Saul was a terrible king for Israel. One day, in a moment of divinely inspired courage, his son Jonathan launched out into battle against the Philistine oppressors. God was with him, and the nation rallied around him. Saul, caught up in the moment, vowed that no one would eat anything until the battle was won. When Jonathan heard it, he ridiculed his father’s folly and ate some honeycomb. When he did, his eyes became bright. He declared, “How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great” (1 Samuel 14:30). I’ve always thought Saul’s edict a great picture of legalism in the church—
don’t touch this, don’t taste that, don’t enjoy those. Look, if it’s forbidden in Scripture, don’t. But if it’s not, maybe it’s honeycomb that can help keep you fresh for the war.

05. Exercise

Ministry life is often sedentary. On top of this, Christians are really good at “breaking bread.” Plus, we need time to unwind from the pressures and stresses of church work. For all this, there is exercise. Not as valuable as godliness—prayer, Bible study, fellowship, etc.—it still has some value (1 Timothy 4:8). I hope to serve Jesus for as long as he tarries, but I know good stewardship of my physical strength and endurance will help me toward that goal. Many things about my health are out of my control. But many things are within the realm of my responsibility. So I exercise regularly.

06. Daily Walk

This should be at the top of the list, but your personal walk with Christ will keep you going, man. He is so faithful to encourage, uplift, instruct, direct, energize, forgive, embolden, and generally drop grace on his servants. Run to him. Get under the spout where the grace comes out. Enjoy him in worship.

Spend time with him in prayer. Learn about him in the Scripture. Walk with him every day of your life.

07. Time Alone

There’s a brief episode from Paul’s ministry I’ve always appreciated. He and his team were traveling. Everyone else got on a ship heading to Assos. There, they would collect Paul, who intended to travel by himself to Assos via a land route (Acts 20:13-14). I mean, I can understand why he’d had enough of boats by that time. But it refreshes me that he wanted to spend some time alone. I’m sure he redeemed the time. Jesus, of course, modeled this time alone before time with the disciples and masses. A healthy Christian life requires times of solitude, so spend some time alone and watch God do his thing.

08. Let Things Get Messy

The Proverbs say, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox” (Proverbs 14:4). You can have a clean and orderly manger, but it’ll cost you sparse crops. Do you want abundant crops? Do you want lots of fruit in ministry? Become willing to put up with some mess when needed, reminding yourself that fruit is on the other side.

09. Say No

If you want a short run serving Jesus, say yes to everything. You’ll never keep up. Burnout cometh. Instead, decline invitations, say no to opportunities, and resist the temptation to do it all. There will be a thousand things Christ tells you to say ‘yes’ to, but a million you must say ‘no’ to. You just can’t get his mission accomplished while pleasing everyone. You must say no (2 Corinthians 1:17-18).

10. Don’t Chase Numbers

I want to reach as many as possible. I want to make as many disciples as possible. But the constant pursuit of numbers has a maddening (and shortening) effect on God’s servants. If God’s servants instead focus on quality over quantity, the quantity will often come. Plus, our eyes often deceive us, meaning we might think we’re seeing fruit with large numbers, but God might be seeing something else entirely. Make disciples. Do what you do well. Entrust the results into God’s hands. Let him add to the church (Acts 2:47).

11. Forgiveness

To serve anywhere for long, forgiveness will have to be a key component. First, you will need the forgiveness of others. You are bound to hurt, offend, and blunder your way through much of ministry life. Some of your sins will be intentional, some of them unintentional, but when you realize it, you should seek forgiveness. Second, you will need to forgive others. The church is made up of saints, but on this side of the great and final resurrection of the dead, we don’t always act like it. Every once in a while, someone will seek your forgiveness, but most of the time, you will have to, moment-by-moment, instant-by-instant, forgive your debtors, even when they don’t know their debt. Finally, you need to resist condemnation towards yourself (Romans 8:1). I don’t want to write “forgive yourself” because I think it’s a statement loaded with theological errors, but I’m sure you get the idea. Ministry to others is filled with embarrassing moments, but even though I am embarrassed by many parts of my ministry past, I know I have to press forward (Philippians 3:13-14).

12. A Loose Grip

You cannot possibly make it long, especially in one place, if you think the church belongs to you. It is Christ’s bride. The church is his body. He is its head. Because it belongs to him, we can have a loose grip. Though ministers of the gospel have a responsibility to their local church and congregation, the truth that the church belongs to Jesus should set the minister free. Many times, I have been strengthened for a decision, encouraged through a failure, or emboldened in faith by the knowledge that the church doesn’t belong to me. Jesus has his plans for his bride, and I need to roll with him.

13. Be Ready To Learn From New Leaders/People

When you stay in one place for a while, old leaders inevitably depart, and new leaders replace them. Though sometimes I wish I could serve with the same team for fifty years, this would be an unhealthy reality. So, as your team matures, shapes, and changes over the years, learn from these new members. Hear their perspective. Listen to their voices. When I was younger, many on my team were older than me, and I needed their voices. I still do, but as I have aged, my team has become younger, and I need to resist the tendency to ignore those with less experience. God put them in my life and our church for a reason, so it is good for me to listen.

14. Take Breaks

Serving Jesus might sound glamorous to the uninitiated, but ministry life, especially the work-for-a-church-full-time kind, is highly repetitive. Sundays always come. Sins always rise up. Decisions are non-stop. Study and counsel and prayer and meetings are all needed all the time. So taking breaks has been incredibly important for me. First, my energy is rebuilt when away from my responsibilities. Second, I have to stop studying long enough for my brain to reset. Third, when away from the church, I gain perspective from God. Fourth, my family is my most important ministry, so time away allows me to refocus on them. Fifth, God rested on the seventh day, and even a break one day each week will do wonders for your life and sanity. Take breaks.

15. Get People Connected to Each Other

Too many ministries rally and rely upon one leader. I realized early on that the priesthood of the believers meant people needed to be connected to one another. We are meant to, in a sense, “pastor” one another. Pastors encourage and edify and counsel and rebuke, but they can’t do it for everyone at all times. We need each other. So it has been incredibly helpful to design our ministries to connect believers to other believers, to get people connected to each other (Acts 2:42).

16. Be Steady

Jacob described Reuben as “unstable as water” (Genesis 49:4). The phrase has always stuck with me, and my heart’s desire has been to be as steady as I can. If you jump from new doctrine to new doctrine, from theological emphasis to theological emphasis, or program to program, people will grow frustrated with your leadership. Steady leaders might be a bit boring at times, but boring is better than being unstable any day. When people know what to expect from you, they have an easier time joining with you for years to come.

17. Aim To See Christ Formed in Everyone You Serve

I’ve known many servants of Christ who tired of their situation and ministry because it lost its challenge. I’m sure there are times this is a Spirit-inspired sense, but I’m sure there are also times this is a short-sighted perspective. I’ve found that a desire to see “Christ formed” in everyone I serve means I always have a challenge in front of me (Galatians 4:19). We all have areas yet to be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus. We can all grow further into Christ’s image. So, for me, focusing on seeing Christ formed in those I serve helps me feel challenged in the work.

18. Crave Personal Growth

Speaking of a challenge, I don’t think you can make it long in one place without a strong desire for personal growth. When it comes to Nate Holdridge, the Spirit has a big job in front of him. And when I’m convinced I want personal transformation, when I want to be transformed into Christ’s image, every ministry situation or endeavor becomes a chance for the Spirit to take me from glory to glory, to conform me to be more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

19. Trust the Gospel’s Power

When servants of Christ lose their trust in the gospel as the power of God for salvation, ministry life devolves into a strange mixture of human endeavor, hopeless routines, and defeat. You will not make it long if you believe the people you serve or people in your community are beyond the power of the gospel. Once you lose hope, your energy wanes, and you are not long for that community. Instead, perpetually say with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

20. Love

Paul said he was controlled—propelled, compelled, or driven—by the love of Christ. His love for Christ, Christ’s love for him, and Christ’s love for his world thrust Paul forward and into service for his world. And, if love is absent, the servant of Christ won’t make it far. We must open ourselves to the Spirit’s intervention and influence. He must produce this glorious fruit in us (Galatians 5:22). We need his help in order to love as we ought.

On a recent podcast interview I did with Brian Brodersen, he said that the great commission IS to plant churches.^[1]“Jesus’ mandate was to go and make disciples,” Brian said. “We know from the rest of the New Testament, obviously, the apostles thought he meant go and start churches, because that’s exactly what they did.” Pastor Brian went on to talk about the importance of church planting in the Calvary Global Network and shared his heart for more churches to be planted worldwide.

And this is not just talk. We are getting back to our Calvary Chapel roots with a renewed vision to plant one thousand churches in ten years. This is an achievable goal, especially with the large number of Calvary Chapel churches—and with the assistance of the Cultivate program that has the infrastructure and resources to help you fulfill God’s calling to plant. This new initiative by CGN has over sixty experienced coaches on hand ready to help the sending pastors and church planters fulfill their calling. We work with the local church to provide everything from assessment and training to funding. By God’s grace, at CGN we are re-focusing on the great commission—and putting a huge emphasis on planting churches.

If you do not have a heart to plant a church, you may have already tuned out. But if you are still reading, I would encourage you to keep going. Take a minute to examine how you could be used by God in this important commission because all of us are called to church planting in one way or another. As the Bible says, some plant, and some water, but God gives the increase.^[2]

For those who have sensed a calling to plant, I want to give you five things that have helped me over the years in my church planting journey. These are very practical things that I have personally seen work in various church planting efforts. I have learned that sometimes it is the simple things that can have the biggest impact.

1. Confirm Your Calling

I was only twenty-three years old when Lynne and I joined the church planting team headed to Kampala, Uganda. One of my friends, Rob Dingman, said that we were jumping into the deep end of the pool for our first try at missions and church planting. But we believed that God had called us, so we bought the plane tickets.

Ten years later, as we were leaving Uganda for the United States, we looked back on the season of ministry in Africa. It was wonderful. By God’s grace we left behind a thriving church, planted in the heart of the city, and multiple church plants that had been sent out from there through our Calvary Chapel Bible College extension campus and training program. It was a mission success, but it was not without its difficulties. Challenges happen more frequently in church planting because when the hand of the Lord is upon you, the hand of the enemy will be against you.

But God is faithful, and He was the one who had called us to be there.

Tough times happen, but it was during the difficulties that we were able to rest on the fact that God had called us. Without this confirmation of our calling, we would have left within the first year. Church planting is not easy. It is front-line ministry. It is storming the gates of hell (see Matthew 16:18).^[3] That is why you need confirmation of calling. A confirmation of calling is simply a confidence that God is the one who has opened the doors and led you to do this. Paul encouraged Timothy by saying “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.”^[4] Timothy’s confirmation came through prophecy, and he held tightly to it during difficult times.

There are whole books and articles written on the calling of God, so I will leave you to those. For now, I would encourage you to be sure of God’s calling, because when times get tough—which they will—that may be all you have left.

“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”^[5]

2. Gather Your Team

Just like in professional sports, you need to have a quality team if you want to win. Church planting is not an individual sport; it is a team effort. You should have people around you who are going to help you fulfill the vision God has given to plant a church. Nothing beats a team of quality people.

What should we look for in team members? Besides the obvious things like having a relationship with God, and being a man or woman of the word, I would suggest three simple things:

• A good team member is a servant. They are joining the team to serve, rather than joining to be served. It may sound like a no brainer, but you would be surprised at how many people are in it for what they can get, or for self-glory, rather than for what they can contribute to the mission.
• A good team member is skilled. I have heard it said that all God is looking for is a willing heart, and that He does not need your talents and gifts. That is true, but you are not God. You need people who are gifted and skilled in the specific work you are asking them to do. Worship ministry, children’s ministry, media team, preaching, and hospitality all require gifted people to lead.
• A good team member is steadfast. Remember that thing about difficult times? You need people on your team who are not going to run when the going gets tough. You need tough people who are going to run toward the goal, even if difficult. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”^[6]

When we planted a church in Bellingham, Washington, we were blessed with a team of fifteen people to help in the work of the ministry. I could not have possibly done it without them. You need a team to succeed at church planting. It does not have to be fifteen people, but you need at least enough to spread the load of this important task.

3. Plan Your Budget

It takes money to plant a church. Without money we will not be able to do the things God is calling us to do. How much money will we need, and what are some of the expenses involved in the new church plant? That varies from place to place. Thankfully, we have resources like Cultivate to come alongside potential planters and sending churches to help plan budgets—and work through financial needs.

Here are a few things you need to plan for when you go out to plant a church:

• You need money for your family. How are you going to provide for your family while planting a church? You can raise support, be supported by your sending church, work bivocationally, or a combination of these. Or maybe you are independently wealthy. If so, you can just skip to the next section.
• You need money for your meeting space. Some places are cheap, and others are not. Some spaces are available throughout the week, others are rented for service times only. Remember that your meeting space will have a big impact on whether people will join your church or not, so make it a priority.
• You need money for your equipment. There are a lot of little things that you need to acquire for a new church plant. If you are sent out from a bigger church, maybe you can “borrow” some of their stuff. If you are starting from scratch, you will need to budget for things like sound equipment, advertising, chairs, renovations, and more.

Ministry can be expensive, and you should be ready to sacrifice personally for the sake of this new church plant. Over time, the needs of the church will be met by the congregation, but for now, plan ahead, work at raising money, and manage your expectations. Doing the work of the Lord is costly, but God will provide for all your needs through Christ Jesus!^[7]

4. Craft Your Culture

Everyone has a culture, including the people you are trying to reach.

Culture is defined as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time”^[8]
Church planting is mission work. Just like with any missionary on a foreign field, we must learn the culture and customs of those to whom we are ministering. A lot of church planters become ineffective because they are unable or unwilling to adapt to the culture they are trying to reach. Church planting in our own country is a little easier, but you must still try to understand the different cultures represented in order to reach them more effectively.

The fancy word for what we want to accomplish is “contextualization.”

Timothy Keller explains contextualization like this: “It’s adapting your message to be understandable and compelling to particular hearers without compromising the truth in any way.” Keller continues stating that “The first task of contextualization is to immerse yourself in the questions, hopes, and beliefs of the culture so that you can give a biblical, gospel-centered response to its questions.”^[9]

Planting a church in rural Montana will be much different than planting in Tampa, Florida. Take some time to humble yourself and learn from the people around you. No one likes a know-it-all, and do not expect people to come to your church if you arrive with a superior or willfully ignorant cultural attitude. We need to get to know the people in order to reach the people.

“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”^[10]

5. Publicize Your Church

There is a reason you are planting a church here. You know that there are people in this town that need a church like this. You believe that many people will benefit from this good Bible teaching, Spirit-filled church. If they only knew it was here, they would certainly plan on attending.

So, get out there and spread the word!

How are those people who need to be part of your congregation going to hear unless there is someone telling them about it? I am surprised at how many churches neglect this important part of ministry. Maybe they are embarrassed, or maybe they think it is unspiritual to “advertise” a church. Whatever the reason, I can tell you that we have had great success in planting churches because we put time and resources into spreading the word.

A few of the many things you can do are:

• Develop a social media presence. Use Instagram, Facebook,^[11] YouTube, and others to reach your community. Have a volunteer who is gifted at photography take pictures of church services and ministry for content. Find a skilled volunteer to help with your social media accounts.
• Get a simple website with service times, location, and an “about” section where people can see who you are and what you believe. Post a few videos of your service to help newcomers see what is going on. Work on search engine optimization and Google ad words (these are free for nonprofits). You may need to take some time researching this, or getting a volunteer, but it is worth the effort.
• If you can get a meeting space or permanent presence on a busy road or part of town, that is ideal. The more people who see your sign the better. Have signs, flags, and banners printed with your church logo and information to put out front.
• Get involved in community organized events and gatherings. People need to see you out in the neighborhoods and at places like farmers markets, road cleanups, volunteer events, and the like.
• Word of mouth is the best. Once people start coming to your church, they will tell their friends and neighbors. This is the most effective way to get the word out about the church. Provide them with things like stickers and invite cards.

There are many things you can do to spread the word. Get out there and let people know that God is doing a new thing in your community!

Success Is from the Lord

Never forget that Christ is the head of the Church. We are simply working for Him on his mission to seek and save the lost. Ultimately, success comes from the Lord, and He is the one who will help you along the way. Do not put too much pressure on yourself.

Something I have learned recently is that I do not need to stress out so much on performing for God. We just need to enjoy the process of following His call and being obedient to His commands. In the end, the strongest churches are the ones that are planted with patience and faithfulness.

References:

^[1] “A Vision to Plant a Thousand Churches” – Brian Brodersen & Clay Worrell (https://cgnmedia.org/podcast/cultivate-church-planting/episode/a-vision-to-plant-a-thousand-churches-brian-brodersen-clay-worrell)
^[2] 1 Corinthians 3:6
^[3] I believe that church planting is an offensive against the gates of hell. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
^[4] 1 Timothy 1:18 (NKJV)
^[5] 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NKJV)
^[6] 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV)
^[7] Philippians 4:19
^[8] Merriam-Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture
^[9] For these and more, read Keller’s great church planting book Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City https://timothykeller.com/books/center-church
^[10] 1 Corinthians 9:22 (NKJV)
^[11] Facebook may seem “uncool” and outdated, but it is the number one social media platform for adults over fifty years old. 70% report using it regularly. https://www.marketingcharts.com/demographics-and-audiences/boomers-and-older-228353

If you are interested in seeing God’s kingdom expand and local communities transformed, then this article is for you. Whether you are a church leader, an aspiring leader, or simply a catalyst for positive change, please read on. The hope of the world is the gospel, and the world needs more gospel-centered churches!

Church planting, like many activities of the local church, became somewhat dormant in the midst of the pandemic. As local churches attempt to navigate a post-pandemic ecosystem, many feel there is a shortage of qualified leaders. Thus, there is a reluctance to send out top-tier talent to plant another church. So, I would like to consider four tools to cultivate church plants in a post-pandemic ecosystem, tools that are adaptable in almost any size church anywhere in the world.

Before discussing the tools, it is helpful to understand the following: planting churches benefits the kingdom and the local sending church. It creates excitement and attraction. Gifted leaders and future leaders are drawn to churches that plant churches. Training future church planters is arguably the most holistic leadership training. Most ministry training is silo-specific (e.g., youth or children’s ministry), but conversely, training church planters encourages a 360-degree understanding of the local church. So, while some trained leaders will actually go and plant churches, others will remain and greatly help the local church where they are trained.

So, here are 4 tools to cultivate better disciples, better leaders, and church plants in any season and any ecosystem:

1. School of Discipleship (aka School of Ministry):

A School of Discipleship (SoD) is a means to provide a more formalized method of making disciples, developing leaders, and leveraging a leader’s time. At Calvary Nexus, we use a curriculum that covers devotions, worship, servant leadership, use of time, Bible teaching, ministry and people, missions, equipping, evangelism, church history, planning, vision, and Calvary Chapel philosophy of ministry and systematic theology. A link to our curriculum is available here:

http://calvarynexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/School-of-Discipleship.pdf.

We offer a class one evening a week, for one hour and fifteen minutes. Each participant is expected to complete one hour a week of “lifework” (really just homework, but it sounds more spiritual). Each participant volunteers an average of one hour a week (four hours a month) in an area of ministry at the local church or a para-church organization. The curriculum takes about fourteen months to complete.

Each module is independent, which allows you to enroll new participants every six months. Participants who excel are recruited (after they graduate) to grade papers and mentor new students. This SoD model creates tremendous leverage, because the primary leader spends less than ninety minutes in class and can train a relatively large group. Each mentor disciples up to ten students and provides feedback on papers and helps participants grow as they learn to follow Christ and serve Him.

The SoD approach develops a broad foundation of growing disciples and leaders. Like a pyramid, this foundation will support narrowing tiers of future leaders and prospective church planters.

2. Teacher Training Class:

The Calvary Chapel movement has a rich history of expositional Bible teaching. We recognize that making disciples, developing leaders, and preparing church planters is more than training to teach the Bible. Yet, a class that teaches participants how to more effectively proclaim biblical truth is an important tool.

Expositor’s Collective (https://www.expositorscollective.com/) has an abundance of wonderful resources. Their training events are effective at helping Bible learners communicate gospel-centered truth so that people can understand and apply the Bible to their lives and glorify Christ.

At Calvary Nexus, we offer a class usually every other year. The class will generally have eight to twelve students. Most of the participants have roles teaching in youth ministries, kids’ ministry, small groups, or another ministry context, but some aspire to teach and want to be trained beforehand. We spend about four to eight sessions explaining principles of biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) and homiletics (communication). The students learn elements of Bible teaching and become aware of some traits that can make teaching more or less effective.

Then the participants begin to present thirty- to thirty-five-minute messages and receive feedback from their peers regarding what they did well, and then, what they (and the class) can work on to be more effective. A seasoned pastor-teacher or two will provide a more nuanced or sophisticated level of critique. We seek to provide critique that is sensitive to the experience level of each individual participant. The Teacher Training Class is explained at length as a step-by-step process in the Appendix of the Calvary Church Planting Manual:

http://calvarynexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Calvary-Planting-Manual.pdf.­­­­

3. Internship:

Internship provides an opportunity to grow as a disciple and leader in the context of a healthy local church. Internship provides participants who are interested in ministry an opportunity to glean practical experience in a local church that can help prepare them for a future of full- or part-time vocational ministry. Internships are often useful to college students and recent graduates as many internship programs provide college credit rather than an hourly pay rate. Yet, older interns can also benefit from the experience. Internships may also offer individuals insight into a particular church’s culture and daily operations.

At Calvary Nexus, we offer six-month and one-year internships. The primary ministry areas are kids, youth, young adults, tech, worship, and administration. Yet, any area can be ripe for an internship. At the beginning of the internship, we generally define three to four ministry objectives that seek to align the gifts and passions of the intern with the needs of the ministry. Then we identify three to four spiritual growth goals that are related to the ministry objectives. For example, a Children’s Ministry intern may have objectives to see a new classroom started, recruit volunteers, or discover new ways to express appreciation to volunteers. The spiritual growth goals could relate to attending a Children’s Ministry conference, listening to podcasts related to children’s ministry, researching appreciation, and identifying ways parents can better disciple their children.

The great majority of staff positions at Calvary Nexus have been filled by people who attended our School of Discipleship and participated in an internship. They proved themselves as having Christlike character—and being capable, faithful, and interested in vocational ministry. The internship is also explained at length in the Appendix of the Calvary Church Planting Manual.

4. Church Planter Training:

Cultivate by CGN has created a somewhat distinct approach to cultivate church plants:
https://cultivatechurchplanting.com/. The primary garden to train church planters is a local healthy gospel-centered church. A healthy gospel-centered church of almost any size anywhere in the world is an ideal environment to be trained. A disciple who has demonstrated proven Christlike character, gifting as a Bible teacher, and leadership qualities can discover a 360-degree understanding of the local church by being trained in the local church.

Cultivate is not a para-church planting organization meant to take the place of the local church. Instead, we are part of an expanding global family of churches that provides resources and coaches to help local church leaders serve as mentors to aspiring church planters.

Cultivate offers training videos that provide a comprehensive understanding of the vision, values, philosophy, and theology of the CGN family of churches. Cultivate provides effective assessment tools that help an aspiring church planter discover ministry gifting as well as theological understanding, strengths, and areas where development can be targeted. This also helps a planter recognize the value and benefits of building a team of people with a common mission and complementary gifting. Online classes provided through Western Seminary enhance theological training. The Calvary Church Planting Manual serves as a comprehensive resource for a pastor-mentor to train a prospective planter in the local church.

At Calvary Nexus, we offer a class where we primarily invite disciples to participate who are interested in church planting. They are often people who have proven themselves in the School of Discipleship, teacher training class, and internships, but invitations need not be limited to only those with these experiences. We include men and women because there are several roles on a church’s team, and we have found that spouses of church planters are better prepared for challenges as a result.

We use the manual as a resource/curriculum for the class and simply walk through the step-by step training described in the manual. Those who continue to feel called, and are recognized as being qualified by God to plant, will then be sent through Cultivate’s assessment process to refine, equip, and further mentor, coach, and prepare them to church plant and transform a community for Christ.

The class does not create any undue burden for the teacher-mentor (I spend less than two hours a week), and it ensures growing disciples and leaders for the kingdom and the local church.

We, along with several other churches, have discovered that these are effective tools to cultivate church plants in any ecosystem. So, whether you are presently a church leader, an aspiring leader, or a catalyst for positive change, contemplate how you can use these tools—or share these tools with others. The hope of the world is the gospel and the world needs more gospel-centered churches!

 Originally published on Nick’s blog on May 9, 2023.

Nick Cady will be imparting two workshops and in our Q&A Panel at this year’s CGN International Conference!

Don’t miss it and register today!

One of my favorite quotes about preaching comes from Richard Baxter, the 17th century English Puritan pastor and writer. He described his mode of preaching like this:

“I preached as if never to preach again; as a dying man to dying men.”

That quote conveys the sense of weight and urgency that a Christian sermon must have. This sense of weight and urgency can be seen in the preaching of the prophets, of Jesus himself, and in the preaching of the Apostles, recorded in the Book of Acts.

“Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others”

In 2 Corinthians 5, the Apostle Paul is writing about the incredible hope that we have because of the gospel. It is a hope that enables us to live free from the fear of death, because we know that eternal life awaits us as a result of what Jesus accomplished for us.

And then, in 2 Corinthians 5:11, Paul declares: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.”

To persuade means to convince someone to accept or adopt a certain point of view, belief, opinion, or course of action. It involves presenting arguments, evidence, or appeals that are designed to change someone’s mind or motivate them to take a particular action.

What is it then, that we are called to persuade people to do? In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul says that it is as if God is appealing to people through us: “We implore you, on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God!”

“I have written these things so that you may believe”

At the end of the Gospel of John, the Apostle John lays his cards on the table and says,

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:30-31

In other words, John was trying to do something more than just convey true information. He was seeking to convey true information in a way that would compel and persuade people to believe.

Persuasion Versus Manipulation

There’s a difference between persuasion and manipulation.

Paul the Apostle, in 1 Corinthians 1-2, says that when he came to Corinth, he did not seek to manipulate the Corinthians in any way by use of rhetorical techniques. Rather, he preached Christ, and Him crucified, and he did so with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

So, while we do seek to persuade, we must never be manipulative. How does that work out practically?

The Power of Expository Preaching

John Scott explains the power of expository preaching in this way:

“The skillful expositor allows the text to open itself up before our eyes, like a rose unfolding to the morning sun and displaying its previously hidden beauty.”
John Scott, Between Two Worlds

So, the job of a faithful Bible teacher is to help people to see what the Bible is saying in a way that is clear, and in a way that helps them see that it is not only true, but why it matters for them.

It is not our job to make the Bible “seem” compelling, rather it is our job to help people understand why it is compelling, by helping them understand and even feel the importance and urgency of what the text is saying and how it pertains to their lives.

Our goal is to help people understand the badness of sin, the hopelessness of the curse—and the greatness of Jesus, and the goodness of the gospel, in a way that compels them to believe and to act.

Augustine’s Preaching Manual

Augustine of Hippo, the famed church father, wrote a manual, to instruct other preachers how to preach.

In that manual, Augustine said that the duty of a preacher is not only to instruct and teach, but also to “rivet and delight”—and to “stir and move people to action.”

The goal of preaching, therefore, is not only to pass on true information about the Bible, but to affect the beliefs, actions, and even emotions of those who are listening.

Ultimately, we want to be used by God to reshape the foundations of our listeners’ hearts; to change what they most fundamentally love, desire, hope in, and trust in—so that by seeing what God’s Word says they are compelled to love, desire, hope, and trust in Him, rather than in idols of this world.

Compelling Preaching is Born Out of Two Loves

Compelling preaching is born out of two loves: love for God, and love for people.

Because we want to honor God by rightly dividing His Word, and because we care about the fate and destiny of people, we do not just want our sermons to be informative lectures, but we desire to bring the “words of life,” the Holy Scriptures, to bear on people’s lives in such a way that they are compelled to respond by trusting in and worshiping Jesus.

My wife Lynne and I went onto the mission field when were young. We left America in our early twenties and spent ten years in Africa planting churches and ministering to those in need. During our whole married life, we’ve been involved in missions and church planting in one way or another. We may have missed out on a lot of other stuff, but we had a blast doing what God had called us to do. The missions life is a good life.

Lynne and I met at Calvary Chapel Bible College, and like many other good bible college couples, we got married right after school.

Calvary Chapel Bridal College. Am I right?

We then moved to Georgia (the state not the country) for our first two years of marriage. We connected with a new church plant and learned practical ministry from my friend Ben Sloboda. He’d planted a Calvary Chapel in Athens, and we both got jobs in town and helped at the church.

It was a great couple of years. Judah, our son, was born there, and we learned a lot about ministry and life. We also started to see that God had a specific plan for us. We ended up turning a short-term trip into a long-term career.

Mission Work Was (and Still Is) Our Life

Our goal had always been to move onto the mission field—preferably somewhere in Africa. While at Bible College, Lynne heard a motivating message from Wes Bentley of Far Reaching Ministries. He shared about the work that God was doing through a small group of missionaries in Uganda. As he spoke, Lynne’s heart was stirred for the orphans of East Africa. She was feeling the call to missions, and she was responding with faith. I felt the call too. Once we were married, we committed to following God wherever He would lead us. We both had a desire to work in foreign missions, serving God overseas.

Long before ever stepping foot on the mission field, missions was our life. We supported mission organizations. We prayed for people in other countries. Missionary conferences and visiting missionaries were a few of our favorite things. We both loved hearing stories of people serving Christ in far off places. We loved all the amazing things that God’s people were doing around the world. That’s what we wanted to do too. We wanted to give our lives for the lost. We wanted to be like Jim and Elizabeth Elliot (without the dying part). We wanted to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God. We wanted to be missionaries.

After that first motivational message back at Bible college, Wes Bentley prayed for Lynne to be a missionary to Uganda. It was a prophetic prayer, and two years later we joined a mission team headed to Kampala. That was the beginning of an amazing journey that our family was privileged to be a part of. God prepared all this in advance, and we simply had to walk with Him by faith.

I feel like I could write a book about all the stuff we got to see and experience on the mission field, but this isn’t the time for that. I think even some of the “normal” stuff we did would make for an interesting read. It definitely wouldn’t be a book where we were the heroes of the story, though. Frankly, most of the time we were just holding on for dear life. It’s kind of embarrassing when I look back at some of the foolish things I said and did. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of good stuff, but I sure would’ve done a few things differently.

At any rate, our eventual success as missionaries in Africa wasn’t because of us. We went with insufficient training, insufficient funds, and insufficient support. It was almost as if God selected a couple that couldn’t possibly take the credit even if they wanted to. That was us. Thankfully, even in our insufficiency, we were sent out by a sufficient God. In our weakness, God is strong. By the grace of God, we were able to establish a successful Calvary Chapel ministry in East Africa that continues to this day.

All of Us Are Called to Mission Work in One Way or Another

I’m not here to write about our missions adventures. I’m not here to write a book of stories recounting God’s faithfulness to us in Africa. I’m simply here to write a short article about how I think that all of us are called to mission work in one way or another.

If someone were to ask you the question, “Why are you a missionary?” You may respond with, “Who says I’m a missionary?” They, believing it to be true, might reply, “You are a missionary.”

But are all Christians called to be missionaries? The answer is yes and no.

Yes, because all Christians have been given the great commission by Christ. He says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). This is our job. This is our purpose as a church in the world. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). So, if we as Christians are supposed to go into the world and make disciples, then I think we’re all called to the task of missions and church planting in some fashion.

A simple definition of the word missionary means someone who’s sent on a mission with a message. It’s Jesus who has sent all of us on His mission with the gospel message. So according to Jesus, all of us are missionaries in that sense.

Don’t get scared though. It doesn’t mean you’re called to go to Africa or that you must leave your job and travel to a foreign country. We’re not all supposed to be missionaries in that way. God has a specific calling for all of us, including the type of people who travel to the remote parts of the world, or who plant churches among unreached tribes. That may or may not be you.

Unfortunately, I see a lot of Christians using the, “I’m not called to be a missionary” attitude as an excuse to not be involved in reaching the lost. They think because they aren’t called to “missions,” then they can focus on other things. Listen, just because God hasn’t called you to be a foreign missionary, it doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to be involved in the mission of God in the world.

I remember years ago hearing a quote from John Piper: “Go, send, or disobey.” That’s heavy but it’s true. If we don’t take the Great Commission seriously then we’re not in line with the heart of God. He’s seeking people from every tribe tongue and nation to worship Him around the throne (Revelation 7:9). If we don’t all get involved in mission work, and get the message out to all these people, then they won’t be able to hear and be saved (Romans 10:14). That’s on us.

This means that we need to stop living for ourselves and start putting our time, resources, and effort into reaching the lost for Christ. The great thing about it is that we can do that wherever we are. We are all on mission, even if it’s right here at home. It’s like the sign outside of the church parking lot, “You are now entering the mission field.”

Ready to Serve, Send, and Go for the Sake of Christ

So, go and share the gospel with someone. Write a check to a missionary family. Join a missions small group. It’s not that complicated. Answer the call of God by saying, “Here I am Lord, send me” and watch the amazing things that He will do in your life.

You know, Lynne and I aren’t on the mission field in Africa anymore. We aren’t worried about not having enough support, the power going out, getting malaria, or dealing with the many complexities of living in another culture. We are just down here in Florida hanging out and planting a church. We are pretty much back to normal life again, and we are thankful to God for this season. But, deep down, the truth is that we still feel the same zeal and passion that we have always had for the great commission. Whether we’re here in America, or traveling to a foreign destination, we’re ready to serve, send, and go for the sake of Christ.

And that’s God’s heart for all of us. He wants us to join Him in His mission to seek and save the lost. So, are you a missionary? Well, you get the amazing privilege of answering that for yourself. I’m hoping the answer is “Yes!”

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).

 

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed (1 Peter 5:1, ESV)

Ministers can learn a lot from Peter. When he wrote this letter, he had already suffered much for Jesus. He had endured imprisonments, rejection, and brutality at the hands of the authorities. But his previous pains could not eliminate the certainty of his future pains. He knew he would suffer and eventually die for Jesus because Jesus had told him so (John 21:18-19). And because Peter knew what he was heading into, he had developed a specific mentality.

It is that mentality that Peter shares with us in this passage. In this closing portion of his letter, Peter’s exhorted a church on the margins. Just as Peter knew what he was going to endure, he had a Holy Spirit informed sense of what they and their pastors were about to endure, so in these verses, he took time to direct their pastors .

But what can we learn from Peter’s exhortations to these pastors? And why should this matter?

One reason is that the role of pastor is one of great importance to the well-being of the church, and the well-being of God’s people. Through solid teaching, servant-leadership, and a healthy example, good pastors can aid their congregation in a myriad of ways. They can impact their spiritual, emotional, and even physical health. They can calm, encourage, and correct them. They can help every relationship they are in. They can strengthen them for their life pursuits. They can talk them out of grave error and life-altering sins. They can help you draw close to God. And they can stand out as an example to follow. Choosing the path of pastoral ministry is an important and weighty decision.

For instance, consider the consequences if pastors were to focus on entertainment rather than discipleship. What do you think would result? Or, what would happen if we, as pastors, repeatedly lead our congregations into theological error? Or, think of the impact of serving as a pastor who is motivated by the fear of man rather than the fear of God? As current or aspiring pastors, reflecting on Peter’s exhortations can provide valuable guidance and self reflection for our ministry and service to God’s people.

It helps us answer the question: what is a pastor supposed to be?

1. They Are Shepherds (5:1-2)

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you … (1 Peter 5:2, ESV)

First, we learn pastors are meant to be shepherds. I would like to eradicate the term of its sappy sentimentalism. In the Old and New Testaments, shepherds were used as metaphors for good spiritual leadership. Moses and David were shepherds of Israel who laid down their lives for the sheep in order to confront the powers of darkness. Isaiah and Ezekiel rebuked bad shepherds who did things for unrighteous gain and would not say hard things the people did not want to hear.

Remember the context in which Peter is writing: these churches were at the beginning stages of marginalization for the gospel’s sake. Peter saw swells of hostility rolling in and predicted that a tsunami was coming. And since the pastors were the visible figureheads and leaders of these churches, Peter assumed these men were in jeopardy. War was coming.

And, as I said earlier, Peter could relate to the combative nature of the role these men were in. He had fought for the gospel outside and inside the church, oftentimes suffering in the process.

But he could also relate because he had seen Jesus endure the war of all wars. He called himself a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker of the glory that is going to be revealed (v. 1). It is true. Peter had watched while the tide of popular opinion turned against Jesus. He watched Jesus become alienated from his own family members. He saw the Jewish leaders and Roman officials reject Jesus. He knew about the plots against Jesus, the arrest of Jesus, and the beatings Jesus endured. He was there in the distress of the garden of Gethsemane. And he was privy to the pain and agony of the cross. He knew Jesus was the original self-jeopardizing Shepherd (5:4). And Peter knew that any suffering he endured for Jesus meant he had suffered like Jesus.

So what did Peter want these pastors to do? He wanted them to shepherd. What did he want them to become? Self-jeopardizing shepherds. He said, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (v. 2).

But what does that mean? In the Bible, spiritual leaders were meant to shepherd in two main ways: through tending and feeding God’s people. Those were the two exhortations Jesus gave Peter (John 2:15-17). To tend means to care, lead, guide, and protect. It can be exhausting work, and no man does this perfectly. To feed means bringing the nutritive resource of God’s word to his people in a variety of ways. It is also tiring work, and the job of tending and feeding is never done.

2. They Must Be Willing (5:2-3)

… exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly … (1 Peter 5:2, ESV)

The second attribute of pastors, according to Peter, is that they are willing to work and willing to do the work. In this brief section, Peter went for the heart of a pastor’s motivation. John Calvin said Peter was pointing out three vices pastors might succumb to—laziness, greed, and lust for power. Peter tells us there is no room for any of these three.

First, Peter said a pastor must exercise oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have him (v. 2). I have known men who did not want to do the work but “felt called” to the work, so they thought they had to pastor. But Peter said pastors should not do it by compulsion, but willingly (v. 2). They should want to be pastors.

He also said pastors should not pastor “for shameful gain, but eagerly” (1 Peter 5:2). This was not Peter’s way of saying pastors should never be paid. Some are not. Some are. Paul said things like “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching … the laborer is worthy of his wages” (1 Tim. 5:17-18). Peter is not picking on salaried pastors but on those who do it for shameful gain (v. 3). We can easily observe exorbitant forms of this in modern prosperity preachers or some “celebrity pastors.” Instead, Peter said, pastors should be eager to do the work.

Now, please think about the implications. Pastors should want to do the work. Continually. Peter used the words willingly and eagerly. But a desire, a will, is not something that one acquires early on and never has to revisit. No, a pastor must perpetually cultivate his heart and health so that he stokes his will within to crave the work.

Many pastors are immensely discouraged. Many have burdens placed on them they could not possibly bear. Some of them have allowed expectations of them to run out of control. And most are exposed to the more unsavory effects of sin and the problematic portions of the church family on a regular basis. And when the church is marginalized or exiled, fears can compound, and a pastor can feel he has a target on his back. So he (and the church) should work hard to establish boundaries and rhythms that allow his soul to be nourished and re-nourished by God. He must open his spirit to God’s Spirit so that God can reignite the will within.

3. They Must Be Examples (5:3)

… not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:3, ESV)

But beyond the heart motivation of a pastor is his method of leadership. Peter said they must be examples to the church. Many of us know the Bible teaches us to imitate God. In the Old and New Testaments, God is the standard. We are made in his image to bear his image. He tells us to be holy as he is holy. As Paul said, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1). We also know we are to model our lives after God the Son. John said, “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).

But even though we are called to imitate God and walk as Jesus walked, pastors are to live as examples to the flock (v. 3). Rather than domineer over the church—or “lord it over” the church—God’s leaders are called to lead by example. The apostle Paul embraced this mentality when he said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). He also told Timothy and Titus to live exemplary lives (1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7-8).

This calling is even evident in the New Testament lists describing what a pastor must be; they are light on talents and heavy on character because that character should be an example for the whole church (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). As the writer of Hebrews said, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7).

But the context of Peter’s words makes it sound as if this methodology—being an example—was in jeopardy. It sounds good to us for pastors to lead by example, but in those days, a pastor could lead through domination, partly because they had a significant amount of authority. And this can be done today.

Many Christians, of course, have stories of painful interactions with church leadership. I know I do. And I am sure I am part of those stories for many others, even unknowingly. But the general trend of a pastor’s life and ministry should be towards humble service rather than running roughshod over God’s people.

Unfortunately, some of the most charismatic and confident church leaders also struggle with this methodology. But Jesus stands out as our constant source of wisdom and our pattern to follow. He did not domineer but patiently served his people while exemplifying the life he wanted them to follow.

As ministers of the gospel, it is essential to examine our own character. Reflect on our way of life, our emphases, and our passions. Consider what drives us.

Are we intent on building our own kingdom, or are we serving God’s kingdom? Are we concerned with our own popularity, or do we drive forward to the fame of Christ? Can we celebrate the wins of others, or do we always have to be at the forefront?

Do we love our family? Do we manage our lives well? Are we self-controlled and disciplined? Do we speak gently to individuals? Do we fear God? Do we love his word? Do we take our own sanctification seriously?

Or, do we neglect our family? Are our lives chaotic and impossibly overwhelmed? Are we angry and inflammatory when we speak? Do we have few boundaries? Do we lack self-control? Are we loose with our words? Do we cross lines and disobey God?

Again, no one is perfect, but as pastors or those aspiring to the call of pastoral ministry, we should strive to live exemplary lives. This is especially important in chaotic times, seasons when the church is exiled.

4. They Are Motivated by Their Lord (5:4)

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:4, ESV)

Finally, Peter says good pastors will be motivated by the return of the ultimate pastor, the true Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ (Ezek. 34:11-16; John 10:11-14; Heb. 13:20). But they are also motivated by what Jesus will give them: the unfading crown of glory (v. 4). It is true that every believer will receive a crown of righteousness or life, but the passages that suggest as much might be using “crown” as a metaphor for the heavenly life (2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; Rev. 2:10, 3:11). But the crown Peter mentions here is different from the crown all believers will receive.

The crowns (stephanos) used in Peter’s day were given to winners of athletic contests or Roman generals who were valiant in battle. But many of those crowns were made of perishable materials, wreaths that would wither over time. But Peter said the crown pastors achieve are unfading (v. 4). A good pastor will be motivated by the reward coming from his Lord. He will look forward to hearing Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matt. 25:21).

And this motivation will make him impervious to the sudden shifts that can come upon the exiled church. When his motivation is what Jesus thinks of him, a pastor will have reservoirs of strength that enable him to handle criticism, navigate waves of trials, and endure pressures from outside and inside the church. With Christ’s reward as his motivation, a pastor will say whatever he has to say, even if his audience does not like it or even if it lands him in prison.

We must strive to be men who care much about what Christ thinks of them and think less about what people think of them. It seems there is something powerful about becoming the kinds of pastors Peter described.

Peter’s next sentence exhorted the young to be subject to the elders and everyone else to practice humility (1 Pet. 5:5). In other words, if we, as pastors, are good shepherds, are willing to do the work, are good examples, and look to Jesus’ reward, we will be effective leaders. Our congregations are imperfect; we certainly are too. Together, with humility, we can accomplish much.

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