41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 5 OF 5)

41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 5 OF 5):

33.            If the bishop appointed you, have the decency to show up to his meetings and conventions. Be a blessing to your leader, not an antagonist. Do not have the attitude with your leader that, “This is my church now and I could care less what you say.” Just like you were willing to mow his grass and everything else, while you were campaigning for the church, keep that same humble attitude.

34.            Do not belittle the people’s faith. They are not always fighting you. For example, they may not be at the level to see the vision of building a community center, when there are only 20 members. Start small. Build their faith. Lead them, not drive them. You may have to, for example, start off with a project to install an industrial stove first. That will build their morale. Then go up from there.

35.            There is probably a group of preachers in your congregation (or in your denomination) that thought that they should have become the pastor of the church. Do not preach against them nor lash out at them. That makes you appear intimidated. They may criticize EVERYTHING you do. Study the story of Nehemiah and you “stay on the wall.”

36.            Do not fight with a dead man. When people die, they become bigger than life. The members may constantly reflect on the good times they had with a legendary former pastor. If you do something right, they will say, “that’s not as good as what Elder McGillicuddy did.” If you do something wrong, they will say, “Elder McGillicuddy never would have done it that way.” Do not fight with Elder McGillicuddy. Do not insult his memory from the pulpit. Go with the flow. Learn to live with it. Tell the people how Elder McGillicuddy “was a visionary and he laid the foundation, so that we can be where we are today.” This will endear you to them.

37.            The former pastor’s widow may give you grief and the blues. Do not lash out. Do not be insulting. NEVER EVER say things like, “You’re not the First Lady anymore, you don’t run this.” Widows carry great influence and people will sympathize with them, before they do with you. If you have to make sure the widow gets a stipend and you have to work a job outside the church, then so be it. Do so, until the church can get on its feet enough to support you. Yes, you should have a backbone. I get that. But the Word also refers to the treatment of widows. Show your leadership skills and win the widow over.

38.            If you were just appointed/elected and you are driving an economy car; do not go out next week and buy a luxury car (because you have a bigger salary now). Yes, you have earned your money and can do with it as you please. However, you will be sending a statement that your priorities are material. And you will send a red flag that you are “new money,” and do not know how to manage prosperity.

39.            Be patient. Win the people over. Preach the Word. Eventually (if you do things right) you will win the confidence of the saints over and be able to accomplish any project that God places on your heart. Impatience will make you cater to the cooperative members and neglect the troublesome members. That is wrong. A leader has to lead everyone; not just those who always cooperate.

40.            You may have a lot of preacher friends that you have fellowshipped with down through the years. Be careful bringing in a lot of guest speakers at the start of your pastorate. Your friends’ styles of ministry may not fit the flavor of that house. God will hold you accountable for what you let loose on the saints. This is a church, not a source for you to pay back favors to your preaching buddies.

41.            Be watchful when a lot of friends and family join your ministry. Yes, they love you; but they may still see you as “Pookie.” They may see you as more of a friend than their leader. It’s very hard for business and friendship to mix. This can be especially challenging, if you become pastor of the church you grew up in. You have to patiently and lovingly work through this. Study about Moses and how he had to deal with his siblings Miriam and Aaron. Do not go to war with your family/friends. That will break the church up.

 

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41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 4 OF 5)

41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 4 OF 5):

24.            Keep church relations professional. For example, if you are married, you should not go to lunch with the church secretary alone. Do not confide in church staff your marital difficulties. A minister of the Gospel should not be flirtatious.

25.            If you are appointed or elected to a traditional church, do not change the church to contemporary right away. Find middle ground. Have an approach that combines traditional and contemporary. Teach the people to not only appreciate different styles of worship; but also, to remember that worship is about God and not our preferences.

26.            If you are going to change the church bylaws, the board of directors and church members should have a right to vote on it.

27.            If you have an older congregation, do not neglect the older people. They have a soul and need ministry, just like the young people. Listen to their stories about life. You can learn from them. Do activities with them. (I remember, when I was appointed to a pastorate, taking the older people to the drive-through animal safari. They had the time of their lives, feeding the animals from their cars).

28.            If you want to make changes, appeal to the heritage of the church. Talk about how the pioneers of the ministry were daring, courageous and dedicated. Teach how the church yet has that same passion and commitment to ministry. And, now you have the opportunity to fulfill the dreams of those who started the ministry years ago.

29.            There is always a meeting before the meeting and after the meeting. Do not spring surprises on the people. Inform your influencers, ahead of time, about your plans and get their feedback and buy in.

30.            Reinforce to your family how you love and appreciate them. Church people can be brutally cruel. They will say things like they love the pastor, but cannot stand the family. Teach the people to respect your family. No, your family is not better than anyone else; but you will also not allow your family to be mistreated or abused.

31.            There are always long standing members that say, “I speak my mind.” Let them know that you are perfectly fine with that; as long as they are perfectly fine and respective of you also speaking your mind. Mutual respect for each other will go a long way.

 

To be continued…

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“41 Principles On Being Appointed/Elected To Pastor An Existing Church.”

 

41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 3 OF 5):

 41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 3 OF 5):

17.            Yes, you should not be too common, but do not be “stand offish” with the people. They are learning you, just like you are learning them.

18.            Never say, “If you don’t like how I run it, then there is the door.” An established church can vote you out in more ways than one. Even if you have been appointed by the bishop, the people can try to starve you out by withholding their participation and financial support. You do not need a war with the people.

19.            The financial record should reflect that you are tithing and financially supporting the church. Along with the spiritual component, this helps to put the people at ease [especially in cases where previous pastor(s) have “cleaned out” the treasury].

20.            Yes, when there is a new administration, normally every office is declared vacant. But it would be foolish to “fire” everyone. Yes, it is fine to have some new blood; but you need some people also that have been there and know the history of the church.

21.            People like new things. So, when you first arrive a lot of people will come “back” to the church and a lot of visitors will join your church. Do not put your confidence in that. Do not feed into any talk about how bad the previous pastor was and how wonderful you are. It’s just a matter of time when they will talk about you as well. When the newness wears off, they will be looking for the next “hottest” church in town. Do not let it discourage you. Every church goes through highs and lows.

22.            Really think through selling (or tearing down) the building you inherited and building (or buying) a new church. The old saying was, “build it and they will come.” The new saying is, “build it and they will drive right by it.” People are not as committed to long term membership, as they were decades ago.

23.            Do not belittle your church to other pastors, saying things like you have a, “starter church,” or how terrible your members are. You will kill the morale of your people; if they feel like they are just to tide you over for a bigger and better opportunity. Besides, just like people should not “run down” the pastor, the pastor should not “run down” the members.

24.            Be sexually pure. The church is not your personal harem. If you cannot control your flesh, you do not need to be in the pulpit. If you are single, do not fornicate. If you are married, do not commit adultery. Live the type of life that you can preach the WHOLE Bible and be able to address ANY subject. If you mess up (i.e., sin), be honest and confess. Do not insult the intelligence of the people and say you are being lied on. Saints are more apt to forgive when you are honest vs being deceptive.  Proverbs 28:13 says “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Yes, you are held to a higher standard, because the Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:2 TLB, “…A pastor must be a good man whose life cannot be spoken against…”

 

To be continued…

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41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 2 OF 5):

 41 PRINCIPLES ON BEING APPOINTED/ELECTED TO PASTOR AN EXISTING CHURCH (PART 2 OF 5):

9.               Allow people to express themselves, in a respectable manner. These people have put years of sacrifice into the church and you do not want them to feel like you are diminishing their contribution. If you hear them out, they are more apt to hearing you out.

10.            Do not get a big ego and think that the entire church loves you. No one gets 100% support. Jesus did not have 100% (He said one was a “devil”). Be watchful.

11.            Some of the people you want to get rid of are really for you. Some of the people you want to keep, you really need to get rid of.

12.            Do not belittle your fellow pastors that are church planters. You inherited a building and large membership. They must start from scratch. Even if you came in after a church split, you do not have the stress of starting everything from scratch. Stay humble. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. So, give God the glory.

13.            Do not complain about everything (for example, your salary, etc.). You came in saying that, “I’ll sweep the floors.” Keep that same humility you had when you were campaigning for the church.

14.            You may come into a church that is divided. Each faction may try to win you over. Do not take sides. Love everyone. Treat everyone fairly. You are to be a source of unity, not division.

15.            If the church has been in a denomination the last 60 years, do not come in and take them independent or into another denomination. If you feel led to be independent, then you should have started an independent church. Respect the heritage of the ministry that you have been appointed or elected to.

16.            The church may have long term relationships that have been developed before you got there. For example, it may be the tradition that the little community group in the neighborhood, always has the pastor of the church to come and give a Christmas homily on Christmas Day. Make the sacrifice and do it. Do not burn bridges that the church took many years to build

 

To be continued….

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41 Principles On Being Appointed/Elected To Pastor An Existing Church (Part 1 of 5)

 

41 Principles On Being Appointed/Elected To Pastor An Existing Church (Part 1 of 5)

 

1.               DO NOT take the former pastor’s picture down. Eventually (not right away) yours can be added.

2.               Do not speak ill of your predecessor, even if there were scandals. Say nothing vs reflecting negatively.

3.               Do not change the name of the church. Eventually, if you lead correctly, the people will have buy-in to your vision and may consider it.

4.               If the church has a lot of money in savings, that is NOT your money. Take classes on financial management, so that you do not go through the church’s savings in one year.

5.               The board of directors is in place on behalf of the interests of the church (organization), not the pastor. Rather than take an adversarial role, view them as a filter that considers all sides of a decision.

6.               There are influencers in the church. Do not resent the fact that members may look to these individuals, to consider whether they support something or not. Instead of seeking to destroy their influence, use your leadership and negotiation skills and win them over.

7.               Sis McGuire has played an accordion solo every Sunday for the last 40 years. Yes, it drives you up the wall. But, do not stop it right away. Your newer people may be glad you stopped it. But your people that have been there for many years, may be offended and withdraw support. Ask God for wisdom, for some kind of creative way, that Sis McGuire can yet use her gift; while keeping your worship experience from resembling the circus.

8.               Never say, “I don’t care what these people think.” The church is made up of people. So, what they think is important. Even Jesus inquired about what people think, “Who do men say that I the Son of Man am?”

 

To be continued…

 

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“WE ARE SAVED BY HOPE!” Rom 8:22-24

 

Church Planting Part 4 of 4

 

“44 PRINCIPLES ON CHURCH PLANTING” (PART 4 of 4)

 

34.            Once you start a church, many of your ministry friends will turn on you. That is because you have now become the competition. It comes with the territory. Do not take it personal.

35.            Being a tremendous preacher alone is not going to build a church membership. Some of the greatest preachers that I know of, may have only a handful of people. Genuine increase comes from God.

36.            Do not be too common with the church members or they will not respect you. But, do not be too aloof, or they will not be able to relate to you.

37.            You are a Shepherd. Visit the hospitals, pray for the sick, go to the jails, tend to the elderly and orphans. As your ministry grows, you will have to delegate. But the people should yet have some means of receiving the prayers and encouragement of their pastor.

38.            Do not be too deep and spooky. (an example of “spookiness” would be an unbalanced emphasis on “gifts” vs developing “fruit” or character). You are a Shepherd not a mystic. Stay balanced.

39.            You just got started. So, you do not need a dozen armor bearers. Treat (and talk to) your armor bearers as adults, not as your personal servants. Do not be so demanding on your armor bearers time that they neglect family, personal time and time with God.

40.            If you are involved in scandal after scandal; do not get mad at the people and say “church people are messy.” No, YOUR LIFE is messy and you should clean it up. That is YOUR FAULT, not the people’s. Take responsibility. Be integral, be ethical and most of all “be ye holy.” You want to be known as a man/woman of God; not a scammer or con artist.

41.            Do not open a church to obtain money to pay bills or child support. First, stop having babies out of wedlock. Second, get a job. A church is not your personal bank. Do not make a habit of borrowing money from your church members.

42.            Be careful spending tons of money on “master classes” to learn about church planting; only to get “warmed over” info that someone pieced together (i.e. plagiarized) from Google. Do not be taken advantage of.

43.            Be watchful seeking to have the “covering” of the latest “celebrity” minister. Today’s “celebrity” will be tomorrow’s “has been.” Do not seek that status. Seek to be effective and most of all, to be in God’s perfect will. Plus, having the covering of a celebrity ministry is NO guarantee at all that your church will grow or attract new people. Again, increase comes from God.

44.            Do not build a church on downgrading denominations. Denominations were here before you. And, they will be here after you go off the scene. Fight the devil, not other Christians.

 

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Church Planting Part 3

“44 PRINCIPLES ON CHURCH PLANTING” (PART 3 of 4)

 

23.            For the love of sunny skies and 70-degree weather, DO NOT set you up a throne in your church, that is half the size of your building. You are a pastor, not a monarch. Your car should not be bigger than your church building.

24.            You just got started. You do not need to have an appreciation service after 6 months of pastoring. You have not done anything yet. Serve and then honor will follow.

25.            Do not preach above your life and experience. For example, if you have never been married, encourage your married couples – but do not lecture them on marriage. If you do, you may have to eat your words later on. Preach the Gospel. Preach Jesus. God will send you qualified staff and ministers to help you in various areas of your ministry.

26.            Do not micromanage. You will kill yourself trying to do everything. No, you cannot trust “everybody,” but you must trust “somebody.”

27.            Find the ministries that your church is good at and focus on that. If you are just getting started and have 5 members, you will burn everyone out trying to start 50 different community ministries. Give your staff a chance to rest. Do not work them 7 days a week.

28.            All churches go through various seasons. So it is best to testify and not brag. Make your boast in the Lord.

29.            Serve in an organization, so that you can remain humble. If you have the attitude, “I answer to no one but God,” your members will take on that same spirit with you. Do not beat up on your members for not being cooperative and you are uncooperative with your overseer.

30.            Do not develop your church to become so internally focused; that you end up building a “cult” instead of a church.

31.            Remember, there is no such thing as “independent,” unless you are starting a brand-new religion. If you teach that the Bible is the final authority on all matters; that belief comes directly out of the Reformation of the 1500s. If you have seats in your church vs people standing the entire service; that comes directly out of “Western Christianity” which split from “Eastern Christianity” in AD 1054. The point is, your church is connected to 2,000 years of Christian development. 

32.            Yes, have faith, but also have common sense when it comes to your ministry goals & aspirations. This way you do not set yourself up for disappointment. For example, if you are in a town where the population is 300, it’s unrealistic to have a vision to have an “in person” membership of 10,000 people w/a goal to build a 7000-seat sanctuary. Online/virtual, yes. In person, no.

33.            You have to know where your people are at in their mindset, so that you do not get frustrated. You may have in your mind a vision of a mega ministry. However, if you draw people that are more comfortable in a smaller church; there will be friction. You have to lead people & be patient, not drive them. They cannot see what you see. If you become frustrated and lash out at them, you will end up losing what people you do have. And, it is hard to build a ministry back in a town, where you have the reputation that you’ve ran so many people off.

 

To be continued….

 

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“44 Principles On Church Planting”

 

Church Planting Part 2

 

“44 PRINCIPLES ON CHURCH PLANTING” (PART 2 of 4)

 

12.            Do not be intimidated by a church down the street, that started with zero members and in 1 month they have 1,000 people. Trust me, there is more to the story. That could possibly be the result of a church split, perhaps they have a “celebrity” on staff with drawing power, it could be a “daughter church” birthed out of a larger ministry, etc. Focus on your assignment. You want your ministry to be solid and your fruit to remain. It takes time to do that. Feed the people that you do have (be thankful for them) and trust God to add to the church.

13.            Is your goal to win new souls or to get members from other churches. Your advertisement and marketing will reveal what your motive is. If your marketing has statements like, “Are you tired of church as usual,” that is not marketing to the lost, that is “fishing in other ponds.” Trust me, you do not want to build your church off of other churches. You will reap what you sow. When your church goes through difficulty (and it will as all churches do), there will be other pastors who will do you the same way (and fish for your members). You want to sow good seeds.

14.            Do not feel intimidated by other pastors that tell you that they have “wall to wall people, with standing room only,” and you only have a handful of people. As preachers we have HUGE egos and cannot stand to look bad. Most times those other ministers are exaggerating the truth. Do not lose your focus, worrying about someone else’s ministry.

15.            If you have one member, preach and minister, like you have 10,000. ALWAYS give it your best. Do not constantly show the people your frustration with your ministry; you will discourage them.

16.            For the love of grits with butter and sugar in them (smile) DO NOT crown yourself “apostle” or “bishop,” and you just got started. Bishop means, “overseer.” You have to have something to “see over,” to be in that role. Prove that you can pastor (consistently) first. All of the rest will come at the proper time.

17.            Set up a church account with “checks and balances.” The tithes and offerings of the people should not be going to your Cashapp or personal checking account.

18.            Stay on top of your credit. You never know when the church will need your help. Years ago, when our ministry relocated, the church did not have all of the funding to do it. Being in a time crunch, Rachel and I were able to mortgage our house and get the funding in one day. These are the types of sacrifices you will have to make as a new pastor.

19.            Do not be vulgar or brutal from the pulpit. You are starting a church, not a cult. There is a way to get your point across without being abusive from the pulpit. Using profanity and “over the top” language is not being “100” or real; it is being rude and undignified. Your ministry represents the Lord. So, it should have some class and dignity.

20.            Get some training. You would never be able to open a law office, doctors office or even sell real estate without some kind of certification. The church is the only place where people can jump up and declare themselves top leaders, without training. This is the information age. Information and training is available.

21.            Be sexually pure. If you are single, do not fornicate. If you are married, do not commit adultery. As the church, yes, we will forgive, but we never will forget. You do not want scandal following you your entire ministry. And, you cannot get mad at the people that talk, if YOU are the one that messed up.

22.            The type of member that you were, is the type of members you will draw. Do not be the type of person that you were rebellious and difficult with your pastor and now you want to beat up on your members for their rebellion. “Thou hypocrite!” First, go and get things right with your pastor and easily entreat the people to cooperate.

Church Planting Part 1

 

1.               Names are important. Your church name should reflect your mission, goals and direction of your ministry. Do not name it “World Outreach Center” and you have no intention of reaching the world.

2.               Do not complain if a denomination or organization does not finance the start of your ministry. There usually is a “catch.” If someone pays for everything, then they normally expect total loyalty and control. This can be a challenge as your ministry grows. You do not want it held over your head, “they wouldn’t have anything if it wasn’t for us.” God gave you the ministry, trust him and get advice on how to set up a financial plan to support the ministry.

3.               Do not be afraid to get a job. It does not mean that you lack faith. It means that you also have common sense. Living by faith may work for you, but, if you have a family, you need a job, with benefits and retirement.

4.               Do not start off complaining how hard it is to pastor. That sends a very bad signal to your members; it makes them feel bad. You are the one that accepted the call to pastor. No one put a gun up to your head and made you do it. Now, you must deal with, “the good the bad and the ugly.”

5.               Try not to use the words, “my church.” There are other people sacrificing along with you. If you want them to have ownership of your vision, then you must use inclusive words like, “we”, “us,” and “our.” Value the input of your members.

6.               Don’t ever say, “If you don’t like how I run it, then there is the door.” Trust me, people will leave when they get ready.

7.               New churches draw “church hoppers.” You are just the latest “hot thing” in town.” Do not build your ministry on “church hoppers.” When the next hottest thing comes along, or they get bored, they will leave you.

8.               Do not get mad at other churches for not supporting you. You are the one that God called to start the church. Your church is not their responsibility. They have their own ministry and obligations to fulfill. Build your ministry, so that you can be a self-supporting church; where you can fellowship with other churches out of comradery and not obligation.

9.               If you just started and have a handful of members, you are going to wear your members out with multiple services on Sunday and multiple events during the week. Start off small and as you grow, you can expand your schedule.

10.            Do not build your ministry on “shouting” and excitement. Build it on the Word. You and your members will get old and get arthritis and all kinds of other ailments that come along with age. At that time, you may not be able to do all of that “shouting.”

11.            Do not just cater to the “now” generation. First, the “now” generation will eventually become the “has been” generation; just like all generations. Second, us middle age and older people have something to offer as well. We will tithe, volunteer, cooperate and stay with you for many years, because that’s how we were trained by the older generations.

 

To be continued….

 

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