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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