The Bible is filled with people who model how we should live out our faith in our daily lives. As a pastor, I am always looking for role models in the Scriptures. The classic Old Testament list includes Joseph, David, Elijah, Ruth, Nehemiah, and the donkey who saved Balaam the prophet's life. I am also a big fan of Ziba. I may not be able to achieve the spiritual strides of Joseph or Elijah, but the donkey gives me hope!  In the New Testament you have the core disciples, Paul the former bounty hunter, turned laser-focused missionary, and Timothy his spiritual son. And everyone who has heard me teach through Philippians knows I love Epaphroditus, the blue-collar super-star. 
 
We should thank the Lord weekly for giving us good examples to follow. I believe we should read their stories and their backstories to glean life lessons. Mary of Magdalene is one of those super role models for us to follow. For our Easter service at Northside, I highlighted her life and suggested she teaches us exactly how we should respond to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
Here are five lessons Mary of Magdalene taught me about my faith:
 
First: Be sure to accept your full freedom with joy. 

Consider that she was freed from her demonic oppression by the Lord Jesus. "Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons." (Mark 16:9) Her life with oppression would have been filled with suffering: emotional, psychological, physical, and mental agony.  At some point Jesus crossed her path, had great compassion on her and cleansed her of those demons. She accepted the freedom from her past and the Enemy of her soul and devoted her life to serving Jesus.

Second: Exercise your faith by following Jesus. 

Luke 8:1-3 records that Mary and other prominent women were with Jesus and the disciples and were contributing to their support out of their private means. Mary of Magdalene become one of his disciples. She dedicated herself to serving his purposes. I know a number of people who let Christ help them be free from sin and their past, only to continue living a lifestyle that did not serve the Lord or honor Him. Mary accepted her freedom and chose to become a devoted follower. Many new church models use the term "fully devoted followers of Christ" as part of their purpose statement. Mary exemplifies this purpose from the time she met Christ. 
 
Third: Be strong enough to identify with Jesus' suffering.

The Apostle Paul wrote that his highest priorities included knowing Christ with deep personal understanding, and to fellowship with his suffering, "becoming like Him in His death." (Philippians 3:10) Mary of Magdalene did exactly that. "Therefore the soldiers did these things. But there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the {wife} of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. " (John 19:25) There is great wisdom in this passage. The death of Christ is a powerful moment in any true Christ-follower's life. We do not need to skip over this moment in history or these passages. In fact, I contend that we need to regularly review the cross. My life verse is Galatians 6:14 which explains we should only boast in the cross.  Mary was willing to stand at the foot of the cross with Jesus and endure His suffering with Him. How can you identify with Jesus suffering? May I suggest we need to speak of Jesus openly in our culture as our Savior, Lord, Redeemer and Friend. In doing so, you will possibly incur some pushback and maybe some ridicule. Mary was willing to take all the ridicule at the foot of the real cross because she loved Jesus so much for paying for her sins. Why wouldn't we be willing to identify with Jesus' suffering by speaking of His grace, love and sacrifice? Tell somebody today about what Jesus did for you. 
 
Fourth: Support and serve Jesus with undeniable faith. 

Mary helped bury Jesus. Mary saw the hundreds of cuts, gashes, and wounds from the scourging Jesus endured. She saw the nail holes in his hands and feet. She saw the large deep wound in his side where a Roman soldier's spear pierced him under his ribs. She saw him placed in Joseph's tomb and knew the burial was rushed. It was not complete. So she got up before daylight on the first day of the week to go finish His burial preparations. Her devotion to Christ was so strong that she wanted to be there at the moment the sun broke over the horizon. By Jewish law she was not to be in the graveyard unless the sun was up. I picture her dressed and ready to go early, spices in her bag, standing at the edge of the graveyard waiting for the sunlight to peak over the horizon. The very second she sensed the sun on the graveyard, she rushed to Jesus' tomb. She was committed to Him even in His death. While all of the disciples would have been in shock as to the events of the trial and crucifixion of their Savior, Mary is serving. Surely she is confused and filled with questions about what happened and how did Jesus allow Himself to be executed. But she is there again, beside Him, wanting to serve.  Faith in God says we serve Jesus. If things go wrong we serve Jesus. If we don't understand, we serve Jesus. If we are confused, we serve Jesus. If we are afraid, we serve Jesus.  Even if we do not understand what is going on around us, we must serve Jesus. May God give us all the fortitude that Mary had to rush to the graveside of "her Lord" even in the confusion, and to serve Him.
 
Fifth: Choose to believe all the time, even when it seems dark and hopeless. 

John 20 records that even as Mary stood bitterly weeping outside the tomb, confused and troubled about Jesus' body missing, she told the angels, "They have taken away, my Lord!” She still declares Jesus as her Lord, even though in her mind He is a corpse on a slab in a tomb. This is a faith that is rich and deep. Mary did not stop serving, loving and honoring Jesus in all the darkness of His death and burial. This is troubling to her, but it did not change how she related to Jesus. Jesus was personal ("my") and Jesus was the "Lord" of her life. I wish when troubled times washed into our lives we could all declare Him Lord, even when He seems distant. Job understood how to do that! (Job 1:20-22) David many times in the Psalms made it clear that even when God was distant, He was enthroned and in charge. (Psalm 22:2-3) Even the donkey in Numbers 22 was willing to take a beating and trusted God's pathway. (Numbers 22:26-31) When you are in a dark place, choose to believe. Use Mary of Magdalene as your example and believe. Believe when it seems hopeless. Believe when it seems all is lost. Believe, not on hope or good things, but believe on Jesus and let your relationship with Him be your guide. 
 
It is my sincere belief that Jesus met first with Mary of Magdalene after His resurrection because she was last at his tomb and first at his graveside. Her faith was undeniable and darkness or doubt did not deter it from showing up as actions of love toward Jesus. May we love Jesus with the same passion and display this love to others in a fallen world. This world needs a lot more Mary Magdalenes who will model freedom from sin with faithful and fervent following. 

For further reflection on Mary Magdalene, you can check out part two of my Easter 2019 sermon series "As If" on Northside's sermon audio page or iTunes podcast. 
 
P.S. there is a great donkey story in the New Testament also...Just sayin'!
 
6.14 Ministries is dedicated to rescuing healthy churches and encouraging saints to keep serving faithfully. We welcome your prayers and support. Learn more about us, what we do, and how we do it by visiting 614ministries.org. 

It is Easter season for the family of God. This is the time of year that we consider to be the highlight of the Christian faith and one of the holiest and most wonderful seasons to celebrate our faith. It is indeed both painful and beautiful because it is a time that we celebrate Christ's death and His resurrection simultaneously. We call “good Friday” good, but it's when we remember that the Holy Son of God, sinless, perfectly loving, was brutally beaten and executed for my sins and your sins. But Sunday celebrates the resurrection and new life and eternal hope. With recent trends of our culture and society wanting to imply that the message of the Christian faith is antiquated at best and inappropriate at every level, we must declare the message of grace clearer than ever. Liberal and progressive thinkers shun the message of Jesus and His word like a country boy shaking fire ants from his boots. But most often I have found that the message of Jesus is not hard for them to accept. In fact, the real message of Christ is something most people are starving for if they would just search deep enough within themselves and not fear what they find.  
 
I propose that this Easter season, and the days to follow, we who know Christ need to talk as much about Him as we possibly can. We need to look for ways to share the message of grace and the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Here are four ways to talk about God in everyday conversations. 
 
#1. God is a Comforting God.  

We are in a society that is rapidly deteriorating into depression, fear, insecurity, and high anxiety. The suicide rates are climbing. February and March are months where suicides typically sore. Loneliness and emptiness are highest on the list of challenges facing many young people today. But God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 God teaches us He is the God of all comforts, who will comfort you in all your afflictions.
 
When I find someone lonely, empty, or afraid, it is easy for me to share with him or her that I have had such feelings. I share with them that in my personal experience when it seems like no one else can understand or even cares what is hurting my heart, God is there for me. God has been, is, and will be my comfort. I share it with great confidence. I know most of you reading this have had that same experience with God. Listen for people to express hurts or emptiness, anxiety or fears and then tell them about your experience with our comforting God.  (Below this blogpost we will give you some specific ways and times God has comforted hurting people.)
 
#2. God is a Giving God.   

God is the greatest giver of all times. I recently heard a fellow minister teach in a chapel at a rehabilitation center where I share that God made trees that produce fruit and plants that produce vegetables. You can simply pick your food from a plant or tree and eat. That is pretty cool when you think about it. He talked about how God made cows, chickens, deer and rabbits and how tasty they can be! Can I get an amen? As a deer hunter, I thought at least the cows and chickens are easy to catch! How good is God to us! James 1:17 says He is the Father of all good gifts. Every good thing you have is from God. I have a good Labrador retriever laying at my feet as I type, who was given to me by a great friend about 15 years ago. I love Dakota. She is a gift from God and my friend, Scott, to our family.  God made chocolate. How good is that! I have a great Ford F-150 pick-up with 340K miles on it. I affectionately call my truck "Shadow." (It’s a country boy thing to name your truck.) Shadow is a gift from God and has served many single moms, young families, widows and my family for 12 years now. The computer I use to create my blogs is a gift. My music that is playing now as I write is a gift.

My church family is a gift from God. I am blessed with many friends. Each is a gift from God. My wife and children are gifts from God. My first grandson, born just three weeks ago, is a gift from God. I have some amazing friends, really amazing close friends who I consider all special gifts from God. Drinking water, breathable air, soft beds, guitars, chocolate, traditional recurve bows, books, movies, chocolate, napkins, photographs, toilets and accompanying paper supplies, flowers, birds, sunsets, work opportunities, and chocolate — well you get the idea — these are all gifts!

Take time to be thankful, and you will be able to share with those who may struggle in the area of thankfulness. He is a generous and loving giver. Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. 1 Peter 1 says that He has given us all we need for life and godliness. The greatest gift ever is Jesus. We read in John 3 that God so loved us He gave us His Son Jesus to save us from our sins. In Romans 8 we read that He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Please use this time of year to remind your co-workers and friends that God is a giving God. He is the best provider you will ever know. I hope and pray you can and will say that with conviction this Easter season. Also, anytime you are called on to pray for a meal you can say, “Thank you Lord for being the best provider ever and giving us Jesus Christ and the only means of our salvation.”

#3. God is a Creative God.

Have you ever really looked at a hippopotamus or an elephant or a crocodile? How about the zebra and the giraffe? You can see this truth in almost any area. Insects, stars, clouds, sky colors, people's taste in clothing, food, hairstyles, etc. The list is endless. God created this world with millions of colors and beauty beyond words. There is creative beauty in nature, music, art, in loving behavior, in children playing carefree without schedules and time frames. Our world is filled with creativity. You can start this conversation in a Walmart line. Just a few weeks ago at a long check-out line in a local gas station several people were talking about the new M&M flavor: jalapeno. Yep, you read that right! Just in case you have not heard, that is the recent new flavor!  Introvert that I am, I stood there for almost three minutes hoping the line would move. Then I remembered that years ago God whispered to me, "I put you in long, slow lines so you can talk about me!" Oh, yeah! Duh! So with a quick "Jesus help me" prayer, I blurted out, "Well as creative as M&M has become, they have long way to go to catch up on God's creativity and they are using all of God's ingredients!"

Certainly with all the "Pinterest" creativity out there, you can find a way to compliment a friend's decorum and highlight how wonderfully creative God is at the same time! God created mature wine from jugs of water in John 2.  He created stars so beautiful it made angels sing we are told in Job 38. Best of all, He created a way for lost, lonely and helpless sinners to go to heaven and live with Him forever. Now that's creative! 
 
#4. God loves the underdog.

If you know any Bible stories at all, you probably know at least one about an underdog that God blessed and helped. Young David, a shepherd boy, (“pizza delivery guy” as I like to call him; just a shout out to my camp friends) faced down a 9 foot tall, seasoned warrior with more battle scars than David had hairs on his chest, is a good underdog story. Gideon, the "fraidy cat" threshing wheat in a hole in the ground for fear of being seen by the Midianite terrorists, was an underdog. He questioned God several times, snuck around at night, and played "prove-it" games with God using a rug! God used him to become the warrior who helped defeat the Midianite army that held Israel captive for over seven years. How about Joseph, the favored son of the all-important Jacob? He was sold into slavery by his brothers, abandoned in jail, and forgotten. Later he was unjustly accused of sexual crimes against an official’s wife and put back into prison. Yet he became a great ruler who would save Egypt and Israel during a great famine. Let's not forget Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, who is listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Think of Joseph, the carpenter, who was privileged to care for the only, holy, begotten Son of God. Think of Zacchaeus, that tree-climbing little man, whom Jesus knew by name. Think of others such as Levi the tax-collector, Peter the fisherman with a rocky path to walk, or Paul, the violently aggressive bounty hunter turned super-missionary. God loves the underdogs. God loves redeeming and rescuing “unredeemable”.  

Somehow I think you have a personal story of an underdog season of your life when God showed up and showed off His grace in your weakness.  Most every Sunday that I speak somewhat coherently in our pulpit is one of those moments for me. It is when a country bumpkin, introverted, speech class dropout shares the Word of God and people are helped by the Spirit of God in that moment. 

So many people today feel unloved, unimportant, insecure, ashamed and afraid. In this Easter season you can brag about how God loves the unlovable. Jesus turned a raving demon-controlled man with no identity into a missionary in Luke 8.  He transformed an arrogant and bigoted Samaritan woman, with deep hollows in her heart, into a vibrant missionary in John 4. In everyday conversations you will hear people talking about underdogs. Maybe in the sports world they will mention the final four. (Auburn? Really?)  Maybe in the political realm an underdog candidate will be discussed.  Maybe a t-ball team or a student who graduated despite severe handicaps will be discussed, and you can inject how God loves serving the underdog. Take a shot and testify that He is a loving, gracious and caring God. 

Final note to my friends who are pastors: Please, please, please, lead the way in showing your church family how to share in everyday conversations. Tell a waitress, a gas clerk, a stranger asking directions something wonderful about God and let the adventure begin. Let's not miss the opportunity during this special season to share about the greatness of our God and His Son Jesus. 

If 6.14 Ministries can be of any service to you and/or your church, please feel free to email us at 614rebuild@gmail.com. We want to see your ministry thrive. You can also contact us through our website by clicking here.

Footnote: God comforts those with 

• Heartache—Luke 7:11-17 Widow’s only son
• Insecurities—Exodus 4:1, 10 Six times Lord spoke to Moses
• Fear–Joshua 1:6-9 Great responsibility
• Depression — 2 Timothy 4:6,10-16, 17-18
• Loneliness and fear—1 King 19:9-14 Elijah comforted by God v.19– companion found
• Great defeat—Lamentations 3:19-21 Great is thy Faithfulness God is faithful, we can have hope.

 

Meet Everett Lee Givens, my grandson! Annette and I and the family are thrilled with his arrival. As a new grandfather, I have hundreds of thoughts daily regarding Everett. Here's a sample:
 
I can’t wait to see:

• What kind of music you will fall in love with.
• What instrument you will play
• What hand you will throw ball with as we play together
• What your favorite color will be
• What songs you will love
• What Bible stories you like to tell
• What Bible stories will you like us to tell you
• Who your best friend will be
• What your spiritual gifts will be
• What your favorite books to read will be
• What your singing voice will sound like
• What will make you giggle uncontrollably 
• What silly jokes will you tell your grandparents
• What year Ford Mustang will be your favorite (it’s a family thing)
• What your heart becomes when God's grace consumes it.
• What you will name your first dog
• What stories of your mom and dad will you like best
• What your favorite movie will be
• Who your first “crush” will be
• What passions will drive your life to achieve excellence
• What mission work and mission field will touch your heart the deepest

​
​I have prayed for Everett for months before he was born, and I pray for him daily now. I believe God will use him mightily to serve the Kingdom of God. You are all invited to join me in those prayers, but I want to challenge you regarding prayers for your family. 
 
A friend of mine on the phone the other day was congratulating me on my first grandchild and reminded me that I had numerous spiritual grandchildren. I realized at that moment, I should pray for, hope in and long for my spiritual children and grandchildren to be strong in their faith. Do you think about your spiritual children often? Do you pray for your spiritual children to continue to lead others to Christ, so you have spiritual grandchildren? As Christ-followers and ministers, our spiritual family are the most important family we have. The heritage of our spiritual children can change the world. I realized I can pray ahead of time for my grandchildren. Are you praying for spiritual children and grandchildren?  Let's all pray with faith and work with diligently to raise a strong family of sincere and passionate Christ-followers.  What are you looking forward to learning about your spiritual grandchildren?

Excellence is a driving force for some of us as minsters. When we consider the holiness of God, the extremely detailed way that He instructed His temple and tabernacle to be built, and how it was designed to function, it's clear that He wanted us to practice excellence both in worship and in ministry. However, striving for excellence, and being excessive or compulsive toward all aspects of ministry, can be destructive. Allow me to give you some examples for reference. 

In my church, I am blessed with over a dozen volunteers. These men and women sacrifice a lot of time for our ministry and its goals. Some of them lead small groups, prepare incredible meals, work with our social media, plan events, and care for our building and grounds. If I were to micromanage any one of these areas, I would find things that could be done differently, or perhaps even "better." But it is not healthy to strive for so much excellence that relationships and passions are squelched in the process. It's easy to understand why someone designing graphics or picking music may want to quit if each week someone shows them a "better" way or a "better" song. While excellence is certainly important, allowing others to minster and serve the Lord with a zeal and an excitement of their own is also as equally as important. 

Sometimes it is an opinion-based critique that you must guard against sharing. For example, you may not particularly care for the color of the new youth room, or the decorations chosen for an updated lobby or conference room. But the color is most likely not an excellence issue, rather it is a preference. If a group of volunteers zealously took on a project to help update a room, then rejoice. Celebrate servant who are doing things to help your facility and your ministry needs. Don't miss the big picture that members of the body of Christ took some responsibility and applied themselves to do some work. 

Of course, there are indeed times when corrections and critiques are very necessary. My full name is Stanley, most often shortened to Stan, except by my father, who never once called me "Stan." So, when someone sends out an e-mail that reads: "Satan will be leading the board meeting tonight because our chairman is out of town," someone should step in and make corrections. Just so you know, texting doesn't always help to correct this because — according to the text sent out at my church  — "Santa" has apparently also been leading many of our meetings. 

To get from my office at the church to my house, there are about five good routes. I know which ones I think are best. But my wife and children often take other routes. I do not need to correct them in this or even chide them. I do not need to tell them that they're doing something wrong. They arrive at the same destination that I do every time. In fact, the way my wife goes is actually a few minutes quicker than the way I go. (Even though I know my route is best.) 

My point is that we have to let each other work and minister with grace and encouragement. Praise those who serve in your ministry. Resist the urge to micromanage every part of their work. Let them lead, learn, grow, and mature. Teach your co-leaders how to ask for input and welcome input. Teach them how to welcome criticism without giving up or quitting. But keep diligent to avoid micromanagement and micro-criticism. Encourage servants, enable co-laborers, and build up one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) 

Secondly, sometimes we allow excellence to push us into a complicated place. I've been guilty of creating complex programs, systems, or plans for our church (usually trying to adapt something that I learned from a mega-church that looked amazing). Recently I started trying to simplify the way that we do ministry. Bill Hybels' book "Simplify" was an eye-opener. We had events on our schedule that we did not need to be on the calendar. Who says we need to have a Homecoming Service every year? Lightening our calendar load frees up servant leaders and gives breathing room for other events that might be more productive. We are researching alternatives to traditional VBS. In the past, we've done weeklong VBS programs, which utterly exhausted our volunteers. The few Sundays following VBS, we have a lot of empty seats and pews because our team needed rest. So why not simply VBS? Could it become a three-day, two-day, or one-day event? Look at the overall picture of your committee/board/team meeting. In smaller churches, there are usually five to ten people who are in almost all of these meetings. How can you simplify them? Are they all necessary or could one meeting accomplish two or three team's responsibilities? Can some of the meetings themselves be simplified? Can group calls or video calls save team members an hour of travel? 

Thirdly, remember that God assembled a team of people at your church for you to encourage and develop as servants of Christ. We are to be equipping others for the work of the ministry, not exhausting them with activities. (Ephesians 4:11-13) Let young people learn how to minister. Give them opportunities to lead devotionals with prayer breakfasts, work days, and nursing homes. Teach them how to serve senior citizens by raking leaves or cleaning gutters at widows' homes. Give new believers opportunities to serve and to share their testimonies. At our church, we have a phrase that's started to catch on: "Every member is a missionary." That's biblical truth by the way. A serious Christ-follower is a missionary every day, all day, all the time. When we have "testimony time" in our worship services, it really should be like a "missions report" from our group of local missionaries. 

As ministers, we must equip with patience and practicality. At 6.14 Ministries, we long to help every size church, particularly the small ones, thrive in equipping their people and reaching their full ministry potential. I would be honored to pray for your leadership team and to talk with you if you're in need of some encouragement, revitalization, restructuring, or refreshing. Contact us at 614rebuild@gmail.com or visit our official website at 614ministries.org. 

Thanks for reading and please feel free to share this will fellow ministers, pastors, lay leaders, and church volunteers! 

There are two "nots" in the Bible that have continually challenged my years of ministry. Galatians 6:9 challenges us to not grow weary in well doing, and 2 Corinthians 4:16 challenges us to not lose heart. Having been in ministry for over 35 years I can say that numerous times I have become weary in ministry. In fact, a common response I hear from my fellow ministers when asked how they are doing is: "I'm tired."  So are we missing something about this verse? 

It is one thing to be tired "in our ministries." It is an entirely different thing to be tired "of ministry."  The verse says we are not to grow weary in "well doing." I have learned that to "not to grow weary in well doing" is different than being physically or emotionally tired. Paul was exhausted at times, but he kept up his ministry and his "well doing." I love doing ministry. I love teaching, shepherding, encouraging and helping. I can be physically exhausted and still teach. If I am emotionally worn down by counseling or serving and someone needs me to comfort or shepherd them, or disciple them, I love the opportunity. I can be diligent in "well doing" while I am tired.  

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes we are not to "lose heart" in our ministry work. This phrase can literally be translated “we are not to give up”. In the next few verses Paul gives us some helpful instructions, a "how-to" guide so to speak, on not giving up. He actually teaches us how to renew our strength and our minds continually so that we do not grow weary in well doing. 

First, we are RENEWED when we contemplate the spiritual and eternal.

It is vital for our spiritual strength that we focus on the spiritual man. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) If your spiritual man is growing stronger it will even help your physical man not be weary! Your spiritual man will strengthen your emotions. With all the hundreds of health plans on the web these days, this is a great health plan! Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4, if she would trust in him, she would have living water spring up inside of her. A spring inside her that would satisfy her very soul. How much healthier can you be? Remember that Jesus also teaches the soul is the most important thing you can care for, because there is no profit if a man loses his soul (Matthew 16:26).  Colossians 3:1-4 emphasizes this same idea. We must learn to set our affections on things above, not on things of this earth.  The direction and desire of your thinking need to be spiritual in nature; heavenward and heavenly.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 that when we look at what we cannot see, we do not lose heart. How cool is that?  We must look with eyes of faith, we must look with eyes of hope and trust in a loving God who died to save us from our sins. There's a great "old" song and chorus we used to sing all the time when I was younger, and I still let our church sing it regularly, that says "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."  The opening verse of that song says, “O soul are you weary.” We will not become discouraged and wearied by long hard ministry days, fears and anxiety and trials, even when our outer man is decaying if we keep our focus on the spiritual man. Renew your inner self daily in the Word of God and prayer. 

Second, we are RENEWED when we confess our sins daily.  

David wrote in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Daily confession of sin renews our spiritual strength. 1 John 1:9 reminds us to "confess our sins daily and God who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. The word confess in this context means to "say the same thing as" or literally to name your sins by name. Mature Christians do not go to God and say, "Father forgive me for I have sinned" and leave it at that. Mature followers of Christ understand we have a relationship with God and Jesus, and we must tell Jesus specifically what we have done wrong.  This kind of confession sounds like, "Lord please forgive me for using your name in vain today," "Lord I know I had anger in my heart today," "Lord I am struggling with doubting you today." We can list dozens of sins by names: lying, lust, bitterness, jealously, greed, selfishness, coveting, etc.  When we confess our known sins, the Scripture teaches us we are forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. We are fully righteous when we practice healthy forgiveness. This is how we refresh our soul and renew a right spirit.  Do not neglect this great strengthening tool. 

Third, we are RENEWED when we commit our life to God daily. 

Look at Romans 12:1-2 which are very familiar verses for many of us. “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” When, by God’s mercy, you present yourself daily to serve and worship God and you resist sin and the temptation of the world, you are renewed in your mind. One of my mentors, a 76 year-old, hard-working godly man, taught me to do this daily. Jack's morning prayer routine includes these verses as he presents himself to God each day to serve Him. Although he still works to maintain a small lawn service, he is in 10-14 nursing homes and several rehab centers a month building relationships, discipling men for Christ and loving the "least of these." In his spare moments he writes inspirational books about God's peace, and prayer, and the Cross of Christ. Oh, that God would give us more men like him, fully surrendered, and willing to serve with all their days. 

Fourth, we are RENEWED when we confirm our faith with truth.  

Lamentations 3:19-26 says, “Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.  It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.”  
When we sing, say, write, teach, share and speak the truth about God we renew our spirit. Look how many times in the Psalms the writer was despairing of trials, defeat, enemies, unfair circumstances, or pain and then spoke of the lovingkindness and mercy of God.  If you really want to refresh a tired spirit, write in a journal four or five sentences that declare truths about the God you know and love.  Speaking truth into the light always makes the darkness run. Once you start, it’s hard to stop! Speak and declare truths out loud when you are discouraged. God's Word will not return void; it will bless you. 

Conclusion

You can be tired when you minister. In fact, if you are a minister and not tired, something is wrong, or you need to be writing to me and telling me know how you do it.  But there is a difference in being tired from ministry and being tired of ministry. Let's all agree to refresh our spiritual man and keep our souls strong in faith so that we can effectively minister. I want to encourage fellow ministers, full time, bi-vocational and and lay-ministers to hold one another accountable to these Scriptural guidelines. If you know some who are weary, check on them. Ask them some good questions regarding their inner strength. At 6.14 Ministries we long to see ministers thrive and serve others with joy. Feel free to reach out to us at 614rebuild@gmail.com for prayer, support, encouragement, or help. We would be happy to visit with you. 

When I was 19 years old I preached my first sermon in my home church, Northside Bible Church. This is the same church at which I have served as lead pastor for the past 18 years. With my knees literally knocking, I preached from 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3 and titled the sermon "The Four Classes of Men." The sermon was based on a doctrine class which I had attended during my first year at Southeastern Bible college. I learned from Dr. Alden Gannett that the text describes four types of men on earth: the natural man, the spiritual man, the carnal man and the baby Christian. The natural man is un-spiritual and disconnected from God's Spirit and God's truth. The spiritually mature man is described as one who discerns spiritual truths with help from the Holy Spirit. The carnal Christian is described as one who lives like the natural man despite the fact that he has the indwelling Spirit. Apparently the carnal man does not listen to the Spirit, but instead listens to his flesh.

Then there is the baby Christian, or "babes" as the Apostle refers to them. Paul has helped plant the Corinthian Church and spent a year and half teaching and ministering there. About two years later he wrote a letter back to those same Corinthian believers, all of who would be young converts and scolded them for being immature. Paul explained that he should be able to write to them as spiritual and mature, but instead (and he is not happy about this) he has to feed them milk like babies. When I was a kid on the playground at my elementary school, one of the biggest insults you could throw out verbally was, "Big baby!" 
 
If you do really conservative math, Paul expected the believers at Corinth to be mature within two or three years. Here is a big important ministry question: How long do you think our churches in America take to "mature" a believer?  My answer is "way too long!" In fact, for over 38 years of ministry I have worked with some really old "babies" in my church experience who have never matured and have no desire to do so.  

One of my greatest mentors in my last several years, Robert E. Cochran, who is with the Lord today, used to teach a retired men's class. Several times he, much like Paul, would bemoan the level of immaturity that he found in men who claimed to know Christ for 30-50 years of their life. He used to jest with me that "it is annoying to have to move their whiskers out of the way to give them a milk-bottle for the Sunday school lesson." 

So let's get real for a few minutes. Francis Chan reports from the churches in China that the youth are praying for mission opportunities in their own country that may actually cause them to be imprisoned or martyred. (Letters to the Church, Francis Chan). If you are a pastor, let's get serious about putting our church members into service roles. Why shouldn't they be serving if they are two years old in their faith?  In fact, I would argue that Jesus put His converts into ministry roles almost immediately. The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 went from being an immoral, bigoted rude woman to a missionary to her whole town in the course of an afternoon. The blind man in John 9, who was likely uneducated, was witnessing for Jesus among Pharisaical lawyers the same afternoon after He had met the Messiah. The chain-breaking, crazed Gadarene man with no real identity because he was filled with many evil spirits, was commissioned by Jesus that same afternoon to "go tell his family." He went to nearby towns and witnessed like crazy! 

So why do we wait so long to let people serve or testify? Is it our professional training that makes us want to professionally train new converts? Is it our prideful desire to protect them by giving them insight from our years of experience? Is it our thought that "we've never done it that way before?" Whatever the deal, let’s look at the New Testament examples, and let’s get to work putting our church members to service.
 
THREE STEPS TO GET BABIES GROWING: 
 
STEP 1: I would recommend every believer be taught how to share a simple 3-4 sentence testimony. At our church we call it our "elevator testimony" which means you can share it quickly. We use this in our membership class and it is fun, fast and effective. It’s meant to intrigue, not teach theology. It is so simple even a cave man can do it because the blind man in John 9 did it. My staff at 614ministries.org will gladly send you a pdf or a Word document outlining the three easy steps to train Christ-followers how to share their elevator testimony. Reach out to us at 614rebuild@gmail.com and request the elevator testimony steps. 
 
STEP 2: Make sure every believer finds something at church that they can do for the church. Tell them to develop some courage and "just do it!" Serving is what I call “miracle grow” for believers. When they begin to serve in the various ministries of your church, they feel compelled to read their daily devotions more faithfully, to listen to your teaching more intently, and to study verses they have previously ignored. Some begin praying more. Some begin to share their testimony more often. Find ways for young Christians to join with you as you do nursing home visits, hospital visits, community events. Make sure they are helping serve juice for the youth or helping clean up before and after an event while connecting with the other mature believers who are serving. Serving is everyone's calling from God (Romans 12:1-2). Let's get those babies serving. 
 
STEP 3: Remind the believers they are to be maturing as missionaries. Every true Christ-follower is a missionary. Each believer who professes a love for Christ at your church should consider themselves bi-vocational missionaries. Missionaries have pictures of friends and groups they are ministering to each week. Missionaries have stories of how God is working through them and in them. Can your average church member share stories and give a good "missionary slide show?" I believe we are all suppose to able to do that! I believe instead of making excuses as to why we don't do that, we need to get busy fixing the issues. Challenge the young believers to find someone in the church they admire in the faith and attach themselves to that person. Help them find a healthy mentor. Young missionaries need older missionaries to train them up.  Encourage your young believers that you are looking forward to hearing their stories from their future mission work and even from the training they are receiving. 
 
At 6.14 Ministries we are committed to helping community church leaders be strengthened and encouraged for effective ministry. In the next 10 years it is estimated that 300,000 churches may close and/or become ineffective. We want to see struggling churches renewed in their mission and passion. Find out more at 614ministries.org. 
 
Like us on FB at facebook.com/614rebuild and follow us on Twitter @614rebuild.
 
Please stay tuned to this blog as well. Your comments are most welcome!

Here's a short list of things you can do to help support the ministry of your church and your pastor. I would suggest these are things your pastor will never ask you to do, but would love for you to do. I know you think that he wants you to tithe more, show up on time to every service, and get a haircut (smile). But those are not the best ways for you to support him. (Side note: Please tithe more and show up on time.)

1. Ask him what you can do to support or help this week and then keep on asking.   

The skeptical nature we pastors tend to have, combined with the accumulated years of experience when people ask and do not follow through, means we will likely blow you off the first time you ask and say "Um, just pray for me." In truth, while this is important, you should pray for him anyway, EVERY WEEK! EVERY DAY! What he really needs is friends who sincerely seek to help him in his ministry task. Can you come by the office and join him in a hospital visit or a home visit? Can you make the hospital visit for him? Can you make some calls and organize a group he needs to gather — maybe a work crew or people for a specific meeting? Can you go pick up something for the church: groceries, paper goods, bookstore supplies that somehow ends up on his ever-growing to-do list? By the way when you first ask to help, he will likely not have a clue how you can help and you may need some smelling salts to revive him when he faints. But persistence will help him to understand your sincerity. 

2. Find ways to care for and minister to his family. 

One of the greatest gifts you can give your pastor is to befriend every member of his family. Do not assume the youth workers or children’s workers are doing this important task. Get to know them all, learn their likes and dislikes, and their needs. I think this is likely what Paul means by “double honor” in 1 Timothy 5:17. Honor his family. If his children are young, babysit for them. Give the pastor and his wife some "together time." Some days you could call and ask if you could pick up the kids from school or take them to ball practice. There were many times I had to go get my kids from school and get them to practices, work, or home and still had to make a hospital visit or meeting. Just someone to occasionally help with the crazy transportation can be a big bonus. If your kids go to the same school as his kids, it is even easier to assist him with transportation. Make sure each of the pastor's kids are well loved at the church. I believe it is vital to the health of the spiritual leader at your church and therefore vital to overall church health that the pastor's family is well loved by the church. Men of the church need to know the boys in the pastor's home. What sports do they like? What are their interests and hobbies? Can you help support them academically? Likewise the ladies of the church need to connect with the pastor's daughters. What are their interests and hobbies? Could you take them for a girls’ day out?  If the children are older, it is still important that they are well loved and cared for by the church family. Help them through every stage of life. If you want your pastor to feel connected and lead well, and keep the church stable, support his family. He will never want to go. 

3. Tell your pastor things you like about the church. 

Good pastors love the local church. Their love for the church is very strong!  So complimenting the church builds up the pastor’s hope and faith that God's work is going forth. Compliment the good things that are going on at your church. If you experience good friendships there, make it known to your pastor that it is a safe place to find friends. If you experience genuine love there, let him know. If you are growing in your understanding of who God is and who you are, praise the Lord and tell your pastor. If you are learning to serve others and not think so much about yourself, let him know. Most pastors do not need a personal compliment to drive them through a month, but complimenting the work of God he is leading, can go a long way to encouraging his heart. And remember, the pastor hears a lot, repeat... a lot of negative criticism. It goes with the work of the ministry and he knows that. But one of the healthiest things you can do for the whole church is to compliment the work of the Lord. 

4. Be sure the leaders are monitoring his off-days and vacations. 

Most every pastor I know is a true work-a-holic. "Hi, I'm Stan, and I am a work-a-holic." It's the truth. Most pastors cram 60-70 hours of church work into their week and give the leftovers to family. The pastor's "day off" is a mythological day, one which usually only happens in conjunction with the flu or, in my case, the shingles. Many churches are not good at watching out for the pastor's overly busy schedule. How many meetings in one week do you expect him to attend? Did he take a morning off if he attended a meeting that went late the night before? Does he have a regular time he can get away for personal refreshment? How does he recharge his batteries? If you are a deacon, elder or on a leadership team, be sure someone has the task of monitoring his work schedule. If you are not, read this section to a trusted lay leader at your church and ask him to help. This may save the leaders from dealing with a burned-out pastor. And, let’s be honest, who really wants to deal with a burned-out pastor?

5. Be sure his financial bases are covered.

This one is very sensitive, so tread lightly. Let a trusted friend who is the pastor's accountability partner keep you informed if the pastor has needs that he is not sharing. But, to the best of your ability, be sure that his needs are being covered to the point that he has security with your church family. Just checking the condition of the tires on his vehicle can send the message that he is valued. If they are in need of replacement, ask him if he has the necessary funds. If he does not have the funds, help by donating or find someone who can. What about his furniture? What is the condition of his couch at home? Does his mower work well? There’s nothing more stressful than not being able to start a mower in the intense heat of the summer! It’s enough to make a preacher….well, you get the idea!  And what about those "vacations" he should take? Can he afford an occasional trip out of town with good restaurants and good hotels?  

At 6.14 Ministries we are committed to helping church leaders and lay leaders serve one another well and serve the community. If your church could use some encouragement or help, please contact us at 614rebuild@gmail.com and visit our site at 614ministries.org for more information. If you leave a phone number, we will return your call or you can leave us an e-mail address. We want all church workers to be encouraged and to pursue the work God has called them to with diligence and enthusiasm. We would love to hear from you!

I am writing this to all my ministry friends, full time pastors, part time pastors, bi-vocational pastors, volunteer ministry staffers and good hard- working church members. Some weeks of ministry are much harder than others. Some months of ministry are much longer and harder than others. We can often glamorize ministry in our minds, and when we gather around with other fellow ministers we can walk with our heads held high, but there are days (usually every Monday) when a part time job at the local fast food establishment seems like a good idea... no a great idea. (I picture myself being great at sweeping and cleaning a fast food dining room.) Some of you have been at the same ministry post for years, faithfully serving, sowing seeds of truth, casting divinely envisioned visions, loving unlovable people, discipling men for countless hours and the fruit from your "field" has yet to be harvested. Sometimes great families feel "led" to leave the church. Someone decides your preaching style is just too "quiet" or too "loud." Over the years, I've been told I'm not funny enough and I've been told I spend too much time being funny. Someone doesn't like the way the music minister sings. Someone else thinks the youth pastor wears inappropriate clothes or makes inappropriate posts on Facebook. Someone else thinks your church family is great and you are a great leader, but his job calls him away.  Someone doesn't like the way you pray. One church member or family thinks you are caring too much for another family and neglecting them. Someone in your church family thinks you spend too much time studying to preach, while another thinks you don't spend enough time studying and preparing. Ministry is just plain hard. God has entrusted you and I with caring for his people and some days, some months, some years are just really difficult. 

The good news is the great Apostle Paul, mighty church planter, had the same kind of days and months.  In truth much of his "fruit" was after he was either in prison or dead.  Consider this great insight into how his year of ministry was going. 

"I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." — 2 Corinthians  11:23-29 ESV

My lists would not include physical lashing, but ooohhh the tongue lashings. I have not been shipwrecked or stoned. I do identify with the sleepless nights and there was that time my board allowed me to go to jail for the church, which is a story for another blog post.  (For now, let's just say there is a reason I am known as "chainsaw" at summer camp!) Then after Paul lists all these difficult physical things, he says "there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." That one I get! Daily pressure - YES!  Anxiety for the church body - YES!  Who is weak? YES, Paul, I am weak. Who is made to fall? YES! YES! YES! So Paul did not have a glamorous ministry either at times. It helps me to remember Paul's list. Maybe you need to re-read it as well! 
Here are a few other ways to get through the discouraging seasons. 

I really enjoyed Mike Rowe's reality-TV series "Dirty Jobs." Call me weird, but that sort of thing fascinates me. One of the most overwhelming benefits to watching that show — besides expanding my education of how things work — was that it revealed to me how incredibly thankful I could be about my job.

Now, I've really only worked a few jobs over the course of my life. In high school, I cut lawns on the weekend, dragging my dad's push mower down our long dirt road and knocking on the doors of the elderly neighbors in the hopes that I would earn at least $10 a yard. Later, I worked in the shop of an industrial pump company. In college, I worked at a car wash, served as a custodian for a couple of churches, and even painted houses with a professional painting team. Along the journey of being in full-time ministry, I have also been a school teacher, a Dean of Students, and a campus pastor. In fact, most of my other work experience is in the church world. This disqualifies me from saying that my current "job" is the hardest or "dirtiest" job in America. After all, I've never been the captain of a nuclear submarine, a brain surgeon, an air traffic controller, or an SEC college football coach, all of which seem like very intense positions. 

However, I have been a full time pastor for over 30 years. Working through the ranks, I started out as a youth pastor — with a rather impressive salary of $35/month — and then went on to serve at a Christian church, a Missionary Alliance church, Baptist churches and Independent churches. 

There was a time in our country when being a pastor was far easier than it is today. There was a time in America when being a minister of any level at a church was easier than it is today. The calling of a pastor is a truly amazing thing. God chooses a man — foolish, weak, without much power or honor (1 Corinthians 1:26-30) — to lead, train, and disciple a fold full of similar sheep, in order to change the world and to live out Kingdom values. He is supposed to build up a body of Christ-followers so that they will deny themselves, die to themselves, and proclaim Christ's death, burial, and resurrection to their community. (Luke 9:23-24, 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

As our culture has slowly fallen away from the traditional Judeo-Christian values — and fallen deeper into the bowels of humanism — ministry efforts, responsibilities, and procedures have changed. And not just a little. Allow me to give you some examples. One of the easiest ways to explain this is to think about how a music minister's role, even at a small country church, has changed. In the 1970's and '80's and '90's, a worship pastor at a small church only needed to know about one-third of the hymns in the pew hymnal and learn a few "specials" that were becoming popular on Christian radio. In fact, when the music minister arrived at church on Sundays, he could simply stand next to the pianist about 40 minutes before the service, pick three hymns for the day, and maybe select the two needed for the evening service. The "work" for the week was in teaching the church choir the "offertory" song that would be sung each Sunday. This was usually rehearsed on a Wednesday evening. Sixty-percent of the time, this "special" was also a hymn (usually one that was not quite as common among the congregation.) Moreover, the music minister did not necessarily need to play an instrument himself.

Music leaders today, though, have a dramatically different role. Each week, 20 to 30 great worship songs are written, published, recorded and promoted on radio and every form of social media. Music leaders have to evaluate song keys and singers. He has to be able to able to work with a band, sound system problems, staging challenges, and a wide array of vocalists. He has to pre-select music for themed services, mix music with media presentations, and juggle which singer is leading  verses as supporting singers. It's not nearly the same job that it used to be! 

In the past (back when I was a teenager, longing to follow in the footsteps of my pastor David J. Jones), leading a church had a short list of responsibilities, most of which were expected by congregations. Here's a simple bullet list of ministers' roles back in the 1970's or 80's: 

• Preaching Sunday morning and evening
• Teaching a devotional on Wednesday and leading prayer service
• Counseling families or teens who are wayward
• Performing marriages and funerals as needed
• Additional responsibilities might include driving kids to summer camp, teaching a Tuesday morning study group. 

Today, a lead pastor at a small church has a vastly different role. Here are some of the things, in addition to the list above, that he must do in order to be effective as a good shepherd to his congregation: 

• Study cultural trends and generational trends 
• Study contemporary outreach methods 
• Research local community needs and demographics 
• Design Bible-based messages that appeal to the specific local community 
• Evaluate hundreds of authors and online resources in order to protect his flock from false teaching. 
• Counsel families (which has changed dramatically over the last 30 years thanks the collapse of the nuclear family in modern society.) 
• Train committee and team leaders in cultural issues and Christian values 
• Determine the specific vision for the church family and cast it in a compelling way in order to inspire families to serve. 
• Build bridges between the generations (Millennial to Boomers and Busters, X, Y, Z's to Millennials and Boomers) 
• Evaluate and/or create social media promotion for church
• Establish community presence for the church
• Evaluate and/or design media for messages 
• Research videos for sermon illustrations (Millennials and Gen X need this.) 
• Update personal social media with inspirational content, quotes, Scripture, etc. 
• Develop and train young staff and volunteers 
• Administer key teams and/or committees. 
• Keep the music guy from running people off (Just kidding...sort of....) 

And remember, all of this assumes that other key leaders are handling the building, finances, grounds, maintenance, budgets, etc. Otherwise, that falls on the pastor's shoulders as well. 

If I thought harder, I could likely make this list much longer. In fact, if you're a fellow minister, you're welcome to add to it in the comment section below. I would love to see what I've left off. Small churches like the one where I serve often require a lot from a pastor. Excellence in ministry requires a lot from a pastor. I am writing all of this down, not as a complaint, but because I love my work responsibilities and my calling. However, I believe that, at times, the average congregation forgets what a pastor is really trying to accomplish and how cultural shifts dramatically change the role of any good minister. Ministers who just want to "coast" through life will be able to work off the first bullet point list and likely do some good at a small church. Ministers who really want the church to be a beacon of grace and hope in a dark and dying world will need to work through most of the second list on a weekly basis. 

I know for a fact that it's never been harder to move a fellowship of Christ-followers toward ministry and service and full devotion to Christ our Savior. If you're a pastor, I know it has never been more complicated and challenging to preach and teach the glorious and life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that is effective and inspiring (Acts 20:24). If you're a pastor, I know it has never been harder to care for the souls of of those who you serve (Hebrews 13:17). I would encourage you to guard your heart and soul with rich doses of the Word. Find sweet fellowship with Christ first before trying to understand or lead your fold. Let Christ be your leader as the head of the Church and work to be a good "under-shepherd" caring well for the fold that has been entrusted to you. 

If you need some encouragement, reach out to my team at 614ministries.org. 

If you are a church member, lay-leader, or volunteer at your church, bless you and your kind. Serve your pastor. Honor his efforts. Stand alongside him and help. Remember, he has a very hard job. Perhaps the hardest in America. 

Dear Pastor Friends and church members, 

After 40 years in ministry, I want to clarify something that is often misunderstood and mistaught by the local church: The pastor of your church is one of you. Consider the Apostle Paul — the great church-planter and developer — as he writes the God-inspired words in 1 Corinthians 12 that we are all, as true Christ-followers, individual parts of the body of Christ, which is His Church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-20) While it is good to respect and honor your pastor, he is only part of the team that makes up your church. He does his part, you do your part, others do their part, and the Church (the Body of Christ) works well to bring grace and hope to a community and bring glory to God. Everyone in the church is part of the ministry team. Everyone. If you're at a church and are not helping to minster to the community, alongside your pastor and staff leadership, then you really aren't part of the church. If you're observing and not actually serving, you're simply watching church happen, but not actively participating in it. 

Think of it this way: Spectators at a football game are great while cheering on a team. But they're not part of the team, part of the work, or part of the efforts to achieve the goal. At a church, however, everyone — including the pastor, the new believers, and the little children — are all part of the body-life of that particular church. Everyone is part of the team. Everyone is supposed to be doing ministry throughout the week. Everyone is needed and important. (1 Corinthians 12:17-21) And, of course, pastors must do their part as well. 

In this age of rapid-fire Facebook posts, tweets, texts, Snapchats, Instagrams, and instant opinions, I often find myself discouraged when church members who are not really supporting, helping, and serving their local church body choose to speak out against that church and its  spiritual leaders. After all, God's design is for there to be leaders and followers. This is clear from the New Testament church designs and from the fact that God refers to the elders of the church as "shepherds." (Acts 20:28-29)

Now, Shepherds are indeed supposed to lead sheep. But, they are also supposed to care for and engage with the sheep. Jesus is the Great Shepherd whom we are all following. And, at the end of the day, every pastor is also a sheep. All of us are to be following the One Great Shepherd who satisfies our every need. (John 10:14) Church members should work closely with the pastors and leaders to bring ministry to the local community. 

So, could there be some ministers who are potentially not following Christ? Of course. And God will deal with them. These bad leaders are very obvious to those who truly care about the values and principles of Christlike living. Unhitch your wagon from these leaders as quickly as possible. I am referring to ministers — several who I know personally — who are doing all that they can to create healthy ministry, striving to love the church body, teach and practice the "one anothers," and reach the lost in daily discipleship, all while many within the church stand and watch them serve with critical comments and complaints. This is not right. This is not what God expects of the members of His Body, His Bride. Instead, the members of a church were expecting the pastor to work 162 hours per week. I know that is extreme, but I also know that the expectations are high for those who are pastoring. (I've been doing this for a long time and I know that you expect a lot!) And the expectations of pastors in small churches are very high. Instead of expecting the pastor to be so busy, help him! Serve alongside him! (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10) 

The pastor is not more important than the person who just recently joined your fellowship. Both are equal. Both are indwelled by the Spirit of God. Both are spiritually gifted by God through His grace. Both are saved by God through His grace. And both are important to the overall functioning of the church. Both are equally needed. Let me be clear: I'm not saying that your pastor doesn't deserve to be respected and honored. Paul's letter to Timothy is clear about giving double honor to those who lead and teach the church. (1 Timothy 5:17)

But, as a member of the church yourself, it is clear that you are a minister as well. You have gifts (just as your pastor does) that are meant to serve the church. Your gifts are just as important as his gifts. Your work and service are just as important and vital to the effectiveness of the church as the pastor's work. In fact, if the pastor is a phenomenal teacher, preacher, vision-casting maniac with superb leadership gifts and amazing shepherding skills, but you as a member do not serve and support the church, then the church will struggle and eventually fail. You see, it's easy to fall into the false assumption that the pastor's work is more important than yours at a local church. But after 40 years of ministry, I can tell you that your work is just as important. All of the body is valuable. All of the body is necessary for the church to be healthy. 

To many of my pastor-brothers out there who are reading this: Please do not put yourself on a plane higher than your fellow church family and congregants. (Romans 12:3; James 4:6-10; Matthew 20:25) Remember that you are His sheep. Humility is essential in order for you to shepherd well. Consider again the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, our model, who washed the feet of twelve disciples as they argued over who was the greatest in the room on the night that one of them would betray Him. Jesus did not lord his authority, though He indeed had "all authority on heaven and Earth." 

Do not lord your authority over your people either. Instead, serve them and equip them for the work of the ministry. 1 Peter 5:2-4 says, "shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; not yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." (NASU) 

Here are four quick summary thoughts: 

1. Remember that the pastor is just one of you. Do not put him so high up on a pedestal that it destroys his ability to be real. 
2. Consider ways to befriend your pastor and to support his family just like you would do with your own family or other close friends. Do not stand apart from him as if he and/or his family are "special" or different.) 
3. Honor the pastor for his service, his heart, and his sacrifice. Forgive him when he is weak or struggling just as you would forgive any fellow church member. Leadership gives a pastor a heavy responsibility. 
4. Seek to work as hard as your pastor so that the church can be healthy. 

In closing, I could like to encourage you all to check out a new ministry platform I have recently launched called 6.14 Ministries, based on my life verse Galatians 6:14 as well as on Nehemiah 2:17. You can learn about the ministry by visiting our official website at: 614ministries.org