Oh, “you have big shoes to fill” has been uttered through the vocal chords of church members for decades without a scriptural filter to stop it. Both seasoned and unseasoned pastors have been on the receiving end of the “sharp” message meant to acknowledge what was and forewarn what is.
I’m sure my context is different than others after serving in student Ministry for just shy of 25 years. I felt God’s call to be a pastor and have served in that role for more than a year.
Where can a pastor find this council of church historians? Don’t neglect digging in the church records or racing the church history. Contact the historical commission for your denomination. Look in old newspapers or with your state historical society. There is probably more out there than you think if you look in the right places.
For pastors there is always something else to do, somebody to visit, somewhere to go. Pastors are faced with committees, budgets, crises, buildings, family, and the ever-present deadline of the Sunday sermon. So in the midst of all that, why should we add the study of church history to our list of things to do?
Through the pulpit, a pastor can lead the church by how he preaches. People will remember how we preach long after they forget what we preach.
Children’s ministry looks different than it did a decade ago. The strategies we should be using today are not the same as they were at the turn of the century. Recent studies show that anywhere between 58% and 67% of Christian parents today choose a church with their kids in mind.
More than Mission Minded, more than supportive of Missions, Jesus said to the early church leaders, “GO make disciples of all nation…” Mt.28:19....
As you consider ministry and missions opportunities for the members of your church, I would encourage you to reach out to your DOM to learn if there is a Disaster Relief Team in your association, or where the nearest teams are.
Developing a safety ministry can be a daunting task. The tendency will be toward buying a prepackaged plan with ready-made policies and procedures. My advice is to do the long hard work and put together a plan that considers your specific context.
There are many ways the association can assist you as a pastor as well as your congregation. Here are eight things I will briefly mention...