Politics vs. Structure

Most people absolutely HATE the idea of politics in the church, and for good reason. The seeking of power inside the body of believers is one of the most disgusting and repulsive activities that some people engage. However, structure is a necessary element of any group of people, and is often the predecessor to the power-grubbing process we call politics. Though the political agenda of some people is something to be guarded against, the structure of responsibility is necessary in order that all work not be done by one person as well as to ensure that all areas of ministry are adequately completed and attended to.

Even Moses and the Israelites were not above having a group of elders who divided the work in order that all may be ministered to. Exodus 18 indicates this type of systematic structure to deal with complaints and the judgments of arguments within the camp. For one person to attempt to coordinate the affairs and discrepancies of an entire people is ridiculous, therefore, partnerships with wise elders is necessary for the proper facilitation of these duties.

No matter what your denominational background may be or the structure that is set up in your church, it is necessary to know this structure and the people who work in it. It is also necessary to be an active member of this structure and to conduct yourself in a fashion that is above reproach.

Structure is not the enemy, nor is the passage of time when it is used to seek the wisdom of the scripture and the guidance of the spirit. The product of structured church work that must be avoided is stagnation and power. The Almighty is the only true judge, and is awesome and powerful. He, being without fault, will incite his people to good work as well as provide all power and energy necessary to accomplish this good work. Our groups of elders and pastors must work together to accomplish His work instead of our own. To know these people well, and work fervently with one another to accomplish the work of the Kingdom should be our goal as we find ourselves a part of the organizational structure of our church.

What Makes You Think This is YOUR Job Anyway?

Far too often we look at our lives and the things in it and believe, truly believe, that we own it. We think that the car we drive is ours, and that the house we sleep in is ours, and the clothes on our back (and front) are ours, and even the scratched-up Geoff More and the Distance CD we found while cleaning our room at our parent’s house last year is ours. We have deluded ourselves in to thinking that possession is truly nine tenths of the law.

We get out of our bed in the morning and skip our breakfast so that we can walk out our door just in time to make our way to the office where we stealthily avoid our secretary as well as one of our deacons while they not-so-positively discus our numbers yesterday. We make it to our office door and fumble our keys to unlock our door, and sit at our desk to turn on our computer and drink, what is now, our cold coffee and sit for the next few minutes posting about our ‘already hectic day at our office’ on Twitter; all the while wondering why we aren’t rewarded for all the great stuff we have done over the past year in our ministry.

Wow. That may have seemed to be a redundant use of the word “our” but it was necessary to indicate the possessive nature that many of us have about the things in our lives. We believe that all this belongs to us, and subsequently is under our direction, demand, and authority.

Possession is a lie! The truth comes from the word of God wherein we find the love the things of the flesh to be representative of an absence of the Father’s love in them.

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)
¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

We must begin to see ourselves as laborers in the field of the Master. We must see our work as being the result of His good will, and our payment far greater than the measure to which we have served. Workers in the field are not owners, nor do they have a claim to the land, but instead, they labor for the master to gather for Him what is owed to Him.

Ministry

Ministry is a word that is overused. It means nothing when we don’t want it to, and it means everything when we are trying to impress someone. Ministry must be more than simply a flippant word that we toss around to excuse ourselves from the office to attend a football game out of town. Ministry must be our heart. It must be the very thing that keeps us up at night in prayer for our people. It must be the thing that helps us stay awake when we drive across country to pick up a student who has lost their way, and what helps us sleep at night when the world, or even our own church members, hates us for the way we care for the lost and broken. Ministry must be our fruit.

When I say that ministry must never suffer in the absence of a pastor it is to say that our hearts must be aligned with the Father to the degree that our faith be not dismantled simply because our office system is a bit quieter. We must brazenly run to the hurting and give to those in need. Without regard to the faltering fiscal revenue, and with no thought to how we might pay the light bill at the church next month.

Ministry is the element of the church that will make it relevant, in spite of trends or cultural shifts. Ministry is the element of Jesus that made people flock to him. Ministry is why we have deacons, elders, bishops, and pastors. Ministry is why we have jobs and why the hurting have hope. Ministry is the overwhelming drive of the spirit in each of our hearts to make a difference in the world.

May the spirit empower you, may He make His light shine upon you, and may you make famous His name in all the earth!

The In-Between Times

A threat to the cohesion of the programs of a church during the absence of a pastor is the refocusing on Sundays and Wednesdays (or whatever days are your primary days of meeting). Though this is not a big deal for your congregation in the short run, it can create some negative habits in the long run. Members relegate their membership, participation, and personal ministry to the confines of those two days when they have done so for so long. We on the other hand, must use this shift in participation to shed some light on the ministries that can go on without a pastor.

When there is no noise, the smallest of sounds is clear to hear. When light doesn’t exist in a place, the smallest match can illuminate a room. The same is true about the absence of ministry. When a church remains idle for a period of time, any ministry that is visible in that dark place will shine bright and can help to reinvigorate your people for ministry on their own.

Keep in mind that this is not a ploy to get attention to refocus itself on you, nor is it a way to edge yourself closer to the pastor’s chair (each will be discussed later in this blog). This is a way to show the power of ministry. If we as leaders in the church shed light on ministry in the dark times, our church will become better able to see ministry in its true form. When we take youth to clean an elderly persons yard in the fall, or take our church choir to the nursing home, or we take our children’s ministry to the local children’s hospital for visitation, or we set up a car winterization program with our deacons, and we do these projects NOT ON SUNDAY, we illuminate their value to our group.

Not only are the events themselves more apparent by not being shoved into the Sunday Mix, but our people, being that they have to adjust their lives to participate, will better understand what an impact ministry can have on the people they serve as well as the people serving.

One event, done on a Tuesday evening…give it a shot and see how your group changes. See how their hearts become open, simply by opening their schedule.

Workers Need Love Too

Not only should we be observant of each person in our ministry, but we must also be aware of each person that helps us create these ministries, as well as maintain them year to year. We as ministers must be willing to be ministers to each person on each committee that is associated with our goals. Deacons, teachers, workers, and other staff members are all integral parts of whatever ministry we serve. Also, each of these individuals are in relationships with family and friends just like our ministry groups are. Therefore, we must be aware of each of their family maps as well.

This seems to be a mathematical and cold way to introduce yourself to the people to whom you intend to minister, and at first it may be. But when you lay each of these family maps on the floor in your office and they begin to crowd your space, you will begin to see just how big your job is. Each family on your list will be a part of ministry for you over the next few years, and you will need to know them if you want to help them.

When you step back and see just how big and broad your goals of ministry are, now that you have seen all these people you intend to serve, you will begin to see that expanding past ministry and into the realm of program. Ministry will be the only thing that propels the church during a time without a pastor.

The Salve of the Scriptures

The Psalms are an outcry of the heart. They are the reflections of men whose lives were rocked by the situation of the day, as well as the destructive nature of their own sin and rebellion. When a staff member or lay leader is in the midst of all of the pain and stress of existing without a pastor, especially when the pastor left under tumultuous circumstances or he has been gone for quite some time; it is easy to become wrapped up in the sorrow of it all. Such devastation and pity are not productive for the Kingdom. We as believers must be able to rest in the strength of the lord for our assurance.

I can’t tell you that have always sought the strength found in the scriptures, but I can say that every time I have, I have found the Psalms to be a great fountain of joy, and a river of peace.

Psalm 1:1-6 (ESV)
1Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Find Rest

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Most likely, my most fundamental failure during my early years without a pastor was my inability to take rest in the Lord. Resting in general seemed like a dereliction of my duties, and might just result in my being asked to resign. I began to believe the lie that, “business is next to godliness.” That yoke was laid upon me by the evil one, and I bore that burden for far too long.

My days were long and my toil was great. My ambitions were lofty and my planning was calculated. My hope was steadfast and my aim was true to tradition. The only problem was that my focus was on building great facilities, programs, music, and numbers. The absence of the Holy Spirit during planning was evident in every venture of the church. Occasionally I would find myself in the darkest of times (usually after deacons meetings, or personnel committee meetings) where I would weep and cry out for God’s direction and strength; and God would faithfully deliver me and my broken church to a time of great passion and good work.

Resting in Him is the only way to start the process of growth. It is not through work that we find success, it is through the deliverance of us by the Spirit.

Why Vacant Oversight

When a pastor leaves a church, whether by force or on his own accord, the vacancy is one that is felt throughout the congregation. In many ways the church has become aware of the process of pastors coming and going. We have created positions that only exist when there is no leadership from a pastor, and have become well versed in our introduction speeches. Yet, the primary oversight has been in the development of staff who are capable of filling the void left by a pastor, as well as working for the glorification of the Kingdom without hesitation. Over the past eight years of ministry, my churches have been without a pastor for nearly six. I have seen pastors leave three churches, and have helped the most recent two hire a pastor.

It is my prayer and hope that this ongoing conversation might help others in ministry withstand many of the trials that are faced throughout the interim time by illuminating many of my mistakes, and glorifying our father for His great triumphs.