Tribute to the Rural Church Pastor

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.   -Romans 12:3

This article is dedicated to small, rural church pastors who live in “obscurity” by call and by choice. There are few earthly rewards or accolades for such servants.  You will not be called on to give a sermon before the nobility of clergy at conferences and conventions.

Obscurity is the state of being unknown, not being prominent, or being subtlety located.  If something or someone is obscure, a special effort is required to be noticed. As one of six billion+ humans currently sharing this planet, it is easy to go unnoticed. Having lived in a city of nearly 20 million, it is easy to feel small and insignificant among the masses.

You can choose obscurity or it may be chosen for you.  The Bible is replete with individuals who lived most of their life in obscurity, including our Lord Jesus. Obscurity is not a punishment or discipline from God. Nor is it the natural consequence of less intelligent, less gifted or unmotivated persons. Obscurity can be a gift – ask almost any famous person.

Today’s “success” mindset believes that bigger is better. As a result, many sincere, gifted pastors feel less than “successful” if they live out their calling off the beaten path, out of the glorious spotlight. Noted:  rural churches often receive ministerial “leftovers”, those who would prefer the larger town or city church but did not receive the call. In taking a rural church, they hope to develop their skills and launch their ministry to more significant places. However, for those who are obedient to God’s call to the open country church – the Lord Jesus and I applaud your faithfulness.

Pray that God will call out pastors to serve our churches and that those He calls will not be beguiled to believe that their great talent and sacrifice would matter more elsewhere.  Pray that pastors serving in the spotlight might hear God’s call to deny themselves and follow the call of Jesus to obscurity.

the new BIG

There was a time when bigger was better. It applied to almost anything: houses, cars, businesses, and churches. “Then,” Seth Godwin writes, “small happened”(Penguin Publishing, 2006).

Small is personal. Small is agile. Small can quickly adapt to change or challenges. It can be efficient, focused, and powerful. It multiplies easily. Small is beautiful.

God places great importance on small. Jesus told us that a good shepherd leaves 99 in order to retrieve one lost sheep and chose just 12 apostles. The church was born out of a group of just 120 people.

Many of America’s leading business ventures and most influential churches started small. In a garage, in a basement or living room. As they expanded, they found ways to maintain a culture of personal care, constant adaptation, and multiplication.

This is good news for small churches that want to harness the power of small. While larger churches have advantages in staffing, programs, and specialized ministries, smaller churches have the opportunity to be personal, to respond quickly, and to leverage their uniqueness to serve God and people. (Few small churches, however, seize this advantage.)

This is also good news for the local Baptist Associations. Our beloved denomination began cooperation by establishing a local association. In order to establish institutions, state conventions were established. In order to support home and foreign mission boards, a national convention was established. The complexity of their mission and size of organizations make it extremely difficult to transform. We know little about them, and they know little about us. In our association, we know one another, our field, and our strengths/needs. The association is personal.

Associations are positioned to greatly impact churches and communities of our county. This requires that we leverage relationships to collaborate- sharing our dreams, needs, and resources. Utilizing our power of small means finding and maintaining a clear focus that directs our energies into whatever best glorifies Jesus Christ and furthers His mission in the world.

Seth Godwin concludes his article: “Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big. Don’t wait. Get small. Think big.”

Minister Beyond the Grave

We have just celebrated Resurrection Sunday, which proclaims Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and the grave. Because of His victory, we know that the end of this life is not the end. Hallelujah!
Life passes so quickly. By the time we figure out its mission and what really matters, the sun is setting on our earthly existence. Our choices to live for God make a difference in our world (praying, serving, giving, etc.). Participation in and support of your local church matters and makes a difference both while you live and also beyond your life.
Your testimony does not end with your eulogy. How you lived should matter to loved ones left behind. Hopefully, many people will remember your words and acts of Christian love. Traditionally, we have thought of passing on our “treasures” through our last will and testament (a will). However, 70% of Americans have not made a will, blindly relying on the state’s will to suffice. For Christians, a will speaks beyond the grave of who & what was important to you.
Would you like to give more to Christian causes though trusts than the sum of your giving in all your life (with an even greater benefits your family)? What if I could show you have to give away your estate two times (legally) and gain tax benefits for yourself now (OR establish a continual fund for a ministry)?
One does not have to be wealthy to have a great impact to advance Christian causes beyond your lifetime. You can minister beyond the grave, but will you?

Let’s Go Fishing!

I am not a great fisherman.  Just ask anyone who has gone with me.  I do enjoy going fishing — the company and the lake. It matters little about the catch. If I do hook a fish, I release him. After all, it is a lot of trouble to prepare them – scales, guts, heads – yuk. 

There are lots of parallels with becoming a fisher of men.  Many of us, who have been called to be “fishers of men” enjoy the fellowship, but are not very serious about the “catch”– those separated from God for time and possibly for eternity. Keeping our catch is messy – guts and heads to deal with; messy, broken lives that need healing, restoration, love (lots of love).

Successful fisherman use different tools and techniques for different kinds of fish. They understand what works in various conditions and seasons.  Many Christians do not even know how to share their testimony or present the basic Gospel to another person. What a shame! Half of those who take a witness training course do not use the training to share their faith once the course is completed. What a waste!

While we Baptists make much of the Great Commission, and far too often, we fail to obey it:

GOING > MAKING DISCIPLES > OBEYING ALL COMMANDS

Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation!

Luke 24:44  …proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sin to all peoples!

John 20:21  …as the Father sent Me, I am sending you!

Acts 1:8  …you shall be My witnesses!

God’s heart breaks for those who are far from Him. Does ours?

He longs for them to be reconciled with their Creator. Do we?

The Moral Cliff

The Moral Cliff

Life is connected. Each aspect of your life impacts every other. This is true within our physical body, with our relationships, and with society.  Recent national conversation about going over the fiscal cliff had many anxiously awaiting the “fix”.  However, I understand the fiscal cliff as one consequence of another cliff we went over decades ago: the Moral Cliff. Life is connected.

Like a boxcar following the rest of the train, changes in morals, values, and virtues have derailed our exceptionally blessed nation. There is not one person, one political party, or one congress to blame. There has been a slow moral decay at work that has gone without correction.  It is hard to say exactly where or when we left the tracks, but one thing is clear – we have derailed.

The connected cars could only follow.  The 1960’s redefined personal freedom and dislodged our nation from its Judeo-Christian norms. Three years after President Nixon disconnected our nation’s currency from gold/silver reserve (despite warnings from economists like Alan Greenspan), our highest court ruled personal choice over human life. The 1980s and 1990s saw personal moral boundaries fall in religious and political leaders while denying absolute truth. As a predictable result, our core societal institutions are portrayed as irrelevant and archaic: the family and the Church.

Buckle up, Christians. Those who hold to traditional values are coming under greater criticism and exclusion.  However, in such a climate, the character and beauty of the Christian life shines brightly. We can stand out by personal disdain for the world system while allowing Jesus Christ to demonstrate faith, hope and love though us. Listen to the words of Jude:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 

And on some, have compassion, making a distinction; but others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.(20-23)

 

See God

See God

It seems that everyone has their own view of God.  Some would dare to say we are all correct.  Others say that none of us are correct, or that we could never know.  This largely depends upon your basis for truth/reality.

An ancient source for truth states, “with the pure, You (God) show Yourself pure,
but with the crooked, You show Yourself shrewd. (Psalm 18:26)

What you see when you see God may say more about yourself than it does about God.  God does reveal Himself to those who seek Him with their whole heart.  That means (among other things) setting aside all our preconceived notions- but who can do that?  Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

I’m still looking, trying to focus my eyes, ears, and heart to see Him for all He is.

Leaders. Who are “they”?

Leaders – Who are “they” ?
Everyone leads and is led by others at some point. What makes an effective leader?
Position? The invite may come as recognition of one’s leadership, but positional leadership alone is impotent.
Expertise? Knowledge and skills are certainly helpful, the desire to grow points toward healthy leaders, but in and of themselves an expert just knows and does – alone.
Likeability? This is an important ingredient, for people are naturally inclined to follow those they like, but being nice does not make one a leader.
Integrity? Character consistent with one’s professed mission and ideals gives authenticity to personal leadership. Of course, integrity comes to light through relationship. Now that’s the fiber of leadership.
Leaders connect with others in a way that brings synergy toward a purpose. Leaders give permission, tools, encouragement, credit, appreciation, and at times, accountability. Leaders receive satisfaction from the success of others.

Something to Die for

Something 2Die4
We all have a set of values in our hearts and a set of priorities in our minds. We make daily decisions based on these, whether or not we are aware of why we choose as we do. In conversations with church leaders, the concepts of right/wrong, pain/gain, and risk/reward are given specifics – often names & faces. In many cases, the question floats to the surface, “Is this a hill you are willing to die on?” In other words, is the issue or situation so important that it merits the pain/loss which might result?
There is nothing worth living for until you have “something” (a person, possession, or an ideal) 2Die4 (to die for). Islamic jihadists rally others to offer their lives or their children for their cause world domination in the name of their god. Few Christians have the clear conviction (or commitment) to the Gospel that rallies others to Christ-like life. Our mission is not domination but compassion. Our motive is not duty but love. Our aim is not destruction but reconciliation.
In the coming year, instead of making resolutions to do more, I am determining to focus to live for what is worth dying for. In the coming year, will you join me in giving your life for the sake of the Gospel? Will you join me in pursuing the heart of God in daily life, in not growing weary in well-doing, and in praying fervently and faithfully? Let us simply live daily, truly, for the One 2Die4.
I look forward to the journey with you in 2010. Thank you for allowing me to serve you and your church in Jesus’ name.
In grateful service,
Hal

A Glance at American Population Shifts
The U.S. Census Bureau gives the following projection of US population in 2050:
• Total Population: now 309,000,000 to 399,000,000 in 2050
• White/Anglo population from 68.2% to 49.9% in 2050
• African-Americans from 12% to 12.2% in 2050
• Hispanics from 15% to 28% in 2050
• Asians from 4.4% to 6% in 2050
As of the year 2023, white children will be in the minority.
What does this mean for evangelism and the 2050 churches? Think about it. Pray about it. Then, do something that will connect future generations to a biblically sound, spiritually vibrant church.
The heart of the Research and Development Team is to give every Stanly County resident the Gospel in a way they can understand and respond to it. This is not just a possibility. It is not an option. It is a mandate from God: “Go and make disciples of all nations (peoples).”

Observation to Experience (1)

Observation to Experience – John3
Nic came to Jesus one evening. He had heard what others said about Jesus, and undoubtedly heard Jesus speaking in public or at the Jewish education center. Perhaps, Nic was curious. Aren’t we all? Likely, he was dissatisfied with his spiritual life. Being a religious leader can lead to isolation, even in the midst of crowds. It can drive one to question the basic premise and purposes of life. I know. For whatever reason, Nic came to investigate Jesus personally to fill in the gaps. He was not sure even what questions to bring. There was so much that seemed to be missing from his personal and communal spirituality. Maybe Jesus could help him. Yes, Nic’s venture to find out about Jesus was to discover the truth.
Much has been speculated why he came under the cover of darkness. Was it to avoid the stinging comments of his religious friends? Could it have been that the Gospel writer included this factoid in order to play out the image of one who lived in the darkness and sought the light of truth? (Remember, this is the same author that penned the book, Revelation (the Apocalypse). Whatever the motivation, the important thing is that he came to check things out for himself. The very thing the God of the universe invites us to do.
Nic had been impressed by the work and words of Jesus. He recognized that God must be with him in light of the miracles. From that simple confession, Jesus challenged this man to consider a new paradigm for living. Instead of thinking of oneself as being a person born (physical pre-set), into a family (social pre-set), and a set of circumstances (historical pre-set), think of yourself being born spiritually into God’s family without limitations that our old (current) paradigm places upon us. Wow.
It is not a quick or easy task to adopt a new paradigm. It does take faith to see it and time to understand it. It requires courage to risk implementation (or even experimentation). Personal struggle, honesty, and openness to accept where it leads and what it presents. A new paradigm is a new beginning.
Jesus pressed Nic on the necessity of a spiritual birth. Being born physically required nothing on our part. Being born spiritually is quite a different matter. Being born of water and the Spirit, we enter the Kingdom of God. The “Welcome” mat is on the front step. Can you see it?
Here’s the paradox. You cannot see until you are spiritually born (John 3:3). You cannot enter until you see (John 3:5). No wonder there is no recorded decision that Nic made that evening. Like him, because we come in our humanity, it takes time, faith, courage, openness, and honesty to embrace and enter this new life paradigm. If you are reading this, I am guessing that you are open, or at least curious.
Dear God, Whoever you are, I want to meet You, know You, and fully live. Help me to accept You for who You are. –Thank You.

Meet my Friend

Meet my Friend
I have a friend who keeps score. In times of personal stress, he reminds me of the load I am made to bear. Whenever I stretch myself thin, bear down too hard, or take myself more seriously than I merit, his hand touches me gently, graciously. His name is pain.
I have a friend, who stops me in my tracks, puts me on my back, and patiently waits for me to look up. The snap, crackle, pop of the best therapists can do little to relieve this. Tiny pills may dull the sharp effects, but through it all, my friend beacons me, “Be still, and know that HE is God (and I am not)”. His name is pain.
I have a friend who interrupts my comfort with a persuasive argument for change. Thank you, friend, for all you do to usher in the experiences required for a rich, fruitful life.