Pastoral Leadership

As a part of my work as a chaplain for the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department, I took a course in critical incident stress debriefing. While I did not look forward to this investment of time and did not expect to learn much, I found it very practical and quite helpful. One of the things they said was that in an immediate crisis, you would not do a complete debriefing, but you could do a defusing. I have found that, as a pastor, there are many times and circumstances that can benefit from “defusing.”

Leading in ministry is like walking a tightrope. Not only does it require delicate balance, but the stakes are high if we slip. As spiritual leaders, it is our responsibility to walk with balance. Ephesians 5:15 puts it succinctly—“walk circumspectly.” But if we were to get off balance, what would it look like?

Michael Kinsley, a liberal news commentator, once said that the difference between liberals and conservatives was that liberals were looking for heretics while conservatives were looking for converts. In other words, the liberals were eager to criticize others liberals for not being liberal enough, while the conservatives were trying to bring people to their way of thinking and convert them to their philosophy.

If there was ever a time that Christians and local churches needed to strive together for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), it’s now! This is not the time for independent Baptists to divide and splinter; it is the time to reach out and turn the world upside down once again.

Every spiritual leader, including the pastor (actually, especially the pastor) needs personal and spiritual accountability. I have gathered a team of godly men with whom I meet (sometimes on the phone, but often in person) on a regular basis for accountability.

Each year, as a part of our stewardship campaign, we have men from our church give stewardship testimonies. We generally have a testimony every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night for a month, and two or three additional testimonies at our stewardship banquet.

Preaching of the Word of God has been central for us. The Bible reminds us in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” God has chosen to change lives through the preaching of His Word. God uses His Word to build the lives of His people.

Written communication always carries more weight than spoken communication. And once that weight is attached to the wings of social media, it easily spreads far and wide. If you let a snide remark out in personal conversation, that’s too bad. But if you post it to Twitter, that’s like saying it over a worldwide PA system.

As I look at my responsibilities right now, aside from preaching, my biggest emphasis is placed on encouraging the growth of new leaders. I often tell our staff and deacons, who are core leaders in the church, there are three main things to remember as the focal points in our church.

Part of the joy of ministry is that of enjoying it with fellow laborers in the work. In the secular workplace, friendship with coworkers is often a corny topic. When your expected ambition at work is to support your family and perhaps also further your career, who cares if you enjoy time with your coworkers? But the work of the ministry isn’t the same as the work of factory.

Have you noticed that there seems to be less unity in fundamentalism than there used to be? It has often been bemoaned that fundamentalism is fragmenting. We have been cut into “camps,” fragmented into factions, and separated into splinters.

Every few months I have the privilege to teach a three-week newcomers class at our church. I relish this time with our new and prospective members, and I’ve found that they thoroughly enjoy it as well.

There are few tools that have the power to multiply your ministry like encouragement. Soulwinning and evangelism is the main thing. Discipleship is no less important. And encouragement is indispensable for both.

Developing balance is an ongoing pursuit in the life and heart of every spiritual leader. In fact, it’s been a quest in my life and ministry for over thirty years. I definitely have not arrived, but here are a few guidelines that I have tried to practice in balancing my schedule.

The Corinthian church was in desperate need of preaching. Every chapter seems to open one more sore, one more conflict in need of healing—troubles the church members often did not recognize.

The Apostle Paul took a bold, strong, uncompromising stand for the Lord Jesus and yet did so with a sweet and gracious spirit. In Acts 16, Timothy joined Paul and Silas on their missionary endeavor. He submitted to the rite of circumcision in order to be a good testimony to the Jews, to whom they would preach the Gospel.

Ministry—even good ministry—can be built on a shaky foundation. When Jesus gave the word picture of a house built on the sand or on a rock, He wasn’t only speaking to the Pharisees. He was speaking to you and me. Of course, His promise to those who build their lives on truth is also for you and me.

Often in our ministry, we help people who are a mess. Their lives have been totally ensnared and virtually destroyed by sin and Satan. Helping these people overcome lifelong struggles with drugs, alcohol, immorality, pornography, and other issues is challenging and filled with discouragement. It is also wonderfully exciting as we see God bring victory into these sin-scarred lives.

As we walk in humble sincerity before the Lord, we will insist on godly integrity. Our purpose in ministry is to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. He receives glory when people are saved and His Word is preached—unless we sabotage that glory with unethical or immoral ministry. The greatest motivator to serve with integrity is not protecting our “image,” but magnifying the testimony of Christ.

Being an independent Baptist in the 1970s was exciting. Elmer Towns published The Ten Largest Sunday Schools in America in 1969, and we occupied a majority of the spots. People were being saved, and churches were growing exponentially through aggressive soulwinning and outreach.