Pastoral Leadership

You know them—they slap your back and say an encouraging word…without really pausing to hear how you’re doing, or if you actually need encouragement, or maybe a listening ear. That’s annoying, but the worst problem with a professional backslapper is not what they do, but what they miss—especially when they are a spiritual leader.

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.

When I believed God was burdening my heart to plant a church in my hometown, many people laughed or just shook their heads. You see, I am from Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1977, I planned to graduate on May 11, get married ten days later, and assist my pastor in building a recent successful church plant in Burlington, North Carolina. That year, however, God changed my direction towards planting a church in Las Vegas.

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.

If repetition is the key to learning, then, when it comes to working with young people, keeping a big picture focus is the key to sanity. It’s so easy to get into a rut in which we tire of the repetition necessary to develop students.

When Jesus left this world He commissioned His church to go into “all the world” with the gospel message. This is more than just the message of salvation; it is also administering baptism and then training or discipling new converts. If we are going to be successful in doing what Christ gave us to do, churches must be planted in order to carry out the three directives given by the Lord.

The early church was exploding with growth. One hundred twenty people met in Acts 1 and prayed for God’s power. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were converted, baptized, and added to the local church. In Acts 4:4, another five thousand men were saved, and we see in Acts 5:14, “Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.”

One of the major factors among growing churches is an aggressive one-on-one discipleship ministry. When planting a church, the most important thing a church planter can do is to disciple new converts.

What do you envision your sphere of leadership and ministry looking like twelve months from now? If you desire for it to be different in any way than it is now, you must plan for it.

In today’s difficult economy, many are reducing expenses. While we all hate to be set back in any way, there are both wise and unwise ways to do this. Here are some thoughts that may be worthy of your consideration:

As the results of the recent election became clear, I became concerned, not because of party or political issues, but for spiritual reasons. Those who elected our nation’s leaders reflect the hearts of our nation’s citizens. When a political party jeers at the name of God, rejects God’s plan for marriage, and endorses the killing of preborn children—and America elects those who hold these positions—we are in a difficult situation.

I recently returned from a week out of the office. My week away was not a vacation, missions trip, or preaching meeting. It was actually a time to get away from my daily routine of office, ministry, and work. It was a time to reflect, pray, think, read, and prepare for the future.

For many years, most fundamental churches followed the pattern of having one large adult class taught by the pastor in the auditorium. Such great churches as Akron Baptist Temple, pastored by Dallas Billington, popularized this approach. Recently, the trend has been to offer multiple adult classes.

Being a member of a growing Baptist church is exciting. The baptistry ministry is an area where volunteers help new Christians publicly show their profession of faith in Jesus Christ. It is a great way to see the fruit of the church’s soulwinning efforts.