The Pastors Ministry Blog

John MacArthur

A Biblical Case for the Church’s Duty to Remain Open

Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). Grace Community Church has always stood immovably on those biblical principles. As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands.

https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B200723

Matt Slick

Persecution of Christians is on the rise. Matt Slick posted an article on the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry site that reveals the steps to persecution of Christians. It is an interesting read for our times.

https://carm.org/steps-to-persecution-christians

Kevin Kolb

Well-structured pastoral internships prepare men for ministry with their long-term health in view. Healthy churches are led by healthy pastors. Sadly, many of the well-intentioned men coming out of today’s seminaries are not fit for long term ministry. Pastoral internships should focus on six critical factors which sustain pastoral health in ministry.

1.    Spiritual Disciplines: During the internship, personal sanctification must be emphasized. Learning to pray, personally applying God’s Word, and fighting sin are critical practices. Faithful ministry blossoms in the soil of holy habits. Seasons of prayer and weekly conversations with a spiritual mentor help monitor progress and foster transparency.

2.    Family Care: The typical seminary model fails to train men to prioritize their time well, which strains marriages when they take on pastorates. Churches can do better. Pastors and lay leaders can model healthy marriages and train interns to manage ministry pressures as they rightly prioritize the home.

3.    Financial Freedom: School loans limit many pastors’ ability to serve God. We want our interns to enter ministry debt free. The church pays a livable wage so the interns can give themselves fully to the learning process. Applicants are sometimes encouraged to take a “gap year” between college and the start of the internship to pay down debt before they begin.

4.    Academic Preparation: Pastors should be educated. Our interns average 20 hours a week working on their degree. In three years, they earn a Master of Divinity from a fully-accredited institution that provides their classes online. Most seminaries now offer degrees that can be completed online, eliminating the need for families to move away from their home church. Young pastors will need the confidence they develop from tackling hard theological issues and learning original languages when they face ministry challenges.

5.    Ministry Opportunities: Interns develop skills to serve in a wide variety of ways. They may learn how to counsel someone through a crisis, lead a care group, manage church finances, mow the lawn, and prepare a sermon all in the same week. Internships should be practical. At the start of the internship ask questions, assess skills, and develop a plan for growth. Install them in areas they can succeed, and let them know more opportunities will come. When they graduate, pastoral interns will often step into churches where they are the only one on staff, so plan to give them as much ministry exposure as they can handle.

6.    Congregational Involvement: I’ve found that the internship program has taught the congregation how to think about the long-term health of pastors and churches. They are more responsive to my pastoral health, and they understand how churches can be revitalized. Just as healthy churches are led by healthy pastors, healthy churches produce healthy future pastors. Congregational involvement is essential to train men for ministry.

No two internships look the same, but these factors provide good structure for training spiritually healthy pastors to serve Christ’s church well into the future.

Kevin Kolb

One of the joys of pastoral ministry at Grace Baptist Church is directing the 3-year Pastoral Internship Program our church established in 2016. We are now in the middle of our second round of interns, and the blessings of this initiative continue to prove its worth. I believe every local church should consider training future pastors through a structured internship for three reasons.

1.    Biblically: Kind produces kind. In Genesis this basic law was established, and biblical theology proves its merit. Scripture demonstrates that God called men to ministry and often provided them with a godly mentor. Joshua had Moses, Elisha had Elijah, the Apostles had Jesus, Timothy and Titus had Paul, and we could go on. Learning from those with more experience and knowledge is rooted in the thread of biblical narratives.

Internships are also implied in Christ’s call to send laborers. Matthew 9:37-38 is followed by the training exercise of Matthew 10 (vs. 24-25). These training sessions would prove to be foundational for the Great Commission success in Acts. Churches who regularly send members into vocational ministry know how important it is to systematically identify the called and equip those who are sent. Internships help with both.

2.    Philosophically: Pastors should reproduce themselves like future ministry depends on it, because it does. When traveling on mission trips as a Field Representative for the BBFI, I observed that the most sustainable ministries were led by missionaries who, as part of their weekly tasks, trained godly men to lead the church. The more personal the connection was between the missionary and national pastor, the greater the loyalty to the philosophy of ministry.

I’ve always been told that leaders reproduce themselves. We often tell teachers and workers in our church they should be training their replacements. Why not model that leadership principle at the highest level? Interns may not fill your pulpit after your best years are spent - but then again they might. Who better to step in and carry on the work than someone you personally trained?

3.    Practically: Colleges can’t do it all. I appreciate a good Bible College education. But how many times have you heard or said, “They didn’t prepare me for that in Bible College?” Because of today’s complexities, young men would be well served to gain practical experience before stepping into the office of the pastor. We live in a world where specialization is expected, consumerism is common and burnout is rampant. Many are called, few seem to last.

Committing to a young man as an intern, rather than a staff member, also has practical benefits for the church. Knowing that they will be launched at a pre-established time creates a sense of mission and urgency within the body. The church celebrates their growth and benefits from their work. When ministry mistakes are made, the label provides cover (after all he is “just an intern”).

I believe churches train pastors best. I believe your church should consider this sorely needed and biblically modeled ministry as part of your Great Commission strategy.

Mike Frazier Pastor Canton Baptist Temple, Canton, Ohio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8WK-X1z4iU

mfrazier@cantonbaptist.org

Dr. Don Mingo Missionary to Missionary Care

Your church needs an approach to help people deal with porn’s bondage in their lives. It’s often a taboo subject to bring up at church. Here a few suggestions to consider:

Classes Are Good

During my pastorate, we started a class for men struggling with porn. We hid the word “pornography” by using the term “purity.” We called it the Men’s Purity Class.

Our men’s committee conducted the class on Sunday morning. Although I didn’t think the timing best, to my amazement over 30 men showed up ranging from 17 years of age to one gentleman: 84 years old!

Recovery Groups Are Good

Reformers Unanimous is very popular in many churches. It offers help for people struggling with an array of addictions. Such groups offer connection, resources, support, validation, and promotion. I’ve talked with many of God’s people who’ve enjoyed such groups.

Here is their website: https://rurecovery.com/

However, many in the church struggling with porn fear identifying their struggle in a large gathering. They will not attend.

Also, smaller churches will struggle to staff such a program.

Accountability Partners are Good Too

Find someone who is mature, lives above pornography, and can hold one’s feet to the fire -- a committed confidant someone can transparently share the depths of their spiritual struggles with.

I have a friend who shares his approach to accountability. Every day, several men check in with him. They answer 3 questions of accountability:

1.    Have you been faithful to God today?

2.    Have you been faithful to your wife today? (That includes zero porn exposure that day.)

3.    Have you been faithful to your purity today? (What did you think about and do?)

Mature Christian Mentors – The Best

My favorite approach is to find mature Christian mentors to help weak, struggling Christians move forward. It’s a biblical model that worked effectively for us during my pastorates.

The Older Help the Younger

“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober…” Titus 2:3-4a

“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.” Titus 2:2, 6

My favorite example of this approach is a wonderful Christian man named Chuck. Chuck is in his fifties, and is the executive director of a small company in northern Minnesota.

I introduced James – a man in his middle 20s struggling with porn – to Chuck after he came to me for help. Chuck agreed to help only after James committed to meeting with Chuck every Friday morning at 6:00 am. From there they’d go to a coffee shop. Chuck insisted on picking James up every week.

On the first Friday, Chuck showed up at James’ house at 5:45 am. He banged on the door, and a bewildered half asleep zombie came to the door. Chuck laughed and roared.

“How were you going to meet me at 6:00 if you’re not out of bed yet?”

Then Chuck laid down the gauntlet.

“James, you’ve got time to stay up all night surfing porn. From this moment on, that stops. You’ll be ready next week, on time, standing on the sidewalk waiting for me. Now go get dressed.”

After a year, James declared himself porn free. He is only one of many examples of Chuck’s tireless efforts to disciple men out of pornography.

Karen and Marv were another wonderful couple who worked with couples struggling with porn. Did you know couples – together – involve themselves in porn?

It’s a slower method, but it’s surer too. One point is clear. The church must address the porn issue and offer help to escape its defecation of the soul, relationships, marriage, and family.

dr.donmingo@gmail.com

Dr. Don Mingo Missionary to Missionary Care

My breakout session title for the conference was Purity in Your Digital World. The hosting pastor assigned me the title. I felt the title might reduce the attendance. To my surprise, with over 20 other breakout sessions offered simultaneously, over 30 men attended my session.

After the session, a young man his late 20s shared, “I know it’s a problem – not right – and damaging to me and my wife. I just don’t know how to get victory over it.”

At a church in Texas, I shared the availability of my book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back, and my workbook, Get Your Life Back Addiction Workbook. After the Sunday morning service a young girl approached our missionary display table. Her words floored me:

“Porn’s been a problem since I was 8 years old. I’d like to get your book, but I don’t have any money.”

When I enquired to her age, she said, “I’m 14.” At that point, I made eye contact with my wife Kathy. She knew the sign meant, “Please come here and stand with me.” Coming to my side, we continued a conversation with the girl for the better part of an hour.

I gave her both my book and workbook for free. As she walked away, we stood there stunned. And a realization sunk in: Pornography is no longer an affliction of just men in our churches.

The Porn Dilemma

(The following statistics are documented in my book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back.)

— Over, 90% of self-identified Christian men admit they’ve viewed porn at one time or another in their lives.

— 80% of Christian men have no filtering systems installed on their computers or smartphones.

— 55% of married Christian men admit to viewing porn at least once a month.

— 50% of pastors struggle with porn.

— 70% of youth pastors admit struggling with porn.

— 25% of born-again men erase their browser history to conceal porn.

Chuck Swindoll – noted author, pastor, and educator put it this way:

“Without your knowing it – porn – could be eating your church alive. And the scariest thing is you may not realize the extensive damage it's causing… It's ruining marriages, destroying relationships, harming youth, and hurting the body of Christ.”

In 2006, coming off the field of South Africa after 22 years of service, I sat with a call committee candidating for Senior Pastor at a church in a plush suburb outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the committee members asked, “Do you have a problem with pornography?” My response surprised them:

“Yes, I have a problem with pornography. Every man in this church has a problem with it. Women too. In fact, your teenagers as well. We all do.”

Pastors struggle with porn.

Missionaries struggle with porn.

Every person on the planet should view pornography as their problem. It is insidious and destructive, ruining lives and enslaving people around the world.

That’s why we – Kathy and I – constantly guard against it lest its devastating presence enter our lives.

We all have a problem with pornography in the church because it affects the entire body: every person, in every congregation.

The question of, “How do we deal with it?” will be addressed in part 2.

You may acquire his book, Boundaries – 5 Steps to Getting Your Life Back or Get

Your Life Back Addiction Workbook by contacting him at

donmingobooks@gmail.com

dr.donmingo@gmail.com

Eric Doucet Pastor Texas Avenue Baptist Church, College Station, Texas

Several years ago, I preached a sermon entitled “Deacons: Who Needs Them?”. That’s a loaded question if there ever was one. Deacons have the potential to destroy a church and/or pastor’s ministry or to help build a church and prolong a pastor’s ministry. Therefore, it is vital that pastors learn to work with deacons for the success of the church and the sanity of the pastor. Unfortunately, most Bible colleges don’t offer courses on working with deacons, causing many pastors to have to learn the hard way how to (or how not to) work with deacons. 

The point of the sermon I preached was that the church, the pastor, and even unbelievers benefit from having deacons who serve well. I have found that there are several principles that pastors and deacons must understand if they are going to honor God by working well together.

First, we must understand the main purpose of deacons and this purpose must be communicated to the church, especially those who serve as deacons. According to Acts 6:1-7, the ministry to widows was taking away from the ministry of the Word. Though the word ‘deacon’ is not expressly mentioned in this text, it is apparent that the communication of God’s Word is the primary function of pastors. Therefore, the primary purpose of deacons is to free pastors up to teach the Word of God and pray. Obviously, godly wisdom is needed to see how this principle is put into practice in individual churches.  Unquestionably, churches benefit greatly when this principle is taught and practiced.

Next, unity must be the church’s priority. The selfish ambitions and agendas of pastors and deacons is not the priority. Many church reputations have suffered because of conflicts between pastors and deacons, resulting in division usually over really important, eternal things like carpet colors, nursery rules, and music choices. Yet, in John 17:21 Jesus stated that church unity was vital to the believability of the Gospel message. Why would unbelievers believe a message from a group of people at odds with one another, yet who say they are all following the same God at the same church and reading the same Bible? Pastors and deacons must lead the way in making unity the priority of the church.

Finally, lead the church to select qualified men according to God’s standard as set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Acts 6. The deacon selection process should not be a popularity contest, nor should deacons be selected because they are “good ole boys.” Men should be chosen who are “of good reputation [and] full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” Pastors will benefit greatly from having godly men serving with them and churches will benefit from having godly men serve them.

pastor@texasavenue.org

Chris Stephens Pastor Central Baptist Church Sulfur Springs, Texas

Numbers 11:16-17

Most pastors see themselves as superheroes. Some believe they are unstoppable like Superman; some believe they are the Terminator, taking everyone that opposes them out. Still others believe they can and must do everything like a modern day MacGyver. Truth is we are not to do ministry alone. The Lord told Moses to gather 70 men, and He would place in them a spirit of care and concern to bear the burden of the people.

Pastors need to learn they cannot do it all and must have others around them to accomplish the work. Whether we call them officers, leaders, deacons, or elders, we need them and need to know how to work WITH them. Some hindrances to working with officers include: insecurity, lack of self-esteem, pride, or even laziness. We cannot allow these things to hinder our ministry or keep us from pouring ourselves into others and allowing them to be a blessing to our ministry. So how do we work with our officers to ensure unity, love, and success in our ministry?

1.      Give them a vision they can see, understand, and implement. Remember someone will lead, someone will cast a vision, and someone will give direction to the ministry – that must be you!

2.       Let them have input. Every officer comes equipped with a brain, so let them use it. Chances are they have been there longer than you have, and their insight is invaluable in making decisions regarding ministry. Listen to their ideas, acknowledge them, use what is good, and graciously decline what is not. As stated, it is amazing what can be done when we don’t care who gets the credit.

3.      Spend much time with them. Spend personal time with them: this shows you care. Spend prayer time with them: this shows you love. Spend planning time with them: this shows you lead.

4. Let them do what you ask them to do. Don’t micromanage. There is always more than one way to do something, and they may have a better way. With that in mind, hold them accountable. You cannot expect what you don’t inspect.

5.      Trust them. Don’t see them as an enemy. They will make mistakes, do things wrong, even say the wrong thing at times. It isn’t intentional, personal, or a coup to get you out. Trust them, and when they make a mistake love them, encourage them, and teach them so it doesn’t happen again.

Leadership. Whether it is working with officers, members, or even outsiders, it takes the three “L”s: Listen, Love, and Lead. If you will listen to them and love them, you can lead them.

Bro1taz@hotmail.com

Ray Comfort

In a commendable effort to try to cheer up a miserable world, popular actor Tyler Perry asked his many friends to sing the famous song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” which he then uploaded to YouTube. 

But there’s a glaring problem here. To say that God has the whole world in His hands clashes head on with the world’s perception of reality. It’s to fiddle while Rome burns. We are living in a nightmare of chaos, death, and terrible suffering, and these people are singing lyrics of a song that sounds like they think all is well because God is in control. It’s understandable for a thinking skeptic to say it’s very clear that He’s not.

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/hes-got-the-whole-world-in-his-hands.html