How Pastoring Has Changed In 30 Years

BY: Tom Rainer

We are out of clichés about change or the pace of change. Sometimes we forget how much particular vocations have changed in a short time. In fact, in thirty years pastoring has changed in ways we likely would have never predicted or imagined.

In early 1984, I began serving as a pastor for the first time. I would ultimately serve four churches as a pastor and nine churches as an interim pastor. In 1984 I was a young 28-year-old pastor without a clue. Today I am 58-years-old, and I’m still not sure I have a clue. So much has changed. So much has changed in pastoring in just thirty years. Let’s look at major ways the pastorate has changed in that time.

1.   Thirty years ago, most people in the community held the pastor in high esteem. Today most people don’t know who the pastor is, nor does the pastor hold any position of prominence in most communities.

2.   Thirty years ago, most people in the congregation held the pastor in high esteem. Though I cannot offer precise numbers, there is little doubt that church members as a rule don’t view pastors with the same esteem as they did thirty years ago. That is one major reason serving as a pastor is becoming increasingly difficult.

3.   Leadership skills are required more today than thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, I could preach sermons well and care for the congregation, and I would be deemed at least an adequate pastor. The demands and the expectations of the pastor are much higher today. Many of those demands can only be met with at least decent leadership skills.

4.   Interpersonal skills are required more today than thirty years ago.  Pastors thirty years ago could get away with some personality quirks because they were generally held in such high esteem. No more. Pastors are supposed to relate near perfectly to everyone.

5.   Outreach was accomplished by getting people to come to church services thirty years ago. That is not so today.  I remember some of the classic outreach ministries I led thirty years ago. They were all designed to get people to visit church services as a first step. Today, many barriers must be addressed in order for someone to be receptive to come to our churches.

6.   Thirty years ago, there were very few “nones.” The 2012 Pew Research project that identified 20 percent of all American adults as non-religiously affiliated has become a marker of change. Almost all people claimed some type of religious affiliation thirty years ago whether they were believers or not. It was not culturally accepted to be a “none” thirty years ago; there is no cultural stigma attached today.

7.   The Internet and social media have made pastoring much more challenging than it was thirty years ago. In many ways, it has been healthy that the pastors and their ministries are more transparent. For example, sex abuse of children in churches became a national concern when many priests and pastors were named as sexual predators. But there is no rule that someone must speak truthfully on the Internet and, specifically, in social media. Pastors today must deal with issues about them that travel fast on the Internet, even if a church member or someone else tells a complete lie.

Some things about pastoring, of course, never change. The pastor is still called to preach the Word, equip believers, and provide ministry to congregants and others. But other aspects of pastoral ministry have changed and will continue to change.

Certainly pastors need training in Bible and theology. But, more and more, pastors need additional preparation in leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and missional realities. Thirty years ago, the church expected the pastor to be a capable preacher and caregiver. Today much more is expected.

Reflections from my message today at NRN - Keeping the main thing - the main thing!

Here are notes from my sermon this morning.

Focusing on the Mission

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.  And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”               Matthew 28:16-20

1. What is your VIEW of God?

ILL: Your life is a miracle, and the Creator of the universe knows you by name.  He's big enough to breathe out stars, yet intricate enough to fashion together the trillions of cells that make up every facet of who you are. The God who spoke the universe into existence made you, too, and knows everything about you.

 From the smallest molecule to the situation you find yourself in right now, He's aware of your circumstances and intimately acquainted with everything you do. And He cares about you and promises to carry you through. He will hold onto you and hold you together, giving strength to those who hope in His unfailing love. He is the everlasting God!   - Louis Giglio

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple.  Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed and your sin is atoned for. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.                                                             Isaiah 6:1-8

2. What is your EXCUSE ?

Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.                     Matthew 28:18

We forget about the Gospel. 

ILL: Do you remember 1997? 17 years ago… I think I know a man who will remember it well:  One Minnesota newspaper story told of a fellow who jumped from a plane and his chute didn't open properly. According to the story, it took more than a minute to fall 3,000 feet. That's enough time for a lot of life to flash before your eyes. And yet, he lived!

Another man is going to remember 1997. In July he woke up in a morgue refrigerator after 12 hours in a coma. (This was in Cairo, Egypt) In total darkness he felt around and surprise! He discovered he was resting among the dead. He cried out for help and the paramedic who opened the door collapsed in shock and died.

Back of outline

	In 1973 John Stott wrote: “For all around us we see Christians and churches are relaxing their grasp of the gospel, fumbling it, in danger of letting it drop from their hands all together.”

 

3. What is your PART in the process?

ILL: In a recent survey of over 1,000 Protestant Christians, 43% claimed they felt a "personal responsibility to share my religious beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-Christians". However, 78% had not "shared with someone how to become a Christian" in the past six months.

Other statistics emerging from the data proved similarly discouraging. Although 58% of those asked reported that they felt comfortable sharing their faith, 59% had also not invited anyone to church for at least six months. Twenty-one per cent said they had invited one person to church in that time, while only 10 per cent said they had invited three or more people.

We water down the Gospel when we attempt to live it out in isolation, instead of in the context of community.

4. What do I DO with the Gospel?

• ADVANCE  it.

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”                                                                              Philippians 1:12–13

	The key to being a church on the “go” is being a church full of contributors   versus a church full of consumers.

 

5. Are you a WORSHIPPER or a DOUBTER ?

Preparing for Worship on July 6 2014

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of July.  I realized many of our people may be on vacation for the long 4th of July weekend.  The prayer of my heart is that people will bring friends to church and as we gather into the worship center it will be clear that the Holy Spirit is present and God will be glorified.  Since it is the first Sunday of the month we will observe communion together.  This is always a special time for us! God has placed upon my heart a simple message to draw our attention back to the mission of our church.   Here is the prepared worship set:

We begin with a welcome and opening prayer. Then stand to lift our voices in song in this worship set:

We now begin to settle our hearts in preparation to come to the Table of the Lord:

We conclude our time of prayer and communion by singing a song of worship together:

We come to the place in our worship to hear announcements about our opportunities to serve the Lord and fellowship together - then -  to give to the Lord.  The purpose of presenting our tithes and offerings to the Lord are to demonstrate that God has first place in our lives. All we have come from God and it is good to bring our offering to the Lord. Here is what the Bible says about our giving:
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:6-7 ESV

Give attention to the preaching of the Word.  The message for tomorrow is:

Today is the 4th of July - INDEPENDENCE DAY 2014!

Today is the 4th of July - INDEPENDENCE DAY 2014!

A tribute to our presidents:

And one of my favorite tributes:

Preparing for July 4th 2014 - Tell your children and your grandchildren!

Tomorrow is Independence Day 2014.  Grandchildren love Independence Day. There are hot dogs, beach parties, baseball games, and fireworks. But for young kids, there may also be questions about the significance of July 4th — for starters: What does "Independence Day" mean? As you answer their questions, you can give them some great reasons to love their country, on the Fourth and all year-round. 

Read on for seven patriotic talking points.

1. What is Independence Day?

The Fourth of July is our country's birthday. When grandchildren ask why, tell them what happened on July 4, 1776. That was the day our country's founders declared independence from Great Britain. This meant they would no longer follow the orders of Britain's king. To do this was extremely dangerous. At the time, Britain had one of the world's strongest armies, and to go against the king was a crime punishable by death. But the king's laws were unfair, so our founders decided it was worth the risk of war to win the freedom to govern themselves. In 1783, the new United States won that war, which we now call the Revolutionary War.

2. Why does the flag have those stars?

At this time of year, American flags are easy to spot. Point one out to your grandchildren. Explain that each part of the flag stands for something. The 50 stars stand for the 50 states. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 British colonies, which declared their independence on July 4, 1776. Tell the children that the flag is a symbol — a way to show the world what we stand for. It also shows that we are connected to one another — that we're on the same team. And because the flag is special, we treat it with respect.

3. What makes our country special?

Tell grandchildren that one thing that makes our country special is that it guarantees us certain rights, or freedoms. Explain how you use these rights every day when you pray (or decide not to), read a newspaper, or meet and talk with friends. Tell kids that you can do these things because our country guarantees us the freedom to practice religion the way we want, say or write what we want, and go where we want. Show older grandchildren how these rights are spelled out in the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights. Ask the kids which rights are most important to them.

4. What does the government do for us?

Take your grandchildren on a tour of their town to show them the role that government plays in their lives. Talk about how many of the things they see represent the values of the people in their community. Explain that adults pay taxes to their local, state, and national government so that, among other things, the government can build and maintain facilities that reflect our values. Education is important to us, for example, so we build schools. Safety is a priority for us, so we put up traffic lights. And we want open places where we can gather, so we set aside space for parks. Children can also see the people who help the community, including police officers, firefighters, crossing guards, librarians, postal workers, and sanitation crews.

5. What does the president do?

Ask your grandchildren to imagine that they have been elected president of the U.S. (Make sure they understand that being a president is very different from being a king or a queen.) What would they do? Give all kids free ice cream? Make the world a peaceful place? Talk about what some of our presidents have done in difficult times; for instance, Abraham Lincoln helped lead a war to keep the country together, when some states wanted it to split in two. If grandchildren want to find out more about our presidents, share a book with them.

6. What can we do for our country?

Tell grandchildren that our country is like a family: Everyone has to pitch in or it doesn't work. As members of the U.S. "family" — in other words, as citizens — we all have certain responsibilities, like going to school, voting, and obeying the law. Discuss how being a good citizen also means taking care of the country, by keeping it clean, looking out for people in trouble, and staying informed about the problems that we face. Of course, actions always have more impact than words, so set an example by dedicating some of your time to volunteering in the community. Find a project that is important to both you and the kids, such as helping out at a school or cleaning up a playground.

7. What does it mean to be American?

In countries like China or Ireland, most residents share a common culture or ethnicity. But the United States is different. Here, what people share is a common idea — that people should have the freedom to live the way they want, and to work and earn money the best way they can. These freedoms have inspired people from all over the world to come to this country and become "Americans." This is a profound idea many children may never have considered and it might make them feel especially proud of their country, as well as more connected to other Americans of different backgrounds. It can also lead to a discussion about your own family's journey to the United States. Why did your relatives come? Why did they stay? Every family's story is part of the country's story. Make sure your grandchildren know yours.

Courtesy of Grandparents.com 

Be an example in prayer

As we gather for prayer this evening at 6:30 in Room 133 at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene, I am trusting God for a moving of His Holy Spirit upon us. 

 Here is a primer of scriptures and suggested prayers: 

Salvation:

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

I confess that I am a sinner and I have not lived my life for you. I ask forgiveness for my sins. I believe Jesus is your only Son and that He died on the cross for my sins and you raised Him from the dead. I receive Jesus Christ now as my Lord and Savior. I turn my life over to Him and ask you to change me from the inside out. Thank you for your salvation to me. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 A Christian struggling with sin:

1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.

10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.                 (Psalm 51:1-4; 10-12)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

You know the struggles I am having with ongoing sin. Please forgive me my sins. Please deliver me from bondage to sin and create in me a pure heart to live only for you. I rededicate my life to you. Please send your Holy Spirit in all His power to help me live my life exclusively for you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

 Wisdom & Direction:

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

You know the situation I face. I don’t know what to do. I release my need and my anxieties to you right now and ask that you give me your peace that surpasses understanding, and the wisdom how to resolve my circumstances. Enable me to patiently await your timing for the resolution of the problem and what I need to be doing on my own in the meantime. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 Physical Healing:

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

I know that you can heal me. You know the pain I am in. I ask that you heal me from my sickness, whether it be divinely or through doctors and medicine. I also know that your will is made perfect through me when I am surrendered to you. If your perfect will does not include my healing, then I ask you to give me the joyful patience of affliction and the peace of heart to glorify you through my illness. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 Comfort:

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.       (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Jesus speaking: 28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

You know my situation and you know how much I need your comfort in my life right now. Please let me sense your overwhelming love for me right now to see me through the storm I am facing. Please send me your divine comfort and enable me to totally rest in you. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Faith & Trust:

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . .

6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

Please give me the faith and trust in you for the circumstance I’m facing. Please develop my faith to think and act in line with your ability to provide, not mine. Please enable me to trust you with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding. Please teach me to see the incomparably great power you have and not limit myself to my abilities. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Protection:

10The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. 

                                                 (Proverbs 18:10)

Jesus speaking: 33“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Suggested Prayer:

Dear God,

You know the life situation I am facing and I am concerned about my safety. I ask for your divine protection. I ask that you send your angels to watch over me and my loved ones. I ask for the peace of heart that Jesus promised in a world filled with trouble. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

The Most Depressing Thing About Being A Pastor.

“Apart from these external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches”   (2 Corinthians 11:28).

When showing his scars and enumerating his sufferings, Paul ends with a mention of the daily care of the Lord’s people. That was a great burden also.

You don’t bleed from caring for the Lord’s flock. But you hurt as much as if you did.

The worst part of pastoring, the burden that keeps hammering you down into the ground, is the perfectionism.

It’s not something the Lord puts on us—well, not any more than on anyone else—because “He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14). He is under no illusions about any of us. The quickest way to divine frustration, I would think, is for the Father to expect perfection from His children.

He’s smarter than that. Thankfully.

Nor is it something the congregation puts on us. The members know we’re human, even if some do tend to lose sight of that sometimes.

(Just today I heard of a pastor whose teenage daughter has come up pregnant, and some in the church are calling for the pastor’s resignation. He ministered to them in their crises, but let him go through one and a few are ready to cut him off. What is wrong with such people?! God bless the leadership of this church and help them do the right thing.)

The perfectionism that hounds the pastor and nags at him without letup, he mostly puts on himself.

After all, he reasons, we are doing the work of Almighty God, the Creator of the universe. We are holding in our hands the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, a treasure beyond compare. If we do our work well, people will live forever with Christ in Heaven. And if we do it poorly, many will miss Heaven entirely and spend eternity in what the Bible calls “outer darkness” and hell fire.

That’s enough to keep a fellow awake at night.

In the Spring 2014 issue of Esperanza magazine, ice-skating champion Dorothy Hamill talks about the depression she has fought most of her life. Even as a child, when she was pulling down titles—her first national championship at 13 and first international title at 17—nothing was ever good enough for her mother.

The writer said, “Carolyn’s inability to praise her daughter’s achievement or share in her happiness diluted Hamill’s joy at winning Olympic gold in 1976.”

It’s a familiar story, unfortunately. However, for the minister of the gospel, the problem tends not to be a frowning mother just off-stage ready to point out the flaws in his service for the Lord. It’s himself.

We are our own nagging mama.

After a full day of ministry at church, the pastor often tells himself the things a harsh parent would say …

§  “You could have done better.”

§  “That introduction to the sermon did not work.”

§  “You forgot to mention Deacon Crenshaw’s upcoming mission trip.”

§  “That story you told was unclear; people didn’t get it.”

§  “You left out the very scripture that makes the point of the sermon.”

The list is endless. We should all be given PhD’s on beating ourselves up. We’re experts. (It’s our spiritual gift—tongue in cheek.)

As a result of this kind of self-condemnation, many of us …

Ø Constantly berate ourselves, second-guess ourselves and perform autopsies on everything we do in the ministry.

Ø Live in fear of our flock’s rising up and demanding someone better than us.

Ø Admire and envy the Joel Osteen types who seem never to have had a moment of self-doubt but go from success to greater success.

Ø Vacillate between an overwhelming gratitude for the Lord’s mercy (“He has not dealt with us according to our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” —Psalm 103:10) and an overpowering guilt over our weaknesses and inadequacies (“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death?” —Romans 7:24).

There is a remedy for this.

 It’s dealt with so many places throughout Scripture that it seems insulting to our readers to express it in one way and call that “the” remedy.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).

“Not that we are adequate to think anything of ourselves; but our adequacy is of God”              (2 Corinthians 3:5). And then, one chapter later: “We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

“This is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith” (I John 5:4). And on that theme, consider these: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8)—especially if that “man” is yourself; this is not about us! “Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock” (Isaiah 26:4). “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted” (Proverbs 29:25).

For the servant of God, trusting in the Lord means …

·        I do not look to my feelings or emotions for affirmation.

·        I’m going forward in faith that God is alive, Jesus Christ is in this place, and to serve Him faithfully is the best thing ever! Let’s do it!

·        I am not my own master or judge.

·        Whether I approve of today’s sermon or this week’s study is beside the point. A servant stands or falls only to his own master (Romans 14:4).

·        I will not wait until my offering (my prayer, my song, my sermon, my gift) is perfect before presenting it to the Father.

·        I will give Him my best, imperfect though it may be.

·        I will not become a slave to numbers or success as the world judges.

Jesus said we should not rejoice that the spirits are subject to us, but that our names are recorded in heaven (Luke 10:20).

I will not be my own press agent, my own public relations department, the keeper of my career, or the recorder of my statistics.

What if the football player stopped after every play and totaled up the yards he had gained, then pulled from his back pocket a book where he added them in. No. Instead, he gives very little thought to the number of yards gained or lost on one play because he knows “someone up above” is watching the game and recording it, and when the final whistle has sounded, the full report will be in. His job is to play the game as well as he knows how.

So, let’s get on with it. 

Let’s go forward by faith.

Faith that my little bit is precious in His sight.

Faith that He can do miracles with small things.

Faith that He called us and sent us and is accompanying us, so we are not limited by our own abilities and our own resources.

Faith that what looks like nothing to the world may be massive in His eyes.

Faith that the faithful “will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14)!

After five years as Director of Missions for the 100 Southern Baptist churches of metro New Orleans, Joe retired on June 1, 2009. These days, he has an office at the First Baptist Church of Kenner where he's working on three books, and he's trying to accept every speaking/preaching invitation that comes his way. He loves to do revivals, prayer conferences, deacon training, leadership banquets, and such. Usually, he's working on some cartooning project for the denomination or some agency.

More from Joe McKeever or visit Joe at www.joemckeever.com