Welcome to The Everyday Pastor
Welcome to The Everyday Pastor!
I’m so glad you took a minute to check us out.
I know you’re plenty busy but, if you’re open to it, I would love to invade that busyness with some encouraging words and practical insights.
In reflecting back on nearly 40 years of pastoral ministry, I know that I would have loved to have had access to that sort of thing. All too often I felt like I was in way over my head and had nowhere to turn for help. That memory is what spawned DDM.
Let me give you a bit of background. I helped plant Fellowship Missionary Church in Fort Wayne, IN back in 1982 and was privileged to lead it as Senior Pastor for the next three and a half decades.
In those 30-plus years I came to grips with the challenge of leadership all along the ministry spectrum.
I know what it’s like to begin with a small group of 50 and no other staff members and end up leading a large group of 2300 with 25 staff members.
I know what it’s like to meet in rented facilities and I know what it’s like to buy land and coordinate five building projects.
I know what it’s like to operate on a shoestring budget and I know what it’ like to have to manage a massive budget.
I know what it’s like to lead through paradigm changes, such as shifting worship styles, moving to two and then three Sunday services, debt-free building, multi-cultural community, a missional mindset, and multiplying disciples.
I know what it’s like to experience the exhilaration of success and the heartache of failure.
It’s my goal to share how I faced and handled issues like these as well as other challenges of leadership in this blog. I’ll give you an inside look at what worked for me and I’ll share with you an honest admission of what didn’t work for me (and why).
While on occasion I will address a pressing need born out of current events, I hope to return to four topics regularly. I’ve found that these four topics can be key to effective leadership.
1. Heart
It’s rightly been said that leadership is more a function of who you are than what you do. So, we’re going to address issues such as one’s spiritual health, handling discouragement, rhythms of work and rest, etc.
Leadership is more a function of who you are than what you do.
2. Relationships
More often than not the make or break of ministry success has to do with how a leader relates to the people in his/her life. From marriage and family to staff and board members to congregants and community there are relationships that need to be carefully tended.
3. Skills
It’s not enough to merely sense a call to ministry or simply have a heart for ministry. There are a variety of skills that need to be developed and honed. Issues like sermon preparation, leadership development, fundraising, and vision-casting are important for any leader to grasp.
4. Discipleship
Every leader must come to grips with the metrics of success. Is it a function of attendance and offerings, of “noses” and “nickels,” of behavior modification and sin management, or is there a different measuring stick that flows out of Jesus’ Great Commission?
Every pastor must come to grips with the metrics of success. Is it a function of attendance and offerings, of behavior modification and sin management, or is there a different measuring stick that flows out of Jesus’ Great Commission?
I’ve titled this blog “The Everyday Pastor” for a reason. I know full well what it’s like to attend high-priced conferences led by high-profile communicators. I also know that, while I may leave with a full notebook, there’s little chance that I will be able to actually apply what I learned to my setting.
So my goal is to right-size things. To bring whatever hope and help I can to equip the everyday leader to equip everyday people to become every day disciples. If that sounds interesting to you, then I invite you to CLICK HERE to subscribe to these bi-weekly communiques.
Hopefully you will find them not only understandable but doable. And as you share your feedback with me, they can become even more practical. So, feel free to fire back any comments or questions.
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