Pastoral Leadership

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.

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.

Pride is the number one reason that Christians quit serving the Lord, and it is the number one reason that spiritual leaders fall out of the ministry. Pride can produce an angry spirit, immorality, secret sin, marital strife, excessive debt, and a host of other “surface reasons” that people stop serving the Lord.

Where have all of the orchards gone? I tell you, we have destroyed them! You and I are responsible. The fruit trees have been hewn down and destroyed, and we are suffering from malnutrition as a result.

Servant leaders who encourage and equip others to share in ministry multiply their impact, and they multiply the effectiveness of the ministry itself. Actually, this is what discipleship is all about.

I anticipate every fall season as the fullest harvest time of the year for reaching souls. The fall is when our church has our annual Open House Sunday, and it is also when we have our annual time of training for new soulwinners. All in all, it’s a fruitfully busy time of ministry—if we are prepared for it.

This summer I had the opportunity to visit the valleys of Piedmont, Italy—home to the Waldensians for centuries.>I was humbled as I saw the rough benches around the hewn stone podium where the barba would teach from the center.

With election season coming up, it is important to note what ministry leaders can and can’t do during an election.

About two weeks ago, Terrie and I were in Australia ministering in local churches and at a national pastors’ conference. While there, I received reports of a fallen pastor back home. The disgrace of these situations is always grievous, no matter what the faith or denomination.

We are all familiar with the contemporary church. I know there are those who think that we, old-fashioned Fundamentalists who preach against it, are merely jealous of its success. They think we are high-bound traditionalists who are unwilling to change and unable to keep up with the times.

I believe there are times when the leadership and direction of Bible-believing pastors is desperately needed in our flocks and for our country. And I believe we are in the midst of such a time.

A growing church is always in transition. From building programs to classroom changes to staff adjustments to schedule flexes to responsibility changes to added ministries, a growing church must constantly prepare for the transitions that come with growth.

There is a tremendous attack against standards today. Those who have standards are called legalists. Even some of our fundamental brethren are telling us that we cannot forbid any behavior among our people unless it is expressly forbidden in Scripture.

In order to most effectively serve the Lord and His church, a church staff must have certain qualities. The following are ten characteristics I emphasize to our staff so that we may continue to grow in the work of the Lord: