Strength for Today's Pastor

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You may have heard this phrase, or even used it in a message: “I’d rather burn out than rust out!”

Let’s be honest, many of us have worn that phrase as a badge of honor, as though it’s an honorable thing to burn out for God.

Today, that phrase is a painful one … far too many of our brothers-in-arms have opted out of ministry (“I’m done, this isn’t what I signed up for!”), or have given up on ministry (due to discouragement or stress), or have been chased out of ministry due to their choices (ethical or moral failure.

A recent Barna Group study found that 38% of pastors are seriously considering leaving full-time ministry.

We see this trend as tragic, and as being part of much greater problems in today’s church. There are the expectations that people put on their pastors — and that pastors put on themselves … these can be debilitating. “Everywhere pastors go they are expected to be ‘on’ — ready to give stellar leadership, unending compassion, an inspiring message, anointed prayer, and words of encouragement.”

Are there only two options? Is burnout in the ministry and in the life of a minister inevitable? And, if I don’t experience burnout, does that mean that I’m rusting out?

The answer is “no.” There are not only two options. There is a third option, which is to learn a life lived under grace, with the right pace, and for the correct race.

In this episode, we’re going to talking about the life-giving counsel of a book we’ve all read … written out of the true story of the author, Wayne Cordeiro. The book is entitled Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion.

Two wonderful pastor-friends-teammates of mine will be helping me in this conversation … Trip Kimball and Terry McNabb. Trip is a long-time pastor-teacher, author, equipper, and discipler; Terry is also a long-time pastor-teacher, musician, and leadership coach. Terry and Trip have both been on our team of Poimen Ministries pastors, for years. You can learn more about them on our ministry website.

to Trip and Terry: "Welcome to the program. I just finished reading Cordeiro’s book. I’ve had it on my bookshelf for a couple of years. I’m so blessed by what Wayne Cordeiro has written. I wish I’d have had (and looked for) a resource like this when I started my ministry back in 1976. It taught me things, reminded me of other things, and motivated my in areas of my own life as well. So, we’re gonna get into it, each of us. And this will explain why we’re recommending reading it."

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For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

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Acts chapter 19 opens with this narrative: "And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, he said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' "

Eventually, these followers of John the Baptist became followers of Jesus Christ, and were miraculously baptized with the Holy Spirit of God.

Charles Finney, in his book Power from On High, wrote: 

“In a former article I said that the lack of the Baptism of the Spirit should be deemed a disqualification for a pastor, a deacon or elder, a Sunday School teacher, a professor in a Christian College, and especially a professor in a theological seminary. 

"Is this a hard saying? Is this an uncharitable saying? Is it unjust? Is it unreasonable? Is it unscriptural? 

"Suppose any one of the Apostles, or those present on that day of Pentecost, had failed through apathy, selfishness, unbelief, indolence, or ignorance to obtain this Baptism with the Holy Spirit, would it have been uncharitable, unjust, unreasonable, or unscriptural, to have accounted him disqualified for the work which Christ has in fact called us all? 

"Christ had expressly informed them that without this endowment they could do nothing. He had expressly enjoined them not to attempt it in their own strength.”

So, the earnest, honest question for all who serve our Lord Jesus Christ is the same. Have we received the Holy Spirit? And beyond that, are we walking in His power and fulness? Do we rely upon Him — and upon Him alone — for the qualifications and power to do what only Christ can do through us by the Spirit's power?

Exhortation and encouragement are the two sides of the same spiritual coin. Prepare to be exhorted and encouraged, and may the Lord break out upon us with power, passion, and the pursuit of the highest calling imaginable... to know Christ, and to make Him known.

Paul Berry is the founder of Acts 19 Ministries, as well as a team pastor with Poimen Ministries. Paul pastored Calvary Chapel Santa Maria, CA for over 30 years until stepping aside to pursue the leading of the Holy Spirit in this next chapter of his ministry life. 

Websites: www.acts19ministries.faith

https://www.poimenministries.com/index.php/about

Email: [email protected] 

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For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

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What can be said about The Unconference? 

When the concept was first introduced, many senior pastors on the West Coast were intrigued, and the 1st annual had good participation.

But probably no one ever imagined what might happen in a mere 24 hours together with other hungry and desperate-for-God pastors.

In. Credible.

Tune in to hear from three senior pastors who have been there throughout. 

Many have prayed for revival, others have prayed for an awakening. Many have prayed for both. One thing is for certain: revival doesn't happen in a vacuum, or in culture of isolation. Revival, if and when it comes, always involves people. Groups of them.

The Unconference. 

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For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Poimen Ministries staff pastor Mark Walsh shares his journey of faith throughout different continents of the world in serving the Church ... and the lessons learned along the way. We'll also discuss a new vision that has been birthed for Europe and the U.K. in equipping a new generation of church leadership in these critical regions of the world. Great insights and encouragement await all who listen to this meaningful conversation._______________________________________________________Mark Walsh accepted Christ at age 15 at a Brethren Evangelistic outdoor camp at Bassenfell in the Lake District of England. Since then, he has been involved in ministry.Mark originally comes from the Leeds /Bradford area of England where he served for many years in the Worship & Teaching ministry of Church on the Way, a Calvary Chapel affiliate.In 1998, he left his job as a Legal Liability Specialist with a major UK insurer and moved with his family into full time ministry. He and his family moved to Millstatt, Austria in 1998, to be a part of the Calvary Chapel Bible College, Europe. He served as a pastor on staff responsible for worship, teaching in the Bible College and was responsible for the administration of the facility. He joined CCBCE when it was located in Austria, and was part of the team responsible for the moving the Bible college from Austria to Hungary in 2002.In 2002, Mark served as a Pastor on staff at Vajta, Hungary with responsibilities overseeing worship, teaching in the Bible school and various administrative, including overseeing the internship program and the grounds and maintenance department.  For eight years, Mark made frequent trips to the Pacific Rim, with a passion to encourage the saints and helping to raise a ministry school there.In 2009, the Walshes moved to New Zealand where they started Calvary Chapel Bible Institute New Zealand and The Psalm 2:8 Trust. Since 2009, they have been ministering with CCBI across the Pacific Rim and have helped facilitate the planting of three churches in this time, Calvary Hawkes Bay, Hastings NZ, Shoreline Calvary, Mount Maunganui, NZ and Calvary Chapel Nasinu, Suva, Fiji.Mark has been part of the Poimen Ministries team for two years.Currently, the Walshes live in West Yorkshire in the UK, and are active in strengthening pastors in various parts of Western Europe.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

There are many examples in the scriptures that highlight the callings of men and women of God. 

In this podcast episode, show host Bill Holdridge dives into the calling of the prophet Jeremiah, and makes applications for pastors in our day.

It has never been more important for pastor-teachers to make their ministry calling a certain thing in their hearts and minds. 

From that certainty, many very good things result. 

Tune in to hear more.

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For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

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Today, many churches are hindered in their growth and spiritual health due to the lack of training/discipleship of potential leaders.Bill Holdridge sits down and shares his heart and experience with regard to raising up a vibrant, healthy ministry team made up of consistent, godly leaders.Your church can impact your town and the world at large from the already existent ranks of your own church congregation. What you are about to hear is one of the most needed messages for senior/lead pastors who are active in ministry today.(This podcast description written by Pastor Jeff Jones, Podcast Post-Production Editor for Strength for Today's Pastor.)--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Check this out!

Making disciples. It's a primary command of Christ for His church, but is rarely actually done. Most Christians have never been discipled by another believer, and most churches do not have a discipleship focus for new converts.  

Alan Stoddard believes that disciple making should be organic, should be reproduceable, and should use the Bible as its sole or primary curriculum. The result of this kind of discipleship is multiplication. 

In a six month period of time, if a disciple is active in 80-90% of the sessions, that disciple will be able to do the same for others. Thus, multiplication occurs. This is disciple-making with a purpose.

Too often, discipleship is a top-down process. We begin by bringing in the masses, then hope that some will rise to the level of learning and growing.

See this graph as an illustration: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q86Dvys-Fhk5TGaqBULpRWe1rXA8HZn2/view?usp=sharing.

To get an idea of what Bible driven discipleship might look like, check out these articles:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VXk4ugEHR6GZGYPvaynrdBxder9dzf1W/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WvmaOdYMVSlrP3vN_pmEEiuki3q5pmYd/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PXXfyznbYJMPPjCrjNX6enkEEYw-twPV/view?usp=sharing

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Pastor Alan Stoddard wrote his doctoral thesis for Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary on the subject of sermon based small groups. 

That thesis eventually became a book, entitled Groups that Revitalize: Bringing New Life to Your Church through Sermon-Based Small Groups, co-authored with Kenneth Priest. 

Alan is passionate about the amazing discipleship opportunities doing sermon based small groups provides for any church ... especially for churches that are committed to expositional Bible teaching. 

This podcast presents the case for sermon based groups, as an effective way to kill several birds with one stone. Biblical fellowship can be a result, along with a much deeper dive into Sunday's teaching. This will enliven the Sunday morning pulpit experience, giving it an even greater sense of purpose in the heart of the pastor-teacher.

Alan is also passionate about church revitalization. Sermon based small groups can play a major role in that happening as well.

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Pastoral transition is real, and unless Jesus Christ returns for His church before a specific pastor dies, someone else will be the pastor of his church! 

In this podcast, Poimen Ministries Director Bill Holdridge provides fodder for thought for the senior/lead pastor who is considering whether or not to  move on to something else. 

Is the senior pastor certain that it's his time to leave? 

Does he feel called to be an essential part of the selection of his successor? 

Will the next pastor come from within the church, or from without? 

What are the vital parts of any successful transition? 

These subjects are all discussed in this podcast.  

Poimen Ministries invites any senior/lead pastor with questions on pastoral transition to reach out to them at [email protected].

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!

Comments? Questions? Send us a message!

Pastoral ministry—especially as it pertains to the office of pastor-teacher—can be extremely multi-faceted. For most pastors, there is far more to do than hours in which to do them.Especially considering the fact that pastors have wives and families.Especially considering that pastors require proper rest ... in sleep and sabbath.Especially considering the need for exercise and good health habits.But does pastoral ministry have to be as multi-faceted as we've allowed it to become? Do we really need to run in all eight lanes of the race? Or is there one primary lane that we must stay in? What does that look like?Let's explore this important subject.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bill-holdridge/support

For Poimen Ministries, its staff, ministries, and focus, go to poimenministries.com. To contact Poimen Ministries, email us at [email protected]. May the Lord revive His work in the midst of these years!