Watch this video first - it's short, and it's John talking about two roads, from the book, The Cure. It will give you a glimpse into John's personality and caring nature - then you'll hear him on today's Episode 61 of the 200churches Podcast!
May we introduce to you, for the first of what we hope will be many appearances on the 200churches Podcast, John Lynch! John is from Phoenix, AZ where he is one of the pastors at Open Door Fellowship Church. John has been there for thirty years. John, along with his friends Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol, have written the book, The Cure - What if God isn't who you think he is, and neither are you
TODAY'S PODCAST EPISODE
This book, The Cure, has made a significant impact on many people in our church, and we were able to hoodwink John into joining us live in the opulent and luxurious 200churches Podcast Studio to record this episode for you! John was speaking in the area, and we sent a car, and spirited him away in the dark of night to join us in the studio. One of our church members, Steve Mason, who read the book, and whose life was changed by it, drove out and picked John up. Steve has been a HUGE blessing to our church, as we have seen the transformation Jesus has made in his life, and as we have been blessed by his love for us. The truth is, Steve’s wife Pam has also been changed by the message of the Cure, that God’s grace is so much stronger than our efforts – and Pam made two mouth watering pies that we consumed upon completion of the recording. Consumed like wild, ravenous wolves! Steve, John Lynch, Jonny, and I basically had a party in the 200churches Studio, and recorded some of it for you! We had a blast! John is one of Steve’s heroes, and one of our heroes now too, and it was so enjoyable to just sit and have fellowship together that only happens because Jesus loves us and makes us brothers.
Today’s podcast is only the tip of the iceberg. We will have another episode, much longer, next month, where John expands on the message of The Cure. In the coming months we will have John back, as well as Bill Thrall, to encourage all of us as pastors of small churches in our personal walk with Jesus.
In today’s episode John introduces and explains the foundational message of the book – replete with his Scottish accent and Irish brogue, mixed wonderfully with the voice of a drunken pirate! You’ll just have to hear it. Below are two short videos by Bill Thrall and Bruce McNicol, as well as links to the TrueFaced website and The Cure book. We do get a kickback if you buy the book – and that would be the joy of knowing your heart will be changed and you just may never understand your relationship with God the same again – really! Next week – Small Church Pastor Coach Dave Jacobs! Our topic with Dave is one of the small church pastor’s toughest struggles – Fighting Fear. That’s next week on Episode 62.
Here is Bill Thrall sharing what we think is a phenomenal perspective on the Gospel and the Christian life. Bill will join us in the future on the podcast.
Wow. Don’t you hate it when something you preach on preaches right back at you?! That happened this weekend. Wanna hear about it? I’ll tell ya anyway… By November of 2013, our offerings were running behind budget by a fair amount. What do you do as a pastor? Worry? Fret? Fear? Question? Brood? Second guess? Scheme? Yes! I do all of the above. If you’re like me, you could pick out a couple on this list to join me in. I think that you’re like me. In December of last year (seven weeks ago), our congregation took a special offering and brought us clear back into the black, and into a better position than we were a year ago. I felt as though I had lived through a near-death experience.
So starting 2014, I unconsciously assumed a posture of fear and dread. Will this happen all over again? Will our offerings support our budget? Will I be able to pay staff all year? What if? What then? Oh dear… Yeah, full of faith, aren’t I?! Here’s where the AHA! moment comes in. We are preaching in Hosea. Yes, Hosea, and it actually challenged me directly. We defined four areas of sin that Hosea said the Israelites were guilty of, and one of those areas was this: Pursued foreign gods/powers for protection and provision. Israel forgot that it was God who gave them what they needed. They called out to their lovers, went to the great king, called to Egypt and turned to Assyria. They did not trust in the LORD their God to take care of them, or to provide for their needs! Instead, they adulterated after other gods. When I saw this fact about the Israelites, I realized I was being just like them. Who or what was I looking to as the source of what we need? Who or what was going to source us? From what source would our provision come? The answer is God, and I needed to both realize it, and affirm it in my heart. “This is your church God, and I trust you to supply what we need here for this budget year. I will not go after “other lovers” or trust in man – my hope is in you!” Are you experiencing budget troubles in your church? Do you trust yourself to scheme and dream, robbing Peter to pay Paul? If your hope is in anyone or anything but God and God alone, you may be guilty of the Israelites’ sins in Hosea’s day. Turn to God in full trust, confidence, and dependence! He can be trusted. Don’t miss what God wants to show you, that he loves you and will provide in his way and timing. Don’t turn to foreign gods or powers; turn to Jesus, he is your source. Trust God for what your church needs, he can be trusted! p.s. This Wednesday we are joined by Dan Reiland, The Pastor's Coach on the 200churches Podcast!
In 2014 we are partnering with three ministry leaders who are going to join us once a month on the podcast. One year ago this week, when we recorded our first podcast episode (which by the way, never actually got recorded, since we did not have a memory card in the mp3 recorder! LOL) we had no idea how many fantastic people we would get to know, let alone have the pleasure of partnering with!
One of those partners is with us on this week's podcast - Dave Jacobs, from SmallChurchPastor.com. Dave coaches pastors and church boards toward optimal ministry health. He is not just a pastor's coach, but a huge cheerleader of pastors. The biggest problem with Dave Jacobs is that there is only one of him - other than that, he is a great guy and huge builder of pastors. On this, Episode 53, we talk about what we think is the absolute #1 priority of every small church pastor on the planet. This priority is essential if we are going to both survive ministry and be effective at it. We believe that the health of our souls is the #1 priority for us in ministry. The soul health of a pastor is his or her single greatest source of ministry passion, power, and energy. If your soul is sick or weak, you will not be able to shepherd, feed, and lead in a manner that your people need you to. How's your soul Pastor? Really? We are calling Dave's segment "In the Locker Room" because Dave, for a living, coaches small church pastors. We are the players, he is the coach, and he wants all of us 200church pastors to WIN! So, when you listen to this episode, think of yourself as being "in the Locker Room" with Coach Jacobs. Then take his coaching out onto the court - and put the ball through the hoop! We are also excited that Dave is writing a book. It's not finished yet. The title will be something along the lines of: A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep - Soul Care for Busy Pastors. We think that this book is so needed by all of us pastors. As we always say, pastors can never get too much encouragement. That's why we started 200churches. We want to encourage and support - build up and inspire, pastors of small churches... 200churches. While his book is in process, Dave has a number of very moderately priced resources for pastors and church boards. Check them out here. Maybe it's time to focus on one of these areas and resources in your church ministry in 2014? So enjoy this episode with Coach Jacobs! Find Dave at SmallChurchPastor.com and at his blog, DaveJacobs.net. God bless you as you love and lead your people. Never forget: your ministry in your 200church, no matter the size, is impacting the Kingdom of God!
This, is a no-holds barred, very honest, tête-à-tête between three, not two, pastors! We talk about the things that rattle a pastor's personal cage. These are things that we wish we had a handle on, and they all revolve around self-care and soul-care. How do we take care of ourselves? Better, do we?
Dave Jacobs from SmallChurchPastor has spent almost 30 years in ministry and today, from his home in Oregon, works full time coaching pastors and boards, mostly from small churches. Dave works with pastors of all size churches, but he specializes in small churches.
When we found Dave, we quickly invited him to join us on the podcast, because we knew he would share a ton of encouragement with all of you, our 200church pastor friends! So this "post" is very short, because we want you to enjoy this, our longest episode yet. Listen to it in two or three segments, but listen to it - because we know you are going to be both challenged and encouraged! Finally, be sure to check out SmallChurchPastor.com, because Dave has a ton of resources, some free, and some too good to give away! I especially like the resources he uses as he works with church boards to help you as a pastor in your leadership. This website is a treasure trove of help for pastors of small churches - take a look! We are not affiliate marketers for Dave, we're just smart - we know a good thing when we see it! Links that are all about Dave! www.davejacobs.net www.smallchurchpastor.com Dave's Church Board Training Modules My Best Leadership Training Curriculum dave@smallchurchpastor.com Twitter: @thinkmonk Books by Eugene Peterson that Dave references: The Contemplative Pastor - Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness Working The Angles - The Shape of Pastoral Integrity Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work Do you know if there is such a thing as Pastor Porn Insurance? I mean, like stuff to protect you on the far off chance that you get addicted to pornography and have to quit the ministry – is there insurance for something like that? I've not heard of it, but then again, I (Jeff) wouldn't get it anyway. In fact, I decided to activate my faith and drop all of my insurance. I don’t believe that insurance allows us to live by faith. I dropped the insurance policy that protected everything I own in the parsonage I live in. If there is a fire, God will provide. I also dropped my life insurance policy. I believe that the church will care for my wife and family in the unfortunate instance of an early death. God provides through his people. We say that all the time, but do we really mean it? Activate your faith and drop your life insurance policy. Give the premium to missions and the credit to God.
I also dropped other insurance that I can’t admit to publicly, because legally I am supposed to have it. But the state does not rule me, and to have those policies does not allow me to live by faith. God will provide – how many times do we preach that?! We need to start living by it. Want to join me? Want to be a faith-filled pastor who practices what he or she preaches?! Yeah, I didn't think so. But that’s good. Because it would be crazy and irresponsible of me to do those things, right? It would be simply reckless for me to drop all my insurance. Because my premiums not only guarantee I have coverage, but Lord willing I will never have to collect, and those premiums will pay for the calamity in others’ lives. For the record, I did not drop all of my insurance. I was "telling a story". :) I am properly insured, and still live by faith! If it is so crazy for us to not have life, auto, homeowner’s, and health insurance – then why in the world would you live as though porn would never affect you? Why do you think porn won’t come and visit you like a heart attack in the night, or cancer at an early age? Why do you think illicit images won’t come crashing on to your computer screen after a careless click? You need porn insurance! Go ahead, make our day, do something! It’s called a router, properly set up. It’s called Internet service that is filtered at the company (demand that your Internet Service Provider provide this!) before it ever gets to your home. It’s called accountability software and teen level smartphone data settings. For the sake of your soul, your church, and your family… and the reputation of Christ in your community – activate your porn insurance! Netgear Routers have filtering protection on them – they are the only kind I buy. (No, I am not an affiliate marketer - Jonny and I get nothing if you by one, except happiness!) Do others have it too? I don’t know, because I always buy Netgear. I found a good thing and I’m sticking with it. Here is the router I bought for our church and my home, and right now I found it at 43% off at Amazon! Again, we don't get anything for this, it just works well for us. I’m not Superman, so I need to guard against the kryptonite that is pornography. When us pastors look at porn, we are not in our right minds, as Nathan Stob suggested in this week’s podcast. He said that “when we are sane” we should be setting up filtering and protection, aka porn insurance, and thereby be proactive. As pastors of 200churches, we have to do everything we can to protect ourselves from the myriad ways that the world, the flesh, and the Devil can take us down. Our leadership, shepherding of the church, and influence in peoples' lives depends on it. My leadership and your leadership in our 200churches matters huge in God's Kingdom! Hey you pastors – you men and women who have zero accountability and 90% isolation – change that! Get some insurance coverage to protect you from the ravages of pornography. Do it TODAY. Finally, if you've never subscribed to the 200churches Podcast on iTunes, you can do it here, and leave us a rating & review!
In this episode Jonny and Jeff are joined by their friend Nathan Stob, the Director of Atlas Ministries in their town. Nathan counsels and helps men in their community with all kinds of life issues, including porn addiction. This is a serious discussion of the spiritual silent killer: porn. If you struggle with this, or if you need to help others who struggle, we know this episode will help and encourage you. Maybe you are literally drowning in porn addiction – this episode is for you!
Jeff and Nathan have been friends for about seven years, serving together in non-profit organizations in the same town. They get together for lunch frequently just to talk life and help each other stay on track. In this episode, along with Jonny, they talk about the very sensitive issue of pornography. This is a serious scourge on our society that we are all potentially affected by in one way or another.
Here are some links to places where you can get help. This sin is no respecter of persons or callings. If you are struggling with this, congratulations, you’re human! We know that this podcast episode will help you, and encourage you as you lead in your 200church! Contacts for the three guys on the podcast:
Links to help you:
Whenever we partner with others, we get help and encouragement to get through our stuff, so, find another pastor, counselor, or close friend whom you trust – and confide in them. Bringing our sin into the light of day drains its power over us! Confess your sins to one another, James says, and you will be healed. At the end of the podcast, Jeff makes a very heartfelt appeal to you, if you are struggling with pornography and have NO ONE to talk to – call Nathan, Jeff, or Jonny. These guys are all at different stages in life, so call the one closest to your stage. They care and will be glad to talk with you, pray with you, and help you to not journey through this alone. Jeff is 50 with adult kids, Nathan is 37 with grade school kids, and Jonny is 27 with preschool kids. Email them, get in touch, and begin the process of coming clean! They love pastors of small churches, so remember, if you’re alone – not any more, you have someone to talk to. Once again, here are their email addresses:
Today's podcast is Part 2 of our conversation with Dan Reiland. After establishing relationships it's time to engage followers. Engaging followers is the subject of Part 2 of Dan's book, Amplified Leadership. Jonny and Jeff talk on the front and back ends of this about a couple points Dan makes in his book that we don't cover in our conversation with him.
If you don't have Dan's book, we would encourage you to order on Kindle and read chapters 3 and 4 before listening to this episode of the podcast. You would get maximum benefit from it as you engage the material with Dan, Jonny, and Jeff. Click on the book link above. If you don't own a Kindle, no worries, Amazon has a Kindle reader app that works on a PC or MAC.
If you would like to listen to Part 1 of our conversation with Dan, you could go to the Podcast tab above and find episode 33. Also, Jeff and Jonny mention the new music on the podcast, and talk about their friend Jeremy, who created it. Jeremy lives in Schenectady, which prompts a short story by Jeff about his old 1989 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon, pictured below. Crazy stuff...
If you enjoy listening to the 200churches Podcast, why not subscribe on iTunes here, and leave us a review? It would help others looking for this kind of content to find it easier. We are thrilled to be able to encourage you in your ministry and want to remind you that your leadership matters huge in the Kingdom of God!!
We had a great time on May 10th at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. This event was held in Atlanta, but our local Chamber of Commerce hosted a simulcast site right in our town at the brand new Events Center. It was top-notch! The speakers this year were Andy Stanley, David Allen, Henry Cloud, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, John Maxwell, Condoleezza Rice, and more.
In this podcast Jonny and I tell you some of the lessons and principles we learned from this great group of speakers/trainers. One lesson I share from John Maxwell is this - you have to decide, as a leader, if you want to influence people more than you want to entertain them. You must decide, will you be a leader, or a clown? Clowns entertain people, while leaders influence people.
While leaders can be entertaining at times, influence is a much better outcome than entertainment. Especially as pastors, when we want to influence people with biblical truth that's life changing. In the podcast we talk about different leadership events. Going to a leadership event, if it's a one day seminar or a multiple day leadership conference, allows you the time and opportunity to think things you might not have otherwise thunk. This is critical as a leader. You are putting out all the time, and once in a while you need to be in a position to think something new, novel, stretching, and helpful. Leadership events are, as Jonny said, mind exercise. They help you think about leadership more and differently. Thinking about leadership as 200church pastors and leaders simply helps us to grow as people, pastors, and leaders and makes us more aware of the decisions we make, and how they might affect the people we lead. At 200churches we really believe that your leadership, no matter the size of your church, matters HUGE in the Kingdom of God! We hope you enjoy the podcast and are encouraged to continue to grow in your leadership. You can subscribe to The 200churches Podcast in iTunes by clicking the link in the right column, or the link at the top of our podcast page! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter through the links at the top of this page. Here are some links to the leadership events we talked about: Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast John Maxwell The Catalyst Conference Catalyst One-Day The Chick-fil-A Leadercast Maximum Impact Club For several years I was a solo pastor in a small church of about 35. I would go to my basement office to study. I had no computer, no cell phone, iPad, Kindle, or Internet access (it hadn't been invented yet!). I would live for the arrival of Leadership Journal in the mail, where I could read articles from other pastors on issues and situations I faced in ministry, and look at the cartoons! I recall the day a friend gave me my very first leadership lesson on cassette from John Maxwell. I was blown away! It was soon followed by a bootleg copy of a message Bill Hybels had given to his New Community crowd. I listened to these tapes so many times I wore them out. I was starved to interact with other pastors on the topic of ministry. I needed colleagues and mentors, but had none. As leaders of 200churches, it’s important for us to learn from a network of mentors. Today, we can learn from a large network of online mentors who provide a rich source of encouragement and wisdom for us. In order to help you get started building a network of mentors, we’ve created a list of online resources for you. Before we get to the list, let me shamelessly recommend to you the 200Churches Podcast. The purpose of our podcast is to resource pastors of churches of around 200 with some advice, training, inspiration, and encouragement. Our purpose is not to teach you how to grow your church. We think that God uses churches of all sizes to reach and shepherd people. We want to encourage you to serve, lead, love, and be content with the people God has given you to serve today. Okay, on to some resources!
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