HOLIDAY NEWS>>>
Jeff and Jonny are taking a blogging Holiday break between Thanksgiving and New Year's. We normally write posts on M/W/F every week. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, we will be writing only on Wednesdays in connection with our weekly podcast. Our podcasts will continue weekly, just our Monday and Friday posts will disappear during that time. We are both full time pastors and students, and this will help us finish our fall semester strong, and retain our sanity only to lose it another day! We love connecting with small church pastors at 200churches.com and through our podcasts - thanks for being a part of the 200churches community! We hope you are enjoying a great Thanksgiving weekend! Thanks for joining us here at 200churches as we take the journey of small church ministry together.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Dan Reiland has been very kind to accept our invitation to continue joining us for the podcast on the last Wednesday of every month! So moving into 2014 Dan will be with us, sharing the wisdom, experience, encouragement, and inspiration only he can give after 35 years of effective and fruitful ministry alongside the likes of John Maxwell and Kevin Myers. (Those guys are actually alongside the likes of Dan Reiland - we all know the truth!) As their executive pastor, Dan knows what it takes to care for staff and people.
We know you will enjoy the contents of this episode, as we share thoughts about 200churches.com and our podcast, and then reflect on the segment with Dan... 
Two things to remember from the podcast:
1. Be intentional about having the last 10% of important conversations with people. Enter the conflict constructively and lovingly, yet courageously. Your people need you to engage them in that last 10%, because that is where the juicy is - that's where it gets good and you both grow! If you chicken out of the last 10% of important conversations and discussions, you will never move forward as a leader, or move your people forward in their growth as believers. 2. Be intentional about choosing those whom you will mentor as young leaders. Whether they are ten years old, or forty, pour yourself into other leaders who can serve your church long after you are gone! Enjoy episode 46! See you next week when our guest will be Erik Fisher from www.beyondthetodolist.com. This week we talk again with Dan Reiland about raising up younger leaders. This is so necessary for us as older church leaders to do if we expect our ministries to continue building the Kingdom of God. Dan calls them apprentices, some call them interns, others just call them on time for supper - and that makes younger leaders happy! If you are a younger leader, you need to ask yourself, Who is building into me, and who am I intentionally pursuing for mentoring, coaching, and growth in my life? If you are an older leader, just turn that question around and say - Who am I training, coaching, and mentoring to succeed me, or at least my generation, in leadership?  Jonny Craig with sons Joseph and Asher! This is one of those practices that we need to build into our lives as a theme, or mission, of our life work, of our ministry. Mentoring and raising up other younger leaders can't be something we try to put on our to do list, as though it were just another task for us to check off. It comes straight out of Jesus' playbook - he mentored twelve, so that they could carry on his work. Who will carry on your work?
If you had to, could you write down a list of young leaders you are focused on, to mentor? Are there others you are currently mentoring or coaching, even if just on an informal basis? This is like a family. If you are married, but have no children, then you have no one to follow you, to carry on your name, or your life passion. I know many couples cannot have children, so they find others that they build their lives into, that will carry on a legacy of significance for them. Who will carry on your ministry, or Kingdom legacy? Who are you raising up so intentionally that they will carry on your work your way after you are gone... gone gone, or just gone to another ministry? Of course this is also how we multiply ourselves in ministry. We "hire" other leaders around us, even if they are volunteer. Everyone needs to have a purpose, and be needed. I recently asked a man in our church if he would serve as a Deacon. I told him, "we need you." I wanted him to know his gifts and abilities, and his heart, they are all needed in our church. We need what he has to offer. In the same way, as leaders and pastors and of small churches, we need what the people in our church have to offer. The Holy Spirit has placed gifted believers in our churches so that they can help us with the ministry God has called us to. Why not right now, write down the names of TWO PEOPLE in your church that you believe would be good investments of your time and energy - of your mentoring and coaching? Write down their names, and then write up a plan of action for 2014. How will you go about shaping them into leaders who can serve the people of your church? What needs to happen? What are they suited and wired for in your church, your community, their business, or their neighborhood. Get creative! Think way outside the "building", remember the church is the people, not a building. You know that. :) Jesus called twelve and mentored them to take the leadership helm when he would be gone. Eleven made it! Who will you "call"? Write down their names. Get intentional. And go for it! And, while you are at it, use Dan Reiland's book, Amplified Leadership, in the process. You can get it by clicking on the link in the right hand column. You can also see other Pastor's Coach articles he has written that may be helpful to you. HOLIDAY NEWS>>> Jeff and Jonny are taking a blogging Holiday break between Thanksgiving and New Year's. We normally write posts on M/W/F every week. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's, we will be writing only on Wednesdays in connection with our weekly podcast. Our podcasts will continue weekly, just our Monday and Friday posts will disappear during that time. We are both full time pastors and students, and this will help us finish our fall semester strong, and retain our sanity only to lose it another day! We love connecting with small church pastors at 200churches.com and through our podcasts - thanks for being a part of the 200churches community! Today is November 22, 2013, fifty years to the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. That small act, the killing of one man, had a HUGE impact on our country. I was eight months old crawling around on the living room carpet. Hundreds of people died that day all across America. Car accidents, heart attacks, overdoses, strokes, slips and falls, etc. But only one man's death mattered in the national psyche that day. The President. 
This week we have tried to impress again upon all of us 200church pastors, small church pastors, that what we do in our small churches really and truly matters. Our ministries have a HUGE impact on the Kingdom of God. Pastor Cynthia has changed lives by pastoring one small, rural church for 20 years. YOUR ministry and your love for God and your people also matter a great deal to the Kingdom.
Last week we talked on the podcast about the health of your soul, and about self-care. If you did not hear it, check it out. Today is Friday and it is my day off - so I am going to direct you to a blog post - a very cool, quite brief post that we think will encourage you in your 200church ministry. Here it is, click here. And while you read it, I am going to enjoy my day off! Thank you very much. :) Next week is Part 4 of Dan Reiland as he talks Amplified Leadership on the 200churches Podcast, episode 46! His first three podcast episodes can be found on the Podcast tab at the top of this page - episodes 33, 37, & 42. (or, just click on them!) Have a wonderful weekend.
Eight months before we started 200churches.com, I was introduced to another pastor who was visiting in our town. A girl in this pastor’s church was graduating from college, and the pastor traveled four hours to our college town for her graduation.
We had a great conversation over graduation party food – celery, carrots, ranch dip… you know. I talked with this pastor about small church ministry, elder boards, finding volunteers, Andy Stanley’s latest leadership book, and all of the other things pastors talk about. It was a very enjoyable conversation where I realized that we both thought a lot alike. 
One thing was interesting for me though. This pastor was different. Growing up in a very fundamentalist church, I would not have talked to a pastor like this. I had never met one. I knew they existed, but I honestly didn't believe in them. The interesting reality that day for me was that this pastor was a woman. Gulp!
The debate on women in ministry has been going on for quite a while, and will continue until Jesus returns. There are good, godly people on both sides of the issue. Our denomination does not ordain women as pastors or elders. A church down the street from us does. The wonderful thing about the body of Christ is that we can be different, look different, think differently, and interpret the Bible differently, but all still be brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the same family, who will one day sit at the feet of the same Lord Jesus Christ worshiping and adoring him – together! One of the absolute joys of producing the 200churches Podcast is that we get to talk to so many different people, who hold one thing in common – they love and appreciate small church ministry just as much as large church ministry. Our purpose is not to indoctrinate other pastors with our statement of belief, so we don’t debate doctrine, church polity, or platform dress (Jonny is definitely a hipster, and me… well, never mind). We talk about being pastors of God’s people, and we strive to provide ministry encouragement to pastors of small churches. Pastor Cynthia Moore has served the same rural church for 20 years. She loves her people, and they love her. I introduced her with Monday's blog post. I attended a Promise Keepers event this year with men from her church. Her husband and almost twenty other guys had committed to attending this event and growing together as men of God. This was a great group of guys! We talked about their church, and the ministry they have been doing there. I was impressed. A few months after we started 200churches, I knew I would have to invite Cynthia on the podcast someday. She is the real deal when it comes to small church ministry. She, and other pastors like her, are the ones who never get the attention, notoriety, or affirmation they really deserve. They are the unsung heroes, serving faithfully year after year. Quietly. Unnoticed down a gravel road. Their churches have dozens, not hundreds. Small buildings with modest furnishings, not mega-churches with cutting edge technology. They have people who are close and committed, with kids who grow up knowing that the body of Christ is like a family. The girl who graduated grew up in Cynthia’s church. Cynthia is the only pastor this college grad has ever known. She loves and respects Pastor Cynthia. She loves the Lord because of her parents’ love for God, and her pastor’s teaching and example. This girl has been dating my oldest son for five years. She is in her second year of medical school and will be a doctor. She will perhaps be the mother of my future grandchildren. Am I thankful a lady named Cynthia has faithfully taught the Word of God, and shared the gospel, in this church for twenty years? You better believe I am! So to all the small church pastors who live down a gravel road, receiving no recognition, acclaim, or reward – this episode is for YOU! Thank you for serving Jesus quietly, and loving his sheep fervently! Thank you Cynthia, for being a good and faithful servant! 
The heart of 200churches is to encourage pastors of small churches. When we started 200churches, we decided that we would not differentiate between denominations, debate theology, or define church governance modes – we could create blogs and podcasts for each – nor, within the content of our blog and podcast would we exclude women clergy. In our denomination, we do not ordain women as clergy or local church elders. That does not mean that we do not care about those women who are in pastoral roles in churches across America. In fact, we care deeply about every pastor who serves the Lord, loves the Word, and shepherds God’s people in the local church.  To that end we introduce you to Cynthia Moore, a pastor from Central Iowa. Cynthia pastors a small, rural church two miles down a gravel road between a corn field and a bean field. Just a little rural. She has pastored this church for the past twenty years. Cynthia joins us this week on the 200churches Podcast, episode 45!
Let me (Jeff) share with you my connection to Cynthia’s church. My oldest son has been dating a girl for over five years. She has attended this church all her life. Cynthia is the only pastor she has known. My son’s girlfriend is a wonderful, godly young lady. I thank Cynthia for the spiritual input she has had in her life! So Pastor Cynthia Moore is the first woman we’ve had on the podcast, but she is also the first rural pastor we’ve invited as a guest on the podcast. Small church pastors experience unique challenges and church dynamics. Rural, small church pastors experience a context all their own. If you are a rural church pastor, you will resonate with this week’s podcast, and hopefully also be encouraged by it. You know, people who live in rural, lightly populated areas need pastors too, right? They need someone who sees their ministry not as a stepping stone, but as a significant work in the Kingdom of God! While we’ve had guests from a larger church context, or a parachurch ministry, we also want to include small church pastors on the podcast. That is, after all, what we are – pastors of a 200church! We have a number of small church pastors in mind for future episodes, and for a very important reason – small church pastors have something to say! They have value to give. They have helpful and practical content to contribute to the conversation on small church ministry. How about you, for instance? If you could share two things about small church ministry, that you believe would help and encourage other pastors, what would those two things be? Well, you CAN share two things! Right in the comments below – go ahead, make our day! Hopefully someday we could get to have a conversation with you that we include on a future podcast episode. And… we know that Wednesday’s podcast, episode 45, will encourage and challenge you as you join Jonny and me in our conversation with Cynthia Moore. This week on the podcast, we talked with Dave Jacobs who has dedicated his life to coaching pastors, and especially pastors of 200churches. If you haven't listened yet, quit reading this right now and listen. Seriously. Have you listened yet? Good. How awesome was that?! Dave gets right to the heart of the issue and with so much compassion and understanding, tells us what we already know: being a pastor is tough. It's tough emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Because of the difficult nature of the job, it's important that pastors take care of themselves. Not just for their own sake, but also for the sake of their families, congregations, and communities. We pastors need to be healthy.  One of the craziest moments on the podcast came when Dave suggested that pastors schedule themselves around 35 hour work weeks. Say what?! His reasoning makes sense though: we already know that as pastors, we'll have at least 5 hours of unscheduled time come up here and there throughout the week. That's the nature of being "on-call" and, for many pastors, that's the part of the job that we enjoy the most.
Because of that unscheduled time, Dave encourages all the pastors he coaches to schedule themselves 35 hours in a week. Why? Because being a pastor can really take it out of you! We take "work" home with us, send emails on the go, talk to our spouses about the latest goings on at the church, and generally carry the spiritual burden of the church 24/7. If we're not careful, we can start to work 50, 60, or even 70+ hours a week! That's bad for our health and definitely bad for the health of those around us. This is something that we at 200churches have to work on too, and begin to practice what we preach. Our schedules can get away from us and soon we can't even separate "ministry" time from "free" time. But even in our own weakness, we've found some practices that help: 1. Set a routine and refuse to break it! - Maybe your routine is to head to the office at 7 AM and leave no later than 4. Maybe it's insisting that you won't be out of the house more than two nights a week. Maybe it's that you take every Friday off. We're all different and our schedules and routines will look different. The goal isn't to fit yourself into a pre-made schedule box, but rather to refuse to jump out of the box you've created for yourself. 2. Limit the hours you work every week - Maybe this means you turn off your iPhone when you get home at night. Or maybe it means going in later to work if you know you're going to be there late. Dave talked about the 35 hour week and we think you should take that advice to heart. Quit working so many hours. The ministry will be there when you get back. 3. Ask your spouse/kids what they think your schedule should be - Is this a scary thought? If you're worried about what your spouse or kids might tell you, you're probably already working too hard. Dave listed off the priorities of a pastor like this: 1. God 2. Spouse 3. Kids 4. Ministry. What does your list look like? If you're not sure, ask your family, they'll know. While this list can't be lived literally, the priorities of life should be reflected in that order. Once you've developed a healthy schedule, you can actually start to schedule yourself some health. Take a monthly retreat. Seriously, do it. As small church pastors and leaders, we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our relationship with Christ. A better work schedule should lead to a better sleep schedule. A better meal schedule. A better exercise schedule. We're not telling you to become health nuts, but we are encouraging you to at least be healthy leaders. So what did you think of the podcast this week? Were you inspired to call Dave and get some coaching for yourself? Lets us know what you think in the comments. We always love to hear from you!
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 As a young boy, I (Jeff) experienced the social, psychological, and financial disadvantages that accompany having a father who was an alcoholic. My dad is the best guy on earth! He is loving, caring, and thinks the best about others. But alcohol robbed him of reaching his potential in life. 
As a 40 year old man and father of four, he visited a young pastor, reaching out for help in his addiction to alcohol. This was likely one of the most difficult encounters of my father’s life. He had to admit weakness, admit he needed help. The pastor meant well, but he was bewildered as to how to help my dad. He talked with him, but never followed up, never figured out a way to reach out to the man who reached out to him. There was not a second conversation. Dad came up dry and never reached out to another “church person” again.
Four years later, that pastor was gone, and another was in his place. My family did not regularly attend church, and dad never did. We had just moved to another town, and did not yet have a phone installed. My mom’s mother died, and the pastor drove the 30 minutes to my home to tell us. He came into my bedroom, asked me to sit down, and then sat next to me. He told me my grandmother had died the day before. He put his arms around a 12-year-old boy who could not stop crying. I have never forgotten his kindness. Both of those events in our family’s life, as our family’s story was intersected by the single act of a pastor, had profound implications on how we viewed God, the church, and ourselves. My father was disillusioned, and has never attended a church to this day. I was profoundly impacted by a pastor’s shepherding love, and that care has impacted my own pastoral ministry for the past 26 years. On any given day, the actions we take can make a difference in someone’s life – for decades to come. We can, like Charlie Brown, be the hero, or the goat. If we are the goat, it doesn’t help much to rationalize away our actions by telling ourselves we were just having a bad day. We don’t get a mulligan, a do-over. The damage is done. If we are the hero, we can thank God that the events of the day are the reason we were born – to help people in their deepest times of need. Bill Hybels says ministry is not a “life or death deal.” In fact, he says that it’s an “eternal life, or eternal death deal.” Ministry, and how we perform it in the actions, attitudes, and words of our day – well, the stakes are always extremely high! With so much hanging on how we interpret scripture, how we counsel, the decisions we make, how we respond to both praise and criticism, how we handle an emotionally unstable person, an irate church member, or a grieving individual, and how we decide to spend our time, and on what priorities – all of these things are accompanied by what Paul described like this: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” 2 Corinthians 11:28 Pastor, for these very reasons, your “job”, your calling, your vocation in life IS much harder, much more stressful, than other peoples’ jobs. Yes it is. If you goof it up, you might be the cause of two children in a family becoming disconnected from the body of Christ, and moving away from God and into the arms of the world. Yeah, that can happen, or any other negative consequence of careless ministry you can imagine! You say it is all up to God, but no, your dumb mistake, or careless word can cause lasting damage. The older you get, the more weight you will carry (sometimes literally!) with people, and the more important your words and actions become. That is very stressful, and a heavy burden we carry every day, even when we are not consciously thinking about it. So, you have to take care of yourself. How are you doing? Are you healthy, rested, in shape, and ready for the long haul? Again, how are YOU doing? This week on episode 44 of the 200churches Podcast, we talk with Dave Jacobs, who for seven years has been a life coach for dozens of pastors. He spent almost thirty years in ministry, and then transitioned to helping primarily pastors of smaller churches – 200church pastors! He lives and works at www.smallchurchpastor.com. We have a great conversation with him, and one of the major themes is how the pastor needs to care for herself or himself. He uses the oxygen mask illustration and reminds us that we can only care for others, after we’ve first cared for ourselves. Pastor, when it comes to your own personal physical, spiritual, and emotional health, the question is: Do you care? What are some ways that you care for yourself in the rigors of ministry? 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! |
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