Praying for your pastor

I came across a post by Ligon Duncan, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS. I could not say it better myself. Some who read this blog are members of the congregation I serve as Pastor. If that is you, I could not do better in listing my requests for you to pray for me. If you are a member of another congretation, I encourage you to pray these prayers for your Pastor every week ... or better yet, every day.

Because I have a congregation that loves me more than I deserve, I am often asked by them: "how can I pray for you?" I've tried to put some thought into how I answer that question. So, maybe these ideas will help you pray for your pastor, or tell others how they can pray for you.

Pray -

1. That [your pastor] would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.

2. That [your pastor] would know, embrace and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.

3. That [your pastor] would be useful servant of the Lord, that he would know and love God's word, God's people, and God's kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell's gates.

4. That [your pastor] would study, practice and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

5. That [your pastor] would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God, and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.

6. That [your pastor] would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.

7. That [your pastor] would be holy unto the Lord. That his tongue and heart would be wholly God's.

8. That [your pastor] would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride. That the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him, and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

9. That God would give [your pastor] guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.

10. That He would protect [your pastor] from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.

11. That no decision which [your pastor] ever makes or desire that [your pastor] ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.

12.That many would be converted and many built up under [your pastor]'s ministry, to God's glory alone.

13. That the Lord would bless [your pastor]'s wife, [. . . ], with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.

14. That God would make [your pastor] a decent husband and father.

15. That [your pastor] would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,

16. That [your pastor] would be a good daddy to his children. That they would love God, their parents and the church.

17. That [your pastor] would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that [your pastor] will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation.

I am living my dream ...

Growing up, I can remember only two things I seriously wanted to do the rest of my life. First and foremost, I wanted to coach basketball. John Wooden was my hero (yes, I'm that old). At a young age, I was amazed at how he could take such a variety of personalities and skill sets and blend them into a true team which consistently won championships.

But if I could not be a coach, I wanted to be an attorney. Actually, I didn't want to be an attorney as much as I just wanted to make the closing arguments. I guess I watched too much Perry Mason during my early years, but I just loved to watch how the attorneys would close out the case.

It had not dawned on me until this morning, that I am getting to live out my childhood dreams as a pastor. God did not call me to be a coach or an attorney. But, as a Pastor I have the opportunity to coach a great team of staff and volunteer leadership team ... trying to blend personalities and skill sets. Oh, and did I mention the worship room in which I speak every week is also a gym, with lines on the floor and everything?! How cool is that! And in many ways, I get to make the most significant closing arguments one could make every week. These closing arguments are not to put some criminal behind bars or to gain my client a settlement in a law suit. Rather, there are people seated in that room every Sunday whose life hangs in the balance as I have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with them.

I am living my dream!

Observations after 2 years back ...

As many of you know, I stepped out of the role of being a local church Pastor for 10 years while serving at LifeWay Christian Resources. After growing up as a Pastor's Kid (PK), I had also served as a pastor for 12 years prior to going to LifeWay for a decade. ClearView called me to serve as Pastor beginning May 1, 2007 which means I have been back "in the saddle" for just over 2 years now (and loving it, by the way). In various settings I am asked questions about my observations since returning. Several questions are asked often:

1. What has changed most about Pastoring over the 10 years I was not serving as Pastor?It all has to do with technology. When I left the pastorate in 1997 the internet was in its infancy, email was not widespread, mobile phones were rare and then usually a cumbersome phone in a bag in the car, and social networking was not even a dream.

The result? In a word ... accessibility. With a blog, a facebook page, a twitter profile, a blackberry never further than a few feet away, and a church website with my email listed, I am accessible like never before. Please don't get me wrong, I love it. I enjoy reading twitters on the way to lunch every Sunday with feedback on the message for the morning. By late afternoon on Sundays I am usually checking facebook for those that check in through that channel. Then it's on to my email at pastor@clearview.org (try it now if you would like).

All of these channels help me as a pastor. In a church the size of ClearView there is great value in having the opportunity to follow the twitters of those in ClearView who use it, thus getting to know them in a way I could not otherwise. Through facebook I feel like I get to put faces with names and keep informed on activities members of ClearView. [More on the use of technology in ministry in a later blog]

Of course with the advantages comes danger ... the danger of never being unplugged. I try hard to stay completely unplugged on Thursdays during my most intense study time ... and on most Fridays (my day off).

2. What has not changed? People's need for Christ and the part Christ followers must play if more people are to be introduced to Him. I suppose it could be argued it is more difficult than ever to spread the Good News. I don't really think so. It's always been a challenge.

3. What has surprised me? Because of the position I served at LifeWay I don't think you could say I have been surprised by much. But one thing that has been so encouraging is the hunger the people of God seem to have for the Word of God ... at least at ClearView. I will call it a surprise ... and a pleasant one!

Maybe you have questions you would ask of someone returning to Pastor after a decade in another type ministry. You have the email address above or the comment section below. Fire away.

Getting the Word out ... for 100 years

An organization that I admire is celebrating 100 years of ministry. The more I study it and the more I teach it, the more I have come to have absolute confidence in God's Word. The Bible has the power to change lives and the Gideons have seen this happen in the lives of thousands. If you have opened the drawer of the nightstand next to a bed in a hotel you have most likely come across a "Gideon Bible". But there ministry stretches around the world.

We have a number of men and their wives in our church who are invovled in this ministry. I want to say to all of them as well as the other approx. 175,000 who are part of this impactful ministry. Thank you for the unsung behind-the-scenes ministry you have provided over this past century. His Word will not return void. And you have demonstrated this to be true.

Happy Anniversary!

It is still alive

About 5 or 6 years ago I was asked to write a book helping churches rethink their strategy. I thought it dead by now, but John Gardner told me today that some of the new materials sent out by LifeWay are promoting the book again.

We had worked with many churches across the country and several on an intense level locally to help them re-think who they were and how they were going to accomplish their mission. I was honored to be asked to write the book. I hope some churches have found it helpful.

But here's the thing. If you have ever written a book, you know what I mean. There are some things I would change if I were writing on the same subject today. But once you put it in writing and it is published, there is no retraction. The changes would not be dramatic, but there are some adjustments I would make to the content. Anyway, sounds like the LifeWay team feels it is useful enough to continue to provide it to churches.

You can read a synopsis and gander at the cover here. It's my only book ... so far :-)!