Being raised in a pastor’s home where my dad served one church for 23 years and serving in the local church myself for more than 31 years, 26 years at my last church, I strongly believe that ministry for the long haul produces exponential results. Here are five characteristics needed to stay in a ministry setting for the long term.
“When Christ ascended into heaven, all He left behind was a prayer meeting.” Armin Gesswein, an early associate with Billy Graham and a pioneer in the prayer movement, believed the church was born in prayer. Since that’s true, a culture of prayer should be the family portrait of the New Testament Church. Why, then, does it often seem as if prayer is a peripheral issue?
He’s not like us. We subtly beg for compliments, we subversively seek affirmation, we passive-aggressively look for allies – but not Jesus. Jesus knows what He’s about. And He knows that what He offers is the only thing that truly satisfies.
Many are on fire for God’s mission—but for all the wrong reasons. Here are five traps people easily fall into, as we wrongly pursue everyday mission:
On the ministry trip mentioned in my welcome letter, one of the highlights for me was preaching in the First Baptist Church of Cairo—yes, there is a congregation so named.
"The one who leads a public ministry has everything to lose, while an anonymous blogger has nothing to lose," says Midwestern Seminary president Jason Allen about false accusations on the internet.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- El Programa Cooperativo no debe ser una vaca sagrada, pero se le acerca a una para mí. Iniciado por los bautistas del sur hace casi un siglo, ha probado ser la más efectiva y duradera manera de sostener nuestro ministerio y trabajo misionero colectivo. Frecuentemente hablo con líderes de otras denominaciones evangélicas que sienten envidia del Programa Cooperativo. Y deben sentirla; no hay nada como él en el protestantismo estadounidense.
"God's answered prayers, kind providences, and the hard work of the amazing team he's given me have propelled us forward. And from this institutional transformation, dozens of leadership lessons have emerged. Consider with me these seven," said Jason Allen.
Jason Allen underscores how Southern Baptists, through the Cooperative Program, have been blessed with an enduring way to support missions and ministry across the nation and throughout the world.
Jason Allen underscores the balance between spirit and truth in a church's worship. If either is taken to an extreme, it can "tilt the worship service in an unhealthy direction, hindering the growth of God's people and leaving the worship service in want."
Make each sermon an invitation to embrace Christ, Jason Allen advises. "The Gospel deserves more than to be politely tacked on to the end of a sermon," he writes.
Southern Baptists must not take the Cooperative Program for granted, seminary president Jason Allen writes. "We neglect it, or minimize it, to our own peril" in seeking to impact the world for Christ, he writes.
Deacons are to be men of character and service, Jason Allen writes, exhorting pastors to "make sure to honor those who serve well. As we do, may the Lord be pleased to call out a new generation of such laymen, qualified and equipped to serve their church."
Seminary president Jason Allen feels "the weight -- and glory" of the "greatest stewardship in life" that can yield "immeasurable fulfillment and joy": helping his children take steps toward Christ.
