Churches go through challenges.  While that’s not a newsflash to most, traveling this journey is not a picnic (both pastor and parishioner alike).  Last year, our church was going through a season of cash flow issues, but we also feel led to move forward with a remodel of our preschool area.  This year, we felt led to renovate one of our houses so our youth pastor-turned-associate pastor and his sweet family would have a place to live.

People possess different personalities: some possess great faith and optimism, while others come across as rather pessimistic.  The former can be classified by the latter as Debbie Downers, while the latter may look at the former as those with their head in the clouds, not dealing with reality.  I believe that both are needed to provide a needed tension (the good kind).  There’s a reason God puts both in churches.

Christians in general and pastors especially need to possess a much-needed trait as both move forward in whatever venture:

A realistic optimism.

This means that Christians need recognize the reality around them, but not be ruled by the eye but by the ear.

The eye looks and says,

• “I don’t see how this will happen.”
• “The budget isn’t allowing it.”
• “If you ask for this special offering, it will take away from the general offering.”
• “It can’t be done.”

God gives us the eye to diagnose the issues surrounding us, so the eye has some value!  A decided, steady realism must mark the Christian in evaluating our respective situations, then taking the proper steps to help remedy that situation.

But if the eye predominates our evaluating processes, and the eye alone, what results is fear, doubt, and panic when challenges arise; and pride, arrogance, and placidity when few challenges exist.  Each of these, God calls sin.  They do not belong in Spirit-led people.  In seasons of challenge as well as calm, we do not and must not identify ourselves strictly by what we see, but by what we’ve heard and know.

We are people of the ear, listening to God’s Word about God’s nature, God’s will, and what needs to happen among God’s people.  If He accomplished the forgiveness of our sins via Christ on the bloody cross and raising Him from the dead, He can handle whatever other issues in which He’s leading.

Does this not mean that deal with reality?  Yes–by faith, not by fear.  The only fear that should mark a Christian is a fear (a reverence, an awe) before the living God in Christ.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Dear pastor, deacon, and church member: we walk by faith (in what we’ve heard from the Word) and not by sight (in what we see in people and papers and policies and precedents).  Realistic optimism!  Prayerfully give it a try.

Pastors, God will take you through seasons that will battle-harden you. This is not a sign of His abandoning you, but a special dose of grace to help you walk through the valleys with your people. No wonder the Spirit calls us ‘soldiers.’ Our allegiance is with Christ and His church, as He works to present His bride as spotless and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-33). Keep the faith and stay the course!

In 2 Timothy 2:4, we read, “ No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”  Timothy needed this reminder.  He was a young pastor, likely in his mid 30’s, who was called to lead men and women who were older than he–some were old enough to be his grandparents.  How difficult this is!

But our aim is to please someone much ‘older’ that us–Christ Jesus! Our focus, our determination, our urgency is fueled by remembering Christ Jesus (2:8).  Sermons may take away our focus.  Counseling may take away our focus.  Finances, outreach, networking–all can take away our focus.  How?

Should we give up preaching, counseling, financial matters, outreach, and networking?  No!  But if we’re doing this simply because it’s on our job description and it’s expected of us, and we do them so we won’t be terminated–that’s taking away our focus from Christ and putting it on men.

God battle-hardens pastors for the long, marathon fight.  The arrows will come, the miles will accumulate on your heart, mind, and soul.  But He readies us for the warfare.  God provides the good grace of battle-hardening for the good of ourselves, our people, and the Kingdom.  Without it, we would fall!  With it, even in failure God will use this for His glory to teach us lessons we wouldn’t learn otherwise.

Praise God for this good grace He provides.

In videocast #10, Dr. Perry shares on how his missions trip to Hungary reinforced the need to lead with a Great Commission clarity. We pray this will help those leading small to medium sized churches in moving forward in the Great Commission!

I’ve been called a happy pastor.  It’s not something I’ve cultivated intentionally—I truly love being a pastor, not just in general but specifically of Arapahoe Road.

But I’ve also been around happy pastors as well—and are they ever a delight.  Those pastors do not have any less challenges than the dour pastors, but the attitude behind is filled with gratitude and hopefulness and opportunity.  Outside of rare instances, this happiness and hopefulness is contagious.

Unhappy pastors convey a hopelessness.   And it’s just as contagious.   Hopelessness breeds hopelessness.  Despair breeds despair.  Gratitude is replaced by grumbling.  Opportunity takes a hike, so the reality of the present is ever-present.

Happy pastors are not ones with their head in the sand, ignoring the situations around them.  The true test of leadership is defining reality.

Happy pastors must not be goofy pastors—thus conveying a lack of seriousness to their calling or their church.

But it’s here that pastors and leaders have a choice:  will you look at the sadness of the situation, or will you look at the gladness for an opportunity to watch God work?

How do you as pastors become happy?

1. Pray.   Pray for Christ’s perspective for His church.  Pray for the condition of your own heart toward Christ and toward the people whom you are shepherding.   Pray for God to give you a heart to lead as a servant and serve as a leader.   Pray for God to give you a heart to not just pastor as a leader but to be pastoralto you people.  And pray for patience (2 Timothy 4:3-5).
2. Define the reality of a situation.  For me, is the Great Commission the paradigm by which we gauge success and faithfulness in the church?  If that grips the heart of a pastor and a church, then that’s a win.
3. Prioritize what is a first tier issue from a second or third tier issue.  If you as a pastor identify a number of issues to address, prioritize them or you will be overwhelmed.  Albert Mohler’s article ontheological triage is helpful.   What some deem first tier issues (things to address yesterday) from second and third tier.
4. Surround yourself with both encouragers and identifiers—have the balance of the two.  If you’re around encouragers all the time, you will miss the issues.  If you’re around those always identifying what the issues are, you will become discouraged.
5. Fall in love with the place and people where God called you.  What a privilege that God has given us to pour the gospel into others to help them grow-and-go.  What a privilege to open up God’s Word and to preach and teach and counsel and evangelize!  Some times we don’t see the forest (God’s sovereign call to His people) for the trees (the particular challenges that may arise).
6. Identify leaders who will partner with you in the ministry–happily.  We cannot do this alone.  We weren’t meant to—so we find people who have bought into the direction and invest in them so they may invest in others.  You know, 2 Timothy 2:1-2 put into action.

What do you think?   Let’s hear from you who are happy pastors, want to be happy pastors, those who aren’t happy pastors and wish they were, and from those of you who wish for happy pastors—or even have one?

And while you’re at it, consider what part you play in that joyfulness of a pastor by reading Hebrews 13:17.

Go!

J.I. Packer changed my life in 1993, when the second edition of Knowing God came out. It was one of the first solidly theological books I had read as a Church Music major in college.

In this article from Christianity Today, Packer talks on how the book of Ecclesiastes helped move him from cynic to joy based on that book’s theology.  Here are the last two paragraphs of the article.  I do hope you’ll read the rest.

How then should we finally formulate the theology of joy that runs through and undergirds the entire book? Christian rejoicing in Christ and in salvation, as the New Testament depicts, goes further. But in celebrating joy as God’s kindly gift, and in recognizing the potential for joy of everyday activities and relationships, Ecclesiastes lays the right foundation.

Being too proud to enjoy the enjoyable is a very ugly shortcoming, and one that calls for immediate correction. Let it be acknowledged that, as I had to learn long ago, discovering how under God ordinary things can bring joy is the cure for cynicism.

via J.I. Packer: How I Learned to Live Joyfully | Christianity Today.

Regardless of what type of church you lead, whether it’s a house church or church plant or an established church, the basics are there.  In a burst of an epiphany, I posted this toward the end of our time in Hungary:

Meeting this week with the Hungarian house church drive home the fact that the fundamental nature of the church is to grow the gathered in prayer and the Word, so the gathered may go to show others the Word through prayer. Let’s take Christ to our communities.

Indeed! Yes, by-laws are necessary, but if we spend our time debating the fine points of these documents, we’re stuck on peripheral issues.

Yes, building upkeep is important–having a building that’s falling apart provides numerous obstacles to people coming to hear the Word and connect with God’s people.  But if that becomes front and center, we’ve removed that which should be front and center.

When looking at the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, we see that the church must gather to grow and equip our people through glorifying, growing, and giving of what God has given to us!  The church then gathers to go and help others come to Christ, connect with His people, and commit to Kingdom work.

Our aim, dear church leader, is to take biblically someone who is an inquirer and guide them to be a multiplier through Kingdom advancement.  Inquirer to member to leader to multiplier!  Basics!  Gathering to grow, growing to go!

What are some things keeping us as leaders from pursuing the basics of the ‘Greats?’  Is our focus to train our people and disciple our people to move forward for the Kingdom?  What obstacles are in their way?  Will we pray that God would instill an urgency in our leaders and our people to approach the Throne of Grace and beg God to give us His heart for His work and will?

Yep, back to basics!  Back to the Book!

Our trip is now ending. I’m so grateful for this opportunity God provided by allowing me to come to this beautiful country of Hungary. It’s been eye-opening and reaffirming all at once.

It’s been eye-opening in regards to the secular and political climate in this country. Many have a religious upbringing, yet believe God either doesn’t exist or is unknowable. This climate is very similar to Denver, either a philosophical or a practical atheism pervades many residents of the city I love. May God break my heart over this.

As for reaffirming, here’s what I posted on Facebook this morning:

Meeting this week with the Hungarian house church drive home the fact that the fundamental nature of the church is to grow the gathered in prayer and the Word, so the gathered may go to show others the Word through prayer. Let’s take Christ to our communities.

More later.