Tag: Scripture

Seven Heartfelt Prayers by Pastors for Their Churches in 2021

Seven Heartfelt Prayers by Pastors for Their Churches in 2021

Seven Heartfelt Prayers by Pastors for Their Churches in 2021

I could begin this article with another cliché about 2020, but I won’t.

Pastors are ready to move forward. Church members are ready to move forward. Indeed, it’s time to move forward.

In that light, I asked pastors a simple question on social media: “What are your prayers for your church for 2021?” I received hundreds of responses, but the answers were amazingly consistent. Here are the top seven prayers in order of frequency:

  • Unity in the church. Many pastors noted that 2020 has not only been a time of stress, it has been a time of stress resulting in disunity and bickering. Masks or no masks? Gather or not gather? Social distance or not? Many of the members took their complaints to social media.  I wish we could devise a rule that requires members to spend twice as much time in the Bible as they do on Facebook. We might have revival.
  • Embracing the community. It has truly been heartwarming to see so many pastors have renewed conviction to be a gospel presence in their neighborhoods. These pastors are now praying that their church as a whole reach and minister to the community. Your church address is no accident. Your church was placed in your community to be a gospel presence.
  • More evangelism. One pastor put it this way, “I am not praying for our church to do more evangelism; I am praying for our church to do any evangelism.” Another pastor marveled at how far so many churches have strayed from the priority of sharing the gospel. “We have become so busy doing good things,” a pastor noted, “that we have neglected the best things.
  • Embracing change. A number of pastors prayed that their church members will embrace change more readily in 2021. They realize the urgency of the moment. Business as usual will result in decline or even the death of the church. Many of these pastors have experienced worship wars and other conflicts. They know major change must take place, so they are praying it will come without major conflict.
  • Eradication of COVID.  Very few of us really expected the pandemic to last this long at this level of intensity. COVID has taken its toll on our health, on our emotions, on our marriages and families, on our businesses, and on our churches. Like all of us, pastors are ready for the pandemic to get under control.
  • Return of church members. “I want us all to be back together again,” a Michigan pastor commented. “I really miss a lot of my church members.” Though these pastors are realistic and know not everyone will return, they are ready for as many as possible to gather again in the worship services, groups, and ministries.
  • Elimination of the unnecessary activities. “One of the positive consequences of the pandemic,” a Florida pastor shared on social media, “is that we were able to see we really didn’t have to have all the programs, activities, and meetings we had. It’s my prayer that we will continue to refine our ministries and eliminate all the busyness that really did not make a difference.”

Thank you, pastors. You are on the front lines of ministry. You deserve our gratitude and not our criticisms. We pray with you for these seven prayers and many more you expressed.

Original article appears here. 

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, an online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. 

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3 Priorities for Every Pastor in 2021 Despite All the Uncertainty

3 Priorities for Every Pastor in 2021 Despite All the Uncertainty

3 Priorities for Every Pastor in 2021 Despite All the Uncertainty

As we get closer to the last page of the chapter that is entitled, 2020, you may be feeling discouragement, exhaustion, and you may even feel a little at a loss when you think about what to prioritize in 2021.

You may even be at a point where you feel like you don’t have enough energy to tackle this next hill. You’re trying to plan, but you don’t know what to plan for. Everything just seems out of sorts. The budget? Attendance? Discipleship? Programs?

I get it. There is a lot of uncertainty for anyone who leads a church, an organization, a business, or really anything.

And when you combine uncertainty with discouragement and exhaustion, you’re set up for despair and overwhelm. Why? Because when you’re discouraged and exhausted, it’s really hard to plan. It’s really hard to focus. It’s really hard to think clearly.

But allow me to encourage you today. Let me do some of the thinking for you. In this article, I want to give you 3 priorities you can count on for next year despite all the uncertainty.

3 Priorities for Every Pastor in 2021 Despite All the Uncertainty

1. Preach and teach the Scriptures

That’s right. This is your first priority. And the good news? This is what you do best. This is one of the reasons you’re a part of the Rookie Preacher community — you want to always keep learning just as if you were still a rookie in this.

So preach and teach the Scriptures. Do it with vigor. With passion. Do it with care. With dedication.

Now, let me be clear… The way this happens may need to change as I’m sure it already has for you. You may be preaching and teaching to people in person and you may be preaching and teaching to people through a camera. You may even be doing both at the same time in some venues.

But no matter the medium of delivery, preaching and teaching the Scriptures, this needs to be priority number 1 for every pastor in 2021.

In addition to preaching on Sundays, you may decide to:

  • Start a blog and teach the Scriptures through that
  • Start an email list and send weekly encouragement to people who want to receive it (or utilize your church email list and do this through there)
  • Dig into the power of email automation, set up a few week-long devotionals, and then utilize social media advertising that is targeted to your community and reach people through inviting them to subscribe to that email devotion (then invite them to watch or attend a service or read your blog or all of that)
  • Start a weekly show on YouTube or through a podcast where you teach on topics that people in your community and in your church are curious about
  • Go live on social media more often for Scripture and prayer
  • Start a book club where you and a small group of people read books together and discuss them either in person or virtually
  • Take a sermon series and re-work it into a book

No matter what kinds of things you do specifically, my point remains: the number one priority every pastor needs to have in 2021 is to preach and teach the Scriptures. The medium might change, but the message is still about good news for today.

The number one priority every pastor needs to have in 2021 is to preach and teach the Scriptures.

2. Disciple people to become disciple makers

This is the mission of your church, right? So don’t overthink it. Make this a priority.

And to be honest, this really is number one because it encompasses the goal of preaching and teaching people the Scriptures — to make disciples. But I have separated them because I want to give special emphasis to both.

If you and I have learned anything from 2020, it’s that small groups are still as vital as ever to the mission of the church.

Jesus’ model for making disciples who make disciples still works and is still the way to go. And the good news? If it has to, this can happen in a virtual environment through Zoom or Google Meet or whatever other platform your groups ministry chooses.

One action item, though, to make sure your groups ministry is keeping the main focus of making disciples as the target is asking this question:

Is our groups ministry challenging our people like Jesus challenged His disciples?

In my mind, the groups ministry must be a place where every person is known and loved (which gets at the heart of pastoral care done through the body of Christ) and every person is challenged to put their faith in action through obedience (which gets at the heart of discipleship).

Typically, if either one of these things is lacking, it’s the latter.

You may find that something needs to change. Maybe it’s just a tweak in the curriculum you send your leaders or maybe it’s a matter of emphasizing these two priorities to each of your group leaders once again through a phone call, a one-on-one meeting, or a leaders meeting.

3. Develop leaders for now and the future

Throughout this past year, you’ve likely witnessed some people walk away and some people step up.

Let me encourage you, friend: run with those who are ready to run. The people who have stepped up should be getting more of your attention versus the people who have walked away.

This is what Jesus did. The people who followed Him closest, His disciples, got the majority of His attention. The crowds got some. And there were a select few within the group of the twelve who got the most attention.

So who are those people who have stepped up over the past year? Write down their names. How many of them have been equipped and been given some leadership opportunities?

There are many approaches to leadership development you can take and the specifics will look different depending on what stage they are in development-wise. The important thing, though, is for each ministry to have a plan for leadership development and for that plan to work in conjunction and as a part of a church-wide leadership development approach.

If you’re not familiar with our content around developing a leadership pipeline, I highly recommend you check that out.

3 Priorities for 2021

So, before you put together a ton of plans for 2021, be sure that you prioritize these three things:

  1. Preach and teach the Scriptures
  2. Disciple people to become disciple makers
  3. Develop leaders for now and the future

Which of these is hardest for you? Easiest?

Original article appears here. 

Brandon Kelley is the co-founder of Rookie Preacher and the author of Preaching Sticky Sermons and Crucified to Life. He serves as the Lead Pastor of First Church of Christ in Bluffton, IN. He also writes at BrandonKelley.org. You can follow him @BrandonKelley_. Watch his sermons here.

Looking for a new position? Stop by MinistryJobs.com and have a look at the jobs that are available! Ministry jobs are hard to come by and job hunting is no fun. We help ministry job seekers find their ideal role in their next ministry – for free! More than 6 million search for a job every day. Be found! Looking to list a job or an open position? We help churches and organizations get job openings in front of potential candidates. We have several plans and packages available. Today is the day!

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog

One Verse for Your Church in 2021

One Verse for Your Church in 2021

One Verse for Your Church in 2021

I didn’t realize what I had started on the second Sunday of 2019. 

I had heard in passing about a church that read the same verse at the end of their worship service for an entire year. At the time, it sounded like a good idea. The idea that there would be a consistent message throughout the entire year, and maybe, some people might actually memorize it, was appealing to me.

At the time, I prayerfully read through some of the verses that were heavy on my heart. I picked Matthew 9:35-38. Okay, it wasn’t just one verse, but it was one passage. You may recognize verse 36 and 37: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few.’” (NLT)

Our church started reading that passage at the end of every worship service in 2019. And we haven’t stopped. We are closing in on 2 years and we have no plans to stop. 

What I didn’t know was the impact of those few verses. It has slowly shifted our eyes to see the confused and helpless souls around us. Those verses have led us to a new vision for our church. Those verses have shifted our strategy as church.

I didn’t realize what I had started that Sunday in 2019, but God knew. And God’s Word has greatly impacted our church in ways I didn’t see coming.

As you look to 2021, think about the possibility of one verse or one passage for your church. Here are a few ideas to help you think through what that verse may be:

  • What direction is God leading your church in 2021?
  • What is one way that your church can impact the community around you?
  • Is there a verse that is overflowing from your heart right now?
  • What verse have you seen that has been impactful in your church in the past?

God’s Word is living, breathing, and active. Let the people in your church see the power of letting God’s Word consistently permeate into their collective hearts. God might use it beyond what you can ask or think.

Article appears here.

Jess Rainer is the co-founder of Rainer Publishing. As co-author of “The Millennials”, Jess provides insights into the next generation of leaders. To read more from Jess, click here. 

Looking for a new position? Stop by MinistryJobs.com and have a look at the jobs that are available! Ministry jobs are hard to come by and job hunting is no fun. We help ministry job seekers find their ideal role in their next ministry – for free! More than 6 million search for a job every day. Be found! Looking to list a job or an open position? We help churches and organizations get job openings in front of potential candidates. We have several plans and packages available. Today is the day!

Read more Ministry blogs at MinistryJobs.com/blog