Leading Well

Proverbs 27:23-24 - Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?

When I first moved to New England in 1993 the church I served had a long standing relationship with a ministry organization that promoted itself as the "oldest evangelical ministry" in the region. Over the years that group had done some amazing things. Our small church had supported the group financially and in years past had people from the organization serve in our church for a variety of short term ministry experiences.

I attended several meetings with the group during my early years in New England. Though I was impressed with the history of the group, it seemed to me that they were out of touch with what was happening in small villages like the one I served in. They seemed mostly "Boston-centric." While Boston was then, and continues to be now, a great mission field, it is only one part of God's Kingdom in our region. Over time our church moved our financial support to other things and I stopped attending the meetings. I lost touch with what was going on in that group for many years. Recently I received a flyer in the mail from them about a new ministry they are starting. Intrigued I got online and looked at their website so I could reacquaint myself with them. I was surprised at how small their organization has become. What was once a major player in evangelical circles in our region now has a relatively small influence. Though this new ministry sounds promising, I doubt it will be enough to turn them around.

What happened? Though I suppose there would be a variety of opinions on what happened, from my perspective, they simply lost touch with those they were trying to serve. They did not understand the conditions their constituents were facing. They did not give attention to building relationships. They forgot that history and tradition will only carry an organization so far. They were a good group that slowly slide into the background instead of remaining the foreground of God's work in our area.

By God's providence, I now find myself in a leadership position of a regional evangelical group in New England. Learning lessons from the history of other organizations like mine is very important to me. I do not want to repeat their mistakes. I am trying to listen hard, understand the conditions of our affiliated churches, and give attention to what their needs are. It can be overwhelming at times but I am determined to learn whatever I have to so I can lead well. I don't want to be the next regional group that slides into irrelevance.

The Lord reminded leaders of the importance of these concepts in Proverbs 27:23-24. When leaders pay attention to what is going on around them, instead of being isolated in ivory towers, they lead well. When leaders realize that they cannot just rest on the glories of the past, but must lead in a way that embraces the future, they lead well. When leaders stay connected to those they serve, they lead well. Leading well is not always easy, but it is critical if we want the ministries we serve to continue to impact our communities in positive ways until Jesus comes again.

Lord, help pastors and all those in ministry leadership roles understand the conditions they serve in, pay attention to the needs of their members and trust in You instead of in tradition. Amen.



--------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Putting Out Quarrelsome Fires

Proverbs 26:20-21 - For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

The chairman of deacons called desperate for advice. For several years their church had been experiencing tremendous growth. God was moving in a great way. But for the past twelve months it seemed liked everything had begun to fall apart. The pastor was a good man, and well liked by most in both the church and the community at large. The church had solid leaders and was in better financial shape than it had ever been. Yet for the last twelve months families that had once been faithful had begun to drift away.

The deacon chairman had contacted the families who had left and heard a pattern of disturbing stories of gossip, hurtful comments, and rumor spreading. It all seemed to center on one family. The family held a leadership role in the church and always seemed upset or angry about something. That anger would come out in committee meetings and planning sessions. It would erupt in conversations in the parking lot after church. It would be displayed in awkward ways during church business meetings. The husband make his displeasure known about any and every subject within the church if things were not done exactly as he thought they should be. The wife was more subtle. She would make comments that seemed designed to get other people upset. She had a talent for knowing how to say things that kept everyone on edge, while appearing to be happy all the time. Between the two of them, they kept the fires of discontent and trouble brewing in the church all the time. Their actions had begun to take a toll on the church.

With great sadness, the chairman of deacons watched as years of growth and hard work evaporated in a few months time. The well loved minister was thinking of resigning and moving on to a different church. He called hoping I could offer some way to fix the problem. The solution was obvious, the quarrelsome couple needed to be removed from the situation. Until the deacons were willing to stand up to them and deal with the issue, the troubles would continue to simmer and erupt into flames on a fairly regular basis.

Dealing with such things is never easy, especially in a church situation where everyone is trying hard to be "nice." But if we love our church, and we want it to be able to impact our community in positives ways, then sometimes we must be willing to tackle hard things. Quarrelsome people have to be confronted. Hopefully they will repent and have a change of heart. But if not, then they must be removed from positions of leadership, and in the worse case scenario, removed from the membership of the church. Ignoring them will not make them go away. Making excuses for their behavior will only make the situation worse. At some point we have to remove the source of the quarrelsome whispering in order for the church to return to health.

Lord, give us the courage to confront those with a quarrelsome spirit. Help us to examine our own hearts to make sure we are not the quarrelsome person in the situation. Let the peace of Christ reign in our churches. Amen.

-------------------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Challenging Relationships

Proverbs 26:4-5 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Both emails arrived the same day from two different pastors. The pastors were both dealing with problematic people in their congregations. They hoped I might offer advice for how to deal with the issue. Though they were dealing with the same problem, I gave each of them opposite advice from the other. I told one to meet with the problematic person and try to answer their questions and work the problem out. I told the other one to invoke the church discipline clause in their church constitution and vote the problematic person out of the body. Why would I give opposite advice to two pastors facing the same issue?

It has a lot to do with what I learned in my own ministry as I sought to put Proverbs 26:4-5 into practice. These two verses tell us opposite ways of dealing with foolish people. One verse says to answer such a person, the other verse says not to. Though these verses may sound contradictory, they actually fit perfectly together.

When we encounter difficult personalities in life, our first response should be to try to work out the difficulties. Often words or actions have simply been misunderstood and when we talk them out with the other person, the issue is quickly resolved. That is always a positive outcome and worth the time and energy invested even if it is awkward to initiate.

But sometimes the other party is not interested in resolution. In some twisted way certain people thrive on controversy. They seem to enjoy having an enemy to fight or a person or organization to blame all their problems on. In those situations the more energy and time we invest trying to resolve the situation, the worse it gets. When we find ourselves in such a scenario, it is time to withdraw from the relationship. We should do it graciously and in a way that honors Christ. But we must accept that there comes a point when further efforts will produce no positive results. All it does is frustrate us and we might be tempted to stoop to the level of the problematic person. That will not produce the positive results we hoped for.

God understood this reality long before modern psychology discovered it. That is why He gave us the wisdom of these two verses of scripture back to back. He knew one verse would apply in one situation and the other in other situations. Part of being a mature believer is knowing which situation is which and applying the correct scripture teaching at the right time. Through prayer, and with helpful advice from others, the Holy Spirit can give us that discernment.

Lord, give us wisdom to know when to keep trying to resolve challenging situations and when to walk away from them. Amen.

--------------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully through times of suffering. He has written a book about the spirit of offense that prevails in our current society. You can find all of his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY

Biblical Truth Matters

John 4:24 - God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

We are living in a time when biblical literacy is at an all-time low. Very few people really know what the Bible teaches and many who claim to know are less knowledgeable than they realize. What is perhaps even more disturbing is that many leaders in evangelical churches do not seem interested in correcting biblical illiteracy in their own congregations.

This point was made clear to me at a worship service I attended a few months ago. It was at a well-known evangelical church. This church has a history of doing significant ministry, but in recent years has been sliding toward neo-evangelicalism in an effort to keep the crowds growing. At the service I attended the preacher addressed his lack of concern for biblical accuracy when he said “One hundred million people watched the Bible series on TV so it doesn't matter if it had a lot of theological errors in it." Those were his exact words. Since I only watched a portion of that particular TV show, I am not in a place to judge whether it was accurate or not. The point I want to make is that according to that preacher, if a large enough group of people watch something, it does not matter how theologically correct it is.  I was shocked to hear him say it. Truth is truth regardless of how many people believe it. If that particular depiction of the stories of the Bible were as inaccurate as that man made it seem, then one hundred million people now think they know something about the Bible when in fact they do not. And that preacher was okay with it! No wonder the American church is in trouble.

Biblical truth is important. Whether viewed, listened to or explained to a large number or only a few. If it is not accurate, then it is not biblical truth. Once we begin to accept that truth again, then our understanding of the Bible will begin to grow again.

Lord, help us understand the importance of biblical truth. Help us listen to Your Spirit’s voice when we hear error so that we recognize that it is false. Give pastors discernment as they preach, to only preach your Word. Amen.

------------------------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

The Challenge of Good Sermon Illustrations

Deuteronomy 32:2 - Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

When I was in college I had a friend who had a Ford Pinto. It was a tiny car but somehow at the end of each semester he managed to squeeze all of his stuff in it and head home. But it was always a stressful time and he would begin to fret about it weeks before the semester ended. I knew lots of college students who had Ford Pintos. They were cheap. They got good gas mileage. They were cool, at least in a college student sort of way.

Many years later I was preaching to a group of college students. I was talking about how we often try to cram too much stuff into our lives and need to let go of some stuff (both physically and emotionally) in order to make life more sane. In an effort to visually illustrate my point, I referenced my college friend and his efforts to squeeze all his stuff into his Ford Pinto at the end of the semester. The group had glazed looks on their faces. They had no idea what a Ford Pinto was. The illustration made no sense to them. Fortunately, my son-in-law, who is a collegiate minister, called out from the side of the room “A Pinto is the same size as a Mini-Cooper.” There was a collective “OHHHHH” in the room as the group got the visual image of an overstuffed Mini-Cooper, and the point was made.

Many preachers struggle to find illustrations to drive home points in sermons. Recently I was in a fairly large church listening to a guest speaker. The service he was speaking in was designed to reach young adults. Though he was a good communicator, he built an elaborate sermon illustration based on a television show that peaked in popularity in 1968, which was before most of that audience was born. Most people in the room were not tracking with his point and I noticed they began googling the television show on their phones. As the sermon progressed, and the complex illustration continued, the audience began to grasp more of the point as they read about the series online. In the end, the point the speaker was trying to make probably did get across, but it would have been better to find a way to do it that did not require people to stop listening to the sermon while researching the illustration online.

The best illustrations come from our own real life experiences. But it is best to keep them short so we do not lose the point we are trying to make. It is also best to make sure they will connect to the audience we are sharing them with. Illustrations are helpful but we have to use them well. Take the time to do it right, or skip it altogether!

Lord, help all those who preach the Word use illustrations in ways that help, instead of hinder, our understanding of the Word. Amen.

-------------------------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

Authenticity

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

As a culture we have grown weary of people who are not who they pretend to be. In the political realm, the most popular candidates are the ones who speak their minds (even when they say CRAZY things) because they are considered authentic. One popular TV show, Catfish, exposes people who use fake social media accounts to ensnare unsuspecting people into unhealthy relationships. The show is popular because it reveals who the fakes are. This need for authenticity is driving many aspects of our culture, including the church. When people visit a church, especially young people, they are less interested in the church’s denominational alignment, historical theological positions or its list of programs offered. What they do want to know is if the leaders of that church are authentic.

Authenticity can be a tricky thing. Being who we really are in front of others might not always be the best idea, especially if we have a lot of flaws we need to work on. But conversely, being fake in front of others is NEVER a good idea, because eventually the truth comes out. We have to learn how to be who we are while also trying to improve ourselves so we can become someone better. Fortunately, that is exactly what a healthy church does, so authenticity in a church should not be as hard as it might sound.

Recently I visited a church that was having some struggles. Attendance was down. Donations were down. Involvement in many long term ministries had waned. What was the problem?

Though one visit can hardly reveal everything one needs to know about a church, my visit did reveal a lot. For example, I noticed the Praise Team that led the music came on stage about five minutes before the service started. Canned music was playing through the speakers while they plugged in their various instruments and a clock on the screen counted down to when worship was to start. When they finished plugging up they stood there with distracted looks on their faces. I do not know what they were all thinking about, but it did not seemed like they were present in the moment and about to lead worship. Then the count-down clock hit zero and they all suddenly smiled and their faces lit up and they hit some big notes on their instruments and began to dance around and sing. They were different people two seconds after the show began than they were before the show, and honestly, it felt that way. It seemed contrived and fake. I observed that few people in the audience sang with them. The audience was not moved by the fake worship.

This particular congregation is located in one of the more affluent areas of New England. Though few in the audience had on suit coats and ties, most were dressed fairly nice. The audience looked like they were on the way to a business lunch, not too fancy, but clearly dressed up. Meanwhile, the praise team and pastor were dressed like they were headed outside to cut the grass. Clearly the people on the platform were trying too hard to be casual and it did not fit the clientele in the room. It seemed like they had been dressed in costumes chosen to make some point, but apparently the point was lost to most people present.

The church brochure showed lots of young families and multi-ethnic faces. The printed material clearly was designed with all the latest catch words and phrases one would expect for a congregation of 20-somethings. But the audience was mostly middle-aged, with a few senior adults mixed in. The audience was mostly white. The faces in the room did not equal the faces in the printed material. That made the printed materials feel fake.

I suppose I could go on and on, but I think the point is clear. This church was struggling because it was trying too hard to be something that it was not. It lacked authenticity. They did not need better brochures, better costumes, better choreography or better music. They needed their leaders to stop trying to be hipsters and just be the 50 year olds they really were. I am not suggesting that attempts to continually improve ourselves should be ignored. I am suggesting that we not pretend to be someone we are not. People, especially young people, can spot a fake. The only person fooled when we are fake is us, and that helps no one.

Lord, help us be who we really as we continue to walk with You and grow into what You want us to be. Amen.

----------------------------------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/

What Every Church Needs

2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who does not need not to be ashamed, but rightly dividing (explaining) the word of truth.

Many churches across America are in trouble. There are many reasons why churches are struggling and ministry leaders are not in agreement about how to address the issue. Some say we need more effective marketing. Some say we need to make our churches more culturally relevant. Some say we need more efficient methodology that utilizes technology in a visual age. There is probably some truth in all of those observations. But I think what we need more than anything is Spirit-filled biblical preaching. So many sermons sound more like the advice one can get from a pop-psychologist on a talk radio or television show. What we need are biblically based sermons empowered by the Spirit and delivered with passion that comes from prayer, study and holiness.

Some time ago I visited what was once one of the larger evangelical churches in New England. Though it is still quite sizable, it is half of what it once was. I wanted to observe what they were doing and learn from their experience. The music was stirring but when it came time for the sermon, I quickly realized why attendance was half of what it once was. After a handful of poorly executed jokes, the speaker said "I spent all week preparing to speak and had about seven hours of stuff to talk about in this sermon. Then realized this morning at 3 am that I hadn't picked a scripture yet." In those two sentences the health of that congregation became crystal clear. I am not sure what the man had spent all week studying, but by his own admission it had not been the Bible. I cannot imagine how he collected what he thought was enough material for a seven hour sermon when he did not even know what scripture text he was speaking from.

Life changing sermons begin with the scripture. As the Holy Spirit illuminates what that scripture means, the pastor can make notes and study related passages and historical materials and find illustrations from modern culture that demonstrate the truth of those verses. Any sermon that begins with seven hours of random study and THEN looks for a scripture to hang it all on is not a sermon at all. It is just a man’s opinions that he is trying to pass off as God’s Word. Such sermons are not life changing.

To be fair, the speaker that I observed that day he did eventually get around to quoting a number of Bible verses during his speech. However, they were not related to his main text and were disconnected from each other. It sounded like he used a Bible concordance at the end of his preparation time to find verses that had certain phrases in them so he could prove a point instead of teaching points that had been drawn from the texts themselves. It left me feeling hollow and empty spiritually. I assume it left a lot of other people feeling that way too, which might be why attendance is half of what it once was.

The church might need more effective marketing. The church might need to speak to the culture in more relevant ways. The church might need efficient methodology that utilizes technology in a visual age. But what the church SURELY needs is Spirit-filled biblical preaching that communicates timeless truth to a culture that is adrift in the meaningless opinions of man.

Lord, help pastors begin their sermon preparation in the Word and help them draw the entire sermon from the Word. Help parishioners crave Bible based Spirit-filled preaching instead of the pop-psychology of our post-modern era. Amen.

----------------------------

Dr. Terry W. Dorsett has served as a missionary, pastor and denominational leader in New England since 1993. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is the author of numerous books including “The Heavenly Mundane: Daily Devotions from Ordinary Experiences.” You can find his complete list of books at: http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Terry-W.-Dorsett/e/B00405U4NY/