Pastors Edge

James Merritt

"Many Ministry Models, One Common Goal" (+ Book recommendations from my summer reading)

There are more ministry models out there than I can count. I have personally witnessed the Purpose-Driven Model, the Cell Church Model, the Home Church Model, the Church Growth Model, the Seeker-Sensitive Model, the Natural Church Model, and the list rolls on! But, what we often fail to realize is that a particular model has a track record of success because it has been implemented in a particular environment, in a particular community with particular participants at a particular time.

Now you may be struck by the obvious nature of that statement, but there is a deeper, often overlooked truth that hides just beneath its surface: Because the success of a specific ministry model has been attained in specific circumstances, it may or may not be optimal or even effective for you. In other words, just because the Purpose-Driven Model blew Saddelback Church up like a carnival balloon doesn't mean that it will work in your community, in your environment, with your participants and at this time.

If someone tries to sell you on the theory that there is one definitve ministry model out there, kindly send them to me. I have a some wonderful, ocean-front property in Kansas I would like to sell them.

Joseph Myers, in his book Organic Order: creating a place where people naturally connect, oberves the following: "We see or experience a pattern that 'works,' and then we assume that if we repeat the pattern exactly, we can manufacture the same result." He goes on to say that this confuses the "descriptive" with the "prescriptive." He concludes, "there are many patterns that we can use to connect to God and others."

This serves as a reminder to all of us that we have not been called to a ministry model, but to the Gospel ministry. As long as you are moving people toward maturity in Christ and effectively reaching the unchurched in your community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter what ministry model you are using or if you are using any model at all. So long as we are all pursuing this one common goal, the means for getting there matters little.

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Also, here are a couple of highly recommended books from my summer reading:

Confessions of a Reformation Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church by Mark Driscoll

The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary by Mark Sanborn

Coach Wooden One-On-One by John Wooden and Jay Carty

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies

Meet the Press Meets God

A few days have passed from time as Tim Russert, the seventeen year host of Meet the Press, has passed from this life on to the next. There is a real sadness in my heart and hopefully sensed in my words for several reasons. First, Russert died two days before Father's day, a tragic irony in the fact that he was known as a son who had a great relationship with his own father-a relationship chronicled in his New York Time's bestselling book, Big Russ and Me. Moreover, Russert was equally close to his own son Luke, and had just returned from Italy where he and his wife of twenty five years had gone to celebrate Luke's graduation from Boston College.  He was without question a fine family man and, as President Bush put it, "a good and decent man."

Like me, you probably rarely saw Meet the Press; our big work day is Sunday. Still, I was a distant admirer of Russert and his craft. One could not help but notice that there was none better at interviewing politicians in a way that forced honest answers and candid dialogue. (Sorry Mr.O'Reilly, but Russert invented the "no spin zone.") Russert was always prepared, knew his subject and his interviewee, and was from all indications truly "fair and balanced."  So I am saddened at the loss of a good father, steadfast husband, committed son, and world class journalist who brought dignity and breadth to an industry often maligned for a lack of both.

In a broader sense, I am somber as well. Like the shock of an unexpected cold shower, I was jolted out of my daily comfort zone and reminded once again of both the fragility and the brevity of life-and the fact that death is not impressed by fame, notoriety, influence and does not discriminate on the basis of creed, color or gender.

Russert was only 58-young by today's standards for sure. He was at the top of his profession and just entering the prime of his career and life. Every Sunday, 4 million Americans tuned in to Meet the Press, and he had just been named to Time magazine's "100 most influential Americans." Russert had received 44 honorary degrees and other honors too numerous to mention He was under medication for a diagnosed coronary condition, had just passed a stress test two months earlier, and was exercising regularly.  

Then, as Tom Brokaw so movingly said, "...my friend Tim Russert collapsed and died...." Just like that-he was dead and gone. Little if any warning, little if any time to realize he had completed his last broadcast, taken his last trip, eaten his last meal, asked his last question. So it is with all of us.

Pastors, we may not be the hosts of a hard-hitting news show, but one day we too will meet our Creator at the time of His choosing. When we breathe our last, we will have to account for every sermon (Did you communicate the Gospel message?), we will be questioned about our family lives (Were you the husband and father God desired in the face of the relentless demands of the pastorate?), and we will have to give an answer for every moment (Did you live the pure and clean life you asked others to live?).  If any of us were to drop dead right now, we better be even more prepared than Russert was for every Sunday-morning interview. 

I Am Not Alone

One of the greatest battles I face is loneliness; the feeling that I am in this all by myself. I guess this is true for many pastors and those involved in ministerial leadership. After all, who does a pastor talk to? I mean, I don't won't anyone to know when I am discouraged, depressed, disillusioned or feeling downright defeated. Maybe it is the pride of not letting anyone know I am not the inventor of positive thinking, or the fear that the man they think is a sturdy Superman is really a whimpering Clark Kent, or the insecurity of letting anyone think my hotline to God is out of order. I guess most of us pastors, at times, walk a very lonely road.

But my church members share with me that they too feel lonely. I am convinced that many, if not most. Christians live with the subconscious resignation that the "victorious Christian life" is one that is out of their reach and they are just glad they are going to Heaven--and not every Christian is even sure about that! They live with the feeling that they cannot do the things that most "super Christians" can do--things like sharing their story, serving in ministry, even leading one person in a bible study becauseonce they think that they are in this all by themselves.

God in His infinite wisdom, knowing us better than we know ourselves and realizing that the feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and inadequacy would plague us has given every pastor and every Christ follower a secret weapon-a weapon that we all carry with us 24/7--a weapon that though unseen can unleash incredible divine supernatural power through us and accomplish mighty things for the glory of God. That weapon is more than a power--it is a person called the Holy Spirit.

God has given the Holy Spirit to us for the two most important and difficult things God commands every Christ follower to do : prayer and witnessing.  Prayer is hard work for me and I suspect for others and witnessing is evidently so daunting to the average believer that (according to statistics) over 90% of Christ followers have never tried to share with even one person.

Just Grand

My first grandchild, Harper William, is undoubtedly the most beautiful grandchild in the history of the world. As I held him in my arms for the first time, several thoughts literally rocketed through my mind:

First, I was reminded of just how brief life is. I am my mother's baby boy. It seems literally just like yesterday that she and my dad were holding my first child in their arms! Was it more than just the blink of an eye or the snap of a finger that their first grandchild from me was born or had it really been 28 years since that precious moment?

Second, I was again confronted with just how precious life is. As I get older, things begin to mean less and people begin to matter more. Life is not all about cars, jewelry, houses, money or real estate. Life is all about RELATIONSHIPS. All of the other things have a price tag on them to measure their worth. There is no price tag than can measure the love, joy, and thrill of loving and being loved by your church, parents, spouse, children, friends, and now I can say, grandchildren.

Third, I was touched with just how fragile life is. When James Jr. came out to tell us that our grandchild was about due and that he would be born in the next few minutes, I began to get jittery. Thoughts of all the things that can go wrong had held me captive. But 80 nail-biting minutes later (babies do keep their own schedules), my son came out beaming to tell us that he and our daughter-in-love Natalie had given us a healthy grandson. The hard truth is that cars and crime, disease and disaster, war and work can cause life to end at a moment's notice.

"Pop's little man" is now almost 2 months old. But from day one he began to remind me of things to which I had not given recent thought and teach me new things. I can't wait to see what that young, little boy will be teaching this old preacher next.

Oh, and another thing: Practicing His Presence

Following up on my thoughts on practicing the presence of God, I was reading today in Exodus 32 about the first "Dear John" letter in the Bible. It was when the Israelites so quickly forgot about God just after some minor events like the Exodus, the manna from Heaven, the giving of the Ten Commandments just to name a few.  Because Moses and God didn't show up on their timetable, they decide to take matters into their own hands and create their own God and do things their own way.

The reason is simple-they forgot the cardinal rule of remembering that God is never absent-He may be out of sight and He may be out of mind but He is never out of the picture-as they learned to their sorrow and chagrin later on in the chapter. Lesson learned-when you take matters into your own hands and forget God headache and heartache are sure to follow.  Unlike the atheist who says "God is nowhere" the truth is "God is now here!" So no matter what your situation is even if God seems like He is on some faraway mountain and is nowhere to be found-wait on the Lord-He will show up at just the right time and you will be glad He did.

Dr. Merritt's personal thoughts on a variety of subjects is covered in this section. He shares his insight and experience on issues that you are working though yourself.