Yes...forgive me.  Another year full of transitions and adjustments and in the past few days, I've felt a new approach was needed in helping us on focus on prayerfully supporting our church leaders.

Previous prayers have focused on an area of life, and while there's nothing wrong with that, but I felt it became too rote and routine...almost too quickly.

So, as I work through my own perseverance of posting daily prayers, each daily prayer will focus on a particular church position(s) to lift up in prayer, rather than a particular life aspect for the entire leadership.  I'm hoping this will allow a more fluid "prompting of the Spirit", in terms of what position might need a certain avenue of prayer.

With that said, here's what I will endeavor to present.

Mondays: Senior/Lead Pastors
Tuesdays: Associate Pastors
Wednesdays: College/Youth/Children Pastors
Thursdays: Church Support Staff/Administrators
Fridays: Missionaries
Saturdays: Congregations & The Community
Sundays: Church Efficiency and Effectiveness

The new schedule represents to a degree where support is needed. Sunday is a work day and most Pastors have/take Monday as their "Sabbath", so that will be the day we pray they are refreshed and renewed for the coming week. Youth Pastors have their hands full on Wednesdays w/ teens, typically along w/ other mid-week family services. Saturdays, pray that congregations would be prepared for the word they will hear as they come together and invite those around them...'are you doing anything Sunday morning?"  And for such conversations, that Sunday will be a day that the prayers and efforts of the church will come together, that believers and non-believers alike will come to know Christ in a greater dimension.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I was reminded yet again this evening, how blessed our church is for the incredible stable position we are in, and how balanced our leadership team moves forward and how more churches and communities desperately need such a community where these traits are becoming harder to find.

May God Bless Pastors, Their Families and Churches & God Bless America

-PNC

It truly amazes me how God works out the schedules of man. This afternoon was no different, and little did I know, I would end up in a service that I desperately needed, and afterward, talking to an incredible man of God, who also happens to be the lead pastor of the church.

As my current job has afforded me the opportunity to visit a number of churches on Sundays and Wednesdays alike, I often fly under the radar, in particular with regards to Bring Me 70, almost as if I am just taking the service in, rather than promoting something that is still in start-up mode. However, tonight, the calling of ministry arose, so did my perceived need for Bring Me 70.

As we made our way to the lobby, he explained that he had built a pretty good team of people, and in particular some in pastoral positions, that have allowed him to expand his ministry to other pastors and churches and places of influence, whether in their home community or surrounding areas.

Now, obviously, every church and community loves a pastor that is totally committed to their particular people, but eventually, if the life and ministry-related experience of the pastor is not utilized to impact and influence other relationships and opportunities outside the church, then doing church has the danger of becoming routine.

And as this particular explained, routine has the potential to diminish how you feel God's role in your life, as though you are not capable of God doing great and wonderful things in and through your life. (I wrote down how he said, but of course, now, it's not in front of me, b/c is truly profound.)

If the church is not growing, in maturity, in discipline, in ministry and ultimately, in numbers, then eventually the pastor will feel as though nothing is going on our no ground is being gained. There is a time for each...if your growing in numbers, you'll eventually need to focus on maturity; and if you are focusing on maturing what you have, then growth might not be playing as significant a role in your outreaches.

In the end though, growth and development by definition, require the expansion of borders.
New conversations. New relationships. New opportunities. New strategies. New ventures.

The cool part is, as that pastor engages outside of the church, he or she will naturally return with new vigor and new insight as to what and how new elements and strategies can be implemented into their church that will take them to the next level, to accomplish greater things for the Kingdom and glory of God.
.

This article from Barna Group appeared on my twitter feed today and it ties in perfectly with the purpose of Bring Me 70 and we need to be diligent in praying for and supporting our pastors and church leaders. It's an interesting read and the stats are incredible to say the least.  I encourage you to check it out and consider how you should pray and encourage your church leaders and their families.  

Prodigal Pastors Kids.

I am the worst of offenders when it comes to procrastination. And this morning, while reading Luke 13, I looked up Matthew Henry's commentary on verses 6-9.  I recommend looking it up.

He shares that the story of the master wanting to cut down the non-producing fig tree, because for three consecutive years, there was nothing. Yet, the gardener steps in and explains that he needs another year, to work with the tree and the soil to change the outcome.

This is the story of grace. While the tree was representative of Jerusalem, it very much hit home upon my reading it today.

The tree was in the vineyard, where it had the best soil, best environment, best resources...and yet it had nothing to show for itself.

Thus, is the case, for many Christians and churches and religious organizations and individuals alike.

You have value. You are of value. You are valued by those around and by God. We would do well, not to waste any of it (time, resources, opportunities, or financs) on things that have little to no impact on the world, let alone eternity.

Some will know immediately how to correct the issue and begin the turn-around process now.  Others like me...may have a little bit of a journey in front of us. But that must not deter us, but motivate us all the more. Don't undervalue what has been wasted. Don't continue to waste what you have undervalued.

I heard an incredible sermon this morning, that was part 3 of a series titled "Free." The pastor spoke from Romans about Paul's battle with the flesh and living according to the law versus living by the Spirit.

Some take-away points include:

"Christianity was never intended to be normal religion." Religion tells you "what you ought to do, what not to do, and then you are toast."

"The law is really good at showing us how screwed up we are."

And finally,

"If you walk by the Spirit, you can't focus on 'just not sinning'."  Trying to keep a list of do's and don'ts is the attempt of "If only I don't sin."

Whereby, walking by the Spirit begins to produce fruit that does not worry about breaking the law.

I think this is particularly difficult for pastors...at least it has the danger of being difficult.

The pressure. The finances. The staff. The congregation or lack thereof. The maturity of the congregation or lack thereof. Comparison to other pastors and churches. Comparison to the success of those in the seats. The struggle for those who don't show up to church consistently, but want God to do the miraculous in the life consistently. (another message today, that God has gone miles for us, but we don't give an inch for Him.....post on that later!)

If it is hard for the congregation to stay focused on walking by the Spirit, then how much harder for a frustrated Pastor and leadership team!

That is the plan of the enemy. It is a dual-strategy approach. Get the people frustrated so nobody shows up to church, thereby frustrating the leadership. Get the leadership frustrated so that they'll abandon the people and they'll disperse.

So, to the pastor and the pew....guard against the control of the law and the failure that ensues, as none of us are perfect. Walk by the Spirit, where the worry of breaking the law doesn't not control you; and watch the fruit of the Spirit take over your life and be the story that points back to Christ, as our lives were and are intended to accomplish.

I know what's been said and I understand what you heard...but in the end, it's important to live by His Word. Mine are nothing; not even worth noting; the past is not worth toting nor even quoting....we live for today for it is what we make it...we live for tomorrow, so we're still standing and do not quit.

A few moments ago, I came across a tweet from Chris LoCurto, who among other things is a VP for financial guru Dave Ramsey. He quotes an incredibly profound Italian proverb, which prompted me to comment: "There's a sermon in there somewhere." Not being in a position to write sermons, I thought to myself; The 70 blog would suffice. So are you ready for the profound insight?

""Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." — Italian Proverb

What captured my mind about this quote goes back to the unexpected conversation I had earlier today, with a man I never met who turns out is a Pastor; and as we started to talk about pastors leaving the ministry, I mentioned how so often we literally hold pastors "up to the pulpit"; a play on words for the concept of raising the standards for one who stands on the pedestal as a symbol of something people should strive to or work towards; and God forbid, they fall off.

So in light of the purpose of Bring Me 70, leaders and followers or those in authority and those under authority, at the end of the day, serve the same God, worship the same God, pray to the same God and will one day, stand before the same God and give an account to the same God.

In the game of chess, not much thought is given to the pawns. They are "easy to sacrifice". Unfortunately, in the church world, people have gotten severely burned my ministry in this manner. When you think about it, they move in the same direction as the King...at least to the extent of "one space at a time". The difference is, the strategy required to utilize the pawn to the point of success...winning the game; or at least playing a significant and often over-looked and under-estimated role.

From the King's perspective, at the end of the game, he goes in the same box as the pawn. The perspective here, again, from a church standpoint, is that pastors deal with the same issues you and I face every day. They are not immune to the same health struggles and sicknesses. They are not free of financial obligations and the worry that sometimes accompanies them. They are not unhindered with personal battles and habits that they are working to overcome. They are not void of ill-timed arguments and interruptions and arguments about the interruptions.

The point? The Message has a pretty cool take on 1 Corinthians 12: 4-31


4-11 God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel
clear understanding
simple trust
healing the sick
miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
interpretation of tongues.
All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

12-13 You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

14-18 I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

19-24 But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25-26 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

27-31 You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his “body”:

apostles
prophets
teachers
miracle workers
healers
helpers
organizers
those who pray in tongues.

But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it, that Christ’s church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, uni-dimensional Part? It’s not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts.

If you aren't utilizing the gifts you have in the position you are in, how will you be able to acquire the gifts you need for the position you wish you were in? Grow where you are planted and your growth will naturally spread into other arenas!!!

For years, within the church, we have looked to "the next generation". That's not to say the current generation of pastors and church leaders is not effective or fulfilling their promise or calling. Many of them are effective and some continue to stay the course and fulfill their calling.

However, the current rate for pastor leaving the ministry is well over 1,000 per month. Not only is this dangerously alarming, but in the context of "the next generation" what are we doing to decrease this incredible rate of departure? What are we doing to support current leadership, so they become a legacy of great ministry and not a "I used to be..." line on a resume.

What I sense in my heart, are very simple and practical solutions to reverse this trend. Pastors are human, just like their congregations. Yet, somewhere between the pew and the pulpit, both parties forget this fact.

Pastors struggle with being real, in terms of how their marriage operates. Really...who likes admitting that you argued in the car on the way to church. It's one thing to for morning to start off that way, then put a smile on your face as greet your friends in the cafe. Try another if that's happened only an hour or two before stand in front of hundreds with a message of salvation.

Pastors struggle in their finances. Then go home frustrated wishing they could help the young family struggling to provide a Christmas for the kids. Multiply this a couple times over, if the church itself is behind on a couple of bills. Or property taxes.

A struggling youth pastor wants to put on an all-night New Year's eve party. The church is tight on cash, so the youth pastor works overtime at his secular job to pay for the party. His wife and he argue because he's not home with his kids for most of that month.

Children's pastors can't put on a successful vacation bible school because parents refuse to adjust vacation schedules so the event can be properly staffed.

A pastor watching with an overwhelming number of people struggling to find employment, but the church is in trouble. So while he's praying for your employment situation, he goes home on the job search, praying the same prayer....hoping he won't be competing for the same job he just prayed God would open up for you.

And the scenarios are endless. Are at least up to another 1495 per month! I know Pastors deal with real issues, and some are pretty heavy duty issues. Much like people inside and outside the church deal with and need professional or expert help with. Financial, Mental, Behavioral, Thought-patterns. But most of what helps me get through the day is what most pastors don't have.

People who stick around when life gets hard. People who help when life gets hard. People who pray through circumstances with you. People who when you say "this is what's going on" and we're letting you know so you can pray with us, not share with others. It's one thing for a pastor to be transparent. It another for transparency to happen and still have a congregation standing with you. The unknown of whether the congregation stands or runs is where pastors get stuck. I'm not 100% confident that that is always the case; just 100% confident that if I were a pastor, that's how I would feel. And for what it's worth, whenever someone in my life suggested that I should go into ministry,  I immediately tried to figure out how I would handle that 1st scenario....argue on the way to church, then preach?  No problem.  Right.

Pastor want successful ministries. But I would venture that part of their feeling like they have a successful ministry begins with them having a successful home-life. I can't imagine the frustration of having a child living a life far from God, while praying for hundreds of other people's kids and grand-kids. Thankful for your break-through. Sleepless over their own.

7 Days. 7 Men. 10 churches. Outside of deacons and board members, if 7 men stood by their pastors, to pray over their lives, encourage them, offer support...basically just took care of them, as you would your best friend..."You sure you are doing okay?"...making genuine connections with your pastor and staff and their families, would go a long way into turning this situation around. Ladies, you can do the same for the women pastors at your church, and pastors' wives. Granted, you might not become best friends, hanging out with them all the time. But conversely, how many people on Facebook are constantly posting how blessed they are that someone wished them a happy birthday and posted it to their wall. "Wow, I have such great friends, thanks for all the birthday greetings." And a majority of them are from people they haven't seen in months or years, and yet keep in touch "online".

Yet we don't know that our pastor has a kid with some serious struggles. A marriage is on the rocks over money. Foreclosure of their home looms on the horizon. They fear the church could be next. And they're going on a job interview the day before they perform the wedding ceremony of your son or daughter.

If 7 men of 10 churches took a more active role...not in the church, necessarily, just a more connected relationship with pastors. 70 men in a community, to help carry the burden.

The world is going down hill fast. We don't have time to raise up and prepare and groom 1500 NEW pastors a month.  People need their church now more than ever and people who aren't in church will soon find themselves in a place where they will give it a try. The unsaved will be ready for church and the church will have closed it's doors; because it's people were out of touch. And the pastor couldn't do it alone.

I believe they are praying....crying...BRING ME 70!

ps: Staggering stats, from NY Times, August 2010 , over @ http://www.pastorburnout.com/pastor-burnout-statistics.html