First Sermon Jitters: Help for Aspiring Preachers

by Steve Burchett

The first sermon I ever preached was in a little country church close to my childhood home. I think I made three points: 1) Read your Bible. 2) Pray. 3) Tell people about Jesus. After twenty minutes, I had said everything I knew, so I concluded with a prayer and sat down.

Looking back, I realize what a poor job I did. Where did I go wrong? For starters, I just said basic truths but I didn’t really teach Scripture. I made obvious statements, told a few illustrations, and read several different verses to (supposedly) prove my points. Additionally, I was a poor communicator. I spoke in a monotone voice, and most of the time I either looked down at my notes or up at the lights.

But here’s one thing that, by God’s grace, I got right that morning: I tried. I realized I had a responsibility to speak up for God, so I gave it my best. To use a golf analogy, I hit many more hooks and slices than straight shots. In fact, I almost always wandered off into the trees, leaving the people wondering “Where is he going?” Thankfully, I don’t think I hurt anybody with an errant shot. In fact, the “gallery” was quite patient with me, even offering encouraging words as they left. Every teacher of the Bible has to start somewhere, and I’m thankful the pastor of that church gave me the opportunity.

You might be an aspiring preacher who is terribly nervous about the thought of teaching the Bible to a group of people. Perhaps you are a Bible student in a college or seminary preparing to be a pastor, but your opportunity has not yet come. You might be a middle-aged man who has recently sensed that the Lord is prompting you to preach. Whatever your situation, I want to encourage you to give it a try, but perhaps you would benefit from a few tips to make your first experience (and subsequent experiences) go better than mine:

1. Take advantage of less formal teaching opportunities.

I hope you are in a church where learning happens beyond the formal sermon. Perhaps your church has Sunday school or small groups. If so, I’m sure there is an opportunity for dialogue about the Bible in those more casual settings. There’s your chance! I don’t mean that you should all of a sudden stand up in front of everybody and break forth into a forty-minute monologue about the verse or passage at hand. Instead, seek to edify your brothers and sisters by sharing your insights. You may even find out in advance what will be studied, and come prepared to share something that you learned. Speak with zeal, but humbly, seeking to help people. Showing off how much you know is never right (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Where else might you find “less formal teaching opportunities”? The majority of churches are frequently in need of people to fill in and teach the children. This is not an insignificant event—it is vitally important—and kids are often very gracious and patient with teachers. You might find similar grace in a nursing home, prison, and surely in your home during family worship.

Here’s the point: If you desire to teach Scripture, don’t wait around for the pastor’s vacation. He might ask somebody else! Eventually, your opportunity might come, and by teaching in the smaller settings, you will prepare yourself for the bigger venues.

2. Meditate on your text far longer than on commentaries.

Some men are so unsure of their Bible interpretation skills that they too quickly go and look at what others have said about the verse or passage they are to teach. Perhaps they say to themselves, after only a few minutes of gut-wrenching meditation, “Well, I guess I better go see what John MacArthur says. I mean, who am I to say what this passage means?” Who are you? You are a Spirit-indwelt believer who is capable, with some patience and a careful reading of the passage, to understand the Bible without having to be overly dependent upon the gurus of the day.

I only speak from experience, but an easy way to be a dull communicator is to spend too much time reading what others have said about the Bible instead of studying Scripture itself. I agree with J.W. Alexander’s assessment:

If an hour is to be spent, either in reading and collating more of the text, or in reading human comments, surely the former is the way which gives more light. What is acquired in this way also makes a peculiar impression, and is more truly one’s own. It also carries with it a savour of divine authority.[1]

This doesn’t rule out the use of commentaries, but it is a reminder that we have God on our side ready to help us understand what He has spoken.

Prayerfully wrestle with the text. Read it over and over and over. Try to determine the author’s burden, and how he supports what he is saying. And yes, glean insights from others, but your listeners will benefit from your teaching far more if you have personally mined the text for its treasures.

3. Teach one thing, not a bunch of things.

My first sermon was about three things, and I’m guessing most people remembered almost nothing. Wouldn’t it be better to drive home the main point of the passage? The key is to make the heart of your message the point of the text under consideration.[2] Have an outline, but be sure the sub-points and illustrations support the main idea.

Also, beware of preaching the point of the passage without reference to the work of Christ. As you call people to obey, remind them that they must look away from themselves to Christ for the motivation and strength to do what God says (Titus 2:11-14).[3]

Rambling off “proof texts” is usually not helpful. I say “usually” because occasionally you will want to help the people see a theme as it works itself through the Bible, but even then, have the verses ready to quote without expecting the people to turn to several different places in their Bibles. Perhaps you might say something like, “I want to read a few verses to support this idea. You don’t need to turn to these verses.”

A thirty-five minute sermon that makes a single point and drives home two or three principles of application would be far better than a fifty-minute sermon which says too much, lacks coherence and a point, and bores the people for the last fifteen minutes.

4. Amplify your comments with colorful words and helpful illustrations.

Consider the difference between these two statements:

• Jesus did not spend his first night on earth in a clean place.
• Jesus did not spend his first night on earth in a sanitary hospital with nurses checking on Him every thirty minutes.

Both say the same thing, but the second sentence is more colorful and potentially memorable. Jesus was the master of teaching this way, frequently using objects and people around Him to illuminate the truth. He spoke of birds when He addressed the necessity of not worrying but seeking first the kingdom of God. He used the imagery of shepherds and sheep to illustrate His relationship to His followers. He compared sheep and goats when speaking of the final judgment. Jesus was not a boring teacher! We should seek to adopt His methods.[4]

What about using quotes in sermons? I’ve looked back over some of my old sermon notes and realized that I occasionally had two or three sizeable quotes within a single sermon. I’m ashamed to say that I have occasionally added a quote not because I thought it really helped the people understand the passage, but because that section in my outline needed to be longer. I’m embarrassed just thinking about it. Beware of pointlessly using quotes to fill in time. Take special care not to use too many quotations (especially longer readings). Your sermon might go too long, and you will certainly put a few people to sleep!

5. Practice out loud what you will say, as you will say it.

There are at least two benefits to this: First, verbalizing your thoughts is a helpful way to work out and even test what you are thinking. Sometimes what seems solid on paper doesn’t communicate as well audibly. Like the Apostle Paul, we should want to communicate the message clearly (Colossians 4:4).

Second, practicing how to say things can make you a better communicator. Some might argue, “I don’t think the Apostle Paul ever went off into a private place and worked on his voice inflection!” Probably not, though we cannot really know for sure. However, there is no sin in working on your physical presentation. You can trust in the power of the gospel and at the same time work on preaching it well.

Somebody once walked in on me preaching through a passage of Scripture in my office, and I was embarrassed! Looking back, I shouldn’t have been, because I was sincerely trying to get the message right in order to benefit the souls of the people I would address later that morning.

6. If you use notes, don’t constantly look at them.

There are different opinions among good men about the amount of notes (if any!) you should have in front of you when you teach, but most agree with this: Engaging the people with eye contact is vital to the communication process. Bryan Chapell writes, “The eyes can spit fire, pour out compassion, and preach Christ in you . . . . No one else talks to them without looking at them—unless to insult them.”[5]

One of the reasons a preacher might look at his notes too much is because he doesn’t want to get the content wrong. That is admirable, and if we could only choose between hearing the truth versus sitting under a dynamic presentation, we should pick the solid content every time. However, with a little bit of preparation, and by renouncing the prideful desire to be seen as a flawless orator, we can give the listeners biblical content in a way that engages them.

7. Avoid imitating your favorite preacher’s style.

The Internet is jam-packed with free downloadable messages from the most recognized preachers of our day. Perhaps you have your favorites, but beware: If you listen to one man often, when you preach you might find yourself not only seeking to imitate his carefulness with Scripture (which is good), but you may also find yourself attempting to sound like him (not good)!

The next time you are in a room full of people where numerous conversations are happening, notice how many different ways people communicate. Some individuals are very animated, while others are calm. God has created each of us as unique individuals with distinct personalities. The same is true in preaching. Each man should use the voice God has given him, and gestures should be natural, not forced and copied from your favorite preacher. The more you preach, the more comfortable you will become in your own skin. Your idiosyncrasies will shine through, and that’s not always a bad thing!

8. Care for the people you will teach before you teach them something.

I once attended a Sunday morning service at a church in Michigan. After hearing the sermon, I remember thinking, “That was okay.” As I was walking out, I met a few people and was struck by some of the comments about the sermon. Not only did the people say the message was helpful, but almost everybody mentioned how much their pastor loved them. He was not a charismatic expositor, but that didn’t matter. He was known for his extravagant love for the church, which caused the people to listen eagerly and gain far more out of the message than a first-time visitor would. I learned a valuable lesson: Average preachers become powerful instruments in God’s hands when they are known for their love.

Granted, your first sermon may be in front of people you have never met before, but we should all strive to be like that “average” preacher in Michigan. We should be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

Are you known for your love? Do people think of you as a good listener? If you do get to serve your church through your preaching, make sure they remember how you have served them in other ways.

9. Pray.

And I don’t mean right before you preach! That’s a given. I’m talking about being a man who is regularly conversing with the Lord about the passage before him, calling on the Lord for clarity about the text, asking the Lord to write it on his heart, and begging the Lord to grant insight about how to apply it to the people who will receive the teaching.

Jesus, the greatest preacher ever, was a man of prayer (Luke 5:16). We must not be anything less, or else we will be ineffective preachers. J.W. Alexander warns, “Let every preacher despair of delivering that discourse with true, natural, and effective warmth, which he has prepared with leisurely coldness.”[6]

10. Try again.

I hope I’m a better preacher now than when I first preached years ago. I had better be! But I only improved because of taking advantage of subsequent opportunities. I’m so thankful that first congregation was mostly positive toward my efforts, even though I preached a pitiful sermon. Let’s be realistic: Most struggle to preach well at first, and the majority of us will never be invited to speak at a big conference because of our preaching prowess. But that’s okay, because God doesn’t require greatness, just faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:1-5).

Keep trying. Work hard to get the content right and the aspects of good communication will probably develop. I say “probably” because there is the possibility that you will consistently struggle in the more formal situations. What then? It might be an indication that your teaching might go better in different settings (Bible studies, counseling, small groups, etc.). Don’t despair, though, because God might have designed you to have a significant impact upon people’s lives one person, or one small group, at a time.

A Final Plea

If you are an aspiring preacher, and the opportunity arrives to open up the Bible and tell people what it says and why it matters for their lives, go for it! If you are a pastor, let me encourage you to give other men in your church the opportunity to teach the Bible. Your willingness to subject the congregation to a beginner may give wings to a life of faithful ministry. Even men who have preached thousands of sermons were given their first opportunity. Pour on the encouragement and see what God does.

---

[1] J.W. Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching (1865; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1988), 38.

[2] For a helpful strategy to arrive at the point of a passage, see Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1997), 31-48.

[3] For clear teaching on how to develop Christ-centered sermons, see Bryan Chapell, Christ-centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 34-49, 262-312.

[4] For a thorough discussion on the use of illustrations in sermons, see Chapell, Christ-centered Preaching, 162-197.

[5] Christ-centered Preaching, 319.

[6] Thoughts on Preaching, 32.

Copyright © 2009 Steve Burchett
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form
including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.
Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org

Questions for a Prospective Pastor

by Jim Elliff & Don Whitney

It is not uncommon for a pastor to be opposed by the very people who at first enthusiastically promoted him. Why? Often it is because only surface communication took place between the potential pastor and the congregation before he assumed his position in the church. In our day it is possible for a pastor to be chosen for a church with almost no serious questions being asked, much less any doctrinal questions. This should never be the case. We suggest that churches seek the most complete dialogue possible about matters of doctrine, practice, and lifestyle. If the church fails to do so, the prospective pastor should call for it. This procedure protects both pastor and church.

Two other matters are of extreme importance. First, the potential pastor should supply a list of references. The church must carefully follow up these references and even ask those individuals to suggest others. Consideration should be given to the fact that sometimes a person is disliked for no fault of his own. (Even Christ was hated.) The breadth of inquiry through references assures you that the pastor has “a good reputation with those both inside and outside the church.” (1 Timothy 3:7) Your questioning of references should focus on the list of qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. These lists of qualifications were written primarily as a means of observing the lives of prospective leaders in the church, not as a list of questions to ask the candidate. Such observation is extremely important. Of course the ideal would be for your church to live with the man and observe his life over months and even years of time. Because this unfortunately is not the pattern of most churches, you will have to depend heavily on the observations of the references supplied. Superficial or overly subjective answers by the candidate himself could distort the true picture. The survey below will refer to the above mentioned passages, but their use will be more general; your use of them with the names references should be extensive. This does not infer that the passages mentioned are not of extreme importance for the candidate to use in questioning himself.

Related to the above is a second consideration: Much effort should be made to expose the prospective pastor to the church for as long a time as possible before a decision is reached. Exposure to a prospect is not a problem when choosing pastors from within the congregation, but it does pose a considerable difficulty for those bringing a new pastor in from outside. A quick weekend of meetings is often not enough for the people to be properly informed. Remember, this man will be there a long time, influencing your family and the community for Christ. We know that you are ready now to have your new pastor. But there is one thing worse than no pastor—the wrong pastor.

This final suggestion: After initial interviews, consider getting taped or written answers to these questions from the one who is the most serious prospect at the time. Ask him if he is interested enough to go to this further stage of inquiry and tell him that it will take a good deal of his valuable time. This in-depth questioning is for those men who show a high level of interest. Clarifying questions can then follow by phone and personal interview. A select group of these questions may be asked later in the larger church meetings to allow the pastor to speak about his beliefs and to receive further questions.

The following questions* are not necessarily listed in order of their significance. Some of them may not be important to you. You may want to add others. There is no such thing as the perfect pastor; but attention to these matters along with lengthy times of prayer and even fasting should assure you of finding God’s man for your church.

______________________________________________________________________________

1. There are many who profess to know Christ who are mistaken. What evidences do you have that you have been given life by God?
   
   
2. What does it mean for a person to love God? In what ways do you see true biblical love toward God demonstrated in your life? Do you see true biblical love toward God in the lives of your wife and each of your children?
   
   
3. How does your wife feel about your commitment to pastoring?
   
   
4. Why do you believe God wants you in the pastorate?
   
   
5. Closely examine each of the Bible’s qualifications for pastors and deacons (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1:5-9; Acts 6:1-6; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Which are you strongest qualities? With which requirements do you have the most trouble? Why do you believe these areas of difficulty do not presently disqualify you from ministering? (Note the phrase “must be” in 1 Tim. 3:2.)
   
   
6. A pastor is charged by God to preach to the church and to shepherd the people in a more individual way. Which aspect of the ministry appeals to you the most? What are some specific ways you could be helped to develop your skills in either of these areas?
   
   
7. What are your methods for involving yourself in the lives of your people as their shepherd and overseer of their souls?
   
   
8. What activities characterize your evangelistic interest? What is your approach to personal evangelism? corporate evangelism?
   
   
9. What is your approach to counseling? How do you handle your counseling load?
   
   
10. What are your specific and regular practices regarding the spiritual disciplines (e.g., personal prayer, Bible study, meditation, stewardship, learning, etc.)?
    
    
11. How would you describe a successful pastor? How would you describe a successful church?
    
    
12. How is the pastor held accountable? What relationships in your life currently provide accountability for responsible attitudes and behavior, both personally and as pastor?
    
    
13. Who are your favorite Christian writers, commentators, theologians, etc.? Why? What books have you read in the past year?
    
    
14. Describe an instance when you made attempts to reform the church in some significant area. What were the results? What did it cost you personally?
    
    
15. Describe your leadership style. What have been some weaknesses? Strengths?
    
    
16. When you have met with opposition, has it been mostly related to your style of leadership, your personality, your beliefs, or something else?
    
    
17. According to your observations, what doctrines needs special emphasis in our day?
    
    
18. What is true biblical repentance?
    
    
19. What is true biblical faith?
    
    
20. Explain justification by faith. What is the difference between the Catholic view of justification and the biblical view?
    
    
21. Please explain your view of sanctification. What are the various means God uses to sanctify the believer?
    
    
22. Can a person have Christ as his Savior without submitting to Him as Lord? Explain.
    
    
23. What is your position on the inerrancy of Scripture?
    
    
24. Explain the biblical term “baptism of the Spirit.” When does this baptism occur?
    
    
25. What are your views on baptism by water?
    
    
26. How does the Bible relate the sovereignty of God to salvation?
    
    
27. What does the Bible teach about the extent of man’s depravity?
    
    
28. What does Christ’s atonement accomplish?
    
    
29. What does the Bible teach about the perseverance and preservation of believers?
    
    
30. What is the proper use of the Old Testament law?
    
    
31. How do you articulate your present view of end-time or eschatological issues?
    
    
32. Do you believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin? What is the significance of your belief?
    
    
33. What is your interpretation of the biblical teaching on Hell?
    
    
34. Do you believe that the events described in Genesis 1-11 are factual or symbolic?
    
    
35. What does the Bible teach concerning spiritual gifts? Please delineate your views about prophecy and speaking in tongues.
    
    
36. What is your view of divorce and remarriage? How strictly will you follow this view in practice?
    
    
37. What is your view of the phrase, “The bishop [pastor] then must be...the husband of one wife”
    (1 Tim. 3:2)?
    
    
38. What are your requirements for performing a marriage ceremony?
    
    
39. Please explain your views on church discipline. Relate any personal experience.
    
    
40. How would you handle a case of scandal or immorality by a church member?
    
    
41. What is your view on abortion?
    
    
42. Many children who appear to be converted at an early age show no evidence of knowing Christ later. How do you handle children when they come to you for counsel concerning conversion? What is your advice to parents?
    
    
43. What is a useful plan for receiving new members into the church? What are prerequisites?
    
    
44. What are your views on styles of church music?
    
    
45. Who should direct the worship of the church? Why? Which methods of leading corporate worship are appropriate? Which are inappropriate?
    
    
46. What does the Bible teach is the purpose of the church’s weekly gathering?
    
    
47. What are your views regarding raising money for various projects within the church? Should the church solicit those outside the church?
    
    
48. What are your convictions about the local church and debt?
    
    
49. What does the bible teach about women in pastoral ministry?
    
    
50. What does the Bible teach about how churches should make decisions?
    
    
51. How should a pastor and his church relate to other churches locally and (if denominational) to the larger body? Do you feel comfortable cooperating with other denominations? Do you draw any lines?
    
    
52. What are the biblical responsibilities of elders? Are there any distinctions between elders, pastors, and overseers? If applicable, what distinctions exist between staff and non-staff pastors?
    
    
53. What are the biblical responsibilities of deacons? How are deacons and elders to relate?
    
    
54. What emphasis do you give to the leadership of fathers with their families, especially in terms of family worship? Do you personally engage in family worship with your wife and children?
    
    
55. What is your missionary vision for the church? How are you currently demonstrating missionary interest and involvement?
    
    ______________________________________________________________

A man does not have to have full and immediate answers to every question to be a good and faithful minister. With some of these questions it may be acceptable for him to say, “I don’t know,” or, “I don’t have my position completely developed on that yet.”

However, beware of a pastor who seems to avoid giving clear answers. Certainly with some questions he may find it necessary to define terms and qualify his response. Proceed carefully if he avoids making his position as plain as possible.

Other questions, if applicable, might deal with such issues as the church growth movement, home schooling, the Masons, the New Age movement, racial views, political activity of the church, relationships with other ministries or movements, etc. Questions regarding other important doctrinal issues should be asked as needed (e.g., regarding the deity of Christ, the acceptance of the Trinity, etc.) Both a search committee and the church should satisfy themselves concerning any issues they wish to discuss.

____________________________

*Some or all of these questions may also be appropriate for ordination councils, securing church staff, qualifying missionaries, Christian school faculty interviews, and evaluating suitability of candidates for Christian ministries.

Copyright © 1996 Jim Elliff and Donald S. Whitney

Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form
including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.
Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org

Christ's Headship in the Church: The Neglected First Principle of Decision-Making

by Jim Elliff

I may seem naïve and overly simplistic when I say that Christ is the Head of the church and that this one fact, properly understood, will do more to clear up confusion over decision-making in the church than any other consideration.

From this truth we are able to deduce that elders and members have one goal in decision-making—to find out what the Head of the church wills for His church. I don’t think most church leaders think this way. Starting from themselves they attempt to arrive at what would be the most pragmatic course of action, disregarding a conscious pursuit of Christ’s will in the decision process.

Our elder team recently forgot this principle when making a decision regarding our future growth. Without going into detail, a new look from the perspective of Christ’s headship yielded clarity much quicker, clearing up confusion, when we revisited the question with this principle in mind. That simple idea made all the difference.

When Christ is recognized as the Head of His church, decision-making begins with a prayerful and serious attempt to find out what Christ has already said on the matter. He has said plenty in most cases. When elders learn this, their mission for the church changes. They now see themselves as “under-shepherds,” with their authority derived from the true Shepherd, not inherent within them as qualified people. Elders’ meetings will be concerted efforts to interpret Scripture for the sake of the church and the glory of Christ. In our elders’ meetings, for instance, a long portion of our weekly four hours together is commonly spent with our Bibles in hand, seeking to uncover God’s will for our church. This last year, our labors ended up in a book on the subject of divorce and remarriage. All we were doing was what every elder team should do. We wanted to find out what Christ wanted us to do about divorce before we had our first case. You may not agree with our conclusions, but we have done our best to be faithful to Christ in our study.* We have also written other documents that were efforts at understanding what Christ has already said to the churches about certain church matters.

In cases where the Lord has not revealed His will directly in the Bible, elders should still turn to the words of Scripture to find the related principles that will help them know the ways of Christ with His church. By prayerfully seeking wisdom (James 1:2-3), a biblical and Christ-sent answer will be found. This is the pattern, for instance, when the leaders of the early church met in Jerusalem to discuss intra-church issues related to the inclusion of Gentiles. The questions were answered through Scripture, as well as through prayer-saturated, biblically-based wisdom about how to address that difficulty in the experience of the universal church life and mission (see Acts 15).

Note that when Christ’s headship is first in the mind of leaders and members, the question of where the initial understanding of Christ’s will for the church originates is of little concern. It is true that leaders are there to lead, and sheep need shepherds, but if a member is able to correctly discover Christ’s plan for the church, leaders who put Christ’s headship over their own will find little difficulty in embracing what the member says. The church should be a body of believers all looking to Him and wanting desperately to do His will alone. So who really cares who first discovers His will?

It should be understood that I have something definite in mind when I say, “Christ’s words.” This can mean three things to us. On the surface, we take this to mean His actual verbal expressions found in the New Testament gospel accounts. Next, we mean the New Testament itself, which is about Christ and is based on His life and teaching. Christ speaks to us through His writing prophets (such as Paul, John, Peter and James) as well as in His exact expressions. Above all this, we can say that the entire Bible, understood in the light of Christ’s coming, comprises His words to the church as He worked within the Bible writers concerning Himself and His then future incarnation, suffering and kingdom. This is seen, for instance, in the words of Peter when he writes this:

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. . . (1 Peter 1:10-11)

The result of starting and ending with Christ as the Head is that the church can relax about its attempt to be clever. There is more uniqueness than you will likely be able to appreciate in just following the written word of God. And each unique move toward being the church Christ wants us to be has the backing of Scripture and Word-directed wisdom. That is a strength that many churches are sorely lacking.

I must add that careful submission to Christ’s will does not minimize the liberty which produces other distinguishing characteristics in our churches. We are to blend form and freedom, both prescribed by Christ. Where this freedom is applied, again, is a matter to be discovered from the Bible. For instance, nothing is really said about what style of music may be sung. But there are other biblical guidelines about worship and interactivity and reverence that safely channel our music, regardless of style.

Beyond all this, the elders concern themselves with maturing the church so that the people will receive Christ’s headship in all things. That may take some work. Rooting out man-made traditions, especially the kind that were yesterday’s pragmatic attempt at being relevant, are often hard to give up. Bringing the church to that desirable place where the words of Christ are more important than preconceived ideas and worn traditions that have had their day (or were never that carefully thought out in the first place) can be the elders’ most difficult task. Authority comes from Christ’s word to us, and those who are truly His will understand…eventually.

Here are some issues that your church and its leaders may need to think through. This is only suggestive of the variety of issues that demand study of the Bible to find Christ’s instructions:

Meeting patterns Does the Lord have requirements for the exact time a church should meet? What should the meetings look like?

Lord’s Supper Who may take the Lord’s Supper—only believers, children who are unconverted, only church members, people of “like faith and order?” What is the purpose of the Lord’s Supper? Is it a meal?

Leadership Is there to be one pastor or several in a church? Is there such a thing as a “lead pastor”? What do pastors do? Should they be paid?

Church discipline Is the church required to practice church discipline? On whom? What are the various ways church discipline is applied?

Money Should we expect every member to give? How much? Should money be given every week? Is there a right or wrong way to collect money? Who should determine how to spend the money of the church?

Women in ministry May women speak or must they be silent in church meetings? May women teach men?

Evangelism How should evangelism be practiced through the church? Is there such a thing as an evangelist? If so, what does he do?

---

*Our book took over two years. It is called Divorce and Remarriage: A Permanence View (Kansas City: Christian Communicators Worldwide, 2009). To see our work, order at www.CCWtoday.org. Christ Fellowship’s first two elders also wrote a church discipline policy statement that is in booklet form, Restoring Those Who Fall. This may also be found on the same website. Many other articles have been written by the elder team that are accessible on our church site, www.ChristFellowshipKC.org.

Copyright © 2009 Jim Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form
including authors' names, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.
Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org

Honey, I Shrunk the Church: Traits of the Church Loss Movement

by Jim Elliff

Are you part of the church loss movement?

A church might lose members because its leaders are burdened with a new direction the people are unwilling to travel. Or, it might lose members because of natural calamities or factory closings. Perhaps the demographics of the community have changed, such as in rural areas where land that once used to be teeming with large families is now controlled by farming conglomerates. But often a church will lose members for less noble reasons.

Some people will tell you to just inaugurate a new evangelism plan to solve your problems. I do think evangelism is vital and have written about it extensively. However, in most cases, church health is more important in the beginning. People leave sick churches. The general rule is this: If you cannot invite people to the church because you just can’t imagine why anyone would really want to be there, church health is the first order of business.

While it is impossible to analyze all the reasons churches lose members, they are often characterized by the following traits. Some of these may describe your church. Let’s look at the negatives first, then consider how they might be overcome.

1. Leaders become increasingly administrative.

When pastors and other leaders no longer have spiritual goals, they fall into the abyss of endless administration. Administration is necessary, of course, but when running an orderly church becomes all that gets your attention, you are drifting toward an eccesiastical Bermuda Triangle. A leader constantly administrating, but rarely rallying people to godly action and heightened spirituality will lose the people he is attempting to lead. Leadership is also about inspiration.

2. People who become spiritually sick are left unwell.

Do the leaders really know the flock? Untended sheep get into trouble and become weaker by the day. Does your church expend any efforts to pastorally care for the sheep other than the typical public meetings? Sometimes the canker sores of a church have become so deeply infected that nobody is willing to deal with them. Spiritual sickness is the norm, and the church begins to feel like a cholera ward. But nobody is doing anything about it. On the inside the people cry out for spiritual care, but it is the care that will never come. When people sense they are not loved (that is, loved with action on the part of the leaders and the people as a whole), they often leave in order to find brotherly love in other places.

3. No new vision is projected and communication is reduced because there isn’t anything to communicate.

Leaders who are listening to the Lord have a vision to project to the people. They also are genuinely excited about what is happening. Some vision casting is carnal, admittedly, but it does not have to be that way. For instance, pastors may wish to see all their members reading the New Testament through in a given year, or seek to open up a new evangelistic ministry in a needy area of town. Life without vision is unprofitable, and you can hardly blame people for wanting to be in a church where their families will be challenged. Humans are born with ambition. Ambition can be wrongly placed or rightly placed. It is the job of leaders to inspire people to be ambitious for the good, and for the godly, goals. Don’t be surprised when people absent themselves from churches where there is no vision, even when the leaders are good men with right doctrine. People need to be challenged, and they will gravitate toward visionary churches even if their aspirations are not godly.

4. A maintenance mentality takes over.

Similar to the last comment, many churches believe that the highest calling for a church is to maintain the status quo. When budget time comes they say, “What did we do last year?” The phrase, “There is nothing new under the sun” was tailor made for such churches. If anything new is suggested, it dries up like spit on the hot tarmac.

Ralph Neighbor used to call this church’s battle cry the seven last words of the church: “We’ve never done it that way before.” The people and leaders have become so unanimated that nothing excites them anymore. Nothing new seems possible even if it comes straight from the pages of Scripture. Moses could not move such people to advance. But most of the time what they are maintaining is not worth saving. They are holding on to a few trinkets of the past that have little if anything to do with God’s intentions for the church. This is the prevailing mindset of the church loss movement.

In one of my first churches I removed the numbers board from the front of the auditorium. Some of you don’t know what that is, but I hope you will always remember that some of us fought the battle of the boards long before you were born! It was a symbol of the status quo. That’s the board that tells you how many members you have and how many people are attending Sunday School, how many brought their Bibles, plus a few other facts. It rests beside the choir loft usually on the right side, producing either pride or dismay. I removed it. One woman almost fainted in consternation. She was also the one who insisted that all of us fill out the “Eight point record system.” That’s about checking off if you attended, were on time, brought your Bible, completed a “study course,” and did other things. I didn’t fill one out, nor did most of the people. But she was so committed to it that she filled mine out for me every Sunday. Though I was the pastor and she didn’t give me 100% many Sundays! Status quo churches care about trivial things like this. Thankfully, other churches I’ve led were addicted to finding God’s best and doing it. Beware when all you do is maintain the same ol’ same ol’.

5. Pastors are focused on the disgruntled people.

In a diminishing church, people are often disgruntled, though they do not fully know why. Like the poor, disgruntled people will always be with us. But even in a good church there is no shortage of analysis going on. Husbands and wives are talking to each other on the way home from the church meeting saying, “I think the problem is . . . .” At first this may not be mean-spirited, but loving analysis can turn to critical bickering, and eventually disloyalty.

Upset people take lots of the leader’s time. Hours are spent in consideration of people’s words and behavior. Sometimes confrontation has to take place. And much time in prayer is also required. Not a few leaders waste additional time by worrying over these people. Some pastors spend all their time in this mode. There is hardly time to breathe, much less advance the cause of Christ through the church. The problem people use up all the leader’s worry capital.

Certainly pastors need to deal with difficult people, but a leader cannot be stymied from action and from projecting biblical vision for the church by a few blathering souls. They are not the only people in the church. The other people want to move on. But in a problem-centered church, the leadership never rises above dealing with the power brokers and complainers. Because of this, the people who are desirous of doing something more, the best people, will move on to greener pastures.

6. Bitterness is left uncorrected.

While it is true that disgruntled people can take all the energies of some pastors, wrongly so, it is also true that bitter, hurtful people are also often left untended in weakening churches. Feuds lasting scores of years might be evident to guests in a way that the congregation has grown accustomed to. I’ve seen this awful monster eat up all new growth of churches. Angry men or women, especially if they have retained some leadership, kill church health.

You usually hear bitter people first in the business meetings of the church, but next in the Sunday School class. In the class any gossip underpinned by bitterness may be passed along as long as you say, “bless her heart” or “I don’t mean to talk about him, but . . .” When one woman told me that to her the business meeting was the heart of church life, I knew I had one on my hands. One bitter man squared off with a brother of mine at the end of a church meeting, demanding that he go outside and fight. This was said in front of a brand new Christian college girl who had just been baptized! Another pastor tells of being punched out after one meeting in the front of the building! Now, that’s laying it all on the altar. Others don’t have such bravado, but they can kill people by their tongues. Bitterness is deadly to growing churches and needs to be confronted by leaders.

7. Attrition gradually takes several away, with no replacements. Some leave with a focus on peripheral issues (symptoms).

Attrition is normal, but most churches make up the differences. There are times when even good churches cannot overcome attrition if the reasons for it are outside of the church itself. In a spiritually sick church, people are leaving, but it seems that they leave for less than sound reasons.

Oh, I know there is a good kind of attrition. Though it breaks leaders’ hearts to lose people, some ungodly people walking out might do some good. But when good people leave and they cannot express why they are leaving, look deeply within yourselves to try to figure out why. Maybe God is showing you something important that could be changed. Sometimes the changes are about more than the leader. Deeper alterations need to take place, and that takes the entire church’s cooperation. The truth is, the church is just not meeting needs well though those leaving may never tell you what actually bothers them.

8. The church has become a small static group, with little vitality. People remember the “good ol’ days.”

That faithful knot of long term members remains, even in the worst of situations. Because we have buildings, dead churches will go on forever, even when the cause of Christ could be better served by closing the doors. This faithful group (who are sometimes to be commended for their sticking power) often look back to the “good ol’ days,” usually when they were young and in leadership. Often they project that the failures of the church are due to not doing the same programs that used to be done. “If we would just knock on doors on Tuesday nights like we used to, people would come.” “If we would have revival meetings, things would be different.” “If we would sing the good old hymns, people would not leave us.”

It is hard to move a group like this to action. I’m not saying that these people are necessarily ungodly, but they could use some of Caleb’s spirit. Instead, they are always looking back. Who wants to be part of a church of retro Christians?

9. The building slowly deteriorates for lack of interest.

Typically the sign in front of the church building says it all. It hasn’t been freshened up in years. Paint is chipping off the building. There is no longer any care taken for the grounds. The nursery smells of Hi Ho’s and old diaper pails, and looks like the 50s. The pastor’s office has a metal desk, some ancient wooden chairs, brown indoor/outdoor carpet, and a shelf with some old hymnals and a few study course books on it. The kitchen has a tiny “ice box” and some formica covered counters. The church people don’t notice anymore, but the guests do. The member’s inattention to their property says, “We don’t really care anymore.”

10. Pastors leave too soon having no sense of fulfillment in their work or hope of affecting any change.

If the church continues, it will do so with a variety of short-term pastors. While it can be good for student pastors to have a place to try their craft, there is no long-term commitment pastorally anymore, unless, of course, a settled older man retires in the community and is willing to offer help. While this scenario might come about for unavoidable reasons, it is characteristic of all shrinking churches. If the regime changes every year or two, pastors will hardly make an impact on the community, so as to engender growth. Newcomers say, “Something must be wrong because they change pastors every two years.”

What Can Be Done?

I feel for the pastors who have entered in to a church that is on the downward slide for any of the reasons mentioned above. You might have inherited more than any normal person can handle. But some leaders only continue the problem. What, if anything, can be done?

1. First, pray.

I don’t say this in jest; prayer is the way to unleash the God who specializes in the impossible. I once knew a praying church out in the country, ten miles down a lonely road to nowhere. If I remember correctly, the road was graveled. It grew and grew to several hundred people from its struggling original state. I might have said that the church had no hope. But I was wrong. Anything can happen.

2. Then, get with hospitality.

Loving people is always the right place to start to meet problems. If I were a pastor in a shrinking church, I would divide the congregation up alphabetically (A-E on Monday night, F-J on Tuesday night, etc.) and open up my home first thing to every person in the church. I don’t want anyone saying they had not been invited to my home. Within a couple of weeks, all the saints would have been inside my house. Next, I would plan on having some families over each week, one evening plus Sundays for lunch. Then I would ask God to give me some other hospitality people who will help out by inviting people over. I would have regular covered dish meals, every Sunday if possible. This would be an eating, fellowshipping kind of place. I know that can happen in any church with a little work.

One church I led became legendary for its hospitality. Many were converted through the witness of this church, and scores of people joined. But we didn’t have any plan of evangelism except loving people. Often guests would tell me that they had been invited to lunch two or three times the first time they visited. Any church can do this with a little work. It’s a wonderful goal. Love is the best witness to the world that Jesus can make a difference, and it melts the hearts of the skeptical. You might not be known for being great at anything else, but if your church can love, you will attract the best of people.

3. Leaders should disciple men.

Next, pastors should meet with men to study Scripture. This can take place in two ways: First, all the men may be invited to a weekly study. Second, men that the leaders desire to be with get special mentoring. Jesus chose “those He Himself wanted.” These mentored men may not be the leaders that are already in place. Pastors may wish to devote special mentoring time to young men, or quiet men, or new men, rather than the old guard. Don’t worry if people squalk. This is the right thing to do. You don’t have to announce it.

There are many reasons why I say to work with the men. Among them is this important idea: If all goes south, and people won’t follow a good leader, it is important for that leader to have the heart of most of the men. This will secure that he will be able to hang on and not be removed prematurely no matter how difficult times get.

4. Leaders should prioritize the needs of the church.

First, just list what it might take to become healthy. Maybe your list would include items like this: restore church discipline, secure a regenerate membership, improve the way the church worships, begin cell groups, chose a plurality of elders, make deacons servant “do-ers” instead of “deciders,” initiate true evangelism, establish a church covenant that is really used, and so on. Then prayerfully decide what is the first major issue you believe God wants you to face.

5. Do biblical study with the men of the church on the issue.

The men need to discover God’s will for the church for themselves as a group. Leaders should not pontificate on hard transitional issues, but carefully lead the men to discover what the Bible has to say. This creates ownership. Then, when it is time to make the move on that issue, these men will, more than likely, be behind you. Admittedly, there can be surprises. I recently heard of a cranky deacon who violently objected to the direction the pastor was leading by saying, “I’m tired of the word ‘biblical’.” He eventually ousted this good pastor. Now he doesn’t have to worry about being biblical anymore. Not much you can do about people like that. But it is generally so that if the men see it in Scripture, they will be able to provide the momentum in the right direction. This is how it should be. Take your time and be thorough in your study. Try your best to write out a statement of belief about the issue together. Get it worded just right. Work on the wording so that everyone has a part. You can use this to present the issue to the whole church.

6. Lead the church to commit to the new plan.

Each church has its own ways to make decisions. But if the men have come to consensus, then the rest should be easier. Communicate well. If necessary, meet in small groups with the church, discussing the issue that the men have already hashed out from the Bible. Then, when ready, make the decision. Even if you have elders, the decision should include the input of the people, that is, if you want ownership. That may or may not mean a formal vote, depending on your views.

7. Give some space, then move on to another need of the church in the same way.

God will guide you, and the men closest to you will provide counsel. God wants the church to be better even more than you do. So, leaders must patiently pay the price and move the church on down the line toward spiritual vitality and biblical conformity.

Finally

Well, there are details that could be added, but this is a general pattern that good leaders can work with.

At the end of this discussion, I want to say that not every church will grow, and some are going to be stubbornly unhealthy despite the best efforts of godly people. Some areas of the world are much harder than others. Some churches live under the shadow of larger, active churches that attract the whole town. Going might be tough. I feel for many pastors who struggle with past mistakes and current issues with very little help. But whining about it doesn’t accomplish much. At least you should die trying. The church ought to be better this year than last.

While I am sympathetic to the thought that we should be patient with changes in churches, changes that must happen for the church to become healthy, I want to caution about waiting too long to act. As soon as pastors have a substantial base of relationship with the men of the church, and a context of loving hospitality, they should begin to implement change. Again, God will have to lead you toward what should be done first.

The job of a pastor is not to make the church a haven for unconverted people who dominate the activity of the church for years to come. God is really not pleased with that. Some churches have been ruled by cantankerous leaders for so many years that they believe there is no hope for escape from their legal and deadening grasp. But the issues must be faced, or you run the danger of being more concerned about pleasing the ungodly than following the Lord. The righteous rejoice in a godly leader who does what is right, even if the ungodly bicker and bully. Leaders, don’t be afraid to move on to create the best church possible. Don’t do it in a cavalier way, but out of a huge heart of love and prayer. You must really love the people.

Then, if the powers that be are too strong for you, and remove you who are pastors and spiritually-minded members from your posts, you have at least sought to follow Christ with your whole heart. Remember that Jesus loved people more than you ever could, but they put Him on the cross. You may have done good for that church, for the kingdom, and for the remnant that may come out, in ways that you will not understand in this life.

________________

Our staff is always happy to talk with you if you have specific questions. We’re not experts on everything, but have at least done most things wrongly at one time or another. We know some things not to do. We’ve also experienced some measurable blessing in reaching people and growing healthy churches. Let us know if we can help.

Copyright © 2009 Jim Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form
including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.
Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org

Elders' Meetings that Do Something

by Jim Elliff

Elders’ meetings should not be an exercise in futility. Rather, to be effective for the church and interesting for the elders, some thought must be put into your time together.

Some suggestions:

1. Plan for meeting together more often and for a longer period of time.

We find meeting for at least four hours weekly is about right, 6-10 pm. Even then we find that we want more time. In fact, before one of our elders changed jobs, we would meet from 5-10 pm. The “once-a-month elders’ meeting” is the kiss of death for most elder teams. It usually means that the elders do not understand their responsibilities and are mere figure heads. Don’t die from pastoral atrophy.

We like to make our meetings enjoyable. We start out by eating an inexpensive meal together, for instance. We might do this in a restaurant or at one of our homes by bringing in pizza. Sometimes we include our wives, so that they can enjoy visiting with each other while we meet. Occasionally, the entire family of each elder joins us. The elders then pull aside in a separate place for their meeting. The meal cost is on the church in order to provide us extra time to be together. It’s a reasonable perk for hard working elders.

If a man cannot make this time commitment (and there is more ministry time needed besides this) then he should not be an elder. There are many good men who do not have the time to serve as an elder. You are not really pastoring people if you don’t do the work.

2. Challenge each other spiritually.

Again, if you only meet a short time, you will miss this important element. We sometimes ponder six characteristics of leadership: Character, knowledge, skills, affection, faith and enthusiasm. Give an honest report of your lives. Challenge each other with insights from Scripture and experience. Be honest. Repent in each other’s presence. Be direct with each other. Good men will love it. Petty men cannot stand it. But petty men are not to be elders.

3. Discuss the state of the flock.

I know that every church is not set up the same, but most healthy churches share actual pastoral oversight responsibilities among the elders. This usually takes means that a segment of the church is under each elder’s direct care, such as might be accomplished through home cell groups of some kind. For us, we divide the entire church into several “congregations” each led by a pastor. The congregations have between 15 and 35 people, depending on how new the group is. If you do not have such a breakdown of the church, it is nearly impossible to actually shepherd the people.

We find that taking some time to talk about issues among the congregations is our pastoral responsibility. We share our insights about how to handle certain problems that come up, or how to stimulate those under our individual “charge.” This takes quite a bit of our time together (usually 45 minutes to an hour), but it is well worth it.

4. Have an agenda.

Not everyone is organized. One of our elders is better at this than the rest of us. He enjoys putting together the agenda of items to work through each week. Find out who does this the best and let him lead you. Other elders can shoot agenda items to him by email or phone call so that he is fully prepared. This does not mean that all discussion is led by this elder, but only that he moves you through the evening. Forget Robert’s Rules of Order, which is great for running the legislature but lousy for running churches and elders’ meetings. The church is a family, not a nation. It is helpful for the group to make assignments with end dates for the agenda keeper to highlight to the group. Having an agenda makes sense, but don’t let the group slide into acting just like a management team at your work.

5. Actually pray for individuals and issues being faced.

The elders must be pray-ers. This is a portion of your time together that is so important it cannot be overlooked. It is not tacked on to the end of a meeting, but a major reason you are coming together. We find praying about “one item at a time” is best, with the freedom to pray as often as we wish. Sometimes we ask each elder to pray about members of his own group particularly. If necessary, we can walk and pray, or do something else to give us focus and keep us energetic.

If all the rest of the church prayed like the elders pray, how effective would your church be?

6. Study together toward a unified position on difficult issues.

This is the most often missed facet of elders working together. It is the responsibility of every elder to be “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

We’ve used this time for much profitable discussion concerning vital biblical issues. Our longest study actually lasted two years, more time than most will want to spend on an issue. But this study has turned into a book that we hope will be of great use to the churches. Usually a study on a particular subject will take months, however.

Start with reading over the biblical material on the subject of interest. For instance, you may wish to come to a conclusion about who should take the Lord’s Supper, or what the Bible has to say about the prerequisites for joining a church, or about women’s roles in the church, or about divorce and remarriage, or who is allowed to be an elder, or what the real responsibilities of a deacon should be. Once you have an issue that is of pastoral importance, try to find every biblical reference to it. Go through that material first as carefully as possible, painfully working through each word and phrase. Decide on a “scribe” who can take notes carefully.

Next, you may wish to read a couple of books on the subject, perhaps on various sides of the issue. There may be one or two elders who read even more broadly on behalf of the group.

Attempt to craft a position statement on the subject. It might be short or long. You should labor over the wording until you are all in perfect agreement, reading and rereading it. This is not wasted time. It serves to get the position deep into each elder.

Following this, take the men of the church through a biblical study of the subject. Read slowly and carefully through your position, looking up the passages and talking about every aspect. Listen to their input and reshape the document as needed. If it won’t fly among the men, it won’t fly in the church as a whole. If it is received on this level, it will likely be enthusiastically received by the church.

Finally, present the document to the church as a whole. Or, if it is a matter pertaining only to the elders, keep your findings in your own notebook of positions about various issues of leadership and oversight. When appropriate, post these position statements on your website. This will help incoming members and guests to understand better what is expected and what the beliefs and actions of the church are. It will also demonstrate that the church is interested in being biblical above being pragmatic.

Usually an hour and a half of our meeting is devoted to such study, or more if possible. One of our men is particularly good at shaping what we talk about into a draft to discuss and perfect.

You will find that elders will own these studied positions and will be able to carefully lead others with conviction and biblical insight.

7. Make these meetings non-optional.

Every elder must make meeting together a priority. Some men who travel might not find it possible to be in town for such meetings on a regular basis. Consider changing your travel schedule or stepping down from leadership. The meetings are too important to miss. It is disappointing to the whole team for one member to fail to be there. It often means that critical issues will be misunderstood.

There is much more to do as elders than meet together. But it is nearly impossible to do the work you are called upon to do without meeting. It would be akin to asking a man and woman to parent a family when they never talk about what is needed or expected. It simply cannot be done correctly without prolonged and intimate discussion.

Copyright © 2008 Jim Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form
including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.
Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org