It’s absolutely true. There IS no such thing as a part-time church staff position!   Oh, your church has a bi-vocational pastor? Or a part-time youth minister? Well, he may be paid part-time for his church ministry, but his heart is working full-time. I remember when my husband, Steve, was a part-time youth minister during seminary days. There was nothing part-time about that job!  It was his God-given ministry, and he invested himself in it.

Last Sunday, we worshipped at Northridge Baptist Church in Fort Wayne IN.  Pastor Gary Green is a bi-vocational pastor with a full-time job as a 5^th grade elementary school teacher. A gifted and committed pastor, he has joyfully served in a bi-vocational role for many years.  Pastor Green dedicates his every extra moment to preparing sermons, ministering to church members, and leading his church to reach their community. Deacons and church leaders work alongside him, and God has used them to impact the community around Northridge. You can hear it in Pastor Green’s voice–he loves to pastor AND he loves to teach! God has used his teaching position as an extension of his pastoral ministry, and allowed him to influence many children and families for Christ.

The pastor’s wife, Vickie, is the church’s volunteer choir leader. And what a choir!  In a worship center filled with about a hundred folks, 28 of those sang in the choir. Though the number itself was remarkable, the faces were more impressive. As they enthusiastically led the congregation in praise and sang a beautiful choir special, every singer’s face reflected the words they conveyed. It was awesome!

Northridge is a small church with a big vision. They’ve built a large gym building and have just called a new part-time youth minister to help reach young people in their town. As I watched Pastor Gary and Vickie welcoming guests and loving members, celebrating Vacation Bible School results, and bragging about the homemade pies at the carry-in lunch, I thanked God for His call on their lives. I praised God for the many other bi-vocational pastors in Indiana, and the sacrifices they make.

Bi-vocational pastors have an almost impossible task. Pastor Gary plans to retire in a few years, and serve in a full-time pastoral capacity. Until then, he joyfully juggles his minutes and ministries.  If your church has a bi-vocational or part-time pastor or staff members, make a commitment to work doubly hard alongside them in ministry.

Well, come to think of it, I supposed we’re all a little like a bi-vocational minister. We work our regular jobs to the best of our abilities (and to pay the bills), but our highest calling is to serve our God in every area of our lives.

Okay. Okay. I’ll change my heading from “Bi-Vo? Oh, no!” to “Bi-Vo? Oh, yeah!”

Keep on shining!

Now here’s a site you don’t see every day.

I observed this site in the public restroom at El Mercado in San Antonio

– a lock on the toilet paper!

Isn’t that hilarious?!

Locks aren’t always appropriate. How often do we inadvertently “lock” out people from our church? People who God loves. Think about it. Which of these folks would feel locked out of your church family or church building….

… people poorer than you

… people a different color than you

… people in a higher or lower economic class than you

… people who don’t already know God themselves

… people who don’t know your church rules about how to dress, how to act, etc.

… younger, older, uglier, prettier, professional, unprofessional, unmarried, divorced, felon, pierced, tatood, uneducated, too educated, too wealthy, bankrupt, hungry…this list could go on and on. 

Perhaps it’s time to take off that invisible, inappropriate lock on your church’s front door. Perhaps it’s time to begin looking at the rest of the world as God does — with overflowing love.

No pun intended.

James 2:1ff “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? For instance…”

 1 Thessalonians 3:12 “And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.”

(Photo)Don & Elizabeth Eddy

It was a tiny preview of heavenly reunions. While we were at the Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio, we saw oodles of friends from every aspect of our years in ministry! We had dinner with the Adairs and Cortes, our co-laborers when we planted University Baptist in San Antonio.

We saw dozens of former church members from Steve’s pastorates, including the O’Quinns and Alanivas and Eddy’s from Castle Hills. We reunited with adults who were teens when we served together. 

We saw lots of co-laborers from Indiana, and other executive directors from states across our nation, and friends from SBC entities.

  As we all serve Him where He’s has sent us today, we can also look forward to worshipping Him together again when we meet in heaven.

If I don’t see you before, I’ll meet you there!

Photo: Ray & Joanna Deeter

Two of my precious nieces graduated from college these past days–Brittany from Texas Tech University (jumper on the right) & Ashley (waving) from Stanford University. I’m so proud of them!

Oh, all of my family has been justifiably joyful these past days about those milestones. I went to California for Ash’s graduation and will go to Lubbock in a couple of weeks for Brit’s wedding. I’m joyful, too, about how God is preparing them and using them, and about the future He has planned for them. It’s a great time for celebration. Can’t you just feel the JOY in these photos?

Here’s a test for you. Carefully read these details and guess what kind of celebration it describes:

Shouts of joy

 24 instrumentalists, including trumpets, horns, loud cymbals and other instruments, plus choir

 Great celebration

  Joyful songs

  Hundreds of people; sacrificial giving

 Worship and praise

 King David skipping about and laughing with joy (NLT)

Okay, that last clue may have given it away. It’s a description in 1 Chronicles 15-16 of God’s people celebrating the placement of the ark of the covenant.

My point is this:  God’s people are joyful! They are excited about celebrating their Lord and His blessings. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. As you read those verses, you can just envision huge smiles on every face.

Don’t forget to be joyful.

Smile.

Laugh.

Be joyful.

All the time.

You have permission: 1 Thessalonians 5:16 commands us to Rejoice always!

Congrats, Brit & Ash!

PastorsToday.6.07

Check this out! Craig Webb did another Fresh Ideas article on the Pastors Today e-newsletter.

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D165641%252526M%25253D200734%2C00.html?

Pastor, I e-mailed Diana Davis, author of Fresh Ideas: 1,000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church to tell her how much you all enjoyed her ideas about Mother’s Day & Graduate Recognition, How to Make Wednesdays Worthwhile, and Overcome Church Summer Slump. I asked her what she had for Independence Day (3 1/2 weeks from today). I think you’ll like these… Read 7 Ways to Focus on God this Independence Day

_____________________

PastorsTodayEnewsletter.6.07

Thanks to so many of you who came by the Fresh Ideas book signing at the Southern Baptist Convention in San Antonio.  It was such fun to visit with you.

I was very glad to see that the other author signing books at that hour was our friend, Dr. Jeff Iorg. Dr. Iorg is the president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California, and has just published a book called The Character of Leadership: Nine Qualities That Define Great Leaders. Check it out at the link on this site.

I finished it this weekend, and it’s a definite must-read.  It’s powerful and practical, and any church leader would benefit from its challenge.  It’s an easy read, and you won’t be able to put it down! Dr. Iorg not only gives very specific guidelines for a Christian leader, he shares personal examples and testimony of lessons learned.

(more…)

What an honor! Click below to take a look at these two great sites with notes about the Fresh Ideas book -

Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox and LifeWay’s PastorsToday.com with Craig Webb. Very nice!

A REQUEST:  I know it just came out last week, but if you liked the Fresh Ideas book, would you write a quick review on Amazon.com or Christianbook.com or lifeway.com about it?  Thanks!

http://www.pastors.com/en-US/Home.htm

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/mainpage/0,1701,M%3D200734,00.html

http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/article.asp?ID=314&ArtID=10616

My husband, Steve, pastored a very large church for ten years before we moved to Indiana. Years before, he pastored a small church. I can honestly say that I loved both! As long as a church is honoring God and reaching its community, it’s an exciting place to be.

Last Sunday Steve preached in a small Indiana church. Emmanuel Baptist sits on a small knoll right in the middle of corn fields, a few miles outside the tiny town of North Salem.

Yes, the church was small, but Christians of all ages gathered together for beautiful music and worship. There was joy and excitement about God’s work there. Two little girls sang on stage with the praise team.  The pastor sang a gorgeous solo, and his wife played the organ.  Every person in the sanctuary shook my hand during the greeting time. There were witnessing brochures in the ladies room! Now that’s an evangelistic church.

As we sat, relaxing, at the church picnic following worship, a little seven-year-old girl told me all about how she had prayed to ask Jesus into her heart last week, and how she was going to be baptized soon. 

There’s nothing small about that!

Isn’t this a great photo! Our daughter, Autumn, is a youth minister in Sheffield, England.  There are so few believers there, and she’s got quite a challenge. We’re so proud of her. I think this photo says it all….

We’ll get to visit her in August.

Pray for Autumn in England!

The date’s finally come! My book,

Fresh Ideas - 1000 Ways to Grow a Thriving and Energetic Church,

is released to bookstores today. How exciting!  I think I’ll drive to a bookstore just to see it on a shelf.

If you don’t see it at your local Christian bookstore, ask and they’ll order some. I’d love to hear where you find it.

If they need it, here’s the ISBN #978-0-8054-4492-6.

Continue to pray with me that it will be an encouragement and inspiration to His churches. And thanks for your encouragements! dd