Men & Leadership in Ministry

#37
Monday, November 15, 2010

#1

There is a crisis in the American Church. It is gender specific. There is an alarming paucity of men that are willing to engage key roles in Leadership.

I speak to numerous Pastors every day in various parts of the USA & Canada. Regardless of the geographic location, the Denominational affiliation or the church size, this is an issue. It is not becoming an issue - - it already is an issue. This fact causes a variety of dysfunctional anomalies in the assembly. There is a domino affect. First, more and more tasks are performed by fewer and fewer people. Those people suffer what is often labeled "Burn Out". Then, those people say, "Enough is Enough!" They drop out. This produces the final and fatal issue - the Pastor becomes the Lone Ranger.

There is also a sequel to this. The Pastor becomes weary, exhausted, worn out. This produces discouragement that borders on Depression.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/11/11/794661/the-pastor-burns-out.html

There is a solution. It requires significant courage on the part of the Pastor. Here is a proposed sequence for dealing with this issue in a local congregation.

Short Term:

A. The Pastor provides the body with 90 days advance notice of the problem. He does so with dignity and grace. He does not berate anyone. he simply states the problem with frontal honesty.

B. The profile is this. After three months the following list of ministry issues will NOT BE TRANSACTED unless qualified people step forward to do them. No compromise.

C. There is a frequent and sincere offer to train people qualified and willing to do these tasks.

D. Frequent reporting is provided to the congregation keeping them apprised of the progress or lack of same.

Long Term:

A. Teach the body the biblical profile for the men of the assembly; (Deacon, Elder).

B. Apply a biblical standard in enlisting men to be trained and equipped as leaders.

C. Establish the levels of maturity that must be achieved to serve in the various ministry venues.If any given assembly will do just these things significant progress will be made. If the body will not embrace this profile, why would a man want to contiue to serve there as Pastor? He is merely an endentured servant, not a Leader . Think about this and read the following sent to me today from a Pastor in this very scenario - then pray for him and others in a similar situation.

I am struggling, as usual, with the whole idea of XXXXXXX being a small church
not sustaining any real growth. I look at how we are doing ministry, and I truly
believe that we are doing things right, at lest when I compare us to what I hear
about from other churches in our area. It is truly a shame to me at how churches
around us are growing, yet they NEVER preach the gospel. They NEVER preach God's Word. Their corporate worship is nothing but the sappy, wimpy songs played on the Christian radio--it sucks badly. Yet they grow. They have happening youth
groups. They have dynamic small groups. . . . Several news churches have sprung
up around here and they have already moved into larger facilities--things we
have never been able to do. I get very discouraged.

If it is merely a matter of leadership, then I do not think I am going
to make it. I should just quit ministry. There is no hope for me. I have deluded
myself all these years into thinking God has called me to this, sent me to Bible
college and seminary (all paid for), given me experience, a vision, and a
passion for his Word and his glory in starting this kind of church, blah, blah,
blah. This has become a joke of life-wasting proportions. I have witnessed the
gospel to many people, have seen it working in people's lives, only to fizzle
out again--over and over. . . .

XXXXXX is not the typical church, governed by the Jones' and the Smiths, or in a battle over which one rules. XXXXXX is not a weak church. The core of our people are generally mature and strong. There are some high maintenance stragglers to be sure and some stress people, but I know they exist even the best churches.

Anyway, maybe you can help me figure out some of this.