WAYS TO HELP YOUR NEW PASTOR by Carroll R. Gunkel
1. Recognize that he will be different from the former pastor and in that, difference there will be new ideas.
2. Remember that your pastor feels called of God to a high and holy task; he is a man of dedication.
3. Be honest with your new minister; let him know how you feel about his ministry in your midst so that his ministry may be guided by your needs and preferences.
4. Tell him if you disagree with him, otherwise he may never know, and he will want to know, keep open the lines of communication.
5. Compliment you pastor he is a stranger in your midst and he will be warmed by your appreciation.
6. Give him time to learn names; the congregation has one name to learn and he has many!
7. Call him in time of need; he has been appointed to lead the congregation, but he can only become your pastor and friend as you let (him share the rich experiences of your lives.
8. Be tolerant of the mistakes he will make - we are all human and therefore fallible.
9. Remember that your new pastor is going to want to make some changes; recognize hi) creativity and work with him, resisting the temptation to say: “We never did it that way before.”
10. Pray every day for your pastor and your church.
11. Work for the glory of God, keeping service to Him at the forefront of all you say and do.
We are a team with Jesus as our leader
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses?" Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and your entire mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
I have adapted this message from a fellow pastor whose name is Christ Conrad. My messages I give have help from people I read after and can use to help the church and me. One person I heard preach once said his message was original and the General Superintendent of that conference said nothing was original except sin and that was not original with us either. I am just the messenger of what God wants to speak to His people.
I would like for us to se that these two great statements by Jesus is the commission to His church today. We are to go, we are to love and we are to remember that Jesus is with us all the time. Elton Trueblood, “Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.”
A preacher tells the story of being behind the wheel of a real NASCAR car. He could go 100+ around the track. On the first two laps, he felt very ill at ease that he might crack the car into the wall. As he drove on, he became more comfortable and it became sensation of an outright thrill. It was a thrill and it even came across his mind that he did not have to pay for this thrill.
Some of us have read the Bible to know the story about one night Jesus came across the water to his disciples who were fearful that he was ghost. He said, “Do not be afraid, it is me.” Peter said, “If it is you, let me come out to you.” Jesus said you will have to get out of the boat and come to me.” Peter is only one that I know who ever walked on water. I am sure it was great adventure. As a boy I liked adventure and would fall out of trees and let the branches help ease my fall, I once went over a fall of water and I was in Rock a plane at a carnival once and had it spinning over so much I lost control. Do you like adventure? I believe that life with God is an adventure just as Peter found out when he stepped out of that boat. God did not create us with spiritual gifts and talents to live a safe life in the boat. Yet there are many, not you, who are content to sit in the boat and miss the thrill of finding Jesus can do so much to a willing life.
From Michael Parrott comes this statement: “95% of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. 80% of all Christians do not consistently engage in spiritual conversations with unchurched people. 96% of church leaders believe their churches would have grown faster if they would have more involved in evangelism.”
When we think of having experience of having spiritual conversations with unchurched is the same way the preacher felt when he sat behind the wheel of that car he had never driven before. We think we will cause a person we are trying to talk to about their spiritual life will cause them to crash against the wall never to recover. When he climbed into that car he got all the safety gear in place and reminded himself he had experience of driving a car and that helped him to have peace. When we join God in an adventure of seeking soul we need to remind ourselves of three things.
1. God is good and never calls me to do something without giving me the power to do it. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore for I am with you always.” God’s character is such that He would not call us to do something that He would not enable us to do it. Peter walked on water because of the power Christ had.
2. God has already been working in the life of the person He is wanting us to reach. John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draws him.” There is a theological term that says God uses His amazing Grace to draw people to himself before they are saved. Unchurched and not saved people do not realize it is happening but we read in the Bible “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” God is simply inviting us to be part of the process of bringing people to Him, which He has already been working on. He only wants to work through us. We only need to be willing vessels to let His love flow out of us.
3. God cares much more than we do about the person he wants in His kingdom and can work through any blunders we do if we are honest in what we are doing. There are some who think they will only say or do something that will cause the person to turn away and not consider taking Christ as Savior. People do not need a perfect person to tell them about Christ’s love but one who is sincere and honest. All who claim the name of Christ will be honest and sincere for it is part of their spiritual nature given to them when their hearts are given to Christ. Ed Stetzer, “God is at work in the lives of those outside the church and invites us to join Him. He has created people with an incredible appetite for Him and He is actively at work in their lives drawing them to Himself.”
There is lady named Bev who once was so good at selling candles it was said she could sell them to firemen in the middle of a blazing forest fire. If she had been born in the first century in the city of Ephesus she would not been alive but a few hours after she was born. She was born with a deformed right arm that only goes down to her elbow. She has never let that be a hindrance to being an active person. Back in Ephesus, she would have been taken to a place to leave the child to die. Other people came to that place wanting a child and would pick up an abandoned child and take it as their own. We would call that adoption today. Paul wrote this about the people in that city against this background. Eph. 1:4-5 “Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. Because of his love, he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this.” We were the ones left to die. We were deformed by sin and condemned to die. Satan has left us alone to die. God has come to find us. Jesus went on the cross and paid the price for our sin. Now because of what Christ has done God can look beyond our deformities (sins) and adopt us as His children.
His adoption process is still going on today. We live around many with spiritual, relational and emotional deformities (sins) who do not know Christ died to provide their healing. IS 41:9 “I have called you back from the ends of the earth so you can serve me? For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.” We are not to sit but we are become active in the adoption process with God.
Are you listening? God is the one seeking His lost children. He loves them. He has chosen us to be instruments to give His love out to others. We are adoption channels to bring people to God. I believe there are people right now that God has placed in your life or is going to place in your life that He wants to speak to through your voice and actions. It may take hours, days or weeks but He wants to work through you.
One pastor has said there are two groups of people that are very spiritually receptive in our community. 1. There are People who are in transition. They are making a major change in their life that will affect them positive or negative. 2. There are people under tension. They have a difficult family relationship, they may be facing a job challenge, money problems may be an issue, loneliness, resentment, guilt or other things that bring overwhelming stress in our lives. We might not have all the answers they are looking for but we have Jesus to give them.
Neil Cole, “I remember one night I took our dog for a walk to the top of Signal Hill . . .
In that night, I heard the city, and God’s voice spoke to my heart. I heard wives and husbands screaming at each other. I heard dogs barking, cars screeching, sirens blaring and guns shooting. I heard the things that Jesus hears when He listens to the city and I began to weep. In that moment, the Lord broke my heart for the city and the people of the city enslaved to darkness.”
Would you willing to pray a prayer something like this with me as we go out to out city?
“Holy spirit, I want to be available to be used of you to bring others to Christ. Let me see the people I come in contact with this week through your eyes that I may love them as You do.”
Let us remember God has already given you the power as we read in Matthew 28. We need to give ourselves to the adventure he ahs given us to do. Will you get out of the boat? God has power to let you walk on water.
In conclusion: Life with God was meant to be an adventure. That adventure means joining with Him in bringing people to Christ. God has already given us the power to do what He has called us to do.
