WestonWilliams.com

I’ve read a lot of books on ministry and had yet to find one that I really felt served as a true primer for pastors.  Will Willimon’s book simply titled, Pastor has ended my search and should be read by every Bible college student and aspiring minister.  Willimon is widely respected as a preacher and curch leader.  He presently is the bishop of Alabama for the United Methodist Church but is most well-known for his long tenure as the Dean of Duke University’s Chapel.  He has spent considerable time in ministry and preparing others for ministry.  This book seems to be a collection of his theology of ministry and his advice to ministers.  It is heavy in spots but reads as sage advice from a veteran practitioner.

What sets this book apart from so many other books on ministry his Willimon’s high regard for the laity.  He is quick to point out that the baptism of all believers calls them and equips them to ministry.  He then moves on to the particular and peculiar role that “clergy” have among the priesthood of all believers.  He deals sensitively with the struggles of the pastorate.  He challenges complacency and urges a strong grasp on the word as the source of life and power for the pastor.  He has thought through the roles of the minister, the pitfalls of ministry and guides the reader through them.  If you are a pastor, beginner or veteran – read this book.  If you know someone preparing for ministry – buy this book for them.  This book is truly a gift and an encouragement.  It is one that I will keep and read again.

“I will remain focused on the unified mission and vision of the church.”

“I will focus on blessing people in my circle of ministry.”

Passion is our drive and moves our heart in the direction that our mission statement directs our mind.  Passion in ministry must be focused on two things: the mission and the people.  Our heart must be focused on the mission God calls us to and the people he has placed in our care.  It is vital that our heart is engaged in ministry because once you lose your drive – you stop being effective.  Knowing the right things is not enough, we need to have our heart move us to places we know are right.  Passion may come on strong and then wane but, when you remember to value passion you find ways to renew it.  Regular time off and a season of sabbatical help to fan the flame of our passion.

Valuing passion forces a daily discovery of the “Why?”  “Why am I doing this?”  and “Why should I help them?”  If you can’t remember the answer then stop.  If you ask, “Why did I get into ministry in the first place?”  You’d better stop until you remember.  Our passion must be in place for the work of ministry and the people in the ministry.  There are tasks that we need to accomplish and there are people we need to love.  The goal of keeping passion alive is that we will always have something to say, not have to say something.  It will guard us from having to love people and ensure that we have love for people.

Recently stumbled upon a UMC ministry blog entitled, “Young Clergy.” Having attended a UMC school for a few courses I’m somewhat familiar with their polity and processes. I’m also familiar with how frustrating it can be to get caught up in the bureaucracy of a hierarchical church. But, reading this short post about classifying ministry candidates, formal voting and the approval needed to try something new would ruin me! That’s why I’m glad I’m non-denominational, now given I don’t get a cool collar, robe or Rev. in front of my name (that I can do without) I do get a team of elders in my church who want to work with me. I wear jeans to work and call people by their name.  I’ve got a bunch of servant leaders eager to try new things and people willing to take a chance on meeting the needs of the ever changing society around us. Sure our pension plan is weak (it’s under my mattress) and our church isn’t “high liturgy” but we don’t have the glut of meetings and votes. We may not have nationwide reach and resources but the resources we have we can use.  We also get to ask one and only one question about the important issues, “What does the Bible say?” And I’ll take it’s answer over anyone’s book of polity any day.

The Washington Post recently revealed that President Obama has decided to appoint Josh Dubois as the new director for the office of Faith Based Initiatives (Read article here). The office is getting a bit of a makeover and will be renamed, “The Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.” It sounds a bit more approachable, user friendly – let’s see if this will ease the grant application procedure.  Heading this newly renamed office is Josh Dubois who served as the director of the Obama campaign’s religious outreach.  Josh Dubois has served with other political figures in other religious outreaches.  He is an ordained pentecostal minister from a small church in Cambridge (no website available) but his training seems mostly political. There is a great article with a limited interview about Dubois and his faith journey available here on the Wall Street Journal.

Dubois’ faith seems to be less of a concern however than does President Obama’s intentions for the policy of this office.  Throughout his campaign then Senator Obama stated that he would revise the regulation for faith based organizations receiving federal money.  These organizations would have to abide by all equal employment legislation, this is a sharp turn from the previous administration who allowed faith based groups to hire like minded individuals.  If these new legal constraints are placed on churches and other ministries who receive federal money they will have to either hire qualified candidates who disagree with their beliefs or lose federal funding.  In other words, if a church who runs a food pantry has a job opening they may be forced to hire an atheist if he is the most qualified.

What the problem with this scenario is that it brings the church under the authority of the state and fails to maintain their separateness.  The faith based initiative in its inception recognized that many churches, mosques and other religious groups were doing a better job of community aid than the government.  So, the government wanted to be efficient and help them help the community.  This was not without constraints and restrictions.  There were stipulations that recipients could not be screened or discriminated against on the basis of faith which is reasonable.  There were also accounting requirements that had to be met.  All of these previous requirements ensured an efficient outreach and let the church be the church.  These new stipulations, however, rob the churches of the spirit that originally inspired these initiatives!  What this will result in is a group of disenfranchised church goers returning to their churches with less resources to do the same job.

Many churches have spun off seperate non-profit organizations as a way to protect their church from federal requirements.  Perhaps the better alternative is to not take money from the government to begin with!  The money may appear to be free, but cost your soul in the end.  I’ll partner with Christ and let the government keep their money.