10 Ways To Grow Your Church Without God

From The Monday Morning Insight blog ...

For the record, here are the ten ways to grow your church WITHOUT God: Ten Ways to Grow Your Church Without God…

Here's an interesting article by Ray Baumann. It seems that God has now gone on record as hating logos, web design, Starbucks, leadership, phone books, theatres, media, school programs, technology, video, dramas, egg hunts, and networking...

1. “Leadership is key.”

2. You want to create an oasis at church; let’s take a few ideas from Starbucks.

3. Next, your church has to offer something others don’t.

4. Spend money on logo and website design.

5. Advertise

6. Be creative with your presentations. Be sure to utilize all of the latest technology for your cool short video illustrations. To get the full effect, you must have video projectors and plasma TVs. Lighting is also essential to set the mood during services.

7. Don’t let anyone come to church and leave without getting their information.

8. Always be planning for your next event, whether it is an Easter egg hunt or Christmas drama. Every two months something big must be occurring to create excitement.

9. Have sermons focused around life issues such as parenting, managing money, eating right, getting along with others and making the best of your life.

10. Network.

Blogging For Free Books

One big block quote for a free book.

Free Book Friday: Recalling the Hope of Glory

by Phil Gons on July 2nd, 2007

PastorBookshelf free book giveaway program, Free Book Friday. Nearly every Monday we will pick a book and announce it here on the PastorBookshelf Blog. To enter to win the book, link to the post that announces the week’s free book from your blog and then post the link to your post in the comments section of our post (not necessary if your blog sends out pingbacks automatically). On Friday we will randomly select a winner and mail the book to you free of charge. We’d love for you to review the book for PastorBookshelf Reviews, but this is entirely optional. Our plan is for this to be a nearly weekly occurrence. Spread the word! One qualification: you must be (1) preparing for pastoral ministry, (2) in pastoral ministry, or (3) a trainer of ministers.

This week’s free book is Recalling the Hope of Glory by Allen P. Ross. Find out more about this book at our PastorBookshelf Overviews entry.

Can This Church Be Saved? 4 Signs It Too Far Gone

It seems like God is raising up many pastors who are called to reform local congregations. The guys at 9Marks blog have been talking about how church reform glorifies God. Now they are asking what to look for in a church. Can this church be saved? Here are four things that would make church reform impossible. Read the whole article on the 9Marks blog.

1) that has formally rejected the gospel.
2) where I disagreed with a settled statement of faith.
3) that would require me to do things that I believed to be wrong. (baptise infants, or submit to an extra-congregational authority)
4) where my conscience would be otherwise constrained by forbidding me to do things that I would feel is the responsibility of the gospel minister: I would not pastor a church where I was expected NOT to teach on something that the word clearly addresses.

Break Out Of Your Bible Reading Rut, Read the Old Testament - In Hebrew Order

Did you realize that the Old Testament is arranged differently in Hebrew Bibles? This is one way to think about your Bible reading in a fresh way. Why not read through the Old Testament in this order next time. It might just break your Bible reading rut.

HT: Darrin Brooker
HT: Generations of Grace

And, borrowing from his comment thread, here is the Hebrew order:

Torah (Instruction) Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy

Nebi’im (Prophets) (Former Prophets) Joshua Judges 1-2 Samuel 1-2 Kings (Latter Prophets) Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel (The Twelve) Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Ketubim (Writings) Psalms Job Proverbs Ruth Songs Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) Lamentations Esther Daniel Ezra-Nehemiah 1-2 Chronicles

Pastoral Burnout and pastors wife Sobering Statistics

Mark Driscoll posted these statistics on his Acts29 blog. This goes beyond the usual figures about short pastoral tenure. These numbers point to burnout, failure and of pastor's families. The statistics about wives is especially troubling.

Pastors

• Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
• Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce.
• Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
• Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
• Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.
• Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.
• Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.

Pastors' Wives

• Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
• Eighty percent of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
• The majority of pastors' wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

How To Use Your Influence As A Children's Pastor - The Strategic Second Chair

Here is an interesting article reflecting on the role of Children's Pastor as the middle manager. What does it mean to lead from a subordinate role? How can the Children's Pastor serve their pastor and the Kingdom? These are good questions for Children's Ministry leaders to ask.

Managers in middle, Childrens Pastors via Take T.W.O. Family Ministries by Todd McKeever. Here is a brief quote. You can read the whole article by following the link.

I really think that as children's pastors we are definitely managers in the middle of the pack. It is a fine balance line we must continue to operate in. We are one support ministry of the whole church, and we are our senior pastors armor bearers working steadily to bring about what God has put in the heart of them. But we are also to oversee (lead) the wellness of a whole department, sometimes and most likely with the largest volunteer base out of any other single ministry in the church. We are truly managers in the middle.