Learning to Trust

One of the many things that I am learning as part of my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) is that I have to trust. I am learning to trust that good concepts and messages will come out as I study scripture with the goal of teaching a solid biblical lesson to the people God has entrusted me to serve.

Every Tuesday I meet with a group of men to study the story of David’s early formative years before he became king (1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel 4). Working to prepare these lessons has taught me to trust that a good lesson will bubble up. As I have talked about in previous journal entries, I create one-point lessons (taught to me from Andy Stanley in his book, Communicating for a Change). I am learning to trust that through my hours of exegetical study a good Bible-based lesson will emerge that I can teach to these three men. Sometimes that lesson is revealed to me very early in the process of my study, but most of the time I have to be patient and trust that the lesson will open up to me towards the end of my study.

Working to prepare these Biblical lessons is teaching me to be patient and to wait on God to reveal to me what He wants me to teach to others. It helps me realize that I am under His authority working to teach His word to others.

New Year Greetings from Church Assistance Ministry (CAM)

Hi to all of our CAM family of Praying Partners,

I wish you all a New Year filled with God’s blessings. 2011 has been a momentous year for us, as we grew from a staff of 3 plus 2 support team members last January, to a staff of 6 plus the support team of 2.

This fall we welcomed Julie Kurz as Trainer and Coach in Family and Children’s Ministry, and Pastor Don Smith as Trainer and Coach in Discipleship Ministry with a great ministry already established in the Philippines. Our continuing staff consists of Jun Sabate, International Director, Dennis Baker, Senior Consultant, and me, Steve Elliott, as President. Dale Isaac continues to serve us so well as our chief financial officer. And Christopher Scott, remains our Intern with various responsibilities.

We believe that 2012 will provide us with great opportunities to serve the church, along with denominations and missionaries, with a more complete staff that is able to serve the church in helping strengthen virtually all areas of ministry. I am personally amazed by the fact that God provided some of the greatest and most experienced trainers and coaches in the western US to serve with us.

We invite you to join us in serving the church by praying and giving to our ministry. You can designate your gifts (and, of course your prayers) to any of the various staff members and to our ministry expenses. Perhaps 90% of our expenses are for travel expenses to the places to which God has called us.

Please pray for two big upcoming international trips:

• Don Smith is going to Haiti the fourth week of January, to explore with resident missionaries if we can help in a much needed expansion of church planting and discipleship in that country.
• Jun Sabate and I are going to the Philippines and Japan February 13-27. We will be training church planters and coaching an expanding team of Evangelical Free Church leaders in the Philippines, and training and coaching Church Planting leaders in Japan as well.

Thanks again for your support and prayers.

In partnership with you,

Steve Elliott
Church Assistance Ministry

Discerning God's Will via Cyberspace (part 2)

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

A growing number of churches and ministries now allow, and sometimes require, the potential candidate to submit a resume, cover letter, and sometimes even a personal information intake/application via e-mail or over the InterNet. Many do that as an initial “grid” by which to sort or prioritize the applicants.

The only caveat here is to remember that due to the volume of material received, many organizations will not necessarily send a follow-up EMail to indicate they have successfully downloaded your documents. That’s why it’s always a good idea to let the church or ministry know (in your EMail) the format in which you are sending these materials as well as specifically ask them if they would notify you that they received your EMail and were able to download what you sent. The PDF Format or Word.doc is almost always the best.

If you don’t hear from them, write again… or call to confirm (unless phone calls are prohibited).

And by all means send a “snail mail” copy of your materials as well to their postal address. Documents do not always translate over EMail as nicely or completely as they appear on your computer. It depends a lot on who is downloading them, what their computer capabilities are, and whether the formatting has changed in the process.

A few of the better ministries and churches may actually acknowledge your application. The best ones may even give you a time frame for their decision-making process. But remember…they are a very small minority.

At any rate, how they choose to respond to you… or even IF they choose to respond to you…will tell you a little something about the church or ministry itself. If you’re applying to be the Administrator or Executive Pastor… maybe that’s why they need you!

It’s unfortunate that many organizations can leave the potential candidate in limbo for weeks, or even months, since the candidating/application process (especially in churches) is typically quite tedious. Gathering resumes, convening Search Team members, bringing church leadership up to speed regarding the process…all of this often takes a very long time. Unfortunately, you, the potential candidate, are trying to make an important life decision NOW. Patience is the keyword.

If you do decide to submit a resume or application electronically, and you receive a response, make sure you follow up quickly with a note of appreciation. You can always ask what the next step is in the process… or if they have a timeline for filling the position, if that hasn’t already been expressed.

The Bible Can't Mean to us What it Did Not Mean to Them

THE BIBLE CAN’T MEANT TO US WHAT IT DID NOT MEAN TO THEM

Teaching a Bible study for new Christians has been an interesting experience to say the least. First, I am amazed at their desire to know God and learn more about Him. Even though their knowledge of the Bible might be limited, their strength of faith, belief that God exists, and desire to follow God’s plan for their lives are very strong.

In addition to their strong faith, they (almost) always ask some difficult questions during our Bible study on Sunday afternoons. Several weeks ago I learned about the assertiveness I need to have when attempting to teach Biblical truth. We were studying Galatians 5:13-14 which says, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (NLT). This is a verse that clearly tells us that we are to use the freedom we have in following Jesus Christ to serve others in love.

At Bible study a woman attempted to ask a question of this verse looking at it as a commandment about what we need to do to be saved and go to Heaven. She asked if we need to do good works to go to Heaven or if we are saved by faith alone. I know that the Bible cannot mean to us what it did not mean to the original readers, so I quickly responded to the question that as we study the Bible we need to keep in mind what point the author is attempting to teach his or her subjects. And in this case, with Galatians 5:13-14 we are being told by Paul to serve, not whether we go to Heaven or not based on that service.

In past years of Bible study I would not have had the insight and knowledge of how to study the Bible, but because of my knowledge of how to correctly teach the Bible from FPU and Steve Elliott, I was able to successfully be assertive and hopefully lead that woman to see the text as it is.

Who Leads the Church?

Who Leads the Church?

Responsibility Grid for the Congregationally Governed Church

Your Personal View Check only one in this column		Church’s View Check only one in this column		Board’s View Check only one in this column		Previous Pastor’s View Check only one in this column
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church and to lead the church in its implementation
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Board, and the congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor, Pastoral Staff and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and to lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff) and the Board are responsible to establish the vision for the church, and with the concurrence of the Congregation, lead the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Board is responsible to establish the vision for the church, with the Congregation’s concurrence, and the Senior Pastor (with the Pastoral Staff), under the Board’s direction, leads the church in its accomplishment.
¨		¨		¨		¨	The Congregation is responsible to establish the vision for the church and, with assistance by the Board and the Senior Pastor (and the Pastoral Staff), the process by which it is accomplished.

Copyright 2007 - Dr. Dennis Baker
Used by permission

The Purpose of Coaching

My field supervisor, Steve Elliott has been my mentor and coach for over three years now. While in our reflective meeting a couple weeks ago, Steve shared with me the importance of the verse 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul writes to the young leader Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now, teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
Paul’s instructions to Timothy is exactly what Steve has been doing for me over the past three years, and it is what he is continuing to do on a higher level now that we are working together at with Church Assistance Ministry. Steve has been teaching me what it looks like to be a leader who serves and contributes to others, with the purpose of me passing those same teachings on to others in the future.

One similar opportunity has already arisen in my life: a friend has asked me to mentor him on life goals. We will begin meeting and talking about what goals he has, and I will mentor him based on what I have experienced and what Steve has taught me.
            Maybe, someday after I have mentored my friend for a while, he will pass on what I have taught him, and continue the work Steve has started in me just at Timothy was continuing the work Paul has started.

Finding my Giftedness

While meeting with Steve Elliott, my field supervisor for Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) last week he made a brief but powerful statement to me.  After two full months of interning with CAM under Steve’s leadership and being mentored by him for over three years, Steve affirmed what I believe in my heart and what I have prayed many times.  At times we feel something in our heart that we know is true, and we think God has affirmed it, yet the world does not always agree with that feeling.  Well, while meeting with Steve last week, he affirmed a belief I have in myself that has very rarely been affirmed by the world. 

After Steve read and article I wrote reading my weekly reflections, he said, “You have a real gift in writing.”  Then he went on to explain that I am very skilled at observing circumstances and situations, seeing a leadership principle in those situations, explaining that principle well in written form, and finding relevant illustrations to back up the principle. This was in response to a five page, 2,700 word article I wrote for Steve and CAM entitled, The Impact of Coaching. 

This was encouraging to hear since I have loved creating content in written and verbal form for several years, but when I create that content and share it with others, it is not always accepted well.

Interning with CAM is helping to encourage my giftedness by exposing my work to a veteran leader who has mentored many young leaders in his life, which gives him good skill to recognize gifts and strengths when he seems them.

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 2 of 2)

11. Study Leave ~ For a pastor who is not working on a Board approved study program, two weeks per year is standard with the time being taken out for any Board approved educational activity. In addition to this time, a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program should be given ___ number of hours/week to study for that program. This means that the average number of hours is reduced on church business by 10 hours per week to 40.

12. Days Off ~ Pastors work on Sundays (and often on Saturdays as well). Make sure the pastor has at least one day completely off each week {1.5 days/week off is reasonable and workable}. Allow him to pick this day when possible, taking into consideration the rhythms and realities of your church schedule and culture.

13. Sabbatical ~ Arrange to give the pastor two months off after five years of service as Senior Pastor. The time is in addition to vacation. He would submit a Sabbatical Plan for Board approval. Then, a Sabbatical of six weeks every three years after the initial five years is wise for long term ministry health of the Pastor and the Church.

14. Books and Ministry Materials Allowance ~ Pastors can easily spend hundreds of dollars a year on commentaries, ministry books, computer research tools, etc. A church that provides a generous reimbursable allowance for this expense communicates to the pastor that study and research is important to an effective church.

15. Church Credit Card ~ Make sure the pastor has one so that he can pay for things without dipping into his personal funds before asking for reimbursement. Standard reporting procedures are expected.

16. Cell Phone and Voicemail ~ Have the church pay for a cell phone for the pastor with a reasonable plan that fits the needs of the church ministry. This allows the pastor to be more of a mobile office, freeing him from having to be present at the church site by allowing him to stay in touch with the Administrative Staff and Church Leadership.

17. Ministry Meals ~ Pastors are expected and need to meet with church members, missionaries, other pastors, community leaders, homeless people, etc. as a part of their positional responsibilities. One way a church can encourage a pastor is to provide a reasonable Expense Account that is wise and appropriate for “your church culture and pastoral expectations.”

17. Equity Sharing ~ The high cost of housing in many areas requires the church to enter into an Equity Sharing Agreement with their pastor {and perhaps associate pastors as well}. Samples of proven Equity Share Agreements can be provided.

18. Personal Projects ~ Does the pastor need help remodeling or painting his house? fixing his car? working on a hobby? Arrange to have someone check with him periodically about these kinds of issues and then to ask various members of the congregation if they would help out.

19. Bonus Gifts ~ Have the Board periodically send the pastor and his wife to a nice restaurant, a weekend away at a bed and breakfast or _______. “Share the Love!”

20. Accountability Reviews ~ Have the pastor list out five to seven personal and ministry areas in which he would be accountable to the Board (E.g. excellent sermon preparation, moving the congregation to be people of prayer, etc.). Each Board Meeting would have an Agenda Item where the pastor reviews and reports for five to ten minutes on two of the agreed to ministry areas {sometimes referred to as KRAs}. E.g. "I am 80% in compliance in this area. I've done X, Y, and Z, but I really need to be doing Z more often." The Board then prays specifically with and for the pastor.

If more attention needs to be paid to an issue, the Board can either talk about it immediately or put a more extended conversation on the Agenda for the next meeting. (It's essential that this is a list of items for which the pastor wants to be accountable, as opposed to a list the Board would generate for accountability.)

21. Marriage Encouragement ~ "If the wife is happy, the husband will stay." So what will make his wife happy? This needs to be addressed by the Board on a regular basis. Twice a year is very doable. Have the Board Chair call her and ask her how they can help out. The Board needs to be both proactive and intentional in providing for the health of the pastor’s marriage and family life.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Considerations for Inclusions in a Letter of Call for a Pastor (part 1 of 2)

The primary goals are to honor the pastor and to help him and his family to minister for the long term as effectively as possible. The following categories cover most of the basic considerations that a Pastoral Search Team and Board need to cover in the calling of a pastor.

1. Salary Considerations ~ It is wise to include a "cost of living" adjustment such as the CPI into the Letter of Call {Agreement}. This gives some assurance that his effective salary is maintained and does not go down. Each year the Governing/Elder Board should review the salary to see if it is appropriate to grant an increase above and beyond this amount.

2. Housing Allowance ~ This is essential to do each year in the Official Minutes of the Board. There is a special IRS provision that allows a pastor to have a Housing Allowance that is a distinct tax advantage. “Clergy Tax and Law Report” by Richard Hammar is the trusted guidebook for details.

3. Vehicle Allowance ~ Mileage spent driving as a pastor is also considered a non-taxable business expense if handled correctly. It must be written in a Logbook which is widely available. A “best practice” is a Policy to reimburse the pastor for mileage at the current IRS rate ($0.50/mile for 2010) rather than giving them a fixed amount.

Possible Wording: "The Board will pay the current IRS mileage rate for driving done as a part of the pastoral job up to a maximum of XXX dollars per year."

4. Social Security Offset ~ Arrange the Agreement so that the pastor is paid the Social Security offset separately each quarter. This helps keep the pastor out of a financial bind with the IRS.

Example: If his base salary & housing is $80K, out of which $12K is needed for Social Security obligations, pay him $68K for salary and housing, plus an additional $3K each of the three months that his Social Security payment is due.

5. Medical Insurance ~ Make sure that this is a covered expense for both the pastor and his family. This can include Dental and Optical Coverage @ some reasonable level.

6. Disability Insurance ~ Most Denominations have a Group Policy that is reasonably priced. This wise expenditure protects both the pastor and the local church.

7. Retirement ~ Make sure that the church is paying into an appropriate retirement package. 10% is the normative figure. The Denominational Retirement Plans {403b} are most advantageous because of the manner in which the distribution is made after Retirement in the form of a Tax Free Housing Allowance.

8. Educational Expenses ~ For a pastor who is working on a Board approved study program, it is extremely encouraging if the church will pick up a % of the actual tuition costs involved. Life long learning for the pastor is a great investment.

Possible Wording: "The church will pay for 50% of tuition costs at XXX Seminary up to a maximum limit of $ ___ / year for ___ years."

9. Work Hours ~ The expectation among pastors was that 50 hour work week plus Sunday is about average for a healthy situation. If this becomes a problem, minimums and maximums can also be agreed to in writing. It is useful to actually chart how many hours of work occur for a couple of weeks once a year.

10. Vacation ~ At least four full work weeks a year. The Agreement can also be written to increase this by ___ number of days every ___ years. It is helpful to have money built into the budget to pay for pulpit supply.

Posted by Dennis Baker, CAM Senior Ministry Consultant

Great Work is Done in an Informal Context

While continuing my internship with Church Assistance Ministry (CAM) I am learning more and more that my work is much more than my work in a professional context.  The work I do to serve others does not only mean writing and teaching leadership in a professional context.  It means working in an informal context as well.  I have been able to observe this in the work CAM staff is doing to raise up and equip others leaders in both professional and informal contexts, and they appear to do just as much work in the informal context as they do in the professional context.

The main area I have observed this is when CAM staffers Steve Elliott and Dennis Baker both shared information and stories about the men they are coaching.  Steve and Dennis are pouring their lives into other men to teach them what it means to lead and serve others.  Many of these relationships are informal consisting of meetings for coffee or talking over the phone.

I have observed three differences between professional and informational ministries:

1. The professional context pays the worker financially while the informal context is often free to the person who is being served. 

2)      In the professional context, lots of people know about the work you do while the informal context is limited to a few people who know what you do. 

3)      The professional context offers a small level of change among the people being served because the relationship is shallow.  The informal context causes great change because the relationship is deep.

Often our culture gives great accolades and credit to people doing the “professional” work of serving lots of people.  However, I have come to realize that great service is given in an informal context by going deep with the person being served.