Practical Wisdom for Pastors E-Book

Curtis C. Thomas

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2001

Beschreibung

As a pastor your job is filled with blessings and satisfaction, as well as unique challenges and pitfalls. Here a ministry veteran covers virtually all of those areas with a wealth of practical insight culled from 44 years in the pastorate. Blending his deep love of the Word and commitment to biblical ministry, Curtis Thomas offers a rich source of help and encouragement that will enthuse and benefit you whether you've pastored for five years or 50.

Leseprobe

Having been a pastor for more than four decades, I can tell you that Curtis Thomas has done a great service for all pastors, young or old. I am happy to commend this work.

—ADRIAN ROGERS Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church Memphis, Tennessee

Curtis Thomas, after a lifetime of pastoral experience, offers some of the richest and most practical insight for the faithful pastor that I have read. This book can be read all at once or bit by bit. Both approaches will reward the serious shepherd who loves the flock.

—DR. JOHN H. ARMSTRONG President, Reformation & Revival Ministries Carol Stream, Illinois

The young, beginning workman in God’s vineyard could hardly find a more practical, helpful, and instructive work than this book. Curtis Thomas has produced the kind of useful guide that most experienced pastors may wish had been written in their early days of ministry. With sound judgment, good taste, and a mature knowledge of the pitfalls challenging every newly-ordained pastor or motivated layman in the church, the author brings together in ths volume the real hands-on, how-to-do-it advice that can make the road to success a lot smoother.

—DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY Senior Minister Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

I highly recommend Practical Wisdom for Pastors. I wish I had had something like this as a young minister. It would have saved me from many mistakes. It is a very practical and timely book for all in ministry.

—DR. FRANK M. BARKER, JR. Retired Senior Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church Birmingham, Alabama

Curtis Thomas has written the book I wish I had when I graduated from seminary. Here is a compendium of sage advice gleaned from years of experience in ministering to God’s flock. Get it, read it, follow its directions.

—DR. JAY E. ADAMS Author of over 75 volumes, including Competent to Counsel and Shepherding God’sFlock Retired Seminary Professor and Pastor

Why did nobody think of this earlier? Simple, clear, practical and down-to-earth, these notes by Curtis Thomas will surely be a great help to many men in full-time and part-time ministry. I warmly commend them.

—JOHN BLANCHARD Christian Ministries, London Author of many books, including Right With God, Ultimate Questions, and Whatever Happened to Hell?

Practical Wisdom for Pastors is a quick reference resource that will benefit every pastor. It is filled with solid advice and godly counsel. This book provides solutions for every day church problems.

—DENNIS RAINEY Executive DirectorFamilyLifeCampus Crusade for Christ

Pastor Curtis Thomas has prepared a great gift for preachers in his new book, Practical Wisdom for Pastors. His seasoned advice and cogent comments will both guide and encourage ministers as they consider the task of this highest of all callings. Pastor Thomas has put us all in his debt as he has shared from the rich experience of his own ministry and from the wells of deep conviction.

—R. ALBERT MOHLER, JR. President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky

Drawing from years of rich pastoral experience, Curtis Thomas dips his pen into an inkwell of wisdom and produces a “must read” for all in the ministry. Practical Wisdom for Pastors comes with my highest recommendation, as I have served with this author personally for over a decade and can testify to the validity of his message, as well as the messenger.

—DR. STEVEN J. LAWSON Senior Pastor, Dauphin Way Baptist Church Mobile, Alabama Author of many books, including Men Who Win, The Legacy, and Absolutely Sure

Practical Wisdom for Pastors

Copyright © 2001 by Curtis C. Thomas

Published by Crossway

               1300 Crescent Street

               Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Cover design: David La Placa

Cover photo: PhotoDisc™

First printing 2001

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thomas, Curtis C., 1937-

Practical wisdom for pastors : words of encouragement and counsel for a lifetime of ministry / Curtis C. Thomas.

    p.     cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-252-9 (alk. paper)

ISBN 10: 1-58134-252-7

1. Clergy—Office. 2. Encouragement—Religious aspects—Christianity.

I. Title.

BV660.3.T47      2001

253—dc21                                                                   00-011653

PG     20    19    18    17    16    15    14    13    12    11   10    09

This book is dedicated to four individuals whom God has graciously and sovereignly brought into my life.

To my three sons Alan Christian, wise and gentle;Keith Douglas, fiercely dedicated; and Robert Scott, hardworking and generous.They have made me thankful and have taught mehow to live in so many ways.

And to J. Todd Murray, young and extremely gifted,my friend and former co-pastor, who in sixteen yearsof ministry has grown immensely and has embodiedwhat it means to shepherd both his family and a growing flock of God’s sheep.

NOTE:

Throughout this material the titles pastor, elder, shepherd, minister, bishop, and overseer will be used synonymously. The Scriptures use these titles for the same office and work (see 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 4:6; 5:1720; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 5:1-4; Acts 20:28); so they will be used interchangeably here.

If you find portions of this material helpful and wish to use it for the benefit of others, please feel free to do so. I would ask that the publisher be contacted first when excerpts exceed 500 words.

TABLEOF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments11Foreword by John MacArthur13Introduction15SECTION ONE: PERSONAL LIFEOur Call20Personal Devotional Life21Prayer23Accountability Partners24Admitting Mistakes26Our Financial Reputations27An Undisciplined Appetite29Our Dress30Personal Life: For Additional Study31SECTION TWO: FAMILY LIFEOur Wives34Our Homes36Ignoring Our Own Families38Family Devotional Life39Family Life: For Additional Study40SECTION THREE: STUDY HABITSOur Personal Libraries44Poor Study Habits46Spending Day After Day in the Study47Staying out of the Study49Making Your Studies Work for You Later50Daily Schedules52Our Bible Notes54Faxes, E-Mail, the Internet56Periodicals, Pamphlets, Newspapers57Reading, Writing, Speaking58Continuing Education60Study Habits: For Additional Study62SECTION FOUR: MESSAGESTopical Messages64Tone of Voice65Too Much Time on Exegesis67Sermons with No Structure69Sermons with Too Many Points70Sermons with No Discernible Point71Sermons with No Illustrations73Sermons with Too Many Illustrations74Sermons That Drone On and On75Addressing Implications Only77Pulpit Notes79Balancing Truth82Failing to Share the Pulpit83Translations85Messages: For Additional Study87SECTION FIVE: CHURCH LIFECandidating Before a Church92Leading, Not Following94Trying to Do It All96Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!98House Calls100Hospital Visits102Fellow Pastors/Elders104Deacons106Church Finances108The Telephone110Schedules and Appointments112Diaries/Daily Planners113Short-Term Assessments of the Members115Avoiding Cliques116Being Fair with Your Congregation118Settling the Score Publicly119Looking Down on Others121"I'll Pray for You"122Listening to Complaints123Members with Vague Complaints125Getting the Facts126Open Rebuke128Fear of the Congregation129Letting Church Problems Fester130Church Hopping by the Members131People Who Are Relocated133Changing Your Church136Leaving a Church138Stepping Down140Leaving a Legacy141Church Hopping by the Pastor143Church Life: For Additional Study145SECTION SIX: COUNSELINGPastoral Counseling148When to Refer152Suicide154Making Judgments155Counseling: For Additional Study157SECTION SEVEN: WEDDINGS, DIVORCES, FUNERALSMarriages160Separations161Divorces163The Wedding Service165Funerals167Weddings, Divorces, Funerals: For Additional Study169SECTION EIGHT: RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERSMentoring172An Independent Spirit174Evangelism/Outreach176Our Public Involvement178Jealousy and Competition179Standing Alone181Missions182Relationships with Others: For Additional Study184SECTION NINE: DANGERSProof-Texting186Taking a Position187Majoring on the Minors189The Tyranny of the Urgent190Our Secretaries191Our Office Doors193Assuming Too Much194Our Genuine Needs196Dealing with Panic (Our Own!)197Confusing the Gospel199Neglecting Exercise and Recreation200Christian Liberty for the Pastor201Shackles for the Pastor203Are We the Resident Authority?205When Fear Strikes206Taking All the Blame for Failures207Taking Credit for Success209Litigation210Dangers: For Additional Study213SECTION TEN: MISCELLANEOUSWhy Not Female Pastors?216The Senior Pastor218The Pastor and the IRS219One-Issue Churches221Miscellaneous: For Additional Study222APPENDICESAppendix I: Pastor’s Self-Evaluation Questionnaire224Appendix II: What Should a Sermon Do?239Bibliography245Index267

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Few, if any, books are the product of one person. This work is no exception. Through the years I have become tremendously indebted to the writings and ministries of many outstanding servants of the Lord who have helped me by their careful exegesis and sound motivation. In addition, the present work has been impacted by the encouragements, reviews, comments, helpful suggestions, and corrections by a number of men and women: Dr. Jay Adams, Kenny Allison, Dr. John Armstrong, Tom Arnold, Dr. Frank Barker, John Blanchard, Charles Borth, Bill Etter, Richard Fulenwider, Larry and Dolores Fisher, Theron Howard, Carl Hunt, Dr. Rick Houk, Phil Johnson, Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. Steve Lawson, Dr. John MacArthur, Pastor Carter Mills, Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr., Dr. David Powlison, Gerry Puls, Pastor Lance Quinn, Dennis Rainey, Pastor Tim Reed, Pastor Adrian Rogers, Neil Shaver, George Shipp, Bill Simmons, Dr. Jack Somers, Calvin Squires, and Joe and Kathy Walker. I acknowledge their generous assistance and encouragement. Each person has contributed in various ways, though all shortcomings in the final product are my responsibility.

A special word of thanks goes to Ted Griffin, Managing Editor of Crossway Books, for his very thorough assistance and encouragement.

I am further indebted to John Blanchard for his excellent trilogy—Gathered Gold, More Gathered Gold, and Sifted Silver, three books that are filled with excellent material. Many of the quotations at the beginning of these articles have been gleaned from these books. Blanchard’s works are treasures. Thank you, John, for your work.

Finally, I want to express my love and appreciation for my wife, Betty, who has for more than forty years been my most insightful and faithful supporter. Once again, through this work, she has painstakingly edited, corrected, questioned, challenged, and encouraged me. Her many hours of patient work continue to demonstrate what a wonderful helpmate God has given me.

FOREWORD

Curtis Thomas has culled a wealth of practical insights from a lifetime of fruitful ministry, and he has distilled it in a book that will be a rich source of help and encouragement for pastors and church leaders everywhere. Curtis Thomas writes with the heart of a pastor who is devoted to his Lord. His deep love for the Word of God is evident throughout. And his commitment to biblical ministry sets the tone for the book.

I wish this book had been available when I began in ministry more than thirty-five years ago. It covers virtually all the vital aspects of the pastor’s work that cannot adequately be learned in a classroom context. As I read, I found my own enthusiasm for pastoral ministry invigorated; and even as a veteran pastor, I found much I could benefit from in Curtis Thomas’s catalog of practical wisdom. He has given pastors everywhere an invaluable resource.

Certain pitfalls seem common to most young pastors. I often hear young pastors wonder aloud why there is no book that deals with such things. Now there is, and it should be required reading not only for young men beginning their ministries, but for anyone who wants to be more effective in any role of church leadership.

Years ago, near the outset of his ministry, Curtis Thomas coauthored a little booklet called The Five Points of Calvinism that has helped untold numbers come to grips with what Scripture teaches about the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation. That book is still in print and selling briskly. Now, having retired from full-time pastoral work, Pastor Thomas has given us another work of equal or even greater import. My prayer is that it will also find a vast readership, and that it will be used of God to edify and equip church leaders for many generations to come.

John MacArthur

INTRODUCTION

This book is about material that I wish had been available to me before I was asked to stand before a small congregation and preach my first sermon many years ago. Most of the discussions in this book were relevant then, and are still relevant today—perhaps more so today since the temptations are now more open and inviting, and the problems pastors now face can be much more involved due to the complexities of modern culture.

It has now been forty-five years since my first message before that small, independent Baptist church in Arkansas. Since then I have been privileged to serve as a lay pastor for a number of years, and then later in a full-time ministry. During those days my ministry took the form of a sole pastor in a small congregation, then as a co-pastor of a larger, growing congregation, and during the last fourteen years serving as the executive pastor in a still larger congregation with multiple pastors.

During those years I made many mistakes—both minor and significant ones. A pastor can face many traps. I know because I stumbled into a number of them. They hurt, especially when your mistakes become public. I have also painfully watched some of my coworkers become entrapped in situations that adversely affected them and their ministries. Some of our mistakes seem to bear few consequences, while others seriously affect not only us, but our families and our congregations as well.

Years ago a young pastor was seldom thrust onto a congregation without first having served as an understudy to a more senior pastor, so he could learn from the wisdom of his elder. But today it seems as if a seminary degree is all that is required to become a “senior” pastor. Often when that occurs, the church is led by a young man who has had little or no experience with the real world of church life. When problems come flooding in, the young pastor suffers. At times he falls into everyday, common pitfalls that leave him dazed, disillusioned, and often very lonely. At other times he may try things that a more experienced pastor realizes simply will not work. He becomes frustrated. Many times his first church becomes his last church. Or else he continues with deep hurts and disappointments while his family suffers, the church is set back, and the cause of Christ is damaged.

Had he known beforehand some of the experiences he must face and some of the pitfalls to avoid, perhaps his life and his church would have taken a different path. The old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is certainly appropriate regarding the ministry. The ministry is a public platform. Mistakes in the ministry affect many people simply due to the public nature of the work. In this arena, wisdom is to be truly prized.

The book of Proverbs contains short, pithy words of wisdom. I have always especially appreciated that portion of God’s inspired Word because it gets to the point and often repeats it to help us get the message. Getting to the point without extra words has been my objective in these short sections. Perhaps these thoughts, though brief, could be mulled over privately or could even spark conversations in which these matters are explored in more depth than I have covered here.

To facilitate deeper investigation into many of the areas covered, after each of the ten major sections I have included biblical references and a bibliography of printed material at the end of the book. In addition, toward the end of the book you will find two very helpful appendices. The first one is an article that was printed in The Journal of Biblical Counseling and was titled “Pastor’s Self-Evaluation Questionnaire,” by Dr. Tim Keller and Dr. David Powlison. This excellent work will help the pastor test his humility, love, integrity, spirituality, nurture, communication, and leadership.

The second article was printed in RTS Ministry (now being published as RTS REFORMED Quarterly) and was titled “What Should a Sermon Do?” It was written by Dr. William Hogan. In this work Dr. Hogan demonstrates that a sermon should make the truth of Scripture crystal-clear, help the listener feel the claim of the biblical text, press that claim upon the hearer’s will, and ultimately lead the listener to an encounter with the God of truth. For preaching pastors, this can hardly be stated more clearly.

The pastor must be an expositor and a counselor and must minister to the needs of his congregation. There is an outstanding trilogy that covers in depth these three areas. The book you have in your hand merely scratches the surface, but the following volumes cover the topics in detail. Purchase these three volumes and live with them, and your pastorate will take on new depth: John MacArthur, Jr. and The Master’s Seminary Faculty, Rediscovering Expository Preaching, Word, 1992; John MacArthur, Jr., Wayne Mack, and The Master’s College Faculty, Introduction to Biblical Counseling, Word, 1994; John MacArthur, Jr. and The Master’s Seminary Faculty, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, Word, 1995.

Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of Moody Church, Chicago, recently revised and expanded his Pastor to Pastor, an insightful book on how the pastor can handle difficult situations. In it he covers topics such as the call to the ministry, problem people, church splits, burnout, public invitations, and fallen pastors. His experience, maturity, biblical insight, and interesting anecdotes will provide both the young and mature pastor with valuable help. Though the number of topics he covers is limited, his book should be read carefully. While Practical Wisdom for Pastors covers a broader range of subjects, Lutzer’s work provides more in-depth treatment. Secure a copy, and heed his wise advice.

As pastors, we serve as leaders, shepherds, fathers, and sometimes as mothers to our congregations. Serving as examples, we should be aware of the mistakes that can lie ahead and skillfully avoid them as we lead our congregations in wise and godly living. Some seminaries do a creditable job of preparing young men for the challenges ahead, while others involve their students primarily in the world of academics. In such cases practical counsel and training is needed.

Though many of these brief articles deal with daily problems encountered in the ministry, I want to emphasize the satisfaction and joy pastors have as they see God marvelously change people for eternity. To see souls converted, believers grow in grace and knowledge, lives put back together, and marriages saved and strengthened makes other problems pale in comparison. For most of us the ministry is not only a profession but a true labor of love.

These thoughts are not written from the perspective of one who has had it all together or who has always acted wisely, but as a fellow traveler who has made his share of mistakes and who has at times acted very unwisely. I wish I could tell you that I have learned all of the lessons about which I write. But I cannot. Like the apostle Paul, much of what I hate, I do, and much of what I want to do, I do not. Though having had a long ministry, I still want to grow in all of these critical areas, and I assure you that I have not yet arrived where I want to be. However, should God be pleased to use these brief thoughts to help you in your role as a godly leader, may He be praised.

Curtis Thomas