“How does a pastor go about finding a role that works?” That’s the question I’ve been addressing in this series of blog posts. In order to provide a foundation for future positive suggestions, I’m sharing some of my own experiences at the time I began my ministry within the church as an assistant pastor.
I will continue my description of the second church where I served.
Because evangelism was so important to this congregation, the planned worship suffered. To me it was indescribably awful. The services were all alike. You knew exactly the ingredients and the order that would be followed even before you looked at the bulletin.
To those who knew the in-language, they were invariably a “blessing”—I’m still not quite sure what that word meant to those who used it so frequently. The last-minute choice of Sunday night hymns and the assignments as to who did what part—I usually prayed for the offering—which were designated as we stepped onto the platform were typical of countless churches I had attended prior to coming to this church.
All of this tended to make me squirm uneasily during the ensuing hour and a quarter. Friends insisted they actually visited the church for the specific purpose of watching my discomfort. Though I was extra fidgety, they had to admit it wasn’t easy to sit under the preaching of a guest preacher, who in 1966, emphatically proclaimed the impossibility of humans ever setting foot on the moon because, according to the Bible, it was God’s territory.
I’m sharing this story of my background as I began my ministry in order to construct a foundation onto which I can place some suggestions to help pastors go about finding a role that works in their particular church. Finding a role that works— that’s the direction I’m taking in these specific blog posts. I hope you are becoming engaged in this exchange of information. I invite you to come back to this blog and read more.
———————————————
Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help, whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon. For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With the Advent Celebration: “Seasoning the Season,” you can help your congregation season their Christmas traditions with the flavor of Christ. More than simply helping them to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” you can encourage people to focus on Christ in the very traditions that have become part of our celebration of Christmas: decorating our homes, conveying Christmas greetings, giving and receiving gifts, gathering with family and friends, entering the new year with goals. Click here to see a Special Limited-Time Package Offer.
Looking forward to Christmas? Looking for key Sermon Ideas? Wondering what to preach throughout the Christmas Season? Searching for help in preparing for your Sermons on Christmas Day? In addition to the above special offer, Mainstay Ministries has many valuable resources filled with Christmas Sermon Ideas to help you plan for your Christmas preaching and for such Sunday Sermons, including resources for the following: Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermon, Advent Sermon Series, Advent Sunday Sermons, Christmas Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermon, and Christmas Sermon Series. Connect with us on-line by clicking here.
