The staff at Circle Church had become an effective team. We had come to appreciate each other with a deep Christ-like love. I experienced much of this unusual closeness when I was working in Youth for Christ. At that time, the emphasis was on training a “Timothy”—a younger person to take responsibility.
Most ministers are not anxious for such a relationship because of their own insecurities. As an associate pastor, I found if I did poorly I was a drain, and if I did well, I was a threat. Later, as an assistant pastor, the same was true.
A close friend, encouraging me to take a church on my own, said, “An assistant or an associate inherits the same abbreviation on the door.” He was right! I vowed never to bind my co-workers by such an arrangement. Now, at Circle Church, I was learning that the trainer of a “Timothy” has as great a learning process to go through as a trainee.
The city is rough on churches, and to go it alone would be very hard. I know many urban pastors, and the great majority of them are discouraged, defeated, and negative. When I get that way, several of the other fellows are always high, and they seem to draw around the one who needs encouragement. When we all face a problem, we work and pray it out together. It’s laughter and hilarity, as well as struggle.
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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries have a whole range of helpful solutions. Do you need to prepare a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon? You can find help on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.
For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.
Every pastor needs resources to help him or her find appropriate Sermons for Advent and Sermons for Christmas. With Christmas Sermon resources from Mainstay Ministries, 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 list of special Christmas Sermon Packages available.
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.
