"Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember.
Involve me, and I learn."  -- Ben Franklin

How often do you speak with your pastor, pray with your pastor, have a meal with your pastor, been involved in a recreational endeavor with your pastor, gone on a retreat with your pastor, been in your pastor's home, your pastor been in your home?

Questions for the "Church-Goer"

Now, what does a committed follower of Christ have to do to effectively pastor, or shepherd one, or a group of (sheep) - fellow believers? It would take a great deal of personal involvement, right? In reality, we are to shepherd one another. It flows both ways.

You cannot be in a pastoring, shepherding, or discipling relationship unless you have a grasp on the things mentioned above. Afterward, based on our makeup, a "profile", we can be taught prayer, how to learn the Bible, how to worship, how to share our faith, how to fellowship, how to minister, assemble, or how to disciple. Most importantly, we can learn how to experience our freedom in Christ as we learn to let the life of Christ live through us.

Getting to know His disciples. for more on the Lord's Supper >>>

Is Your Pastor Really A Pastor?

In America, 80% of all Christian ministry organizations are either at a plateau or in decline. Why?

Peter Drucker, known worldwide as one of the foremost management and organizational gurus made this statement: "The church is the most mismanaged organization in the world." Mismanagement can only be attributed to those who are leading, the pastors, or from the ongoing traditional methods of training these church leaders have received. Further, if Christ is who He says He is, and if He truly lives in us, and if 80% of the church ministries are either at a plateau or in decline, then Peter Drucker simply stated the obvious - the Institutional church is horribly mismanaged.

In the church our perspectives regarding proper training and roles have been conditioned over the centuries. And, in spite of the fact traditional methodologies are failing to get it done we continue blindly down the wrong path. It's absolute insanity. Doing the same thing week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, century after century - expecting different results. This points toward the most maligned thinking in the church. It's the manner church leaders, pastors, are seeking to fulfill their roles. They're being led by the Tyranny of the Status Quo.

If you carry the title of pastor, and find yourself in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, you may find the following a little hard to swallow. After all, you entered full time ministry because of the call on your life. You became a pastor to minister to others - to serve others. However, did you know that the word,"pastor", is found but one time in the New Testament? The 'office of pastor' is not found anywhere in the New Testament! Think about it.

Now, are you a pastor who believes the Bible is the word of God? Hmm...that puts you in a very difficult position. Why? Because you're serving in an office that is not even biblical. How can you explain that? 

Perhaps this is the beginning point for finding the answer to the questions about the obvious dilemma observed by Peter Drucker.

Are you a pastor? Take a deep breath, and ask yourself the following questions.