Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at Southern Seminary, recently wrote a piece describing seven sure-fire ways to blow up a church.  They are listed below, but you will want to read his descriptions of these on the SBTS website here.

Seven sure-fire ways to blow up a church:

1. Begin my ministry as a teacher and refuse to be a learner.
2. Assume that the “honeymoon period” as a church leader is the time to make as many changes as possible.
3. Expect to fix everything overnight.
4. Teach a theological system more than the Bible.
5. Study always and seldom “hang out” with people.
6. Blame undiscipled members for acting like believers who have never been discipled.
7. Pray reactively rather than proactively.

-May God help us to lead and love his church, and never bring her harm!

Travis Agnew does a great job of looking at The Arrogance of My Generation’s Church Leaders.

Just because you are a critic of yesterday’s church does not make you an expert of today’s church.  I have seen too many people in my generation grow a church by making fun of and demeaning the church of yesterday.  Yesterday’s church is usually the one which introduced them to Jesus, baptized them, discipled them, counseled them, sent them to seminary, sent them on missions, and so much more.

Peter Hitchens, brother of famous atheist Christopher Hitchens traces his faith journey.

I had a sudden strong sense of religion being a thing of the present day, not imprisoned under thick layers of time. My large catalogue of misdeeds replayed themselves rapidly in my head. I had absolutely no doubt that I was among the damned, if there were any damned. Van der Weyden was still earning his fee, nearly 500 years after his death.

Albert Mohler lists 10 books every pastor should read this year.

Southern California city says churches must get permits for home groups to meet.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — For the second time in six months, the city has ordered a group of Christian worshippers who meet inside homes to get a permit or shut down.

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who was going to have an interview with a pastor search committee.  Part of my advice to him, was to be sure that he was not only prepared to answer questions, but also prepared to ask good questions concerning the church on a wide range of issues.

I just noticed that Colin Adams, pastor of Ballymoney Baptist Church in Northern Ireland, has posted a great list of questions for prospective pastors to ask the church that they are interviewing with.  Colin gives 41 questions, which cover theological, ministry philosophy, and personal issues.

This is a good list, and I would encourage you to read them and pass them along to anyone you know who is a pastor or is training for the pastorate.  Read the list over at Colin’s blog: Unashamed Workman.

I’d like to think that reading is truly a spiritual discipline. We certainly know that’s the truth when we think of the Bible. As preachers and teachers of God’s Word, we should constantly be reading, studying, and applying the Bible to our lives and within our ministries. But, we don’t just read the Bible, do we? Today’s generation has more books, articles, blogs , tweets, reviews (such as this one), updates, etc. than any other previous generation. Unfortunately, I think that this plethora of information keeps us continually focused on reading new books, looking for new ideas, and listening to new people. Sometimes we may just need to reread and apply a book we’ve read before. That’s the experience I recently had with Spiritual Leadership, from J. Oswald Sanders. This book is among John Maxwell’s favorites, so it can’t be a miss. I had a chance to read it seven or eight years ago and decided recently to reread it. I’m glad I did. The leadership principles and truths have been intensely relevant and convicting to my understanding and practice of leadership . Let me share a few with you.  

• “Example is much more potent than precept” (page 41).
• “True leadership is always from the top down, never from the bottom up. It was leadership from the rear that led Israel back into the wilderness” (page 113).
• “Wesley told the younger ministers of the Methodist societies to read or get out of the ministry” (page 102). “’One reason why people are unable to understand great Christian classics is that they are trying to understand without any intention of obeying them’” (from A.W. Tozer page 102-3). “’In reading let your motto be “much, not many”’” (from Spurgeon page 106).
• “In most decisions the key is not so much knowing what to do, but in living with the results” (page 59).
• “If done ‘as God wants,’ then leadership will surely include intercessory prayer” (page. 49).

Maybe it would be a good idea for you to read or reread a book. One on your reading list ought to be Spiritual Leadership.

Last year, Ed Stetzer was interviewed about some of the research from his book Comeback Churches, which we reviewed last year. You can read that review here. Below, is a video concerning the Role of Leaders/Teamwork. Good stuff here. Also, see the rest of the interview over at Ed Stetzer’s blog.

Of course, nearly everyone loves John Piper (well they should at least).  History will show Piper to be one of the most influential pastor/theologians of our time just as current students of theology agree today.  Last week, Dr. Piper posted an open letter of thanks to his congregation, staff, and elders at Bethlehem Baptist Church for the two month writing leave he was granted from the church.  There is much that we as pastors can all learn from this letter: Pregnancy, Labor, and Birth–Of Books.

1. We can learn a great deal about scholarship and the process of writing a book as pastor spells out five similarities between pregnancy, labor, birth, and writing books.
2. We can learn a great deal about leadership.  One of the most important rules of good leadership is good regular communication and Piper is a great communicator.  This letter is a letter of thanks, but its also a letter of leadership as he communicates things important to the ministry of Bethelehem and Desiring God through this letter.
3. We can learn a lesson about gratitude.  Pastors are ultimately under the authority of God and I understand that, but pastors (at least in the Baptist tradition) are also called to submit to the authority of the church.  Piper could not do what he does and could not have had this extended sabbatical for writing unless the church allowed him to have it.  Realizing that, Piper openly and publicly thanks those who have given him the opportunity to expand his writing ministry.

I am confident that Christendom will be more richly blessed because of the two new additions of John Piper which are made possible because of the loving support of his church and elders.

Charles Spurgeon is one of the best preachers in the history of the church and is arguably the best preacher of the last two centuries.  However, his expositional legacy is not the only thing that Spurgeon taught and left behind.  Larry J. Michael shows in Spurgeon on Leadership, that many of the leadership principles practiced by Spurgeon in growing a monumental ministry can and should be replicated and practiced today.

Spurgeon had an incredible work ethic and an uncanny ability to multi-task.  In addition to leading his family well (they had family devotions nightly), Spurgeon was the “father” to hundreds of children who came through the orphanage he founded, he was regularly involved in the pastors college, he preached constantly, and was known to write as many as 500 letters per week (hand-written with a quill).  Spurgeon was also a visionary pastor who’s vision revolved around the purposes of God:

If we do not see souls saved today or tomorrow, we will still work on…We are laboring for eternity, and we count not our work by each day’s advance, as men measure theirs; it is God’s work, and must be measured by His standard.  Be ye well assured that, when time, and things created, and all that oppose themselves to the Lord’s truth, shall be gone, every earnest sermon preached, and every importunate prayer offered, and every form of Christian service honestly rendered, shall remain embedded in the might structure which God from all eternity has resolved to raise to His own honor.

A great leader and organizer was Spurgeon without a doubt, but his ultimate goal in all of his endeavors was not to lead well, but to see sinners saved and God glorified.  I am concerned that some Christian leaders of today have gotten so consumed with “leadership,” that they have missed the ultimate goal of God’s glory.  Spurgeon was never over impressed with his leadership because he knew that leading was not the end game, it was merely the means to an end at accomplishing his goal.

According to Michael, Spurgeon held as his personal motto et teneo et teneor–”I hold and am held.”   Charles Spurgeon never forgot who he was or who’s he was. 

Larry Michael does a great job of showing how Spurgeon led others and led himself, even in very difficult times.  The lessons of Spurgeon are worthwhile for any student of Scripture and leader of God’s people.  Michael, however, does not stop with Spurgeon, he goes on to show how some modern leadership techniques and ideas can supplement even the abilities of Spurgeon and gives proper criticism to Spurgeon’s greatest failure:

Spurgeon’s care, or rather the lack thereof, of his own physical well-being might have contributed to his suffering.  He was a habitual smoker, as were many men in his day.  He smoked cigars regularly and shared even from the pulpit that they brought him solace in his pain.  He also became quite portly and was referred to as “the apostle of roast beef and racy religion.”  Food might have been a comfort, but Spurgeon’s excess weight no doubt exacerbated his physical illness.  In addition, he did not exercise regularly…All leaders would do well to follow disciplined regimens in these most important areas.  Spurgeon’s example should be a warning to us all to do everything possible to care for the temple that God has given to us.

Michael stark reminder is that we must work to lead well in every area of our lives for even great leaders are susceptible to great weaknesses.

Micahel’s book is a great read for anyone interested in growing in their leadership ability and/or learning furher about the Prince of Preachers.  I encourage it and if I were giving it a star rating, it would get a three out of five from me.