staff - Drew Boswell

“Counterfeits” Exodus 7:8-24

“Into the Wilderness”

A Sermon Series in the Book of Exodus

“Counterfeits”

Exodus 7:8-24

Introduction

Let’s play “Real or AI”

For every one of God’s truths there is a counterfeit. How can we, as His people, know the difference between the truth of God’s Word and the counterfeit the Evil One offers? This is what we will talk about today.

Prayer

The Miracle of The Staff to Snake (vv. 8-13)

8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.

“All the main themes of the next five chapters of Exodus: the obedience of Moses and Aaron, the counterfeit miracles of Satan and his servants, the superior power of God and his rod, and the perpetual hardening of Pharoah’s heart. All of Satan and his plans will be ‘swallowed up.’”[1]

We see in (v. 10) a Moses that has changed, “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded” He didn’t argue, or give excuses, he did just as God commanded.

The pharaoh says, “Prove yourselves by working a miracle,” – Does God give miracles today to prove Himself? God does not perform random acts of omnipotence but instead displays his miraculous power in order to confirm the truth of his Word. Pharaoh is asking for a miracle as proof that Moses and Aaron are telling the truth, the Word of God.

Religious leaders of Jesus’ day did this same thing, Matthew 12:38 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” The ultimate sign to prove that God’s Word is true is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; which shall not be repeated. The resurrection is the last miracle we need to confirm the gospel truth that Jesus died to save sinners.

11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

There are different ways we could interpret this passage. (1) These magicians were the same as today’s magicians. Through misdirection, slight of hand, and trickery they fool the audience into thinking they see something that they don’t really see. But this is not what we see Moses’ staff became a serpent, and the Egyptian magicians also made their staffs become serpents. The same idea of later when the Nile is turned to blood. Was it really red algae, or a flooding of a particular red soil that made the water look red?

(2) So, Another interpretation would be that these Egyptian magicians really did have some kind magical power. The snake was a symbol of Egyptian power, to when Moses threw down the staff and picked it up again – it would have been very obvious that the Hebrew God was challenging the Egyptian god. It would be like a person goes into the oval office in Washington DC and wrings a bald eagle’s neck. It was a statement. But the text indicates that their trick was a version of what Moses and Aaron did. The Evil One does have power – to try to excuse it away robs it of its’ danger.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” Evil has power and it’s alure is very attractive.

There are two powers going head-to-head, and both show their miracle. If you have already “refused to love the truth,” when the counterfeit is given, you will go with what your heart really wants – your sin.

God never said that what He had given Moses as a sign of his authenticity as a prophet could not be duplicated. But the means that they come about the same end was “by their secret arts.” Satan is not capable of creating anything new he must take what God has created and pollute it and pervert it to meet his purposes.

Christ came to save the world from sin and to teach the truth, the Anti-Christ will come to tell lies and to keep people from salvation. Sex within the bounds of marriage is a blessing, sex outside of marriage is sin because it is not how God designed it to be.

Then the Lord’s staff swallows up the magician’s staff. And with that event, the duel begins between God and Satan. The one who truly deserves to be praised, and served verses the false god who only offers slavery and death. At this display of force, pharaoh’s heart is hardened.

Is this fair, that God would harden a man’s heart? Is he making him incapable of obeying him, is it right then to judge him? Scripture is clear that God makes no man to sin.

Every man’s heart is in God’s hand and it is God that restrains him from sin, not forces him into it. However, when a person resists and resists long enough the worst thing that could happen to them is for God to let them go and allow them to do all that their heart truly desires. Romans 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Like a dog on a leash pulling away from its’ owner, the owner just let’s go of the leash and the dog runs toward what his heart desires. Man at his core/heart level is wicked and corrupt and only desires to do evil. Therefore, God in his mercy and grace restrains them. It is a choice we make to run away from God – to harden our hearts toward God.

2 Samuel 6:6 “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?” So, when it says that God hardened their hearts, it means that in his omnipotence he kept pharaoh’s heart in the hardened state – he couldn’t change his mind. All grace was removed and his heart was able to fully pursue what it truly desired.

Many Scriptures tell us that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 18:23 “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise vas some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

The atheists says, “give me more evidence. Then I will believe.” “The real issue is not the evidence, but what a person does with it. The Israelites were given the same signs that Pharoah was given (see Exodus 4), and they believed and were saved. But pharaoh later perished, which is what happens to everyone who follows Satan.”[2]

People are condemned to their own depravity because they do not believe in God’s truth.

The Miracle of the Nile To Blood (vv. 14-24)

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the LORD, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” 20 Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.

This is the first of what the Bible calls “signs and wonders,” We use the word plague, from the Latin meaning “blow or wound,” because this is what God says, “I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it.” (3:20)

“In order to understand these plagues we need to understand that they were directed against the gods and goddesses of Egypt and were intended to show superiority to the God of Israel to the Egyptian gods. There were about eighty deities in Egypt, all clustered about the three great natural forces of Egyptian life: the Nile River, the land, and the sky. It does not surprise us, therefore that the plagues God sent against Egypt in this historic battle follow this three-force pattern. The first two plagues were against the gods of the Nile. The next four were against land gods. The final four plagues were against the gods of the sky, culminating in the death of the firstborn.”[3]

Later in Numbers 33:4 Egypt is mentioned, “On their gods also the LORD executed judgments.” God is showing that He is the ultimate God, all-powerful, and He is the only one worthy of mankind’s worship.

The annual flooding of the Nile brought new life and sustenance to over 1,000 miles of Egyptian-dominated settlements, and the watery event was perceived by the Egyptians as the best evidence that the gods of the Nile were pleased. Moses through Aaron struck the Nile and it turned to blood. The river was their lifeblood, the basis for their entire civilization. It was their means of transportation, they ate the fish for the river, the river watered their crops (without the Nile they would be in a desert), it would flood annually leaving behind a rich layer of new soil, they drank the water – everything revolved around the Nile.

Many times this is how God gets our attention and causes us to look toward Him. He takes away those things that we thought we would always have, those things that we take for granted. For the Egyptians it was the Nile. This is something that they thought would always be there, something that had always been, like air.

Then the Egyptian magicians “did the same by their secret arts.” What I find interesting is that if they were to look around all the water had been turned to blood. Now they manage to find some water left, but in their effort to one-up God, they turn that water to blood as well. Who really won? What it not make much more sense to turn the blood back into water?

The chapter closes with a picture of the Egyptian people digging along the Nile, trying to find fresh drinkable water – the once great Nile River is now a picture of death and filth. The people are left to their own resources when their gods fail them. Pharoah “ turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.” His heart is hard and this is just the beginning of showing all of Egypt’s gods to be false.

Conclusion

A Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentle man put a piece of the precious stone into his hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for several weeks. The boy became frustrated. When would he be told about the jade? He was too polite, however, to question the wisdom of his venerable teacher. Then one day, when the old man put a stone into his hands, the boy cried out instinctively, ‘That’s not jade!'”

How will we know the truth from Satan’s lies? We have the answer in our hands, like the jade in the boy’s hand. When we study it, and live – when the lies and counterfeits come we know instantly that these are not real.

Don’t be fooled into living a counterfeit Christian life, live the real thing. God desires to show and prove Himself to you, don’t harden your heart.

This morning, don’t harden your heart to the truth of God’s love and mercy. Open your life to his will and calling for you.

The first desire for your life is the same as it as for the Pharaoh. Believe His word and let go of what is keeping you out of His will. Whatever sin it is, having a relationship with God is far better. A-B-C

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[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching God’s Word, Exodus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 182.

[2] Ryken, 190.

[3] Ryken, 192. Ryken is quoting Boice.

Staffing Your Team: “When is the Right Time to Hire Staff?”

Hiring Church Staff

When is the right time to add staff to your team?

1) When no volunteer or team is able to do what needs to be done in a given area.

2) When what is required to be done is more than a single leader or team can reasonable do.

3) When leadership is needed in a given area and there is one to do it.

4) When there is an expectation that needs to be met so often that it is not reasonable for a volunteer.

“Parkinson’s Law” – when work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. People find a way to make jobs more complicated and time-consuming, which in the end requires more staff to get the same amount of work done. When there are transitions in leadership, there should be an analysis of the work required to the time you are asking the leader to complete it – is it reasonable, exaggerated, etc.?

5) When expertise is needed that is not found within the church body, and that expertise is needed on such a regular basis that it is reasonable to hire a person to do it.

Things to Consider for the Staff Position:

• The person will be asking three questions that need to be addressed.
1) What am I responsible for?
2) What decisions am I able to make on my own?
3) Whom do I report to for help?

• Staff should not do what volunteers can do. The goal of the leader is to put church members in place of ministry so they can grow in their faith, and experience the joy and blessing of service. This is also how we grow and mature in our walk with the Lord. If the leaders do everything, they limit the growth of the ministry, and rob members of these blessings.

• A team should always support the staff – no lone rangers. Sometimes. Staff are hired because no one can do what needs to be done, but the leader must immediately seek to build a team.

• Be careful not to load a new staff person with all the needs of the church. The example of deacons in Acts 6:2 was an effort to allow the elders to focus on their calling/ministry. The staff need to be able to focus, and should avoiding generalizing as much as possible.

• Church leaders should be equipping/teaching others on their team to do what they do. Ephesians 4:11-13 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, . . .”

• Hire leaders of ministry, not people to do the ministry themselves.

Should the church hire from within or hire from the outside?

• When your church culture is healthy, hiring from within will perpetuate that culture. Hiring from the outside will change the church culture.

https://seniorpastorcentral.com/2830/staff-churches-under-600/

I would suggest this article because he does a good job of describing when you should hire staff and the order they should be hired. It’s a good read if you are interested in this topic.

10 Things Staff Need (from their senior leader)

I wrote this article years ago and have held off posting it because as a staff person, I didn’t want a particular pastor or church to see this and to try and “read between the lines.” Most of this are lessons I have learned as serving as a senior pastor and the mistakes I have made as a senior leader. Having served in most typical church positions (excluding music) and as an executive director, these are lessons from various churches, various positions, various regions of the country. That being said, now the article.

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Leading a staff is never easy. There are various personalities that sometimes need a little extra effort to “get along.” Others click very well at the exclusion of the rest of the staff. Throw in a church that is filled with differing expectations, vision conflict, personal drama, life circumstances, and you have a storm off the starboard bow. All of these things are compounded the larger the church and the larger the staff grows.

There is also behind the scenes, a very real enemy who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy.” It is the Enemy’s goal to stop the gospel from going out, and to keep the church void of any genuine work. At the helm of all these complications is the pastor whose job is to navigate through these treacherous waters. Often times in all the squalls of life we allow ourselves to become too focused on the immediate and lose sight of the big picture. The following is a quick reference guide to what staff need from their pastor. They are simple ideas, but if ignored the pastor will run the ship right into the rocks.

1. Information

Plan to have a regular time where you convey information that you know as pastor that the staff may not be aware of. You sit in on meetings and are briefed on topics the general congregation is not aware of. The staff should never find out information alongside the rest of the church, deacons, or other volunteer leadership. If you cannot trust the staff to use discretion with information then you need to address the issue with the vocal/informative staff person, not shut down all information to the whole staff. There are few things more demoralizing to staff than for them to find out information behind literally the entire church. You don’t like to get blindsided or surprised, so don’t do it to your staff.

Don’t expect them to support something if they are the last to know. They need time to think about the topic and see how they can support it in their given areas. By them receiving this information with everyone else, you are indicating to them that at a minimum you don’t need (or want) their support, and worse case don’t need (or want) any expertise, advice, prayer, etc. they may offer on the topic. It doesn’t slow the process down to drop back and explain things to your staff.

2. Clear Direction

If you have a direction that you would like for the staff to go toward, then take the time to make that very clear (even put it in writing; e-mails, texts, notes, etc.) The best way to do this is to have a designated time when you meet face-to-face (or Zoom) and talk about specific topics.

A very helpful first step is a job description and yearly evaluations. Motivated staff want to know that they are working toward a common goal and direction. They hate having to backtrack to go in another direction. Staff with limited budgets, hate having to constantly change direction because it wastes those limited resources. Don’t waste their time and energy because you want them to go in one direction but have not taken the time to make it clear to them. Don’t assume that they can read your thoughts, or what you assume they should understand from your body language.

3. Genuine Affirmation and Respect

When you affirm them in the public setting show genuine respect. You are not showing someone respect when you constantly call them by the wrong name, or haven’t taken the time to learn their kid’s names. Avoid irrelevant platitudes like “she’s so good with the kids.” Instead, give recent real life examples of how the staff person is doing a good job. If you don’t respect your staff, they won’t respect you. This respect also overflows into meetings, and general office settings. Professional courtesy goes a long way toward guarding against frustrations and anger among staff.

4. Honor Boundaries

Each staff person was hired to cover a specific set of job responsibilities and you should assume that they take that ministry very seriously. While working against developing silos (click here for an article on this topics) senior leadership should recognize and honor how there are boundaries in specific areas within the church. When changes are made in one area of the church, be aware that those changes, more than likely, will affect other areas of the church (click here to read an article on how systems affect each other).

Boundaries can also mean days off, personal time, or even asking them to do things for you personally that are not directly related to their ministry positions. If they were hired as a full time staff person then that means those responsibilities on the job description would take the full amount of time. In other words, don’t keep adding things to their job responsibilities that will affect their time at home, weekday evenings, etc. Yes, there will be times when staff need to help the team do things that were not on the job description, but it should not be a constant expectation.

5. Give Staff What They Need To Do Their Job

Often times this takes the form of a budget. Work to see that they have what they need to lead the ministry that they have been hired to do. It is with in the pastor’s position to guide and direct various committees to go in various directions. Because you have taken the time to talk with your staff and understand the direction they are leading their various departments then you have accurate information to be able to see they get what they need.

If they are constantly requesting more funds, donations, volunteers, etc. and they feel you are doing nothing, then they will feel frustrated. It will feel like the staff person is drowning and you are just standing there watching, making no effort to help.

6. Have Their Back

Staff members should never doubt that the pastor supports them, what they are doing, and gives that support vocally and publicly. Work out differences privately, but when the staff try new things get behind them and push (hard). If you want to have a high rotation of staff, then keep throwing them under the bus or stepping back away from them when things go “sideways.”

If they ask you to use your pulpit to support them, then see how it could be blended into a sermon or some other way to emphasize it. Remember that innovation, change, and steps forward come at the price of trying things that don’t work. If you don’t support them in those times of mistakes, then they will eventually quit trying and do what they know is “safe.” When staff begin to all do what has always been done, the way it has always been done, then there will be the eventual plateau and decline. But before you blame the staff, take a hard look in the mirror.

7. Make the Hard Calls

The pastor (or senior leader) holds the position to lead and make the hard calls. This often involves strong personalities, spiritually immature, and selfish people. Don’t let these sinful people run rough shod over your staff. If a hard decision needs to be made, make it. Don’t ignore it, wait forever to make a decision, or avoid it. Often the staff can’t move forward until you make a decision — just realize that the senior pastor holds his position because hard calls need to be made. If you don’t make these calls it can be detrimental to your staff moving their specific areas forward. Yes, you may make the wrong call, but that’s ok because your staff and leadership will have your back (see#6) because you have supported them, and they know why you are making the call the way you did (see #1). No one expects senior leadership to make the right call 100% of the time, but if you wait too long to make calls then they are wrong 100% of the time.

8. Get to Know Their Ministry

As a pastor, if you have never served as a staff person or in a specific area (children, youth, senior adults, etc.) then take the time to see what the ministry is like and what is involved to carry it out. You should never have to ask “why do you need a budget increase?” or “why are are you not able to add this new responsibility to your weekly work schedule?” You should know (see #2 & 5). The church has chosen to hire a specific staff person to do a specific job.

This usually involves a designated (or expected/required) amount of hours and responsibilities. Help to guard their plate by not allowing others (or yourself) to continuously add responsibilities to staff. All positions have busy (i.e. stressful) times of the year (for the Children’s Pastor it may be Vacation Bible School i.e.). If you know this, then it would be very helpful to the staff for you to stand guard for them as they do their job, or (heaven forbid) even help in these areas during these stressful and very busy times.

9. Always Assume the Best

Andy Stanley has what he calls “the gap.” This is where a staff member does something that appears to break the rules or cultural expectations of the organization. Stanley gives the example of arriving to a staff meeting late. When this happens, and with no explanation given, people naturally fill “the gap” with why they are late. If they are given the benefit of the doubt then the person who observes the late staff person will say to themselves, “his car must have broken down,” or “someone must have stopped him for a ministry related issue,” etc.

What ever they place in this gap, it should assume the best of the person. Staff members need to know that their direct supervisor has faith in them and is not always assuming the worst. If their “boss” is always assuming the worst every time something appears negative, then it can be very frustrating and demoralizing. It will wear on them after a while — they will always feel like they have to explain everything. Always assume the best and good quality people will rise to the expectation. Always assume the worst and people will rebel and harbor ill will. [1] This is really a matter of trust. Does the senior pastor trust the staff? If so, trust them to do their jobs and assume they are doing their job to the best of their abilities.

10. Grow Your Staff

Staff need to know that you love them and want what’s best for them (and their families). When you meet with and talk about their ministries, if they begin to pick up that you see them as disposable tools and that they are there to make you look good, then they will not be supportive of your leadership. One of the best ways to convey this attitude is for you to constantly focus on their ministry numbers, performance, events, etc. and not really care about their future (or their family’s future). Staff are not there to make your name known, they are in ministry to make Christ’s name known. If you will invest in them and help them grow, then the kingdom of God is better served for it, and they will respect you.

So there you have it, 10 things staff need from their pastor or senior leader. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for taking time to read the article!

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[1] This is assuming that the staff person is not constantly late for reasons of irresponsibility. If a staff person earns the reputation for having negative reasons for the gaps that is another issue entirely. It is really hard to assume the best in a staff person if they are always having “gaps.” If they know they are going to be late, for example, then they should call. This does not make being late “ok,” but it does show the leader that they are aware of the gap and are trying their best to rebuild the trust.

Staff Members and the Support of Their Church

First Baptist Church Valdosta has an interesting and wonderful tradition. When the church goes through the calling process of hiring a new staff person the candidate goes through a series of meetings where he meets with various committees and groups of people.

Eventually, on the night of the church vote there is an option for discussion by the congregation and the candidate is then asked to leave the room. The church votes, typically unanimously, and the candidate is then asked to return.

Hereâ€™s where the tradition becomes interesting and wonderful. When the candidate enters the room there is thunderous applause, smiles, and cheers. The candidate enters with thoughts of uncertainty, apprehension, and unknowing only to be met with great encouragement and support.Â Then the congregation lines up to shake his hand and give him words of encouragement. What a wonderful way to begin a ministry; to begin with unanimous support and a great show of love.

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Why Staff Members Need the Support of Their Church

1. Â It is a symbiotic relationship. The Lord gives churches to pastors and the Lord gives pastors to churches. If both love each other, then there is peace, mutual growth, and the church accomplishes itâ€™s God given purpose. (Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 28, Revelation 2, etc.) When there is disharmony, distrust, a lack of submission, or when the relationship breaks down, there is only trouble.

2. Â It is a trusting relationship. Often times when a church hires a new staff member they travel great distances with their families to serve the Lord and the congregation. The new pastor must trust that the church will take care of him and his needs, and the church trusts that the pastor will do his job and do it well.

3. Â It is a growing relationship. Just as congregations go through stages of growth, maturity, and changes so do their pastors. Men of God are constantly changing. While their essential theology may not change, their philosophies of ministry, ability to handle difficult situations, abilities to minister to other people, and countless other life lessons that God teaches all of His servants does change. A pastor and church change over time (sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad).

4. Â It is a relationship. As with all relationships both sides have to put forth effort for it to work. Most pastors that I know work countless hours, do tasks few want to do, and truly love their jobs. Most churches have a desire to do something great for the Lord and are looking for someone to lead them. When both work together, â€œeven the gates of hell can not stop them.â€ This a special blessing from the Lord.

Your church staff needs to know that you are behind them. For one young man, his family,Â and a church in South Georgia it all began with thunderous applause.

Advice for the Rookie Staff Person

3-25-2014 Update

I wrote this article a little over two years ago. It was for the incoming youth pastor, and it was my desire to help him and to build a relationship with him. FBCV hired a new youth pastor a few weeks ago, and he will began this week. Most of the points of the article that I wrote earlier are still true (except for #6, I do to know what happened to the chair. It is probably on a garbage pile somewhere).

Jared, I will be praying for your ministry; you are about to begin a very rewarding and difficult journey. My two sons are looking to you to be their pastor. As their father I need you to do well. Men before you have laid a road that you must repair and move forward on. I will lay whatever bricks on that road you need, and carry whatever load needs to be carried. I want to help you in any way that I can. I will have your back, and I will love your family. I will put my shoulder to work and will move mountains for you. Your success is inseparably linked to mine. If you fail, I fail. If you win, I win (and my children). Too much time has been wasted, now it’s time to change the world. Let’s get going.

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Here’s the original article.

This coming Sunday, First Baptist Church Valdosta will vote to hire a new youth pastor after almost a year search process. Barring some unforeseen drama the church should vote to hire him. His office will be next to mine in the church, and I am wondering what is going through his head right now. I remember how nervous and apprehensive I was the first week I started.

I will get to move from â€œrookieâ€ status and he will now sit in that chair (thanks man.) Since I am now a well-seasoned veteran after six months, I now feel fully capable of giving some advice, so here we go.

Tips for the â€œRookieâ€ staff person

1. Let people know what you are doing, especially your boss. This is not bragging, instead you are letting people know what direction you are headed. Because people have this information, they are able to warn you of troubled waters ahead, or how that did or did not work years ago the last time it was attempted. When people are informed there is less of a chance for people to read-into situations, your motives, or where you want the ministry to go. I have discovered at FBCV that with its many years of ministry there are few things that have not been before done in some form or another. Some of my â€œcutting edgeâ€ ideas are just re-packaged and re-branded ideas from years ago.[1]

2. Be aware of those that have served in your position before you. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes this is bad, but knowing what they were doing will help you to know what relationships you need to focus on, where you will need to spend your initial energy, and beginning steps into your ministry.

The initial first steps have the capability to put people at ease, or to exacerbate an already aggravated situation. You could also reach back to a well-run ministry before and link it to what you are doing to add some continuity to the ministry. With continuity (of success) brings predictability, with predictability brings trust, with trust ministries can be built. If the one serving before you did a poor job, then this trust building will take more time and vice versa.

3. Balance your life with ministry. There will be a huge temptation to make a huge impact as soon as you can. You will want to work long hours, go to every meeting, and get involved in everything. But remember that ministry is a marathon, not a sprint. In order for your ministry to be solid, long lasting, and life impacting your family has to be solid, long lasting, and life impacting. You will fall into a predictable work week before you know it.

Talk with your spouse about your commitments, scheduling, and how you plan to balance everything. Build some extra time into your schedule, because new and unpredictable things pop up constantly. If you have maxed out your schedule, you will be stressed to add one more meeting, one more counseling session, one more â€œopportunityâ€ at the expense of a childâ€™s ball game or concert.

That being said, work and get things done, when you need to work and get things done. If you slack and say, â€œIâ€™ve got this extra time built in,â€ then it never fails that a crisis will arise when you also need to write a sermon, or teaching lesson, or whatever.

4. Remember you are apart of a team, a staff. When I first started at FBCV, I was contemplating setting up an office in the Childrenâ€™s Building and just using the office in the main building as storage or something. But, I have now learned how bad of an idea that would have been. You need to stay plugged into what other staff are doing, and how you can help them (or they can help you.)

If everyone sets up offices all over the campus in their â€œareasâ€ then there is little chance of people interacting with each other. It is that daily interaction and doing ministry together that creates a bond among the staff. If you rarely see each other on a weekly basis, then there is also little accountability. Offices are just an example of a mindset of how you will work with others.

Make the extra effort to engage them, ask them to go to lunch, spend time on the weekends with them, etc. Even though you are the â€œrookieâ€ make the extra effort to be friendly. The staff are not there for you, you are a part of a team to serves the church as a whole. Take the first step to build a friendship, don’t wait on them.

5. You are a professional, be a professional. How you act, dress, and relate to people in the church environment directly impacts the rest of the staff and the direction the pastor is directing the church as a whole. You represent a larger congregation, and they are counting on you to lead in your area of responsibility and to be professional in how you do it. Be on time, dress nice, and think about what you say and how it will reflect upon others.

6. My office Chair. Along with all this information that I pass on to the â€œrookie,â€ I also pass on the office chair that was in my office when I got here. It needs a little â€œadjustmentâ€ and there are also some other ministry essentials (junk) that I moved out of my office to make your life easier. So, good luck with that.

Rookie, I hope this helps. My office is next door any time you want to roll over.

[1] Ecclesiastes 1:9 â€œWhat has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.â€

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