Just a short while ago, we finished moving all of my worldly possessions. Wow, I own a lot of stuff. I am no longer a resident of Arden Hills, MN. I now live in East St. Paul, MN. I'm also less than 48 hours from becoming a married man. That is of course assuming my bride to be makes in through the next 2 days. She's feeling the strain of the details at the moment. While I've been moving, she's been taking care of an endless number of things to make sure this is a fantastic event, and I appreciate that. We are being very Christ focused in our wedding. We're having a candle lighting ceremony at the end (similar to that which is done in many churches Christmas Eve) and challenging people to be a light unto the world. We pray that we are a light to those in attendance, and that everyone will take that and share it with others for the Kingdom.
Beyond having just moved and planning a wedding, I have a paper to write, so I suppose I'll get to that. It's only 11:53 PM, almost the perfect time to start a final paper 8-)
Likely I won't post again until we are back from our honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. I can't wait to get there!
An Atlanta newspaper (Atlanta Journal Constitution has had two articles in it on the Cancun and Hurricane Wilma recovery effrots. The first article and the second article.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
You know you are a graduate student when...
You know you are a graduate student when...
1) You are writing papers Christmas day.2) You schedule your wedding around when school is out.
3) You have a more intimate relationship with your laptop computer than anything else.
4) Vacation is a trip to a new grocery store.
5) Study breaks are more about studying than breaking.
6) You are on a first name basis with Amazon.com staff.
7) Your car is equal value to 8-12 credit hours.
8) Your book collection's value exceeds that of your car.
9) There is a wooden chair in a cubicle at the library that is form fitted to your butt.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
I got tagged for a meme...
Today I was tagged by fellow Minnesota Orginzation of Blogs (MOB) member Night Writer. It's a simple meme, one that Night Writer refered to as "weird".
So with that, I will list 5 weird habits or things that I do:
1) I don't eat vegetables for the most part. I like corn, peas (never canned), green beans, asperagus if cooked right, carrots and not much else.
2) I have been randomly approached 5 different times by people to do voice overs for commercials on radio. Most often this has happened in the restaurants I have worked in over the years. People like my voice, which I think is weird anyhow.
3) I always put my right sock on first. I always put my left leg through my underwear and pants first. I have no idea why, I just do.
4) I enjoy painting. That in itself is not weird, but I enjoy painting in spite of the fact that I have ZERO talent. I'm serious. I set up a special date with my fiancee last Spring where we did some painting (she was an Art Education major in college). She's artistic in every sense of the word. My art looked so bad, and was honestly so embarrassing, that I put the brushes down and began finger painting. I hadn't finger painted since Kindergarden I'm guessing. The finger painting looked far better than my original. My fiancee can verify this. I'm that bad. Yet I enjoy it.
5) I own nearly 20 pocket knives of various size, shapes, uses and designs.
I'll give some thought to who I will tag with this, and perhaps post that later if time allows. I've got a wedding to finalize details on, I have to move, and I have papers to write!
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
O GOD OF MERCY, GOD OF MIGHT
Words:Godfrey Thring, 1877.Music:Edwin D. Drewett, 1887.
O God of mercy, God of might,
O God of mercy, God of might,
In love and pity infinite,
Teach us, as ever in Thy sight,
To live our life to Thee.
And Thou Who cam’st on earth to die,
That fallen man might live thereby,
O hear us, for to Thee we cry
In hope, O Lord, to Thee.
Teach us the lesson Thou hast taught,
To feel for those Thy blood hath bought;
That every word and deed and thought
May work a work for Thee.
For all are brethren, far and wide,
Since Thou, O Lord, for all hast died;
Then teach us, whatsoe’er betide,
To love them all in Thee.
In sickness, sorrow, want or care,
Whate’er it be, ’tis ours to share;
May we, when help is needed, there
Give help as unto Thee.
And may Thy Holy Spirit move
All those who live, to live in love,
Till Thou shalt greet in Heaven above
All those who live to Thee.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Eagle Brook Church Christmas Service Promo...
I got this in my inbox today from Eagle Brook Church, Lino Lakes, MN.
A Note From Pastor Bob Merritt
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Related Tags: Eagle Brook Church, Eaglebrook Church, Lino Lakes, White Bear Lake, Church, Megachurch, Mega Church, Bob Merritt
A Note From Pastor Bob Merritt
Dear Church Family,
In three days, we’ll open the doors for our first Christmas Eve at our new campus—and we have done everything humanly possible with music, lighting, video, faith story and message to prepare for what I think will be our most memorable Christmas Eve ever. You and your family will not want to miss this one. Over 7500 tickets have been picked up which means that we’re expecting 9000 or more people to actually attend our six services. If you haven’t picked up tickets yet, please choose a service other than the 6 o’clock on Friday and the 3 o’clock on Saturday. Both of those are full. You can reserve your tickets online right now.But here’s the real reason I’m writing this email. I think the people who will be most disappointed on Christmas Eve will be those who failed to invite their unchurched friends and family members to church. I personally have invited a dozen people, most of whom have said they will come. The new building is a definite draw and makes for an easy invite. I’ve even sent a few invitations by mail. We believe this will be the day many have been waiting for all of their lives.
The programming elements and message we have planned will make you laugh, think, reflect and wonder about your life and relationship with God. This one will capture the hearts of young and old, churched and unchurched, and we’re praying that hundreds will begin their new life with Christ in just three days from now. So I can’t say it strongly enough—get there early, don’t come alone, and please pray that this will be the day that hundreds finally find Jesus as their Savior, Lord and lifelong friend.
With great expectation that God will show up,Bob
Related Tags: Eagle Brook Church, Eaglebrook Church, Lino Lakes, White Bear Lake, Church, Megachurch, Mega Church, Bob Merritt
Those aren't pews, they're stadium seats
I missed this article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press a few weeks ago when Eagle Brook Church moved from White Bear Lake, MN to Lino Lakes, MN.
New mega-church lures worshippers by embracing trends.
BY BOB SHAW
Pioneer Press
Hundreds of worshippers stomped snow off their boots in the lobby of Eagle Brook Church Saturday — and marveled at God's new $24 million house.
"It's wonderful! It's breathtaking!" said Cherie Broberg as she entered the colorful 2,100-seat sanctuary.
It was the crowning achievement of years of work and a whole lot of praying, said the Rev. Bob Merritt, preaching in an arena the size of a jet hangar.
"Miracles happen," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "It's indescribable. Twelve months ago, this place was cornfield, some dirt and a dream."
With Saturday's inaugural service, Eagle Brook Church shouldered its way into the ranks of the state's biggest churches. Mega-churches are the fastest growing kind of church in America, experts say.
The new building in Lino Lakes sits on 91 acres — bigger than some airports. It dwarfs the old Eagle Brook Church building in White Bear Lake. Its sanctuary is smaller than the immense Grace Church of Eden Prairie, but it attracts more visitors every week — 6,000, and rising.
In fact, growth is the main worry of operations director Scott Anderson. "We might not have enough seats," he said, taking a break from mopping the floors of the church's "Café 500" last week.
While many smaller churches languish, this is the kind of problem that plagues mega-churches.
Mega-church leaders, including those at Eagle Brook, believe that the more people in the doors, the better. They avoid anything that might be turn-offs for the unchurched.
A typical mega-church features:
• No pews. Instead, there are comfortable movie-theater-style cushioned seats. Stadium seating ensures good views of the stage.
• No Bibles or hymnals. Parishioners sing hymns by following the words on a large screen.
• Non-churchy architecture, without steeples. They look like high schools, malls or convention centers.
• Few symbols of religion. Stained-glass windows and even crosses are far less prominent.
• A dizzying array of specialized services, with specialists in geriatrics, teens, addiction and early childhood.
• No asking for money during a service — a turnoff for newcomers. There never is "passing the plate."
• High-energy music, with an in-house rock-style band on a stage ablaze with theatrical lighting.
• No pulpits. The pastor speaks informally from a simple stand on the stage.
• A fundamentalist and charismatic worship style, with a politically conservative viewpoint.
When 13-year-old Noelle Lindahl walked inside the natural stone lobby of Eagle Brook, she gushed: "It looks like a mall!"
"Mega-churches are successful because of the increasingly consumerist attitude of the day," said the Rev. Timothy Johnson, director of the Minnesota Church Ministries Association, which represents 90 members.
"They can offer something for everyone," he said.
Johnson said the vast majority of churches in America have fewer than 100 weekly worshippers. "The smaller churches are always looking over their shoulder."
Churches become almost generic, with "brand names" like Baptist, Lutheran and Catholic fading away. "The age of denominationalism is largely over," said Johnson.
Johnson said Christian values can be taught in a setting of almost any size. "But from my perspective, you have to ask, what kind of product do you have at the end of the day?" said Johnson. "Are you really changing the spiritual life and orientation of a person or not?"
The Eagle Brook Church always was focused on that goal, say church leaders. But in the 1990s, the name of the church was the First Baptist Church of White Bear Lake, and the church leaders wanted to grow.
They turned to a marketing technique — focus groups — and determined that the word "Baptist" kept people away. So, in 1997, the church name was changed to Eagle Brook.
Out went traditional styles of worship. The church decided it wouldn't avoid worldly trends — it would embrace them.
The youth service, with louder music, is called "The Edge." The Saturday service had an 11-piece rock band on a 60-foot-wide stage, with three huge rear-projection screens for videos, words to songs and ever-changing designs.
The architecture is airy and modern. "We don't want it to look like a traditional church," said Anderson.
The building opened to rave reviews Saturday.
"I'm so excited — what an awesome worship space!" said Kristi Shannon, who attended the White Bear Lake church.
If the aim was to appeal to younger worshippers, it was working on 15-year-old Kelsey Broberg. "A lot more kids will like to come to church here," she said.
Her friend Justine Coller added, "It's not old-people-ish."
Upstairs in the children's area, staff member Kristine Wendt was passing out free popcorn as fast as it would pop. Mobs of kids romped in a playroom room packed with 11 games — air hockey, pinball, basketball.
"This conveys relevance," Wendt hollered over the commotion.
"It's so awesome to see this, having been part of the vision. I have held back my tears five times today."
Downstairs, in the sanctuary, the audience was treated to a lineup of entertainment — a rock band, a comedy skit and a testimonial — all with a Christian message.
But most parishioners said the core message was what mattered — devoting lives to Christ.
"It isn't about the building. It's about the people," said Amy Lindahl as she dropped off her kids in the day-care rooms. "We put our prayers and hearts and souls into this place, and hopefully God will be glorified."
The next step in attracting people? Cup holders, perhaps.
"We are a Caribou church," said Anderson. "Half of the people come in here with coffee. It's such a part of who people are today, maybe we should add them.
"It all has to do," he said, "with relevance."
Bob Shaw can be reached at bshaw@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5433.
------------------------------------------------------------
New mega-church lures worshippers by embracing trends.
BY BOB SHAW
Pioneer Press
Hundreds of worshippers stomped snow off their boots in the lobby of Eagle Brook Church Saturday — and marveled at God's new $24 million house.
"It's wonderful! It's breathtaking!" said Cherie Broberg as she entered the colorful 2,100-seat sanctuary.
It was the crowning achievement of years of work and a whole lot of praying, said the Rev. Bob Merritt, preaching in an arena the size of a jet hangar.
"Miracles happen," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "It's indescribable. Twelve months ago, this place was cornfield, some dirt and a dream."
With Saturday's inaugural service, Eagle Brook Church shouldered its way into the ranks of the state's biggest churches. Mega-churches are the fastest growing kind of church in America, experts say.
The new building in Lino Lakes sits on 91 acres — bigger than some airports. It dwarfs the old Eagle Brook Church building in White Bear Lake. Its sanctuary is smaller than the immense Grace Church of Eden Prairie, but it attracts more visitors every week — 6,000, and rising.
In fact, growth is the main worry of operations director Scott Anderson. "We might not have enough seats," he said, taking a break from mopping the floors of the church's "Café 500" last week.
While many smaller churches languish, this is the kind of problem that plagues mega-churches.
Mega-church leaders, including those at Eagle Brook, believe that the more people in the doors, the better. They avoid anything that might be turn-offs for the unchurched.
A typical mega-church features:
• No pews. Instead, there are comfortable movie-theater-style cushioned seats. Stadium seating ensures good views of the stage.
• No Bibles or hymnals. Parishioners sing hymns by following the words on a large screen.
• Non-churchy architecture, without steeples. They look like high schools, malls or convention centers.
• Few symbols of religion. Stained-glass windows and even crosses are far less prominent.
• A dizzying array of specialized services, with specialists in geriatrics, teens, addiction and early childhood.
• No asking for money during a service — a turnoff for newcomers. There never is "passing the plate."
• High-energy music, with an in-house rock-style band on a stage ablaze with theatrical lighting.
• No pulpits. The pastor speaks informally from a simple stand on the stage.
• A fundamentalist and charismatic worship style, with a politically conservative viewpoint.
When 13-year-old Noelle Lindahl walked inside the natural stone lobby of Eagle Brook, she gushed: "It looks like a mall!"
"Mega-churches are successful because of the increasingly consumerist attitude of the day," said the Rev. Timothy Johnson, director of the Minnesota Church Ministries Association, which represents 90 members.
"They can offer something for everyone," he said.
Johnson said the vast majority of churches in America have fewer than 100 weekly worshippers. "The smaller churches are always looking over their shoulder."
Churches become almost generic, with "brand names" like Baptist, Lutheran and Catholic fading away. "The age of denominationalism is largely over," said Johnson.
Johnson said Christian values can be taught in a setting of almost any size. "But from my perspective, you have to ask, what kind of product do you have at the end of the day?" said Johnson. "Are you really changing the spiritual life and orientation of a person or not?"
The Eagle Brook Church always was focused on that goal, say church leaders. But in the 1990s, the name of the church was the First Baptist Church of White Bear Lake, and the church leaders wanted to grow.
They turned to a marketing technique — focus groups — and determined that the word "Baptist" kept people away. So, in 1997, the church name was changed to Eagle Brook.
Out went traditional styles of worship. The church decided it wouldn't avoid worldly trends — it would embrace them.
The youth service, with louder music, is called "The Edge." The Saturday service had an 11-piece rock band on a 60-foot-wide stage, with three huge rear-projection screens for videos, words to songs and ever-changing designs.
The architecture is airy and modern. "We don't want it to look like a traditional church," said Anderson.
The building opened to rave reviews Saturday.
"I'm so excited — what an awesome worship space!" said Kristi Shannon, who attended the White Bear Lake church.
If the aim was to appeal to younger worshippers, it was working on 15-year-old Kelsey Broberg. "A lot more kids will like to come to church here," she said.
Her friend Justine Coller added, "It's not old-people-ish."
Upstairs in the children's area, staff member Kristine Wendt was passing out free popcorn as fast as it would pop. Mobs of kids romped in a playroom room packed with 11 games — air hockey, pinball, basketball.
"This conveys relevance," Wendt hollered over the commotion.
"It's so awesome to see this, having been part of the vision. I have held back my tears five times today."
Downstairs, in the sanctuary, the audience was treated to a lineup of entertainment — a rock band, a comedy skit and a testimonial — all with a Christian message.
But most parishioners said the core message was what mattered — devoting lives to Christ.
"It isn't about the building. It's about the people," said Amy Lindahl as she dropped off her kids in the day-care rooms. "We put our prayers and hearts and souls into this place, and hopefully God will be glorified."
The next step in attracting people? Cup holders, perhaps.
"We are a Caribou church," said Anderson. "Half of the people come in here with coffee. It's such a part of who people are today, maybe we should add them.
"It all has to do," he said, "with relevance."
Bob Shaw can be reached at bshaw@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5433.
Old photos of my childhood...
This morning rather than working on papers that are severely over due, I spent a couple of hours scanning in some photos that will be used in our wedding next week. This couldn't be put off any longer, or I risked not getting them to the guy who is putting together the powerpoint for us in time for them to be included.To the right is a photo of me at what I would guess as 8 months. My mother had just cut off all her hair, previously it was down to near her belt line. It's amazing how young my parents look (yes, they WERE very young by today's standard). I'm glad fashion has changed from 1975!
This photo is both sets of my grandparents, my parents, and me of course. Aldon and Barb Meirose on the left, James and Carol Murray on the right. This photo was taken in my Meirose grandparent's living room. The fashion is so Hawaii 5-O
Grandpa and Grandma Murray, Grandpa holding me, Grandma holding my cousin Sara Goodroad. We're the same age, but you can tell even then I was a LOT bigger. Still true today. My grandmother died of breast cancer in 1988.
Grandpa and Grandma Meirose, and Aunt Lori Hevern (Meirose) and Tigger? the dog. I suspect this photo was taken in Forrest City, Iowa, but I'm not sure.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Odds and ends...
The heavy press to finish my school work prior to my wedding is on. Every waking moment for the rest of this week will be consumed by writing papers. Not fun, but part of being a graduate student. That means I'll be a bit sporadic with my postings here, but as I need breaks I might put up some thoughts.
Last night it reached -8 degrees F here in my part of Minnesota. That is cold, painfully cold. I had to stop and get gas for my truck, and the 5 or so minutes it took to fill were brutal. I've experienced colder weather, much colder in fact, but whenever it's in the negative degrees it hurts to be outside, hurts to breath the air. I am very thankful I put the new battery in my truck a few weeks back when we had a cold snap, as there is no way my truck would be starting now. Even at these temperatures, my good old truck fires right up. It makes strange noises, and won't run well if I try to drive off (especially the transmission) it does start right up. I do use a full synthetic oil (Mobil 1 5w30) in my truck, and the past few days I have been plugging in the block heater which helps enormously. For those of you in the South or sunny California, a block heater is effectively a heating element that sits inside of your motor (there are some that attach to the oil pan via strong magnent as well) with an extention cord coming off of it that you can plug into a wall outlet. Most of the year I keep the cord wrapped up in the engine bay near my horn, but 2 days ago I finally pulled it out and plugged it into an extention cord in our parking lot. The good news is that there is a warm up on the way. The news said mid-20's to lower 30's possible by the end of the week. And in Minnesota during the winter, that's shorts weather!
Last night we had the opportunity to attend a party hosted by Horst Rechelbacher for his
Intelligent Nutrients employees. IN has their facilities just off of Hennipen Ave. and 35W in Minneapolis, near the U of M campus. If you aren't familiar with Horst, he is the man who started the Aveda Corporation, a global plant-based cosmetic company, which he began in 1978. We had some really good Indian foods that I couldn't name and relaxed and took in the atmosphere. Much of the area we were in is decorated with artwork produced by Horst. Both his taste and his expression in art is interesting, though different from my own preferences. The facility is very new-age/spiritual in that Horst has things from numerous world religions decorating his facility. I think generally he sees it more as art than spiritual, but I could be wrong. He was very friendly, and took time to converse with nearly everyone in attendance.
Last night it reached -8 degrees F here in my part of Minnesota. That is cold, painfully cold. I had to stop and get gas for my truck, and the 5 or so minutes it took to fill were brutal. I've experienced colder weather, much colder in fact, but whenever it's in the negative degrees it hurts to be outside, hurts to breath the air. I am very thankful I put the new battery in my truck a few weeks back when we had a cold snap, as there is no way my truck would be starting now. Even at these temperatures, my good old truck fires right up. It makes strange noises, and won't run well if I try to drive off (especially the transmission) it does start right up. I do use a full synthetic oil (Mobil 1 5w30) in my truck, and the past few days I have been plugging in the block heater which helps enormously. For those of you in the South or sunny California, a block heater is effectively a heating element that sits inside of your motor (there are some that attach to the oil pan via strong magnent as well) with an extention cord coming off of it that you can plug into a wall outlet. Most of the year I keep the cord wrapped up in the engine bay near my horn, but 2 days ago I finally pulled it out and plugged it into an extention cord in our parking lot. The good news is that there is a warm up on the way. The news said mid-20's to lower 30's possible by the end of the week. And in Minnesota during the winter, that's shorts weather!
Last night we had the opportunity to attend a party hosted by Horst Rechelbacher for his
Intelligent Nutrients employees. IN has their facilities just off of Hennipen Ave. and 35W in Minneapolis, near the U of M campus. If you aren't familiar with Horst, he is the man who started the Aveda Corporation, a global plant-based cosmetic company, which he began in 1978. We had some really good Indian foods that I couldn't name and relaxed and took in the atmosphere. Much of the area we were in is decorated with artwork produced by Horst. Both his taste and his expression in art is interesting, though different from my own preferences. The facility is very new-age/spiritual in that Horst has things from numerous world religions decorating his facility. I think generally he sees it more as art than spiritual, but I could be wrong. He was very friendly, and took time to converse with nearly everyone in attendance.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Influencial and innovative church salary survey...
(HT: Eric Swanson)
Below is a salary structure that many smaller churches could not dream of approaching. But the thing I appreciate from it is that there is hope that I may someday be able to pay back my student loans! Between undergraduate work, and Seminary, the amount of student loans is accumulating at an astounding rate. Keep in mind, many of the people who fit the lead categories below have at minimum a master's degree, and a lot of Senior Pastors have a Doctorate of Ministry, or a Ph.D, so they are very well educated. Also, 10-25% of the reported amount is housing in many/most cases.
For the past 20 years Leadership Network has taken a salary survey
of roughly 100 churches in their network. These churches would tend to
be seen as those with influence and innovation that are leaders in the
church world. This info may be helpful in negotiating your next raise
or you may want to keep this hidden if you are being paid too much! The
complete salary survey is also available under Special Reports on the
Leadership Network Website:
http://www.leadnet.org/specialreports.asp
Church Size
The smallest church in the survey had an average weekend worship attendance of 800.
The largest church in the survey had an average weekend worship attendance of 8000.
The average (mean) church attendance was 2942.
The median (midpoint of data set) was 2252.
Annual General Budget Income
The number reported is the actual income for the last fiscal year:
The lowest to income reported was $1,800,000.
The highest income reported was $17,588,121.
The median income was $3,875,000.
The average income was $5,210,427.
Salary Levels
The
survey asked for cash salary plus housing allowances for various roles.
It does not include other benefits that are often a sizeable part of a
minister’s compensation package. In addition, many churches have
“Directors” which are not labeled “ministers” but serve in an
equivalent role. Where there was role equivalency, these numbers were
included in the survey.
Below is a salary structure that many smaller churches could not dream of approaching. But the thing I appreciate from it is that there is hope that I may someday be able to pay back my student loans! Between undergraduate work, and Seminary, the amount of student loans is accumulating at an astounding rate. Keep in mind, many of the people who fit the lead categories below have at minimum a master's degree, and a lot of Senior Pastors have a Doctorate of Ministry, or a Ph.D, so they are very well educated. Also, 10-25% of the reported amount is housing in many/most cases.
_____________________________________________
For the past 20 years Leadership Network has taken a salary survey
of roughly 100 churches in their network. These churches would tend to
be seen as those with influence and innovation that are leaders in the
church world. This info may be helpful in negotiating your next raise
or you may want to keep this hidden if you are being paid too much! The
complete salary survey is also available under Special Reports on the
Leadership Network Website:
http://www.leadnet.org/specialreports.asp
Church Size
The smallest church in the survey had an average weekend worship attendance of 800.
The largest church in the survey had an average weekend worship attendance of 8000.
The average (mean) church attendance was 2942.
The median (midpoint of data set) was 2252.
Annual General Budget Income
The number reported is the actual income for the last fiscal year:
The lowest to income reported was $1,800,000.
The highest income reported was $17,588,121.
The median income was $3,875,000.
The average income was $5,210,427.
Salary Levels
The
survey asked for cash salary plus housing allowances for various roles.
It does not include other benefits that are often a sizeable part of a
minister’s compensation package. In addition, many churches have
“Directors” which are not labeled “ministers” but serve in an
equivalent role. Where there was role equivalency, these numbers were
included in the survey.
Senior Pastor
• Average $130,004
• Median $126,900
Low $ 84,000
High $192,400
Executive Pastor
• Average $97,803
• Median $96,000
Low $61,437
High $167,300
Associate Pastor
• Average $ 80,441
• Median $ 78,850
Low $ 52,200
High $ 125,000
Worship Pastor
• Average $ 72,454
• Median $ 73,000
Low $ 36,000
High $ 115,900
Teaching Pastor
• Average $ 70,690
• Median $ 62,150
Low $ 47,000
High $ 126,200
Operations Director
• Average $ 71,607
• Median $ 75,000
Low $ 47,400
High $ 100,000
Business Administrator
• Average $70,690
• Median $70,200
Low $41,640
High $121,000
Equipping Pastor
• Average $ 70,300
• Median $ 74,000
Low $ 40,000
High $ 92,500
Director of Programming
• Average $ 69,653
• Median $ 56,650
Low $ 38,720
High $ 115,000
Family Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 69,180
• Median $ 71,475
Low $ 53,098
High $ 90,000
Small Groups Pastor
• Average $ 68,564
• Median $ 63,655
Low $ 43,700
High $ 150,000
Missions Pastor
• Average $ 67,370
• Median $ 66,000
Low $ 25,000
High $ 130,000
Pastoral Care Pastor
• Average $ 64,514
• Median $ 65,000
Low $ 36,000
High $ 90,000
Men’s Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 62,657
• Median $ 56,300
Low $ 50,000
High $ 78,000
Outreach Pastor
• Average $ 60,300
• Median $ 60,000
Low $ 30,000
High $ 100,800
Student Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 55,961
• Median $ 52,929
Low $ 40,000
High $ 74,000
Children’s Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 55,026
• Median $ 53,525
Low $ 35,000
High $ 78,000
Women’s Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 53,758
• Median $ 56,340
Low $ 26,000
High $ 72,400
High School Pastor
• Average $ 51,152
• Median $ 53,100
Low $ 32,287
High $ 69,000
Church Technology Director
• Average $ 51,070
• Median $ 51,000
Low $ 25,000
High $ 87,000
Communications Director
• Average $ 50,277
• Median $ 47,200
Low $ 26,000
High $ 82,000
Media Director
• Average $ 49,508
• Median $ 51,500
Low $ 37,507
High $ 60,200
Human Resources Director
• Average $ 47,087
• Median $ 45,000
Low $ 31,000
High $ 70,484
Middle School Pastor
• Average $ 45,845
• Median $ 46,000
Low $ 27,500
High $ 62,500
Younger Children’s Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 45,714
• Median $ 40,000
Low $ 32,000
High $ 66,800
Older Children’s Ministry Pastor
• Average $ 40,050
• Median $ 40,050
Low $ 37,600
High $ 42,500
Friday, December 16, 2005
Idea for a new TV ministry...
My previous post mentioned that ABC is starting a program where people will be able to submit sermons (among other things) for a show ABC is developing. This got me to thinking this morning about the costs of television ministry. I will come out and say it, TBN causes as much or more harm as it does good in my opinion. In fact, with the amount of money some of the executives and pastors on TBN make, it's hard to believe they can maintain their .org status on the internet, because someone sure is profiting. (granted, there are a few "keepers" on TBN)
I wonder if a collection of churches across the USA could pool together their resources and buy a time slot like infomercials do. I think initially this would have to be like the infomercials where the content provider pays for the programming. My guess is that there might come a point where the ad revenue from this period (assuming they can get a "prime" infomercial time - Saturday afternoon?) would make the shows profitable for the network, to the point where at least the network would consider not charging as they do for the church programming. If you had 60 churches who were willing to do this, that would require each of those churches to pay for 6 weeks a year. I don't know what that cost would be, and if that is too much you just continue adding churches until it becomes affordable. Perhaps some churches could afford more, and they purchase two slots (12 weeks) of programming.
Many large churches are already using high quality video and sound recording, so the cost there would be low presumably.
The manpower to get this off the ground would also not be all that large. 1 or 2 people working on this could pull this together. I would think you would want one person to work on acquisition and review of content, and another who would do scheduling and technical work (editing etc.) as needed. Because churches could choose from the full catalog of sermons previously preached (that they have recorded at the levels needed, and of course this would depend on how dated the illustrations in the sermons are) you would not have to necessarily wait for new materials. This could be an "all-star" sermon collection, the best of the best from each church.
I would watch this. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I would go out of my way to watch this, and I would guess many other Christians would too. With the advent of TiVO and DVR's many people could/would watch them that way too. I also think this would have to be attractive to some businesses advertising wise, which is where I think this could eventually become a revenue producing program (therefore no cost to ministries). Maybe I'm wrong, but I sure would love to see something like this happen. Heck, I sure would like to have the job of acquisition of the sermon material.
A side benefit of this would be at least for a period, we could draw some viewership away from the circus that is TBN.
What are your thoughts? Know of something I am over looking that makes this impossible (don't say cost)? Would you watch this? Anybody you would think might be interested in this?
Things of note...
"Influential — Voices of Faith" is a new program being launched by ABC News. ABC plans to broadcast sermons submitted from churches, synagogues, temples and mosques across the country. The sermon must be 15 minutes or less so that it can run uncut on the show. For more information on this offer, go to ABC News.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — the film based on the C.S. Lewis children's classic — sold an estimated $67 million worth of tickets on its opening weekend, more than the next nine most popular films of the weekend combined.
(HT: FOTF Pastor's Weekly Briefing)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — the film based on the C.S. Lewis children's classic — sold an estimated $67 million worth of tickets on its opening weekend, more than the next nine most popular films of the weekend combined.
(HT: FOTF Pastor's Weekly Briefing)
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Over the next few weeks...
It's been a long couple of days for me. Yesterday I had to take my truck to the Goodyear shop in Arden Hills, MN for a CV joint/half-shaft replacement, and that ran me $290 and took all day. I sat in the Burger King next door to the shop all day and worked on papers, so it wasn't a complete loss. Then I went over to Banana's house and shoveled the very heavy 8 inches of snow we had gotten over the previous 18 hours. Banana and I then went out and grabbed some Mexican food at Los Tejanos Restaurante. I had a couple of steak enchiladas and Banana had Fajitas. Good food, very friendly service. I'm sure we'll be back.
On the drive to Banana's house, I realized I could still feel the significant "thump" that prompted me to bring my truck in. I knew I needed the CV joint, as it was toasted. So I got up early today, and called the shop, and brought the truck in again. Back to Burger King for another day of paper writing. $340 later and I now have two new rear torsion bar mounts, and the clunk is gone. Not good timing 2 weeks before my wedding and honeymoon, but I guess I have to have a safe vehicle.
I have been way behind all semester long. I got behind in September School with the combination of a lot of writing, and the death of Banana's grandmother calling us out of town. That pushed course work into this semester, which delayed my current work. This just kept on adding upon itself, while we bought two rental houses, I moved to a new apartment, and we tried to plan our wedding. Added onto this has been my work at my church, my working at the resturant, and my incredibly heavy semester as a teaching assistant. The result of this is our vacation/honeymoon can't come soon enough. I'm wiped out, and still have a lot of writing before my semester is over. That's the bad thing about graduate school, or at least Seminary. It's as much writing in some individual classes as entire years of undergraduate work. So I'm just venting here I guess, and if anybody is still reading I apologize for dumping. The good part of all of this is that the papers I am writing are quite interesting, and I think I might use some of them here on the blog (eventually).
So if my posting is a bit light and infrequent, please check back mid-January when my life will begin to get back into regular patterns.
On the drive to Banana's house, I realized I could still feel the significant "thump" that prompted me to bring my truck in. I knew I needed the CV joint, as it was toasted. So I got up early today, and called the shop, and brought the truck in again. Back to Burger King for another day of paper writing. $340 later and I now have two new rear torsion bar mounts, and the clunk is gone. Not good timing 2 weeks before my wedding and honeymoon, but I guess I have to have a safe vehicle.
I have been way behind all semester long. I got behind in September School with the combination of a lot of writing, and the death of Banana's grandmother calling us out of town. That pushed course work into this semester, which delayed my current work. This just kept on adding upon itself, while we bought two rental houses, I moved to a new apartment, and we tried to plan our wedding. Added onto this has been my work at my church, my working at the resturant, and my incredibly heavy semester as a teaching assistant. The result of this is our vacation/honeymoon can't come soon enough. I'm wiped out, and still have a lot of writing before my semester is over. That's the bad thing about graduate school, or at least Seminary. It's as much writing in some individual classes as entire years of undergraduate work. So I'm just venting here I guess, and if anybody is still reading I apologize for dumping. The good part of all of this is that the papers I am writing are quite interesting, and I think I might use some of them here on the blog (eventually).
So if my posting is a bit light and infrequent, please check back mid-January when my life will begin to get back into regular patterns.
Be Thou My Vision...
Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.
Music: “Slane,” of Irish folk origin. Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Music: “Slane,” of Irish folk origin. Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Cleaning the Membership Rolls (Part 2)
I posted the first half of this article two weeks ago, and wanted to follow up the the remainder.
Cleaning Up the Rolls (Part 1)
Mark 6: Biblical Understanding of Church Membership
Other Articles on Membership
Other Articles by Matt Schmucker
The Care List
How can we lovingly remove members from the roles of our churches without
causing division and hurt feelings among the members who remain? A
pastor may be rightly concerned about bloated membership lists that do
not accurately reflect who is actually involved in the church. But it
is difficult to predict how the very ones he wants to protect—the
active believers!—will respond when he recommends trimming down the
list. In more than one of our church’s members meetings, Iand the other church elders found ourselves faced with members who were
suddenly hurt or even upset when we presented a friend of theirs for
removal (discipline) from membership. Invariably, the upset member said
the same thing: "you elders are moving too quickly; you don’t have all
the data!"
Several years ago, a woman named "Kate," once a
fruitful and active member, grew unhappy with our church. Over several
months, her activity lessened and her communication narrowed. We elders
heard second-hand reports that she was upset about our complementarian
view of men-women roles or about funding for certain missions projects.
Yet she never directly addressed her concerns with any leader. Whenever
a leader asked, she always responded with pleasantries and nothing
forth-telling. Finally, she asked for a meeting with our senior pastor,
where she announced her resignation from membership. Again, she voiced
no particular criticism. Our senior pastor took the notice to the
elders, who then took a motion to accept her resignation to the entire
congregation at the next regularly scheduled members meeting. That’s
where it got messy!
After the elders presented the motion to accept
Kate’s resignation, a member raised her hand and said, "I just had
lunch with Kate this afternoon, and she said she didn’t want to
resign." No further evidence was given. The congregation felt stuck
between the conflicting stories, and it became a very awkward position
for the elders because it raised questions of integrity. Was someone
not telling the truth? Were the elders trying to push Kate out before
she was ready? Was this loving? Was this right?
Kate’s situation involved an actual resignation, but
generally we found that active members tended to object when an
individual was being disciplined for non-attendance. Non-attendance is
one of the most difficult sins (Heb. 10:25-26) to discipline because
it’s common and it does not seem flagrant, like adultery or
fornication. Not many people will object to disciplinary actions taken
against an unrepentant adulterer. Yet it is the member who is on the
periphery of the church, who has not attended in months, who has been
dabbling in other churches, yet who still relates to a few of his or
her old friends in your church that is the most difficult and, frankly,
dangerous. He is neither in nor out! He’s disaffected, but for some
reason he won’t let go.
Two good things came out of the situation with Kate
that have removed much angst among both the elders and congregation.
First, our church now requires a written notice of resignation. It can
be an email, letter, or a sticky note. Yet having something written
eliminates embarrassing moments in members meetings like the one with
Kate and her friend who said she didn’t want to resign.
Second, our church created something called a "care
list." Before we recommend an individual for discipline, we announce
the individual’s name to the congregation in a members meeting as part
of this "care list." So the elders will say something like, "Bill has
not been at church in five months. Elder Bob and pastoral assistant Ben
have both pursued Bill by phone and email. Yet Bill won’t return
anyone’s messages. So we are placing him on the ‘care list.’ If you are
friends with Bill, please get in touch with him. Tell him that we love
him, and encourage him to once again join our fellowship. Otherwise, we
will remove his name from membership for non-attendance in our next
regularly scheduled member’s meeting," which, incidentally, occurs
every other month at our church.
Notice, we state the name (Bill), the reason why we
are concerned (non-attendance), the steps we have already taken (Bob
and Ben pursued him), and what the congregation should expect in two
months’ time (a motion for discipline). We also tell people to speak
with us after the meeting if they have any immediate information—names on the care list are announced, not discussed then and there.
Why go to all this trouble? Too many times, we had seen Satan exploit the newness or suddenness of
a motion for discipline in our meetings. The elders would have worked
with a disaffected member for months and months to no avail, and often
we had done so without informing the congregation of the struggle. When
the motion for discipline was then brought to the congregation, the
information felt sudden to many. Sometimes, the body absorbed the news
without a peep. But sometimes, it shocked their system. And even if the
congregation was inclined to follow the elders’ recommendation, you
could feel a certain reluctance. Unanswered questions hung in the air,
and the whole process seemed to undermine the congregation’s confidence
in the elders. With the institution of the care list, however, we began
to go to the congregation with our concerns about an individual prior to calling for a formal act of discipline.
The care list has grown to include more than
upcoming discipline cases. We now will address other matters like
member needs resulting from health issues or finances. Sometimes
members have even asked to have their own names placed on the care
list, so that the congregation knows they are in a season of needing
special care.
We do not publish the care list, but verbally tell
the members of the church at a members meeting (closed to non-members!)
who is on the list. This avoids potential undue embarrassment.
This simple idea has had many benefits. First, it has removed the
"shock" value Satan regularly seemed to exploit. Second, it has
protected the elders from unwarranted charges. Third and best of all,
it has involved the entire church in praying and pleading with their
fellow member to come back to the church and live out their covenant
pledge. I am delighted to say that, after years of working with the
care list, issues that were once divisive are now used to unite,
strengthen, and protect both the church and leader-congregation
relationships.
causing division and hurt feelings among the members who remain? A
pastor may be rightly concerned about bloated membership lists that do
not accurately reflect who is actually involved in the church. But it
is difficult to predict how the very ones he wants to protect—the
active believers!—will respond when he recommends trimming down the
list. In more than one of our church’s members meetings, Iand the other church elders found ourselves faced with members who were
suddenly hurt or even upset when we presented a friend of theirs for
removal (discipline) from membership. Invariably, the upset member said
the same thing: "you elders are moving too quickly; you don’t have all
the data!"
Several years ago, a woman named "Kate," once a
fruitful and active member, grew unhappy with our church. Over several
months, her activity lessened and her communication narrowed. We elders
heard second-hand reports that she was upset about our complementarian
view of men-women roles or about funding for certain missions projects.
Yet she never directly addressed her concerns with any leader. Whenever
a leader asked, she always responded with pleasantries and nothing
forth-telling. Finally, she asked for a meeting with our senior pastor,
where she announced her resignation from membership. Again, she voiced
no particular criticism. Our senior pastor took the notice to the
elders, who then took a motion to accept her resignation to the entire
congregation at the next regularly scheduled members meeting. That’s
where it got messy!
After the elders presented the motion to accept
Kate’s resignation, a member raised her hand and said, "I just had
lunch with Kate this afternoon, and she said she didn’t want to
resign." No further evidence was given. The congregation felt stuck
between the conflicting stories, and it became a very awkward position
for the elders because it raised questions of integrity. Was someone
not telling the truth? Were the elders trying to push Kate out before
she was ready? Was this loving? Was this right?
Kate’s situation involved an actual resignation, but
generally we found that active members tended to object when an
individual was being disciplined for non-attendance. Non-attendance is
one of the most difficult sins (Heb. 10:25-26) to discipline because
it’s common and it does not seem flagrant, like adultery or
fornication. Not many people will object to disciplinary actions taken
against an unrepentant adulterer. Yet it is the member who is on the
periphery of the church, who has not attended in months, who has been
dabbling in other churches, yet who still relates to a few of his or
her old friends in your church that is the most difficult and, frankly,
dangerous. He is neither in nor out! He’s disaffected, but for some
reason he won’t let go.
Two good things came out of the situation with Kate
that have removed much angst among both the elders and congregation.
First, our church now requires a written notice of resignation. It can
be an email, letter, or a sticky note. Yet having something written
eliminates embarrassing moments in members meetings like the one with
Kate and her friend who said she didn’t want to resign.
Second, our church created something called a "care
list." Before we recommend an individual for discipline, we announce
the individual’s name to the congregation in a members meeting as part
of this "care list." So the elders will say something like, "Bill has
not been at church in five months. Elder Bob and pastoral assistant Ben
have both pursued Bill by phone and email. Yet Bill won’t return
anyone’s messages. So we are placing him on the ‘care list.’ If you are
friends with Bill, please get in touch with him. Tell him that we love
him, and encourage him to once again join our fellowship. Otherwise, we
will remove his name from membership for non-attendance in our next
regularly scheduled member’s meeting," which, incidentally, occurs
every other month at our church.
Notice, we state the name (Bill), the reason why we
are concerned (non-attendance), the steps we have already taken (Bob
and Ben pursued him), and what the congregation should expect in two
months’ time (a motion for discipline). We also tell people to speak
with us after the meeting if they have any immediate information—names on the care list are announced, not discussed then and there.
Why go to all this trouble? Too many times, we had seen Satan exploit the newness or suddenness of
a motion for discipline in our meetings. The elders would have worked
with a disaffected member for months and months to no avail, and often
we had done so without informing the congregation of the struggle. When
the motion for discipline was then brought to the congregation, the
information felt sudden to many. Sometimes, the body absorbed the news
without a peep. But sometimes, it shocked their system. And even if the
congregation was inclined to follow the elders’ recommendation, you
could feel a certain reluctance. Unanswered questions hung in the air,
and the whole process seemed to undermine the congregation’s confidence
in the elders. With the institution of the care list, however, we began
to go to the congregation with our concerns about an individual prior to calling for a formal act of discipline.
The care list has grown to include more than
upcoming discipline cases. We now will address other matters like
member needs resulting from health issues or finances. Sometimes
members have even asked to have their own names placed on the care
list, so that the congregation knows they are in a season of needing
special care.
We do not publish the care list, but verbally tell
the members of the church at a members meeting (closed to non-members!)
who is on the list. This avoids potential undue embarrassment.
This simple idea has had many benefits. First, it has removed the
"shock" value Satan regularly seemed to exploit. Second, it has
protected the elders from unwarranted charges. Third and best of all,
it has involved the entire church in praying and pleading with their
fellow member to come back to the church and live out their covenant
pledge. I am delighted to say that, after years of working with the
care list, issues that were once divisive are now used to unite,
strengthen, and protect both the church and leader-congregation
relationships.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
How to prepare a sermon...
Josh Harris put together the following for his blog. It's so good, I'm putting it here in full.
• Read the text, re-read it, re-read it and read it again.
• Probe it, chew on it, bore into it, soak in it.
• You are not called to preach yourself or your ideas, but charged to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Clarence Edward McCartney: “Put all the Bible you can into it."
2. Ask questions of the text.
• What does it mean? Or better yet, what did it mean when first spoken or written?
• What did the author intend to affirm or condemn or promise or command?
• What does it say? What is its contemporary message? How does it speak to us today?
• Remember: Keep these questions distinct but together—the text’s meaning
is of purely academic interest unless you go on to discern its message
for today, it’s significance. But you cannot discover it’s contemporary
message without first wrestling with its original meaning.
3.Combine diligent study with fervent prayer.
• All the time you study cry humbly to God for illumination by the Spirit
of truth. Like Moses, “I pray you, show me your glory” (Exod 33:18),
and Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:9).
• Stott: “I have always found it helpful to do as much of my sermon
preparation as possible on my knees, with the Bible open before me, in
prayerful study.
• R.W. Dale: “Work without prayer is atheism; and prayer without work is presumption.”
4. Isolate the Dominant Thought of the Text.
• Every text has a main theme, an overriding thrust.
• A sermon is not a lecture, it aims to convey only one major message
• The congregation will forget details of the message, but they should
remember the dominant thought, because all the sermon’s details should
be marshaled to help them grasp its message and feel its power.
• Once the text’s principle meaning has been determined, express it in a ‘categorical proposition.’
• J.H. Jowett: “I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for
preaching…until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence
as clear as a crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the
hardest, the most exacting and the most fruitful labor in my study…I do
not think any sermon ought to be preached, or even written, until that
sentence has emerged, clear and lucid as a cloudless moon.”
• Ian Pitt-Watson: “Every sermon should be ruthlessly unitary in its theme.”
• Don’t by-pass the discipline of waiting patiently for the dominant
thought to disclose itself. You have to be ready to pray and think
yourself deep into the text, even under it, until we give up all
pretensions of being its master or manipulator, and become instead its
humble and obedient servant.
5. Arrange Your Material to Serve the Dominant Thought
• The goal is not a literary masterpiece, but organization that enables the text’s main thrust to make its maximum impact.
- Ruthlessly discard irrelevant material
- Subordinate material to theme so that it illumines and supports it.
• Golden Rule for Sermon Outlines: Let each text supply its own
structure. Let it open itself up like a rose to the morning sun.
• Be precise with your words. It is impossible to convey a precise message without choosing precise words.
• Words to use:
- Simple and Clear words. Ryle: “Preach as if you had asthma.”
- Vivid words. They should conjur up images in the mind.
- Honest words. Beware of exaggerations and be sparing in use of superlatives.
- C.S. Lewis: don’t just tell people how to feel, describe in such a way that people feel it themselves.
- Don’t use words too big for the subject.
6. Remember the Power of Imagination—Illustrate!
• Imagination: the power of the mind by which it conceives of invisible
things, and is able to present them as though they were visible to
others. (Beecher)
• Remember that humans have trouble grasping abstract concepts—we need them converted into pictures and examples.
• Exert your greatest effort for illustrations that reinforce and serve the dominant thought.
• Think of illustrations as windows that let in light on our subject and help people to more clearly see and appreciate it.
• Beware of illustrations that draw too much attention (to themselves
instead of the subject) or which actually take people away from the
main point.
7. Add Your Introduction
• It’s better to start with the body so that we don’t twist our text to fit our introduction.
• Stott: A good introduction serves two purposes. First, it arouses
interest, stimulates curiosity, and whets the appetite for more.
Secondly, it genuinely introduces the theme by leading the hearers into it.
• Don’t make the intro too long or too short. “Men have a
natural aversion to abruptness, and delight in a somewhat gradual
approach. A building is rarely pleasing in appearance without a porch
or some sort of inviting entrance.”
8. Add Your Conclusion
• Conclusions are more difficult. Avoid endlessly circling and never landing. Avoid ending too abruptly.
• A true conclusion goes beyond recapitulation to personal application.
(Not that all application should wait till the end—the text needs to be
applied as we go along.)
• Nevertheless, it is a mistake to disclose
too soon the conclusion to which we are going to come. If we do, we
lose people’s sense of expectation. It is better to keep something up
our sleeve. Then we can leave to the end that persuading which, by the
Holy Spirit’s power, will prevail on people to take action.
• Call the congregation to act! Our expectation as the sermon comes to an end,
is not merely that people will understand or remember or enjoy our
teaching, but that they will do something about it. If there is no
summons, there is no sermon!
• The precise application of your
sermon depends on the character of the text. The dominant thought
points us to how people should act in response. Does the text call to
repentance or stimulate faith? Does it evoke worship, demand obedience,
summon to witness, or challenge to service? The text itself determines
the particular response we desire.
• Consider the composition of your congregation. It is good to let your mind wander over the church family and ask prayerfully what message God might have for each from
your text. Consider their unique circumstances, weaknesses, strengths
and temptations.
9. Write Down Your Sermon
• Don’t take too long to get to this stage! Get something on paper, don’t
endlessly noodle on vague notes (this is my temptation).
• Writing obliges you to think straight.
10. Edit it Again
• View hitting your time goal (40-45 minutes for Josh) as just as essential to its
overall effectiveness as anything else you do. People will take more
away if you say less.
• Ruthlessly cut the unneeded and extra. Look for places where you can be more concise.
• Err on the side of cutting things—especially long quotes.
11. Pray over Your Message
• Use the 30 minutes before you leave for church to pray over your message.
• Stott: “We need to pray until our text comes freshly alive to us, the
glory shines forth from it, the fire burns in our heart, and we begin
to experience the explosive power of God’s Word within us"
__________________________________________
Preparing a Sermon
1. Choose your text and meditate on it.• Read the text, re-read it, re-read it and read it again.
• Probe it, chew on it, bore into it, soak in it.
• You are not called to preach yourself or your ideas, but charged to “preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Clarence Edward McCartney: “Put all the Bible you can into it."
2. Ask questions of the text.
• What does it mean? Or better yet, what did it mean when first spoken or written?
• What did the author intend to affirm or condemn or promise or command?
• What does it say? What is its contemporary message? How does it speak to us today?
• Remember: Keep these questions distinct but together—the text’s meaning
is of purely academic interest unless you go on to discern its message
for today, it’s significance. But you cannot discover it’s contemporary
message without first wrestling with its original meaning.
3.Combine diligent study with fervent prayer.
• All the time you study cry humbly to God for illumination by the Spirit
of truth. Like Moses, “I pray you, show me your glory” (Exod 33:18),
and Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:9).
• Stott: “I have always found it helpful to do as much of my sermon
preparation as possible on my knees, with the Bible open before me, in
prayerful study.
• R.W. Dale: “Work without prayer is atheism; and prayer without work is presumption.”
4. Isolate the Dominant Thought of the Text.
• Every text has a main theme, an overriding thrust.
• A sermon is not a lecture, it aims to convey only one major message
• The congregation will forget details of the message, but they should
remember the dominant thought, because all the sermon’s details should
be marshaled to help them grasp its message and feel its power.
• Once the text’s principle meaning has been determined, express it in a ‘categorical proposition.’
• J.H. Jowett: “I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for
preaching…until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence
as clear as a crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the
hardest, the most exacting and the most fruitful labor in my study…I do
not think any sermon ought to be preached, or even written, until that
sentence has emerged, clear and lucid as a cloudless moon.”
• Ian Pitt-Watson: “Every sermon should be ruthlessly unitary in its theme.”
• Don’t by-pass the discipline of waiting patiently for the dominant
thought to disclose itself. You have to be ready to pray and think
yourself deep into the text, even under it, until we give up all
pretensions of being its master or manipulator, and become instead its
humble and obedient servant.
5. Arrange Your Material to Serve the Dominant Thought
• The goal is not a literary masterpiece, but organization that enables the text’s main thrust to make its maximum impact.
- Ruthlessly discard irrelevant material
- Subordinate material to theme so that it illumines and supports it.
• Golden Rule for Sermon Outlines: Let each text supply its own
structure. Let it open itself up like a rose to the morning sun.
• Be precise with your words. It is impossible to convey a precise message without choosing precise words.
• Words to use:
- Simple and Clear words. Ryle: “Preach as if you had asthma.”
- Vivid words. They should conjur up images in the mind.
- Honest words. Beware of exaggerations and be sparing in use of superlatives.
- C.S. Lewis: don’t just tell people how to feel, describe in such a way that people feel it themselves.
- Don’t use words too big for the subject.
6. Remember the Power of Imagination—Illustrate!
• Imagination: the power of the mind by which it conceives of invisible
things, and is able to present them as though they were visible to
others. (Beecher)
• Remember that humans have trouble grasping abstract concepts—we need them converted into pictures and examples.
• Exert your greatest effort for illustrations that reinforce and serve the dominant thought.
• Think of illustrations as windows that let in light on our subject and help people to more clearly see and appreciate it.
• Beware of illustrations that draw too much attention (to themselves
instead of the subject) or which actually take people away from the
main point.
7. Add Your Introduction
• It’s better to start with the body so that we don’t twist our text to fit our introduction.
• Stott: A good introduction serves two purposes. First, it arouses
interest, stimulates curiosity, and whets the appetite for more.
Secondly, it genuinely introduces the theme by leading the hearers into it.
• Don’t make the intro too long or too short. “Men have a
natural aversion to abruptness, and delight in a somewhat gradual
approach. A building is rarely pleasing in appearance without a porch
or some sort of inviting entrance.”
8. Add Your Conclusion
• Conclusions are more difficult. Avoid endlessly circling and never landing. Avoid ending too abruptly.
• A true conclusion goes beyond recapitulation to personal application.
(Not that all application should wait till the end—the text needs to be
applied as we go along.)
• Nevertheless, it is a mistake to disclose
too soon the conclusion to which we are going to come. If we do, we
lose people’s sense of expectation. It is better to keep something up
our sleeve. Then we can leave to the end that persuading which, by the
Holy Spirit’s power, will prevail on people to take action.
• Call the congregation to act! Our expectation as the sermon comes to an end,
is not merely that people will understand or remember or enjoy our
teaching, but that they will do something about it. If there is no
summons, there is no sermon!
• The precise application of your
sermon depends on the character of the text. The dominant thought
points us to how people should act in response. Does the text call to
repentance or stimulate faith? Does it evoke worship, demand obedience,
summon to witness, or challenge to service? The text itself determines
the particular response we desire.
• Consider the composition of your congregation. It is good to let your mind wander over the church family and ask prayerfully what message God might have for each from
your text. Consider their unique circumstances, weaknesses, strengths
and temptations.
9. Write Down Your Sermon
• Don’t take too long to get to this stage! Get something on paper, don’t
endlessly noodle on vague notes (this is my temptation).
• Writing obliges you to think straight.
10. Edit it Again
• View hitting your time goal (40-45 minutes for Josh) as just as essential to its
overall effectiveness as anything else you do. People will take more
away if you say less.
• Ruthlessly cut the unneeded and extra. Look for places where you can be more concise.
• Err on the side of cutting things—especially long quotes.
11. Pray over Your Message
• Use the 30 minutes before you leave for church to pray over your message.
• Stott: “We need to pray until our text comes freshly alive to us, the
glory shines forth from it, the fire burns in our heart, and we begin
to experience the explosive power of God’s Word within us"
Monday, December 12, 2005
10,000 visitor mile stone approaching..
Some time early on Monday I am guessing, I will go over the 10,000 visitors mark for my blog here (as of this posting at 9991). While that is not much compared to some of the major blogs, it is nonetheless considerably more than I would have ever expected. I have been blogging for 1.25ish years now, and have enjoyed the process. If you happen to be #10,000 leave me a comment so we know who you are!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Hurricane Wilma recovery in Cancun for my honeymoon...
I get married December 30th. (YEAH!) On January 1st we begin a week of honeymoon vacation in Cancun, Mexico, so I have been following very closely the recovery efforts of that region. I chose Cancun early last Spring, long before hurricane season, and long before Hurricane Wilma decided to park her level 4 self over the Yucatan for a day and a half this past October.
The hotel/club we are staying at is called Imperial Fiesta Club (which also is called Hotel Casa Maya). Within a few days of Hurricane Wilma passing, they had posts up on their web sight stating that they had weathered the storm very well, with only some exterior aesthetic damage. Earlier this week I viewed some video footage online taken from the beach of the hotel, and everything does look great. They have actually gained beach from the hurricane, though many other areas lost some, if not all of their beach. My understanding is that much of the area of km 1-9 of the Hotel Zone gained beach or stayed the same, and most of the rest lost it. Having not actually been there before, I can only say that this is the North end that gained.
Some hotels were destroyed beyond repair, and are in the process of being torn down. Tens of
thousands of trees are being replanted (see palms above). Many hotels, clubs, restaurants, businesses are taking advantage of the damage they received and are making improvements to their facilities while they repair. Many places have or will open in better condition than pre-hurricane. My understanding is that by Christmas, the area will be 75-80% recovered, which is saying a lot considering the damage done. Look at the USA Gulf Coast and how slow recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina are going as a comparison.Initially I was very worried that this might have a negative impact on our experience in Cancun, but after watching the recovery efforts, I feel confident that we'll have a great time, and that we won't feel like we should have gone elsewhere. One great resource for current info on Cancun has been the people at the Cancun Care Message Board. The quality and dedication of the people there is far beyond anything else I have found on the web. If you are considering a trip to Cancun, it is a must visit site for info on the region. There are people on the ground in Cancun posting regularly, with photos, links to videos, info on how to get deals and more.
Washington Post also had a great 4 page article on the recovery efforts of Cancun and surrounding regions.
Annual Index Shows Who Gives
(HT: FOTF Pastor's Weekly Briefing email)
Bible Belt
According to the Catalogue of Philanthropy's Generosity Index, New Englanders remain among the most tightfisted in the country when it comes to charitable giving while Bible Belt residents are among the most generous. The index, which takes into account both "having" and "giving," is based on average adjusted gross incomes and the value of itemized charitable donations reported to the Internal Revenue Service on 2003 tax returns, the latest available.
Using the above standard, the 10 most generous states were, in descending order: Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, South Carolina and West Virginia.
The 10 stingiest, starting from the bottom, were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii and Michigan.
Bible Belt
According to the Catalogue of Philanthropy's Generosity Index, New Englanders remain among the most tightfisted in the country when it comes to charitable giving while Bible Belt residents are among the most generous. The index, which takes into account both "having" and "giving," is based on average adjusted gross incomes and the value of itemized charitable donations reported to the Internal Revenue Service on 2003 tax returns, the latest available.
Using the above standard, the 10 most generous states were, in descending order: Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, South Carolina and West Virginia.
The 10 stingiest, starting from the bottom, were: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii and Michigan.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
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