1st, how to leave a church on good terms. Brian Russell raised this question last month, “Is there a proper protocol to follow if switching churches?” Here’s several articles that point towards a church-leaving etiquette:

• How to Leave Your Church and Do It Well (Reed Jolley)
• How To Properly Leave a Church (Michael Wilson)
• How to leave your church (Tim Stevens)

Something a church can do to learn from those who are leaving is to conduct an
exit interview. This is a great opportunity to listen to honest feedback, not be defensive, allow closure for church and the person(s) leaving, and a word of mutual blessing.

2ndly, God calls some into a new season. And there are times in one’s faith journey when one finishes one chapter at one church, and will go to another church for a new season. This is the case for a number of prominent pastors recently announcing their transitions: Jim Belcher, Francis Chan, N.T. Wright, and Others Leave the Pastorate to Write and Speak: Why church planters often quit their congregations. In this video of an Exclusive interview with Jim Belcher and Mike Erre, 2 pastors in the Orange County (California) area talk about how they’re leaving their churches for a new season of life and ministry:

There are times to stay, and there are times to go. Maybe the same amount of due diligence can be given to why one stays at a church as much as why one leaves a church. For the record, I do think the times of changing churches ought to be infrequent.

At last year’s Exponential Conference (2009), a similar kind of song was written & sung for Pastor Francis Chan, to the tune of ACDC’s Back in Black :

This brings a whole new meaning to Pastor Appreciation Month.

[cf. other songs for your playlist: "New Leader Song", "We are the Church", "Be Our Guest"]

There are a bunch of search engines / directories/ listings working to make this connection, for pastors looking for a ministry opportunity, and for churches looking for a pastor to fill a staff position, along with other church staff jobs. I’ll update this list as I find ‘em — (note: listing does not connote endorsement) ::

• ChurchStaffing.com – a leading source” run by Salem Web Network; free registration required to view listings and resumes; ~60,000 subscribers to weekly newsletter
• ChurchJobs.net – run by C.M. Press; sizeable database of Christian ministry job openings and resumes with visible web presence in search engines & social networks; pricing starts at $99.95/mo for posting a job listing; $39.95 for posting a resume; database is mirrored to other domain names like pastorsearchcommittee.com, christianjobs1.net, ExperiencingWorship.com, ChurchStaffSearch.com, WorshipJobs.com
• www.churchjobsonline.com – a division of ChristianCareerCenter.com; listing pricing starts at free; ~25,000 email subscribers, ~20,000 unique visitors monthly
• PastorFinder.com – run by Outreach Media Group; ~25,000 unique visitors monthly; 74% of users are currently employed
• www.pastorsearch.net – Pastor Search Network, run by The Victorious Network since 1995; ~10,000 visitors weekly
• ministrysearch.com – Christian ministry job positions; ~ 7000 visits per week
• at findingourplace.com, Jayce Tohline has indexed even more ministers & ministries listing websites; Creator Magazine has an index of web listings for Music and Worship Ministry

And, there are professional services that help make the connection for churches and staff. HelpStaff.me is run by Justin Lathrop (one of my pastor friends), who can put together a professional nationwide search for church staff positions. And, the executive search firm called Vanderbloemen Search Group facilitates ministry leadership search for larger churches. Another one is MinisterSearch.com, a full-service consulting firm for church staffing.

Aside: this ehow.com article, How to Work for a MegaChurch, gives sobering advice about working in a church setting. Set your idealism aside — “If you think working for a church will be peaceful and idyllic, you’re deluding yourself. Pastors and church staff members are as inherently flawed as the rest of the world. If your desire to work for a MegaChurch stems from the belief that you’ll be in a conflict free office environment, think again.“

Question: I am student, studying ministry. Am at the end of the third year and I would like to start my ministry after I graduate. How would you be of help to me — to find material about church planting ?

My Answer: There has been a growing number of resources about church planting in recent years. A quick Google search has many links that’ll get you started. 3 of my favorites are www.churchplantingnetwork.com + www.church-planting.net + www.rcpc.com .

As you can see, there’s lots of information online. The best place you’ll want to be is the Exponenential Conference, April 19-22, 2010, in Orlando. This is the biggest gathering of church planters and church multiplication organizations that can give you the support, coaching, and launching pad for church planting — more resources than you can count!

Todd Rhoades has been counting up the many reasons to be at Exponential — here’s a sample :

• Exponential Reason 39: Check out what bloggers are saying about the Exponential Conference at http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 38: Brian Bloye joins over 60 other national speakers at the 2010 Exponential Conference http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 37: Dan & Shannon Smith join over 60 other national speakers at the 2010 Exponential Conference http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 36: Matt Carter joins over 60 other national speakers at the 2010 Exponential Conference http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 35: 95% of last year’s attendees said they would come back. Will you join them? http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 34: Starting a New Church Pre-Conference with Ron Sylvia http://tinyurl.com/6rr245
• Exponential Reason 33: Obe Arellano joins over 60 other national speakers at the 2010 Exponential Conference http://tinyurl.com/6rr245

Senior Pastor Ministry Position

Great Commission Community Church (GCCC) is seeking a Senior Pastor by Fall 2009 to lead the church into its next phase of God’s plan. This is currently the only permanent pastoral staff position within the church. Duties include: Teaching/Preaching, Leadership Training, Facilitate Advisory Board, Primary Visionary, Administrate, Small Groups

For church profile, desired characteristics, and contact, see the full document about this ministry opportunity.

We have put together a conference entitled Advance09: Resurgence of the Local Church in Durham on June 4-6, 2009. Speakers for this event include John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Ed Stetzer, Bryan Chappell, Daniel Akin, JD Greear, Tyler Jones & Eric Mason.

Advance09 is a conference committed to the resurgence of the local church for the glory of God. Our aim is to equip attendees with the Gospel so that the local church might become all that Jesus calls it to be. At this conference, we hope to ensure that on our watch and in our time we honor Jesus and see the resurgence of the local church. Advance09 is open to anyone, pastors and lay-leaders, church members and regular-attenders. We invite you to join us in this Great Cause.

Tickets have just recently gone online (early bird pricing of $75/$100) here: www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E0042718ADB502D

( Nothing to disclose. First time I’ve noticed a church conference selling tickets online via ticketmaster.com ; the conference will be held at the Durham Performing Arts Center )

Read the full listing via Google Docs or as a blog post at ISAAC Opportunities.

We drove by the largest football stadium in the United States at University of Michigan. I just fact-checked, and currently, Michigan Stadium is technically the 2nd largest stadium due to renovations (capacity = 106,201, down from 107,501), and the largest is Beaver Stadium at Penn State University (capacity = 107,282). Seth was proudly saying that was the largest stadium, and I don’t have the heart to correct him. Hope he’ll overlook this blog entry — don’t want anyone losing face. [update: Seth blogged kind words about my visit @ DJ in Town - he doesn't allow comments, so you can react in my comment thread here]

FTW, here’s a list of the 15 largest football stadiums in the United States.

Aside: no picture of food. But here’s a picture of my rental car. Bed time. Good night.

That was 13 years ago. Things do change over time; just a matter of time.

Now they’re looking for a senior pastor.

Senior Pastor Opening
Asian American Baptist Church
Richardson, TX

The Asian American Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas, a primarily English speaking congregation of 200 people ministering in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is seeking a Senior Pastor.

Qualified candidate should be seminary trained (MDiv or ThM preferred) and possess a minimum 5 years (10 preferred) of pastoral or related experience with the ability to lead and motivate the church to fulfill its vision of reaching Asian Americans to be passionate followers of Jesus Christ.

Interested candidates should send or email a detailed resume to the church Pastor Search Committee point of contact. Utmost confidentiality will be maintained in the review process of all candidates.

Click for point of contact.

Looking for a ministry opportunity elsewhere? Or, wanting to list one for your church/ Christian ministry organization? I’ve linked to 3 main websites that keep updated ministry openings — over at L² Foundation’s blog >>

And Dave has a new book, Monkey and the Fish, to be released in January/February 2009. Pre-order it from amazon.com.

About the book, from the back cover:

Our world is marked by unprecedented degrees of multiculturalism, ethnic diversity, social shifts, international collaboration, and technology-driven changes. The changes are profound, especially when you consider the unchecked decline in the influence, size, and social standing of the church. There is an undercurrent of anxiety in the evangelical world, and a hunger for something new. And we’re sensing the urgency of it.

We need fresh, creative counterintuitive ways of doing ministry and church and leading it in the 21st century. We need to adapt. Fast. Both in our practices and our thinking.

The aim of this book is simple: When we understand the powerful forces at work in the world today, we’ll learn how something called The Third Culture can yield perhaps the most critical missing ingredient in the church today–adaptability–and help the church remain on the best side of history.

A Third Culture Church and a Third Culture Leader looks at our new global village and the church’s role in that village in a revolutionary way. It’s a way to reconnect with the historical roots of what Jesus envisioned the church could be — a people known for a brand of love, unity, goodness, and extravagant spirit that defies all conventions.

This book is part of the successful Leadership Innovation Series.

This means the pastor’s glaring lack of knowledge may be called out by congregational members who have expertise in other areas of life beyond theology: be it business management, organizational processes, human dynamics, technology, academia, etc. Those who signed up to be traditional pastors b/c they genuinely wanted to give their life to minister to people via pastoral care are now left in the lurch. Arguably, people still need personal care, and for many churches, it is a shift away from “pastoral care” to “congregational care.” My unanswerable question is: what does someone who set themselves up on a career path to be a traditional pastor do now, if they can’t retool? What transferable skills does a traditional pastor accrue?

Lee Huang (not a pastor, but has close friends who are pastors) rightly observed:

My viewpoint tends to be more organizational, so my take on being a pastor is that it is an impossible job. Here you are asked to be the lead preacher and teacher, available for counseling sessions, leading a staff of people that can span such responsibilities as missions and janitorial, serving as the public face for your organization in the community, networking with other leaders at Christian conferences and denominational gatherings. That’s a lot of hats! … Let’s finally consider the financial issues. I don’t believe pastors are paid very well, so that’s obviously a downer. And if you are paid well, and sometimes even if you aren’t, that has it’s own issues, for congregants can quite easily feel they own you, since they’re paying your way. What other organizations is the person at top in such an awkward financial relationship with his or her co-workers and clients?

[update 10/10/07] Mark D. Roberts weighs in with his retrospective in The Hardest Thing About Being a Pastor

Oh, I wish I could be a pastor! I spent a decade of my life trying, dedicating myself to serious studies at a seminary, praying and doing spiritual disciplines, even working as a pastor for over 5 years. I believed I was called to go to seminary– a Bible verse urged me on: for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. I started by faith, and I continued by faith, but blind faith could only last so long.

I knew going in that it’d be hard work. I knew it’d be a sacrifice. I believe I did some good during my pastoring years, and I had good feedback from people I pastored, and how they appreciated my ministry. I still do get some good comments from people when I accept an occasional speaking/preaching invite.

But I didn’t feel it any more. I don’t feel it. That’s not a good place to be if I’m doing something that directly impacts people like pastoring. I’m discovering that pastoral ministry is a lot more about passion and enthusiasm, not so much the delivery of content through preaching or teaching.

I didn’t have the faith to be a pastor who’d have be the preacher and teacher who had to have the answer or who had to be the role model. The work of the faith worker has to be a fairly good grasp on conviction, inspiration, motivation, passion, and discipline. I didn’t say a perfect grasp, but more often than not, perseverance of the faith worker is called for. I don’t have much of that. This isn’t to say that I didn’t minister the Word out of good faith, it just wasn’t enough to last me for the long haul. I still do believe, just not enough to believe that I should be the vocational pastor.

Ministry is supposed to be all about people. That part attracted me, because I like people, all kinds of people. But that doesn’t mean pastoring was the best thing for me to do for them. 3 things that surprised me: some ministers love tasks more than people, most people don’t have theological inquiries, and most people change very slowly.

All those years of theological training sits in dusty boxes because most people don’t ask the questions that got answered in seminary. People ask practical everyday questions about life, for which theological answers undergird a wisdom, perspective, and discernment, but the pastoral role of translating abstract metaphysical ideas into pragmatic realities was not something I had a knack for. Some people call it common sense; and, where in the world do you learn that?

To this day I still don’t have a strong sense of what my spiritual gifts are. I do have a wide set of skills, but underneath it all, I use my skills to help others. I don’t have certain things that I just love to do, be it teaching, preaching, counseling, or administrating. I’m spiritually motivated mostly to be a helper, a companion. Other roles and responsibilities put me out on a limb, where I risk losing my grip.

In hindsight, I’m realizing that having a good job fit is important for me to honor and accept the way God has made me. I’ve wrestled for years with trying to get what I wish I could do (desires) and what I’m actually good at doing (gifting) and what I love to do (affinities) to align. I realize now that I need to be doing work that changes quickly and regularly, or I get lulled into a routine boredom. My best 3 action verbs for what I do: researching, networking, and writing.

Some people are blessed (or cursed) with knowing what they’ve wanted to do with their life since they were 12 years old. I’m not one of them.

So my journey of figuring out what to do with my life and for my work is one step at a time. I’m not bitter for having pastored. I didn’t burn out. I didn’t revolt with a moral failure. I don’t have any regrets. And, life goes on.

Would I ever pastor again? Not likely. The probability is very low, for it’d have to be a church that’s constantly changing and innovating. And, unfortunately, I don’t have the gift mix, drive, or faith to be launching a new church plant (that’d fit me), even though Bob Hyatt thinks (almost) anyone could plant a church.

What’s exciting about the next season of my life is that I’ll be doing something I enjoy, something I’m good at, something that makes Kingdom impact. Sovereignly somehow, all of my career wanderings are beginning to have a semblence of convergence. Finally, at age 40, it’s about time.

1. He is unassuming.
   Not only is he the real deal, he exudes a tone of voice that is relationally inviting to all who hear him or meet him. Some preachers come across shrill and combative, while Keller comes across plausible, considerate, reasonable, and approachable.
2. He graciously preaches the Gospel clearly and compellingly.
   Every sermon or talk (I’ve heard) points to Christ as the ultimate yearning of our deepest need. Even in a 8-minute sermonette at the 5th anniversary interfaith memorial service [transcript via kellered, mirrored at Reformissionary], he points to Christ, without unnecesssarily offending listeners of different faiths, yet upholding the power of the resurrected Christ.
3. His preaching is accessible and edifying to both non-Christians and Christians. Preaching and teaching has to answer the “So What?” question (most often used by Lon Solomon) and meet people where they’re at, lest it borders on meaninglessness. A NYTimes’ February 2006 article describes Keller this way:
   

   Observing Dr. Keller’s professorial pose on stage, it is easy to understand his appeal. While he hardly shrinks from difficult Christian truths, he sounds different from many of the shrill evangelical voices in the public sphere. “A big part is he preaches on such an intellectual level,” said Suzanne Perron, 37, a fashion designer who is one of many who had stopped going to church before she discovered Redeemer several years ago. “You can go to Redeemer and you can not be a Christian and listen to that sermon and be completely engaged.”

4. He allows us to see that the writers of the past and present are both relevant to life and faith today. With the cultural elite and the average person also, there’s a common respect for the wisdom of the ancient sages and the wit of the contemporary. Or to say it more theologically, drawing from both general relevation and special revelation speaks to everyone together all at once. New York Metro noted Keller’s marketing genius to influence the influentials:
   

   Keller has become the most successful Christian Evangelist in the city by recognizing what marketers have known for decades: that young professionals and artists are �disproportionately influential� in creating the country�s culture and that you have to meet this coveted demographic on its own terms. With intellectual, brimstone-free sermons that manage to cite Woody Allen alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…

   Or, in his own words: “When you listen and read one thinker, you become a clone… two thinkers, you become confused… ten thinkers, you’ll begin developing your own voice… two or three hundred thinkers, you become wise and develop your voice.” (at 1:10 of Resurgence session #8.)

5. He is authoritative without being authoritarian. Many preachers shout down other people and their points of view. Many preachers are overbearingly forceful with their own convictions. In an advertising and marketing saturated world, I sure don’t need another hard sell; not only does it not work in the city, it doesn’t work in the smaller towns either.
   

   An important lesson that Dr. Keller said he had tried to convey to other pastors is that the hard sell rarely works in the city. Becoming a Christian in a place like New York, he said, is more often the product not of one decision but of many little decisions.

6. He believes that doctrines are important and actually shows how it matters. Of course thelogy, theological training, and theological doctrines are important and valuable. But knowledge alone puffs up, and what people need is not more shouting about how important theology and doctrines are. Let’s see how they make a difference in the way we live, in the way we treat people, in the way we talk to people who have differing convictions and beliefs. See Keller (in his own words) speaking of the importance of doctrine.
7. He is fair and honest. He readily admits his finitude and frail humanity. He acknowledges his limited knowledge and perspectives, and even if someone might perceive that he’s presumptuous. I think he’s one who actually lives up to the recent notion of “humble orthodoxy.” Plus, he doesn’t have to use guilt just because he’s been seminary-trained. *wink wink*
8. His passion for the cities of the world reflects the City of God. At the end of the day, it’s about the City of God that comes down from heaven, it’s not the great suburb of God! His joke, not mine; a little unfair, but hilarious! See or hear (begin at 8:00) how he told it at the 2006 Resurgence conference.
9. He is respectful of other’s convictions, preferences, and callings. He recognizes there is more than one way to do church. Watch this video to hear how he explains it in his own words: Preaching and the missional church.
10. He encourages people to think out the implications of their faith. Granted, he does not put ideas on the bottom shelf, and allows the listener to wrestle with the complexities of life and faith. Many of his talks are intricately layered that it takes me several listens to just begin to understand its fascinating nuances. It’s commendable for the preacher to teach the Bible to people, or even teach people the Bible. But, as Andy Stanley has also said, go beyond that and help people to actually live out what the Bible commands. Keller would say something more like this: work out the implications of the Gospel in your work and your life!
11. He speaks to the heart of the matter. He gets at the question behind the question. With surgical precision, he unveils the idols of our hearts, persuades the listener to consider the more beautiful alternative to faith and trust in God’s beauty, freedom, and provision. I’ve found that melting a frozen ice block goes much more smoothly than confrontationally whacking away at it.
12. He deconstructs and reconstructs. All of us have presuppositions and worldview foundations behind what we believe and why we believe the way we do. Cultures are just another layer of packaging. There’s things in every culture that is good and not so good. Postmodernism gives us some great tools to get at those underlying cognitive notions, and it’s refreshing to see someone put them to use for the good, instead of alarming attacking the latest cultural shifts. Keller is a master at deconstructing defeater beliefs and doubts, subject of a forthcoming book.
13. He teaches the Bible in a refreshing culturally engaging way. I know this list is getting a bit repetitive and redundant. Is it just me, or does it seem like to you too that so many preachers know the Bible but don’t know it’s 2006 and not 1966?
14. He reads and comments on blogs. Most (if not all) pastors are very busy with their lives of ministry, and yet Keller is one of the few megachurch pastors who’d take the time to read _and_ to comment in the blogosphere. This shows connectedness with us pajama-wearing bloggers as well as the well-dressed-in-Sunday-best pew sitters.

If you’ve read (scanned) this far, you ought to recognize the sardonic tongue-in-cheek between-the-line comedic tone; please don’t take this so seriously or authoritative. This is only a short list of what I’ve found inspiring whenever I hear Tim talk. He is undoubtedly one of my favorites.

Both Piper and Keller will be hanging out, with Mark Driscoll too at that, at this sold out conference next week, so I’d like to think they’re all on friendly terms and this little remark can provide a chuckle re: the absurdity of publicity and accolades. [are they scalping tickets on eBay or Craigslist, per chance? Conference audio are rumored to be online, for free, after the event.]

Being a church connoisseur, I like all kinds of preachers for different reasons. We need all kinds to speak to all kinds of people, perspectives, and contexts. It’s been my experience that people’s preference for a preacher or church polity often reflects their personality. I’m not one to be overbearing or forceful; I prefer to be human and empathetic.