Yesterday, I had lunch with a group of friends who serve churches.
As is the norm, we shared war stories, horror stories, and a bunch of laughs. It was a good time, and the crab cake sandwich was tasty. As I shared about some of the work that I am currently up to, I found myself using a phrase I have said a lot lately:
“It’ll be a cool story in about five years.”
I am starting to realize that one of the most valuable things I bring to the churches I serve is a sense of perspective. I share with our team that much of what we need to be doing is reminding our churches that God is not surprised that your pastor is leaving… and last we checked, God is still on the throne. Our job is to calm the situation, help process the drama and the emotion, and give them a path forward. I am biased, but I think we do this well.
The nature of this work, however, is that it can be easy for us to help settle a situation, create a path forward, and then move on to the next challenge… without ever really checking back to celebrate wins.
Lately, God has been reminding me to celebrate the wins. Go back to the churches we helped through a transitional season, learn the cool story five years later… and celebrate what God has done through the work we got to do.
This practice of celebration has been restorative for my soul and fuels me to step once more unto the breach.
I’m curious… what are you celebrating? I’d love to hear.
I found this interesting…
Snippets of articles that have gotten me thinking over the last month. These are not complete summaries but bits and pieces picked up along the way.
From Harvard Business Review:
“Busyness has become a status symbol. People also consider those who exert high effort to be “morally admirable,” regardless of their output.”
One of the questions I have been asking myself this year is where I am being busy and where I am actually gaining ground.Charlie Munger on preparation:
“Neither Warren nor I are smart enough to make decisions with no time to think. We make actual decisions very rapidly, but that's because we have spent so much time preparing ourselves by quietly reading.”
I found this quick hitter by Simon Sinek to be fascinating:
I wonder how many times people have sent me seemingly insignificant messages that are really them reaching out because they need a friend.
The road ahead…
What do you see happening in the next 12 months that we need to prepare our churches for?
From Andy Needham, Executive Director of the 521 Collaborative:
I’m seeing two things:
Many pastors assumed the end of the election cycle would tamp down the temperature of political division. It is going to continue and morph as specific cultural issues are colored by the news cycle and national politics. There are no easy answers to this. Avoidance is not the answer. It requires becoming a student of your people, learning to challenge gracefully, and finding ways to speak against the simple black-and-white answers. Every context is unique. Queens, NY, will experience this differently than Kansas City, MO.
There is also a massive consolidation happening in the church world as many larger churches (not the mega mega but the 700+) are growing rapidly. The risk is a loss of the neighborhood church. As I talk to churches and pastors who are seeing growth, there is a serious and real burden that they need to become more than a large gathering and do the hard, slow work of equipping people and sending them out to serve.
Nugget of wisdom…
What is one way that you have learned to stay spiritually healthy while working with churches?
From Dave Miles, Director of the Intentional Pastor Division of Vital Church Ministry
It can’t be described as “one thing” or “one way I do it,” but it’s one way of thinking about it:
I practice the Daily Office. That means I have multiple quiet times every day.
I have a conversational relationship with God that often starts on my morning runs. I see God as beautiful and not just useful, and I lean into the relationship like that often while exercising.
I read other older people who walked with God. Right now, I’m reading John Owen’s book Communion with God. It can be tough slogging at times but I’ve found it really beneficial. Jonathan Edwards is another favorite.
What a pastor wants…
What do I need from a church consultant that most guys miss?
From Nick Dunn, Pastor of New Hope Fellowship Church in Westminster, MD:
A friend in ministry. Not all churches have large staff teams or even healthy staff teams. I’ve heard it said that leadership is lonely, and being in ministry can be lonely, especially as a pastor. It’s nice to have a friend who gets It and has a listening ear from time to time to bounce an idea or help troubleshoot an issue. A listening ear to be able to encourage the pastor to keep going forward. Someone who can share stories that let the pastor know they are not alone in what they face. It’s great having fresh eyes and ears to listen to what’s happening in your specific setting and provide helpful counsel and encouragement because you are not enmeshed in the thick of things.
Where’s Matt?
Where I plan on being in the next 3 months, if we’re in the same place, let’s get together!
February 1: Alliance of Reformed Churches National Gathering, Phoenix, AZ
February 20-24: San Juan, Puerto Rico, facilitating a StratOp with a local church.
February 24-25: Truett Pastor’s Conference, Waco, TX
February 28-March 1: Converge North Central Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN
March 17-18: Exponential, Orlando, FL
March 19-20: Ascent Curator’s Gathering, Alexandria, VA
April 7-9: Everyday Pastors Gathering, Gary, SD
April 28-30: BGCT Discipleship Leader’s Retreat, Belton, TX
Let’s talk!
I’d love to catch up and hear what’s going on in your life and ministry. Let’s find some time to connect.
The Fine Print
The Sausage Maker’s Guild is intended to be a community of people seeking to serve the local church through coaching, consulting, and other services. The goal is to provide care and value to you as you provide care and value to the churches you serve. Feel free to share this with others within our space and encourage them to subscribe, but my hope is that the content shared here is for our community and not for the broader public.