For all of you Ama
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Associate pastors, youth ministers, and other staff ministers often do the unglamorous jobs of ministry without much recognition. Associates have a calling and a title, but they often do not preach, must attend church meetings, and juggle several responsibilities which may be unrelated to their job description. It can be a thankless job.
As I wrote about in my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor (Judson Press), Senior pastors and church leaders need to recognize the special nature and challenges of associates. They spend many hours doing unappreciated jobs that senior pastors would rather not do: long retreat weekends, spending time with youth, and responding to congregant complaints when the senior pastor is not around. Churches will be better served if they appreciate and recognize their associate minister’s work.
Since associates are often undercompensated to begin with, senior pastors and church leadership can show appreciation through simple actions. Recognizing their standing and place in the church will enable an associate’s longevity and self-esteem. Here’s how you can show your appreciation:
Appreciation through pulpit time. Many senior pastors guard their pulpit as if they were guarding Fort Knox. Let go! Give your associate an opportunity to preach. Some senior pastors worry that handing over the pulpit may lead to parishioners liking the associate more. Nelson Mandela once said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Congregations will see a senior pastor’s strong leadership by allowing associates to take center stage. It shows that the senior has good skills in developing talented leaders by letting the associate take center stage for a short while.
Appreciation through quality time with the senior pastor. It’s easy for the senior pastor to go through their week and forget to meet or spend time with the associate. Senior pastors have to worry about budgets, administration, church meetings, pastoral calls, and sermon preparation. However, they should be sure to carve out quality time with associates. Taking associates to lunch, going to conferences together, or any time that can be spent together away from church will lead to greater trust and mutual appreciation.
Appreciation through loyalty. Church folk may think loyalty goes up the chain of command but it also goes down. If an associate makes a mistake, defend the associate. Then, in private, talk to the associate about what happened and provide encouragement. Being loyal to an associate pastor means publicly thanking and backing up the associate’s work in ministry. Duffy Robbins, youth ministry guru, once said, “If you are not making mistakes in ministry you are not trying hard enough.” Loyalty is about preserving relationship over failures and celebrating successes.
Aside from the obvious pay raise, these three simple acts of appreciation will go a long way in the eye of your associate and will bless your church’s ministry. Building confidence through appreciation will make for healthy church staff dynamics and will aid an associate’s work as a fellow minister.
Do you have associate or assistant ministers in your church? Are you an associate pastor? Get a copy of my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor. This valuable resource will set associates and churches up for success.
A Litany of Prayer
Leader: On September 11, 2001, our lives were changed. Loss came into our world in a shocking and tragic way – loss of innocence as a nation, loss of security in our communities, loss of lives and livelihood for so many individuals. We shall never be the same after that black day. And yet we have survived. For this, we can give thanks to the God who provides all good things for our being as individuals and as a nation. Therefore let us mark this day with prayers of remembrance, prayers of healing, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers for guidance as we go forward in our lives together.
Lord of the nations, God of our strength, the images of the tragedy of September 11 are still so vivid in our minds and in our senses. What we saw, how we felt, and what we said is still so very present for us. Yet with a gentle and caring hand, you have lifted us from the depths of despair and guided us to this time of remembrance.
People: We remember, as God’s people, that we are to love.
Leader: When we recall the firefighters who rushed upstairs as most everyone else was racing out, we can say together,
People: We remember selfless service.
Leader: When we recall the police officers who stood to protect and defend the people and performed their duties until the towers came crashing down on top of them, we can say together.
People: We remember selfless sacrifice for the safety of others.
Leader: When we recall the thousands of workers, women and men and, old and young, single and married, American-born and those born in countries around the world who did not escape the buildings.
Leader: When we remember the millions of Americans who gave so generously of their life and labor to endow funds to help the survivors and their families recover from their losses. Continue Reading…
In an informal interview for an associate pastor position, I was once told by a senior pastor, “Being an associate pastor is about paying the rent.”
“What’s paying the rent have to do with ministry?” I asked. I thought the church might be tight on cash! The senior pastor explained that paying the rent was about doing all the aspects of ministry that most pastors do not like to do, like working with youth groups. As I heard these words, I knew that there was something very wrong with this philosophy of ministry.
The senior pastor finished his thought with, “It’s about playing second chair to the senior pastor.”
In the relatively small market for books on associate pastors, a common image is portrayed: associates are like second chairs. In an orchestra setting, the second chair plays behind or next to the first chair, who is usually more talented or more skilled. The associate as a second chair is an analogy that is fundamentally flawed in its approach.
In my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor I explain why associate pastor ministry is a calling, not a step on the vocational ladder of ministry. Accepting a ministry position as an associate pastor should come out of a sense that God desires you to use your gifts in a particular way. The second chair approach to associate-senior pastor relationship is more often about power and authority. Senior pastors might be tempted to employ the use of this relationship, but it will leave associates feeling micromanaged and frustrated.
If the second chair approach to associates is not a fruitful one, then how should churches and pastors articulate the relationship of associates and seniors?
Yes, the day is here! My book, “The Work of the Associate Pastor” (part of Judson Press’ vocational ministry series) is on sale. There are a number of options:
Consider this your invitation to buy a copy. Look for more shameless promotion in the future.
With the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney‘s running mate, religious history was made. Some historians believe this is the first presidential major party ticket that does not feature a protestant running for president or vice-president. Romney is Mormon and Ryan is Catholic. Other historians have made the case that Eisenhower and Lincoln did not officially belong to a protestant church when they ran. Regardless of how candidates affiliated themselves with a religion, the 2012 election is different.
Could we have the first non-protestant president since John F. Kennedy?
Even though our Constitution specially outlaws religious affiliation as a qualifier for elected office, Americans generally like a president that invokes God, prays, receives counsel from religious leaders, and has a faith in the God of the Bible. A 2012 Pew Poll found that 67% of respondents believe it is important for the president to have strong religious beliefs. If religious beliefs play a factor in voting for a president, then Gallup’s discovery of 41% of voters claiming to be “very religious” plays a significant role in selecting a president. Back in the spring of 2012, Gallup also found that, “Highly religious Americans, particularly those who are white and Protestant, disproportionately support presumptive Republican presidential candidate Romney…This reinforces a basic pattern in American voting behavior that has been evident for decades.”
It seems that Americans generally like a president with a faith, but how religious does the candidate need to be?
Check this Religion News Service article on the lack of social media mention of faith communities:
According to a recent Pew survey, one-third of adults who use the Internet do not use social networking sites. And a significant minority of Americans do not access the Internet. The survey also found half of Facebook users didn’t list their religious affiliation on their profile. The Rev. Alan Rudnick, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa in upstate New York, considers Facebook and Twitter essential for reaching out to his congregation and local community, but said Americans may be reluctant to label themselves for personal spiritual reasons or out of fear of being ostracized.
Even though about half of all Americans use Facebook once a week,only 40% of people report that their church has an active Facebook page. Only 14% of Catholic Churches have a Facebook presence. And, only about 10% of people post or update their status with something about their church.
These statistics are from a new report from Public Religion Research Institute. The study reveals some insightful trends on social media and church. For instance, only 5% of respondents reported following a pastor or other spiritual leader.
It seems there are two things happening here. First, there is a disconnect between churches and their adherents with regard to connecting through social media. Second, a minority of churches actively use social media to communicate their ministries. I truly believe a lot of churches try “social media” and become frustrated with websites, Facebook pages, or other social medium. Here is why:
We had a lively debate on my post “Are you supporting Chick-fil-A day?” Click and read the Facebook comments.
However, there were other people weighing in that I think you should read. These are not endorsements, but are comments that you should read to consider in order to be informed:
“Palin: Chick-fil-A owner “getting crucified” CBS News, Sarah Palin.
I am speaking up for him, and his First Amendment rights, and anybody else who would wish to express their not anti-gay people sentiment, but their support for traditional marriage, which President Obama and Joe Biden they both supported the exact same thing until just a few months ago when Obama had to flip flop to shore up the homosexual voter base.”
“Some words for Christians on both sides of the Chick-fil-A war” by Rachel Held Evans, RachelHeldEvans.com
You will not find me eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich in a Chick-fil-A restaurant today.
Why? Am I supporting gay marriage by boycotting Chick-fil-A? No.
The comments from Chick-fil-A’s president, Dan Cathy affirming traditional marriage has set off an ugly firestorm. “Guilty as charged,” was his smug response in a Baptist Press interview on the corporation’s support of the traditional view of biblical marriage: “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.” Then mayors, governors, politicians, religious leaders, and radio personalities blasted Cathy. In return, even more mayors, politicians, and religious leaders responded to critics of Cathy. Then, the pro-gay marriage folks call for a boycott of Chick-fil-A. In return, pro-traditional marriage people created “Support Chick-fil-A day” and I’m not going.
I’ve never been a fan of business boycotts that involve entertainment or eating. Years ago, many conservative Christians boycotted buy anything Disney related because of Disney’s pro-gay employee practices. I went to see Disney made movies.
Both pro-Chick-fil-A and anti-Chick-fil-A people have really upset me. One group supports Chick-fil-A and says, “Look at our support and piety!” The other side yells, “That company is made up of bigots! If you buy their stuff it makes you one too!” Both reactions are Pharisaic.
“You don’t understand Penn State! This has nothing to do with football” Is an angry response I heard to my 2011 blog post, Sins of Omission, Paterno & Penn State.
This child abuse scandal has everything to do with football and you do not have to be a Penn State student or alumni to understand it.
By now, the country has heard of the NCAA sanctions Penn State received and the fall out from investigations resulting from school leadership failing to respond to child abuse resulting from coach, Jerry Sandusky.
Understandably, many Penn State students, fans, and alumni are upset at yet another blow to the school’s and the football program’s reputation. Basically, the school’s team will not be able to really come back to full strength till 2020. To add to their lament, the school took down Joe Paterno‘s statute because the school felt it became it became “a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond”.
It is clear from the Freeh report, there was a weak system of accountability for Penn State football. Administrators, school officials, trustees, and coaches feared to bring anything forward that would tarnish the football program. A former administrator, responsible for student discipline experienced this system of suppression for negative attention for Penn State football. CNN recounted Vicky Triponey’s employment at Penn State:
In perhaps the most shocking development to come out of the Trayvon Martin shooting, since George Zimmerman‘s alleged plans to flee the country, occurred in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity. During the interview, Zimmerman discussed a number of topics, but the one that caught my attention the most was his comment about God in relation to the shooting:
I feel like it was all God’s plan and for me to second guess it or judge it…
Later in the interview, Zimmerman said that he prays for Martin’s parent’s daily.
So let’s take a step back here. We have to ask, “What’s really behind Zimmerman’s comment that the shooting was, “God’s plan”? Why does he pull out the God card? According to George Zimmerman, God works through a plan in which he orders shootings and people are devoid of responsibility?
Trayvon Martin’s father, said later in an interview with the Associated Press:
We must worship a different God. There is no way that my God wanted George Zimmerman to murder my teenage son.
It appears that George Zimmerman sees God has a divine force that causes both good and evil. In addition, it appears that Zimmerman believes that God causes people to die a horrible death (e.g. dying from a gunshot). Seeing God through these lenses forces us to believe that there is no cause and effect to our actions. If we bring a gun to a conflict and shoot someone, then we are responsible (though, legally we may not be liable for punishment). Often, people think that the Bible answers the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people.” The Bible holds no such answer because it is an epic story of God’s people living in relationship with their Creator. Scholar N.T. Wright help us to understand God’s involvement in evil and suffering:
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