One passage in the Bible that I always struggled to understand is Luke 15.  It is where Jesus tells a story of a reportedly good shepherd who is in charge of 100 sheep.  One of the sheep goes astray, and because this shepherd’s love for his sheep he is willing to leave the 99 to go search for the one wanderer.

What I always found hard to understand was how this shepherd could be counted as a loving shepherd.  Sure, to the one lost sheep he is loving, but what about to the 99 he left unguarded and out for wolves, jackals, hyenas, thieves, or whatever else to come and get?  To me this never seemed like a good shepherd, it always seemed like a neglegent one.  That was until I learned more about shepherds.

I never knew that the most sheep any one shepherd can handle by himself is about 50.  Once a shepherd has more than 50 sheep he has to go and find an assistant to help him.  Someone from the first century who heard Jesus tell this story would know this.  They would know that the story implies the shepherd didn’t leave the 99 out vulnerable to go search for the one, rather he entrusted the 99 to the care of his unmentioned assistant.   To put it another way, shepherding is a team effort.  It can’t be done alone, at least not without neglecting some of the sheep from time to time.

Which highlights the value of teams in the church.  I am privileged to work at an amazing church with a top-notch team of people.  However, despite all the gifts and talents each person on our team possesses, none of us by ourselves could meet all the needs of our church.  Together though we are able to do a pretty bang-up job.  It is true at Calvary, and it is true in every other church as well….In caring for the church, we can’t do it alone, at least not without neglecting some of the sheep from time to time.

The problem is so many people try to do it by themselves.  They are afraid to trust others, or to delegate responsibility.  The result is that when they have to go take care of the one, they neglect the 99.  That is why it is so important to be bringing people along with you.  To always be building up a team.  To always be recruiting.  To always be pouring into others.   To always be mentoring someone else.  Without a good team to back you up, you will always be less effective than what you could be.

What about you?  Are you building a team to help you with what God has called you to do? If not, what do you see happening to the 99, when you have to go after the one?

As a children’s pastor I am always looking for new insights and ideas.  Three magazines that were recommended to me that I look to are…

K! – This magazine by KidzMatter has lots of great ideas and helpful articles.  They describe their magazine this way, “K! Magazine is a publication addressing the needs of those who minister to kids in the church.  It contains specialized articles and features on everything from leadership to using trends in our world to help children’s ministers make a deep ETERNAL IMPACT!”  You can visit their site and subscribe by going to http://www.kidzmatter.com.  The cost for a subscription is $20 per year.

Children’s Ministry Magazine – This publication has all sorts of resources ideas, volunteer training tips, and much more.  They describe their magazine by sharing, “Children’s Ministry Magazine is packed with practical, authentic ministry ideas to help you change lives forever.  You’ll get sound advice and encouragement from today’s children’s ministry experts, plus hundreds of ideas to create a program that’ll have kids begging to come back!”  You can find out more by going to http://www.childrensministry.com/magazine/.  The cost is $30 per year, but if you’re nice they’ll give you a free copy to preview.

Finally, you should get a magazine that kids read, so you can get some insight into what is important to them.  Nickelodeon magazine used to be the publication of choice, but it went out of print this past year.  Currently I am looking for an alternative, but haven’t come up with any great ones yet.  Any suggestions?

What other magazines are good for children’s pastors to read?

I had the chance to meet with some Pastor’s from around my district yesterday to discuss Christian Education, and I have to admit the guys I met with were a pretty sharp crew.  Our discussion revolved around the real needs of churches throughout Southern New England, and what the district can do to help.  One of the most common requests was that pastors needed someone to connect them with leads on quality resources.  Whether it be for kid’s church, youth ministry, or just church in general, pastors and churches are looking for someone to point them in the direction of good resources.

In that vein, I am going to start posting more often on resources I feel are helpful.   Hopefully, some of those at the meeting, along with a few others, will find my posts helpful.  I know that a lot of what I will be doing is passing on other peoples ideas, rather than creating my own stuff, but I hope that I can be a filter for good ideas that others can take advantage of.

I’m sure that there are plenty of resources I’ll miss because I am not aware of them myself, so if you are aware of any, feel free to shoot me an email or post something in the comments.

I am truly appreciative of my time at Calvary.  I am learning a lot of great lessons that I will take with me wherever I go in ministry (Don’t worry.  I have no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon).  The top 2 lessons I have learned…

#1 – How to support missions. Calvary does a job second to none when it comes to supporting missions.  Missions videos every month.  Guest missionary speakers throughout the year.  The entire month of October dedicated to missions, with missionary speakers every Sunday morning and evening.  Missions banquet, with missionary speakers.  Missionaries in home care groups, and youth group.  And so much more.  The result, this year over $500,000 in missionary faith promises. A great model to learn from.

#2 – The second lesson I am learning is how to care for people….or what Calvary calls “The Personal Touch.” Calvary cares for people in so many different ways.  Visiting someone from the church who is in the hospital, every day they are in the hospital.  Birthday cards to everyone on their birthday, and a lot of times a phone call as well.  Follow up with every visitor by one of the pastors.  Being mindful of what is going on in people’s lives and remembering to follow up with them about it.  These are just a few of the dozens of ways that Calvary does a good job of just letting people know that they are valued, that they are cared for, and that they are part of family.

I am sure that there are many other lessons that I will learn in my time at Calvary, but these are certainly the top two.

I just finished the semester evaluations for all our Zion Bible College interns.  It is hard to believe yet another school term is coming to a close.  I love the time that I get to spend with each of our students throughout the year.  Weekends without them at the church are simply not the same.

Personally I think every church should have interns.  Maybe it is from a Bible college like Zion.  Or, maybe it is something unofficial like a high-school student who is considering going into ministry, or an adult from the church who is considering a mid-life change of direction.  Maybe it is just someone who wants to give more time serving.  Whether it is an official internship, or not, I think every church should have someone they are mentoring.

For the mentoree it gives them the chance for someone to show them the ropes, and let them get their feet wet.  It gives them the chance to learn from someone else’s successes and failures, so they don’t have to learn the hard way themselves.  It gives them a realistic picture of pastoral ministry, and what life around the church is really like.

For the church it makes you think through what you truly believe about ministry, and summarize those lessons into teachable moments.  Mentoring gives you the chance to work with students who add to the church’s ministry by bringing their God given talents and passions to the table.  It gives you the chance to “interview” possible staff members over the course of months, and years, rather than over a short weekend.  It gives you the chance to pass on what you believe about pastoral ministry to the next generation.

I think every church should have interns. There are just too many benefits to let the opportunity slip by.

My favorite month on our church calendar is October.  I love October as that is the month we set aside for our missions emphasis.  For us here at Calvary, October means getting serious about missions.  Not that we aren't serious about missions year round, but October is a month we set aside for God to take us to a new level in our missions support.

Today we had Bob McGurty, who serves as the India Area Director, with us.  He had a lot of good stuff to say, but he had one great quote that I keep thinking about…"Sometimes a nurse with a stethoscope can get in somewhere a pastor with a Bible cannot."  The bottom line is that we all have a part to play in supporting missions.  For some it is preaching, for some it using technical skills like nursing or computers to open doors shut to most, for others it may be praying for missionaries, giving to missions, and even going on short term trips.  The bottom line is that God is not limited in how He can use us, so we shouldn't put limits on ourselves.  Maybe you don't have a degree from a Bible college or seminary, but God still wants you to be a part in supporting missions.