Ministry Issues

Thriving Pastor Connection
(November 25, 2011)

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Are You Eating Your Vegetables?
Ten Signs of Burnout
Where Are The Leaders?
New Study Sheds Light on Church Dropouts

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Are You Eating Your Vegetables?

In his blog appearing in Credo The Magazine, Marc Cortez compares learning church history with eating our vegetables. We may not like it, but as pastors we really need it. Cortez, who is the Th.M. program director and academic dean at Western Seminary (Portland, OR), shares four reasons why church history is a fundamental pastoral discipline that we should not do without. He reminds us that, “Learning from the wisdom of those who have gone before challenges, stretches, and shapes us for more effective ministry in the present. Neglecting church history is the height of arrogance, the suggestion that we already know everything that we need and that we have nothing to learn from Christians with other perspectives.” To read his blog go to Credomag.com.

Ten Signs of Burnout

We all become stressed out or discouraged occasionally, but when the symptoms begin to pile up over an extended period of time we may need to admit the possibility that we are heading for a major meltdown. Perry Noble, Senior Pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina outlines ten signs that can warn us that a serious case of burnout may be just around the corner. For example, his number three sign is, “You cannot remember the last time you simply had fun with family and friends…and joy is something you talk about but are not experiencing for yourself.” To read the full article go to PerryNoble.com.

Where Are The Leaders?

In a series of articles over the past several weeks, Pastor Tony Morgan has been sharing his insight on building senior leadership teams. He has covered such topics as roles that can’t be delegated, strategies to empower leaders, and avoiding mistakes with your team. This week he looks at how to identify the potential leaders that can be part of your team. To read Pastor Morgan’s current and past articles on team building go to TonyMorganLive.com.

New Study Sheds Light on Church Dropouts

A new study released last week by the Barna Group shows that the loss of faith or rejection of church that many young people experience, is not taking place for the reasons that we often assume. The research, which coincides with the release of You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church…and Rethinking Faith, uncovered what the author describes as five myths and realities about today’s young dropouts. For example, the first myth that is highlighted is that “Most people lose their faith when they leave high school.” But according to the researchers, “there are three distinct patterns of loss: prodigals, nomads, and exiles.” They explain that:

  • One out of nine young people (prodigals) who grow up in Christian homes lose their faith in Christianity.
  • Four out of ten young Christians (nomads) wander away from the institutional church, but still call themselves Christians. They have become “lost” to church participation.
  • Two out of ten young Christians (exiles) feel lost between the "church culture" and the society they feel called to influence.
  • About three out of ten young people who grow up with a Christian background stay faithful to church and to faith throughout their transitions from the teen years through their twenties.

    • For the full report go to Barna.org.

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