Receive Free Monthly TeachingQuestion:
Necessary Skills - When I went to Bible School, I learned a lot of great things about Scripture and ministry. However, since becoming a pastor, I’m finding out that there are many other skills that are necessary, and I’m trying to get a handle on those. Is there a major skill you’ve had to learn for your personal well-being or in order to lead well? What is that skill, and how are you implementing it to be more effective? Can you describe it in such a way that will help me understand how I can be better equipped to live and to lead in ministry?
Responses:
Pastor Andy White – Chandler, AZ
A skill I have had to learn is patience. Time is your friend. So many times in the early days I jumped at decisions, jumped at correction, jumped at putting someone in charge. I have learned to relax, enjoy my day, look for success in the day and let time be my friend.
Pastor Ray Almaguer – Glendora, CA
What a great question! From a ministry point of view, I would say that I needed to learn leadership skills after graduation from Bible School. I felt pretty confident about praying for people and preaching the Word, but I came to realize that I didn't really know how to lead them anywhere. I had to learn about vision, how to communicate it and how to get people to buy into it and run with it. I also had to learn how to implement Ephesians 4:12, equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.
From a personal point of view, I needed to learn how to relax. I was very intense and uptight all the time, but I didn't see it. Thank God for my loving wife, Esther, being honest with me. I had to learn to relax, to be refreshed, and to re-charge my batteries emotionally as well as spiritually.
Pastor David Emigh – Sand Springs, OK
One of the things I had to learn in my life and ministry was to delegate and then allow the person to do the job. My personality is such that I could not let go. When I was younger I would delegate but then not let it go in my mind and I would end up hanging on to the assignment and not allow the person to do the job. So I had to develop in this area and release them and the job and let them do it.
I had to realize people do not do things the way that I do them. As long as the job gets done with excellence, that is what matters. It is important to get it done in a timely manner, so I do set deadlines, but now I walk away and let them get it done.
I do check up on things and try to find ways to observe the progress. I also have learned it is not what you expect but what you inspect. So I give people a reasonable amount of time to do a job and if it is not done, I check up on it.
Delegation done in a proper way will be a great blessing to you. You can only do so much, but as you delegate, you increase your proficiency and your ministry can grow.
Pastor Gary Isbell – Chula Vista, CA
One of the best ‘skills’ if you can really call it that, that I’ve had to learn and re-learn, is the ability to deal with adversity, trouble, problems, tests and trials. It comes in all shapes and forms. Daily church business with personalities and problems, staff issues, personal and family challenges, building, property and city requirements and needs…you get the picture.
But the Word gives us a spiritual remedy. James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-9, 1 Peter 4:12 and John 16:33 tell us to count tests, challenges and difficulties with the spiritual force of joy and gladness. Ministry life will be full of unexplained paranormal activity in people and things! Kind of like the ‘Twilight Zone’ where you say, “What just happened?” Get out of your head, and back into your heart where the life of God is. And draw up some fresh water.
The Word helped me in looking at the three Hebrew guys in the furnace. After the King saw that the fire was useless, he had them removed. Daniel 3:27 says, ‘And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.’
A few thoughts while dealing with adversity:
Your tribulation, pain, trouble or fire, doesn’t have the power in itself to burn you, unless you let it. Don’t be a ‘burned out minister.’
Their hair wasn’t singed. The trial of fire didn’t mess with their thought life. They still believed and trusted God. They still dreamed. You can too.
Their clothes weren’t affected. ‘Clothes’ representing their authority in Christ and their robe of righteousness wasn’t tainted or damaged.
Lastly, they didn’t even smell like smoke…no lingering effects of the trial stayed on the boys! Many ministers still ‘talk about the church spilt’ 15 years later…and it still stinks.
If you read the end of the story, the furnace of adversity actually promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. It will do the same for you.
There’s no magic formula. Everyone goes through junk. But to come out whole, with nothing missing or broken, get joy, rejoicing, and cheerful expectation alive again!
Pastor Bob Yandian – Tulsa, OK
After being a teacher at a Bible School and later a pastor, I have noted one great difference of which most all others can be included. In Bible School you were taught little of how to handle people.
Most of Bible School was teaching sermon preparation, N.T. and O.T. history and outlines, travels of Jesus and Paul, major and minor prophets and eschatology. Most pastoral failures have little to do with sermons or preaching ability. It is the shock of finding out what people (Christians) can be like. Paul said the Christian who will not work is worse than an infidel. Only a Christian can out-sin a sinner. In counsel, you find out what your congregation is up to and their seeming apathy toward change or righteous living. If not dealt with in the life of the pastor, the anger and disappointment can lead to giving up. There are times I need to go to my counseling director or counsel myself because of what I see in Christian people.
I am not recommending any books, but a couple of scriptures for pastors. 2 Tim
2:22 says, "Flee also youthful lusts (sins of immaturity): but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart". You follow the Lord along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Keep your eyes on the good members of the congregation, not the sinning ones. Preach to the full seats, not the empty ones. Thank the ones who came and do not get angry about those who did not come. Love on those who did come and they will bring more.
In the O.T., the dedicated ones were called the remnant. In the N.T. they are called the faithful brethren. Col 1:2 "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse". The whole church could be saints, but only a few are faithful brethren. Those are the ones you preach to and draw encouragement from. They come to church early and leave late. They are constantly filled with questions and you might even consider them a pest. They remind you of what you used to be like. You were a pest hanging around church and special services asking questions which were important to you. Someone saw potential in you and gave you some attention. Do the same with those in your church who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. They are as good for you as you are for them.
Pastor Doug Foutty – Parkersburg, WV
One thing that I have had to learn was to keep my personal feelings to myself or between just myself and my wife, who co-pastors with me. I am from a small town and a lot of the people who attend our church or who attended for a while are people that I already knew. In the earlier days of our church, I might share a concern about a church situation with one of the people and they would in turn feel comfortable sharing it with someone else. By the time it was told a few times, it didn't even resemble the truth. Then you had a bigger mess on your hands than the original concern.
I also had to learn not to look upon anything as permanent and not to accept every promise as a fact. People really do mean well and have all the good intentions at heart when they make promises to you, but things change in their lives and it will affect areas of your church. People will promise to buy something for the church or promise to take over a department or say that they will be part of your church for life. They feel like they are able to fulfill those things when they say them, but time will quickly allow them to forget their commitments. I had to learn to be polite and say thank you, but really not count on every promise as a sure thing. In other words, be quick to forgive and go on.
I had to learn to not base my calling on the amount of people in the seats or the amount of money that came in to support the church. You have to know because you know because you know that God asked you to do what you are doing. You must be fully persuaded or no one else will be. I had to learn to minister the same regardless of how many people were in the seats.
Protect the anointing! Don't compromise no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
Don't be surprised when you find yourself helping people through one tough situation after another. You must be the one that God needed there because you are the best qualified. So, remain humble and remember that God gets the glory and do your job unto Him. He trusts you, so why not be encouraged by that.
These are skills that you don't think about much until you get into these situations. It is like climbing up the 'other' side of the same mountain. You have a different view depending on which direction you end up facing. God is so good. He will help develop you if you remain teachable. Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus!
