Off the Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders

This election season, a group of about 30 pastors plans to challenge the IRS law that prohibits churches from endorsing a political candidate from the pulpit. As part of the "Pulpit Initiative," organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, many of these pastors chose to explicitly endorse one of the presidential candidates as part of his Sunday sermon yesterday.

The pastors say that the IRS regulation violates their First Amendment rights by restricting the free expression of religion. The government should have no authority to restrict what a pastor says from the pulpit to his or her congregation, they argue.

For example, Minnesota pastor Gus Booth, who encouraged his congregation to vote for John McCain yesterday, says, "If we [pastors] can tell you what to do in the bedroom, we can certainly tell you what to do in the voting booth."

Supporters of the IRS code also appeal to the First Amendment, saying the church should stay out of political affairs, and those that choose not to should lose their tax-exempt status.

Continue reading "Defying the IRS"...

I recently spoke with a colleague who took a special behind-the-scenes tour of Disney World. As you can imagine, the tour is quite different from the regular Disney experience. Instead of the frills and façade of the park, you see the machinery that makes it all happen—the ropes and pulleys, the gears and guts. You might even glimpse a makeup-less Mickey Mouse taking a smoke break. Quite different from the magic that leaves millions of children awe-struck.

But before drawing back the curtain to begin the tour, the guide paused to deliver a warning to the group: “After you see behind this curtain, the magic will be gone.”

When I heard my friend’s story, I saw a ministry parallel. Being in ministry is a little like peeking behind the curtain. Most Christians see the finished product; those in ministry see how it was created. And peering behind the curtain has a way of erasing the magic and sapping our spiritual strength.

But why?

Continue reading "Working Behind the Curtain"...

It’s a little hard to believe that the time has come already, but we, the ever-diligent editors of Building Church Leaders, are busy preparing for 2009. We have plans to address some exciting topics in the next year, and we know you’ll find these fresh downloads useful for your ministries.

But to be certain we’re best meeting your needs, we’d love to hear from you. What topics would you like to see BCL cover in 2009? What challenges are you facing, or in what areas do you feel ill equipped? Feel free to list broad topics—such as worship, Christian education, volunteer training—or specific ones—meaningful Easter practices, using Internet technologies, etc. Simply post a comment with your recommendations.

Thank you for helping us help you. We look forward to hearing your feedback.

Sometime last year, a short passage of Scripture lodged in my brain. It’s been rubbing and needling there ever since and challenging the way I think about ministry.

The passage is from Isaiah 42. Describing Jesus, the Suffering Servant, the prophet says: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” These beautiful snapshots of compassion and tenderness bring to mind the ministry Henri Nouwen describes in The Wounded Healer (Image, 1979). They present a vision of Christian service that suits my personality. That’s why I find it so troubling how discordant this sentiment is with the following words of Jesus: “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

To put the matter bluntly, this offends my understanding of authenticity. When I think of someone being “real,” I usually have in mind that said person behaves the same way around everyone. He’s confident “being himself.” That’s what makes the TV doctor House so endearing. He’s a jerk, sure; but he’s a jerk everywhere and always. He’s so authentic. And, because authenticity is such a central cultural value for people my age, it’s easy for me to adopt the mantra, Be yourself. If you’re nothing else, be real. But Jesus—he interacted with some people in one way and others in another. That’s the textbook (if junior-high) definition of “inauthentic.”

Continue reading "Stiff Necks and Bruised Reeds"...

Pulling up to a busy intersection recently, my wife and I were startled to see a car with its rear windshield shattered. Out of the damaged car leaped a man with a baseball bat, yelling and chasing the two apparent perpetrators. As we slowly drove by, my wife reaching for her phone to call the police, we saw into the back seat where a young girl sat trying to make sense of the chaos that had erupted around her. Arriving at our apartment three blocks away I became aware of an emotion I hadn’t felt in a long time: fear.

Three months after moving into Chicago from one of its affluent suburbs, we are still getting our bearings. Is it the Mexican or Polish market that has the better produce? What time is too late for my wife to take a walk by herself? How long will it take to get from the church office to my lunch meeting via the Blue Line? We expected these kinds of questions. Unanticipated, however, was the proper response to shattered windshields and guys with baseball bats. I knew the transition to life and ministry in the city might be tough, but this tangible sense of fear came out of left field.

Continue reading "Urban Exile: Following Jesus in the Face of Fear"...

The last place we expect to get hurt is within the family of God. We assume church people are safe people. But, hurt comes with church leadership. When it happens, the wounds it brings can quickly become a breeding ground for bitterness.

Bitterness can become a gnarly vine that chokes our souls. It poisons our hearts and actions. Scripture says we and others will pay a great price if it is left unchecked (Hebrews 12:15).

What’s a Christian to do? When we are wronged, justice demands that someone pay for the wrong. We know that the Lord wants us to forgive. But how can we handle the tension between justice and forgiveness?

Continue reading "Bold Forgiveness"...