If something crazy can happen, it will happen to me. Let me share an example of that with you. I was pastor of a church in Florida for eleven years. During that time one of my church members was waiting for a much needed liver transplant. Finally, a liver became available and I traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida to offer support. God was good to us; the liver transplant was a success. I traveled to my wife’s parent’s home in Jacksonville Beach to get some much needed rest. This is where the story gets interesting. I awoke early the next morning, before daybreak. As I … [Read more...] about Close call
So Long Soloists
If we were as nice to the lost as we are to horrible soloists at church we might see a revival. That’s what I was thinking as I sat listening to the weekly “special” that preceded my sermon. It was an awful solo. The words to the song were doctrinally correct but the sound bordered on heresy. I knew what would happen when our resident William Hung finished. Everyone would applaud. They always do. They know not what they do. With their applause they are inspiring a host of other tone deaf members to take the stage. As I endured my musical purgatory, a visitor caught my eye. Judging … [Read more...] about So Long Soloists
The Baptists are Coming
The Baptists are coming- Don’t be scared The Baptists are coming- I hope you’re prepared The Baptists are coming- We won’t stay long The Baptists are coming- You better hold on! You’ve heard a lot about us, but now you get to see The chicken fryin’, gospel cryin’, SBC Led at the head by a man named Luter He’s a fast preachin’ , people reachin’ Real straight shooter. Who we are and what we do Might come as a big surprise to you. We don’t handle snakes, we don’t hate people Our women wear pants & we count them equal. We believe in the Scripture and the … [Read more...] about The Baptists are Coming
Signs You May Not Last Long
The average tenure of a pastor isn't anything to brag about. It’s a little scary, actually. So I have put together some warning signs that you may want to watch for if you have have recently been hired at a church. If any of these are true of you, don’t throw your boxes away just yet. You may need them again real soon.. 1. They give you the keys to the buildings…and the lawnmower. I've mowed a lot of grass for the church. Nothing wrong with that. But if a church expects the pastor to do such jobs it could make for a tough ride. 2. You find out the new & exciting church the previous … [Read more...] about Signs You May Not Last Long
You Might be a Small Church pastor If…
1) You open each service with “These are my deacons, I am who they say I am, I can do what they say I can do…” 2) At least three times a week someone says to you “I noticed your car was at your house.” 3) The phrase “But we’re a loving church” is the church’s unofficial motto. 4) When someone in your church has their picture in the paper it will be pinned to the bulletin board. 5) You have two revivals a year. The Pastor gets to pick the speaker for one and the deacons get to pick the speaker for the other. 6) You have more deacons than widows. 7) You have more deacons than … [Read more...] about You Might be a Small Church pastor If…
Why I Don’t Quit (by Unappreciated Pastor)
It was a cold Friday morning. As a bi-vocational pastor, Friday was my day off. The kids were in school & my wife was at work. I like to do two things on my day off: fish and hunt. Hunting season wasn’t in so I headed to the Suwanee river. I don’t have a boat so I’d be fishing off the bank. I would get to the river by passing through a church members private property and then driving down a trail in the woods. My spot was very secluded and very quiet. Just the way I like it. My wife had already told me I shouldn’t go fishing. She is a city girl. She believes that one day I will get … [Read more...] about Why I Don’t Quit (by Unappreciated Pastor)
How To Know if Your Pastor is Cheating
I know what you are thinking. Like many others, you have bought into the idea, “This could never happen to me.” But the reality is that it most likely will. Your pastor will leave you for another church. Perhaps it will be the young one across town. Or it may be the established & financially secure church that just finished a building project. What about the one upstate that he just spent a week with “preaching a revival”? Studies show that average national tenure of a pastor is 3.6 years. Listen to these testimonies: “We thought things were going so well, I mean we just finished paying … [Read more...] about How To Know if Your Pastor is Cheating
What 40 Year Old Me Would tell 25 Year Old Me
I was 25 when I became a senior pastor. That was 15 years ago. Honestly, I’m a little down about this whole age thing. I’m looking back a little. Time has gone by so quickly. I have been reminiscing about life in the ministry. In looking back I have come to the conclusion that it would have been great if there were a mentor in my life to prepare me for ministry. The reality is, at that point, I was so hard headed I probably would not have listened to anyone. I was pretty independent. The only person I would have listened to was me. I wish 40 year old me had been around when I was 25. I would … [Read more...] about What 40 Year Old Me Would tell 25 Year Old Me
“Eight Reasons to Elect me SBC President” by the Unappreciated Pastor
As some of you may know, I was nominated as president of the SBC recently by one of my followers on Twitter. To my surprise, a second quickly followed. I take this opportunity to publicly state that I accept the nomination. I look forward to a lively debate with the other nominees. Please allow me to outline some of the reasons I should be president of the SBC. An anon twitter personality has never been elected president of the SBC. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but it is true. Fifty-nine times we have elected a president. The SBC has existed for almost 170 years and not once … [Read more...] about “Eight Reasons to Elect me SBC President” by the Unappreciated Pastor