Lead Leader - Ron Session Ministries

The hidden victims of the virus

Ronald Session — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 13:30:17 +0000

“Sheltering in Place” orders from our governmental officials mean one thing to most of us but an entirely different thing to those who are victims of domestic violence. There are hidden victims of the virus who do not display the typical symptoms of the novel virus. Instead of chills, fever and respiratory difficulties they suffer blackened eyes, bruised bodies and broken spirits. They are the sundry persons who suffer in silence, whose voices are hushed in isolation. For them, there is no emergency action plan in place to rescue them. Many of them will go through this pandemic being the object of someone’s displaced anxiety and anger. They are our sisters, brothers, mothers, nieces, nephews, coworkers, classmates and church members. And they will suffer at an increased rate at the hands of those who were supposed to love them. Many will die during this pandemic, but not all at the hands of the virus.

"Out of Sight, child abuse in Texas is thought to be on the rise," an article filed by Emma Platoff in The Texas Tribune on March 27, 2020, highlighted the deception of thinking that because the numbers of reported cases have declined, the number of children being abused is down. She stated, “Trapped in their homes with the increased stress of health risks, layoffs and food insecurity, abusers are more prone to violence, advocates say. With schools closed, children with injuries are less likely to be spotted.” In other words, increased pressures coupled with less accountability leads to more domestic violence that goes unchecked.

Spousal abuse is likely on the rise as well. According to Kate Connolly et al., in an article from The Guardian from March 28, 2020, entitled Lockdowns around the world brings a rise in domestic violence, she said, “Being confined to home because of coronavirus is difficult for everyone, but it becomes a real nightmare for female victims of gender-based violence.” This phenomenon is not just taking place in the Lone Star State, it is happening around the world. We must acknowledge that every victim is not a woman or a child. Men are victims as well, but the numbers are disproportionate. In a KPRC Channel 2 report out of Houston, Ft. Bend County reports a 25% rise in domestic abuse calls over last month and a 50% rise over the same time last year. Houston’s Police Chief reported a 6% rise over the last month. When the dust settles, there will be several families that will need the church to play a role in reconciliation and recovery.

How should the Church respond to these disturbing trends? The first step is to acknowledge that such things exist, and some of the cases are happening within the context of our own ministries. In some cases, we are aware of possible abuses, but there are likely many more that we are not aware of. Churches can also help by shifting the burden of abuse from the abused back to the abuser. Proverbs 19:19 “A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.” Abusers need to be held accountable by the authorities. This is part of the process of helping them break the chain of abusing others. This is such a critical step and the Church should recognize its duty to report if an instance of abuse is made known. Abusers need to be reminded that Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Perpetrators need to see the violation of the sacred trust of holy matrimony and what is lost by them when they abuse. Victims of domestic violence often feel ashamed of their predicament and are made to feel as if their abuse is punishment for their failures. We need to remind them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. There are no shortcuts to rehabilitating the faith of someone who feels as if God has abandoned them in their greatest time of need. The faith community must be ready to do the difficult work of rebuilding the broken lives that lie in the wake of displaced anger. There will undoubtedly be tough questions to answer concerning the love of God, and believers need to be prepared to give a defense of the faith in light of these real-life issues.

Here are a few proactive steps that churches can take to help in this time of crisis:

You can always call or text 911 if you feel that you or someone else is in grave danger.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline – Reach out to their hotline if you need immediate help. Their website contains lots of information on safety plans, information on what is abuse, stats, and other pertinent information.
Texas Council on Family Violence also offers safety plans, stats and how to file protective orders.
Texas Attorney General - Family Violence offers more resources.
If you have someone in your congregation who is trained to identify signs of abuse, is a counselor, or is familiar with helping others find the social service resources they need, this may be the perfect time to launch a new ministry effort.
If you suspect someone is being abused, make frequent calls or even use platforms that allow video conferencing so that the abuser will know that someone is watching.

Churches do not simply gather to worship; we also scatter to serve. Sometimes that service takes on painful responsibilities. Our witness can be strengthened by taking an active role to curb the social ills in our own localities. It is our duty to look out for those who are in need. Those needs are different for some. Let us find new ways to demonstrate the love of Christ.

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5 simple activities the Church can engage in while the doors are closed

Ronald Session — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 13:25:59 +0000

As the news about the global pandemic continues to change, we are seeing an increase in restrictions related to crowd sizes. Every church has been affected. How can the Church be effective when they are prohibited to gather? The faith community has a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ in one of the most trying times in recent history. Let us consider how we might be impactful in this season of fear and hopelessness.

1. Maintain a faithful witness

One of the first things we can do is to maintain a faithful witness within our communities. Church members can follow the mandates and recommendations of our governmental officials without grumbling or being critical. They have set restrictions in place for the welfare of our families and our neighbors. Christians should set the standard for cooperation with our civil authorities. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 13:1-2 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Being cooperative in this season will help us authenticate our claim as Christians.

2. Meet basic needs

Secondly, churches can lead by serving. Several people in nearly every community still have unmet basic needs. During this time of uncertainty and panic shopping, there are those among us who cannot get the basic necessities to survive the outbreak. In many cases, people are having to do without because of scarcity or their employment has suddenly ended without warning. This is a golden opportunity for the church to provide basic needs to burdened neighbors. By feeding them and providing groceries, toiletries and other scarcities, the church extends the love of Christ in very meaningful ways at a time when people need to be reassured that God has not forsaken them.

3. Share Christ

Another thing that our churches can do is lead others to a saving faith in a loving Christ. Because of the social distancing measures, people will have more time to contemplate their lives and will undoubtedly have many questions. Churches who have been trained and prepared for an opportunity to share their faith, now have a captive audience. Having a plan and being intentional may yield fruit for the kingdom. Even this is a part of God’s providence at work, giving the Church a chance to share Christ with people who are not certain about their destiny.

4. Encourage by empowering

Churches can also be the voice of encouragement by providing pertinent information in creative ways. Taking time to add helpful tips, current available resources and creative ideas to help parents manage the task of educating their kids may be the very thing that someone will need to feel empowered during this time. You are already on the internet, carve out a little time to share helpful information that might alleviate undue stress. It also gives the community a reason to check out your platforms where they may find other things of interest and give you an inroad to share with them in the future.

5. Discipling families

Perhaps the most exciting prospect of ministry during this time does not take place in the community but rather in the home. Churches can be strategic when planning while the gathered community becomes the scattered community. Having materials for the entire family to study and engage in will help them place an emphasis on family discipleship. Each head of household can lead their family into focused prayer and Bible study, complete with fun games and activities that encourage total participation. Families can also share this information with others who are new to the area, looking for a faith family to unite with or have no relationship with Christ at all.

These are just a few things that we have suggested to get your creative energies flowing. You can find many ways to continue the work of Christ even if you cannot meet. God has given us incredible resources and access in our generation to meet a desperate world with a Word of hope.

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Simple Steps to Successful Church Assessment: Part 2

Ronald Session — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 13:24:18 +0000

This article is part 2 of a series. Click here to read part 1.

Last time, we looked at the first three simple steps to get the church assessment conversation going within your local congregation: pray well, listen well and communicate well. Here are the last three. These steps are more involved and require clarity and cooperation between the leadership and laity.

Document well

Whether you are gathering information from personal interviews or from a written instrument, you must do something with the information you receive if you plan to make use of the gold you have mined. You must develop a way to analyze the data so that you can begin to make decisions about programming, personnel and partnerships. The exercise of church assessment is too critical not to compile the information in a manner that makes it easy to see areas of opportunity. It will also help you put some things to bed that no longer have significance to the congregation or community.

After being at Shiloh Garland for only a few months, it became apparent that the church was allocating financial and human resources to a monthly dinner for new members that was held at a local facility. This came at a great cost to the church. When the data came back on the programs and initiatives each ministry sponsored, we discovered that very few new members actually participated. What might have been a good idea at one time had now devolved into a free fancy dinner for a few workers, yet it provided no value to the church and did nothing to further the church’s mission at that time.

Plan well

Don’t feel the pressure to bring a perfect plan to the church. Don’t attempt to construct any plan alone. The perspective of one person is far too narrow to accomplish the great things God wants to do through your local church. Take some time to hear God concerning the information that you have received from your efforts to communicate, and listen well. Let that information have time to soak in. Spend time in quiet observation to see if the data supports your observations. Should you find that it does not, reassess your method of gathering information. There might be a problem in how data was collected or requested.

You have a tremendous opportunity to do really great work at this stage. If your team has listened well, you could experience a significant win immediately if you get the important things right. At one church that I’m familiar with, the members had recently called a new pastor. Person after person shared a concern that had persisted for quite some time. The new pastor was able to come in and get the problem solved and gained immediate credibility.

As easy as it is to get immediate wins when the plans match real needs, it is equally as easy to suffer defeat which can take years to overcome. My predecessor of the first church I pastored had gotten together with a small group of people and decided to remove all of the wooden pulpit furniture and replaced it with acrylic furniture, which sparked an uproar. Needless to say, he didn’t last much longer and the first thing they changed after his name on the sign was the pulpit furniture.

Take your time and really understand the information you gathered and then, with a group, plan accordingly.

Execute well

You will gain tremendous credibility if you are able to understand the needs of the church and community, then execute changes well. When I got to Shiloh Garland there were 127 people at the most. By following this simple church assessing format and making the needed changes, we grew to 300 people in a few months. By my eleventh month, we had closed on another property three-times the size of the original church building. It was an exciting time because we were able to start new ministries within the church and began to look outward toward the needs of the community. Today, we are solid partners in the community and offer services to meet the needs of the congregation and the community.

Please know that you will have to assess continuously because the church is a living organism and is in constant transition in one way or another. You should walk the corridors with your eyes open for opportunities and your ears open to hear God speaking.

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Simple Steps to Successful Church Assessment: Part 1

Ronald Session — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 13:21:08 +0000

As a pastor, one of the most important tasks you will undertake is assessing the needs of the local body of believers in light of the vision that God has given for your community and dare I say even the world.

Perhaps, as a point of departure I should encourage you to begin this journey of discovery with an open mind, remembering that the Church belongs to Jesus and not to us. We are servants and not CEOs. Remaining open-minded will allow you to experience joy along the journey as God reveals His will for the church. Many pastors miss out on those joys because they're overly concerned with outcomes rather than learning what God wants to do through them as they daily depend on Him. Speed isn’t the goal here, obedience is.

I would like to offer a few observations concerning church assessment that I have learned over the years. These are by no means exhaustive. They do however, give us a place to begin thinking seriously about how we should begin this journey. I will offer the first three in this article and the last three in the next.

Pray well

Philippians 4:6 reads “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.” Because the work of properly assessing what your particular context needs, you must begin with prayer. Take this very seriously, because this is a spiritual enterprise and not an opportunity to demonstrate to your congregation how smart you are. If you really want to show them how smart you are, begin with prayer.

Don’t pray alone…invite others to join you in petitioning God for great clarity throughout this process.

Listen well

If your church is like mine, you will need to engage others who likely will have more insider information on the church than you. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could be a very good thing. When I first arrived at Shiloh Garland, the church was 77 years old, my predecessor had been there 20 years and the lead deacon had been at the church since it was six years old. It would have been an open act of arrogance to presume that I could tell them what they needed.

Be careful here–I would caution you to hear everyone, but only listen to those whom God will give you to help accomplish the work of evaluating the needs of the church. In Nehemiah 2, Nehemiah goes out at night with only a few men to inspect the ruins of Jerusalem. Though the Bible is silent on the qualifications of Nehemiah’s companions, it would stand to reason that they were qualified to help him assess the ruins.

Pastor, if all you have listened to are the people who are sent to help you then you haven’t listened well. Make sure that you attend to the leading of God. In Nehemiah 2:12, Nehemiah says “And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.” Listening well is incomplete until you receive what God deposits into your heart. Eliminate the fatal distractions of too many opinions. Listen to God!

Communicate well

Your ability to gather good information will largely depend on your own ability to communicate both in written and verbal forms. You will have to discern which questions to ask and the most effective way to frame them. Take time to carefully craft the questions that you will ask. Asking the right questions in the wrong way might lead to faulty feedback and leave you with an opaque view of the condition and health of the church.

Gathering information will also include getting written feedback. There are several great tools for assessment but don’t assume that a “one-size fits all” approach will yield the most fruit. You will need to tailor the resources you find to apply to your context. When I arrived at Shiloh Garland, I used resources from Becoming A Healthy Church: Ten Traits of a Vital Ministry by Stephen A. Macchia and Advanced Strategic Planning by Aubrey Malphurs to name a few. None of them were a perfect fit for a small African American church in a concealed location that was almost completely inward focused. To say that some customization had to take place is an understatement. Getting written feedback is helpful when you are attempting to make sense of the findings within a group. You might just find that you will get more complete answers to the questions you pose when the respondents are under the cover of anonymity.

I trust that these few helpful hints will be a great place to begin in making sense of the work of assessing the needs of your local church assignment. Stay tuned, I will share three more simple steps in the next article.

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HOW TO WORK IN ANY ENVIRONMENT AND THRIVE

Ronald Session — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:51:19 +0000

Here are 10 guiding principles to grow your career by. Keeping your focus on why you work and how God intends to use you will help you to ride out the shifting tide of an ever-changing corporate climate.

1. Don't expect to be appreciated. Your only expectation is fair compensation for the quality work you produce in a timely manner. Don't come to work to have personal relationships. If you should make a real friend that’s great but your primary purpose is not friendship, its work. Don't allow what you do to affect who you are.

2. Do your job well, but remember your mission. God put you there to be a light.

3. Seek opportunities to change the atmosphere without commenting on the problems. You have to talk to God several times throughout the day. You are on an assignment. Quietness and competence shall be your strength.

4. Don't let your environment get inside of you. You should influence it, not let it influence you. Stop going to work to be fed. You didn't come to receive, you show up to give.

5. Increase your capacity to work with different personalities. God will sometimes bless you through people you don't always enjoy being around.

6. Remember, where you are does not define where you are going. This will deliver you from frustration. God has a plan for your life. Keep your eye on the prize. When Peter did this, he was able to walk on what other people sank in.

7. Get the optimum results with minimal confusion. Be effective without making the environment worse.

8. Don't be associated with one group or clique. Labels limit your usefulness. God wants you to work with everyone but be labeled by no one. Use all your gifts.

9. Always keep your song near you. Keep a consecrated place in your soul. Hold on to your praise.

10. Understand that God anoints you for trouble. Put on the whole armor of God before going to work.

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LEADERSHIP MODEL FOR EXCELLENCE

Ronald Session — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 15:29:35 +0000

The bible reads in Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” It is in the authority of that name that we serve one another. Because it is in that name we serve, we should do it with excellence. For the believer, excellence is the goal of a disciple’s unyielding faith that produces the best results for the benefit of others and to the glory of God. Dr. Martin Luther King said “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Leader you can be excellent not because of what you are able to do alone. You will be excellent because of what God has invested in your life because you chose to serve Him with gladness. It is imperative for you to be trained in the manner in which God is directing you to administer the work in your vocation. You must function well as a part of a team, speaking with one voice and moving in the same direction.

Every leader will be challenged to move beyond your current level of involvement to take hold of a higher degree of proficiency and professionalism as we conduct the Master’s affairs on earth. If you are to become excellent in your service, you must make mediocrity your enemy. You have to own the idea that “good enough never is.” You will be faced with new obstacles that will require you to employ radical means to address issues that attempt to disrupt your efforts to serve locally and even globally.

Hall of Fame player and coach, Pat Riley, has been quoted as having said “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” How do you get your teammates to do better? You provide for them a model of leadership excellence. This model includes five fundamental steps that will facilitate leadership development going forth in a manner of excellence. According to Socrates “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.” So what are these habits that will pave the way towards excellence? Every core leader must model, mentor, monitor, motivate, and lastly multiply themselves.

1. I model: Although it might sound a bit like a cliche, you have to be the change that you want to see in others. Modeling excellence gives others the opportunity to see in practice what you have been saying in principle.

2. I mentor: You must take out time to coach and encourage those whom you will lead. The road to excellence is not an easy one. Many are tempted to quit before they ever achieve the intended goal so they will need a mentor to lean on in the process.

3. I monitor: You cannot simply give a teammate an assignment and abandon them. You must spend time with them until they get acclimated to the team or task before you leave them. You monitor to ensure that they are proficient in the work and also to ensure that they are serving to the level of quality to which they were trained. You must monitor.

4. I motivate: All work, at times, is often a thankless undertaking. People are taken for granted much of the time. As such, your workers will need to be re-energized and refueled for the continuation of the journey. Leaders who are excellent motivators have little trouble recruiting and retaining volunteers to serve on their teams.

5. I multiply: When you have poured into the lives of those whom you will lead into serving with excellence then you should multiply yourself in others. Someone should be able now to go and pour into others and lead them into excellent service for the common good. Multiplication of those who will be excellent in their service is how mediocrity is eradicated and good teams become great!

There is a story I once heard about choosing your perspective in life, about how you see the world around you. How you view the window of opportunity. Two men were imprisoned in a tower. The tower had a window. One man looked down and all he saw was the mud, rocks, and barren land. The other man looked out but he looked up and saw the moon, stars, and sky. He saw possibilities where the other saw problems. Your effectiveness largely deepens on your perspective. You can look at challenges and see all of the problems and quit before you ever get started or you can look at every problem and see that the sky is the limit to solving them and decide to reach for excellence along the way.

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INSECURE LEADERSHIP

Ronald Session — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:34:18 +0000

Leading people is hard work. The reality is that every person leads at some level. The question is not if you are a leader as much as it is, how well are you leading? You cannot lead well from a place of insecurity.

One of the things that amazes me most about many organizations is the epidemic proportions at which insecurity runs through its leadership. If you want to lead for the long haul, your security had better be found in something or someone higher than yourself. For me, my significance comes from living my life in Christ.

Insecure leaders create drama, havoc and pain in the lives of those they lead. Ask yourself if the following is true for you; as I wrote them I found them convicting—and humbling.

What does an insecure leader look like?

1. They surround themselves with people they can control. Insecure leaders hinder their organization because they don’t hire or attract the best people for a job. They attract people who are not as good as they are…people with less experience who can be controlled mentally or emotionally.

2. They misinterpret other people’s motives to fit their story. Insecure leaders have to be right. So they misinterpret what people do and why they do it to make themselves emerge as the hero. When people stand up to insecure leaders, they write them off as jealous or arrogant. Motives get misrepresented so they can be wrong.

3. They look at those who work for them as employees, not their team. Insecure leaders don’t look for the best ideas. They can’t collaborate because they don’t value other people’s opinions. They prefer to forego extended work relationships, because it’s easier to fill your team with disposable cogs rather than friends and teammates you love and trust. They find their identity in how many people work for them rather than how many people they work with.

4. They consider anyone “disloyal” who disagrees with them. Insecure people don’t see people as people; they see them as either on their side or against them. They are the center of all things.

5. They mishandle conflict. Insecure leaders either avoid conflict through passive-aggressive means, or they look at every situation as a potential conflict. They are either too soft and squishy or harsh and uncaring. Secure leaders handle conflict with truth and grace working together, because relationships matter more than being right.

Jesus was the most emotionally secure person who ever lived. He understood who He was, where He was from and where He was going. He had incredible clarity of mission and purpose. Our security as leaders has to come from knowing “Whose” we are.

I love how the Heidelberg Catechism handles the question of where we find our comfort in life and death: We find it in the fact that we are not our own but belong—body and soul—to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who has fully paid for all our sins with His precious blood. Any time we place something at the center of our lives besides Him, it will produce insecurity.

Consider these four negative things insecure leaders tell themselves:

· I must know everything about everything – this is a lie straight from the pit of hell. You cannot possible know everything and therefore you place unnecessary pressure on yourself and injure those who follow you in the process. When you come to something you don’t know…admit that you don’t know. You will be surprised by the level of talent that springs up around you because of your honesty. Your honesty gives your team permission to be great and fill the vacuum.

· I must be prominent and lead from the front – this is simply not true either. In 360 Leadership, people may rise up from many different levels of leadership to be the champion in a given situation. This does not diminish the leadership of the leader of record. In fact, it ensures that the team will continue to grow as long as the talent of others are appreciated.

· I must prove myself constantly – This one hits home with most of us. The need to prove to others our worth to the organization may lead to us alienating others who we need to accomplish the mission. We must trust that others see us for who we are and that they value our contributions or we may end up running them off because of our perceived fear.

· My follower’s success is a threat to me – The success of other people is sometimes seen as a failure on the part of the leader in his/her mind. In reality, when people under your leadership succeed it is most often attributed to that leader in some way. The leader should celebrate the victories and accomplishments of their team. It fosters the same sense of loyalty for the team member that the leader appreciates.

You have to ask yourself is crippling your team so that you can always be the hero worth risking your mission? If you think that it is then your leadership is in serious trouble.

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G0D D0ESN'T NEED ANOTHER SUPERMAN

Ronald Session — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 16:00:00 +0000

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait, its Superman! But Superman is a fictional character created in the late 1930’s, he’s not real. Yet many people try to live as though they are superhuman. We live a life that is not what God intended for us because we get so caught up in the “dizziness of busyness.” We have all allowed technology to convince us that we can do more with less but faster than the next guy. Is that really God’s plan for His children? Many times we take on more in attempts to prove to God that He can count on us. Dr. C. A. W. Clark would often share with young pastors across the nation of the folly of one man doing the work of ten and the wisdom of getting ten men to do the work of ten. It’s simply called delegation.

This is precisely what Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, taught him in Exodus 18. He taught him the art of delegation. What does it mean to delegate? Here in the text it means at least two things. The first is that someone must be sent as a deputy or representative. But secondly, that person or those persons must be given power to function on behalf of the one who sent them. This is the portrait of biblical delegation that can be seen in Exodus 18:13-23. Look at the tenets of Jethro’s argument to Moses and Moses’ exchange with him.

Verse 14 – Why are you doing all of this alone?
- The results – Moses and the people are worn out.
- The implication – Moses’ system is inadequate.
Verses 15-16 Moses uses four personal pronouns in two verses
- The results – He sees everything as his personal responsibility and cancels out the possibility of having God and others to help him.
- The implication – Others are qualified and he isn’t prepared to empower them to help him serve.
Verse 17 - He receives wise counsel from Jethro
- Verse 18 - Your system is going to wear you out because this responsibility is too great and you are not able to do it alone.
- Verse 20 - Train the people in the laws and ordinances of God.
- Verse 21 - Select qualified men of character and share with them this responsibility according to their abilities.
- Verse 22 - Empower them to judge the people year around but only bring the tough cases to you.
The benefits of heeding wise counsel are these:
- You will be able to endure this work
- The people will be at peace

My friends, our God is full of grace and mercy and does not intend for us to live in bondage to work to the extent that we have no real quality of life. He gives us help to accomplish the tasks that He has called us to. You know, God is not the one driving us to do more, sometimes it’s us. We push ourselves when God is gently leading us. Stephen Covey, in his book entitled First Things First, tells of his daughter Maria who after having given birth to her third child found that all of the demands in her life were beginning to overwhelm her. She shared her dilemma with her father and he shared with her a very important principle that I hope that you will glean from what I share with you, “Be governed by your internal compass and not some clock on the wall.”

When I put all of my life into perspective I realize that it is a question of compass or clock. We live in the reality of both internal compass (God, the Holy Spirit) and clock (finitude). God knows both the compass and the clock for my life and it is up to me to be a good and faithful steward of my time but not to try to conquer the entire world alone. Do all that you can, while you can, at home with your families, at work as you walk in your vocation, at church as you engage God and His people, and in the world as you have been delegated to go for Him.

I’d like to share one of my favorite poems with you to help you appreciate the limitations and the great responsibility of time. How effective we are in every area of our lives will greatly depend on how we managed the assignments we were given in the time He as allowed us.

God’s Minute

I've only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it,
But it's up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give an account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.

By Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

For you see my friends, we only have a limited time on this earth and yes God does require much from us. The good news is that God is not expecting us to be superhuman, just faithful.

Pastoral Burnout Definition and Numbers

Ronald Session — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:46:20 +0000

What is pastoral burnout? Burnout is a state of physical, mental, spiritual and emotional exhaustion caused by extended and intense levels of stress, causing the body to over-produce adrenaline. It leads to the questioning of one's abilities and/or the value of one's work.

There is a snowball effect to all these points of exhaustion. In isolation, each of these elements of exhaustion would probably not cause burnout. But when the snowball gets rolling down the hill, it forces a body to compensate by producing adrenaline. When adrenaline is over-used, it wears a person out. As each of these elements – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional exhaustion – collects speed, they begin to accumulate size and severity. When a person gets to a breaking point, that’s when the snowball produces an avalanche. One after another, each of these elements fails and begins to crush the pastor.

At this point, the pastor is completely burned out. There is no way to stop an avalanche once it starts. A pastor then succumbs to full burnout. I’ve been there…

According to the New York Times "Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could." Let’s consider the numbers…

13% of active pastors are divorced.
23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once in their careers.
25% don't know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
25% of pastors' wives see their husband's work schedule as a source of conflict.
33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
45% of pastors' wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
Though I can find no specific statistics (I'm sure they are out there), the pastorate is seeing a significant rise in the number of female pastors.
45% of pastors say that they've experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family's well-being and health.
56% of pastors' wives say that they have no close friends.
57% would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do.
70% don't have any close friends.
75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.
80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
90% feel unqualified or poorly prepared for ministry.
90% work more than 50 hours a week.
94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.
1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.

Here are a few resources for you or someone you know who might be going through burnout right now. This is not an endorsement from Ron Session Ministries but rather a few sites for your consideration.

Pastor, don’t suffer in silence…get the help you deserve. There is no shame or condemnation for needing someone to stand with you in the tough times of ministry. Pastoral burnout is considered the silent killer for good reason, nobody ever talks about it until it is too late.

Even though I know it is risky, check with your denominational offices to see if there is support for clergy and their families.

Hope 4 Mental Health - http://hope4mentalhealth.com/watch/media/series
Care 4 Pastors - http://careforpastors.org/
Duke Divinity School (Clergy Initiative) - http://divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/clergy-health-initiative

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Death by Ego

Ronald Session — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:46:00 +0000

The opening scene of 2nd Samuel 12 is the allegorical confrontation of King David by the prophet Nathan. David had failed to go out to war during the springtime when other kings went to battle. Instead, while out on the balcony of his quarters he spots the lovely Bathsheba taking a bath. Well, you know the story of how David impregnated her, had her husband killed and thereby did this awful thing in the sight of God. The prophet begins by telling the gluttonous king about a rich man who took the only little ewe lamb that this poor man had when he, himself, had so many of his own. David was incensed and desired to kill the rich man who took advantage of the poor man. It is in the tension of that moment that the prophet revealed to the king the very thing his ego hid from his own eyes…he was the man! How has your ego killed your vision?

I’m reading the book entitled Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday (Portfolio 2016). So far, it’s a great read! It tells the other side of history’s story about how men did great things not because they were altogether great, but because they beat back their personal egos for the good of the mission. Too many of us want to do great things because we want others to see us as great people. Holiday says “Impressing people is utterly different than being truly impressive.” David thought so much of himself that he never let himself think that he would be held accountable for any of his actions, and certainly not by the old prophet. Perhaps it was his arrogance that made him so myopic. I’m not so sure that David’s ego is the only one out of balance.

We now live in a nation whose leader can arguably be considered egomaniacal, to say the least, but such power requires accountability. Lord Acton is quoted as having said “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Perhaps it’s because the ego left unchecked wreaks havoc on whatever one is engaged in. Your ego undermines your vision. Holiday says “Most successful people are people you’ve never heard of. They want it that way. It keeps them sober. It helps them do their jobs.”

Are you teachable? Are you coachable? Are you willing to be held accountable? Have you been intentional about permitting someone or a small group of close friends and family to challenge your thinking, behavior, and attitudes? If not, then you have probably hit your ceiling and will not go much farther in your journey to become what you were destined to be. If you plan to lead well then you must walk humbly. You can’t be great motivated by image and ego. Nothing can live in that toxic environment…especially not vision.