Over the past several months, I’ve been writing a book for independent Baptist pastors and leaders—The Road Ahead.

This book shares personal midcourse adjustments the Lord has worked in my spirit and ministry philosophy. Particularly, it addresses the needs I see in independent Baptist leaders and churches to look to Jesus and serve with authenticity.

As I travel, I’ve met hundreds of Bible-believing pastors who love God, are faithful to their families, and have a pulpit ministry that is grace-based and Bible-centered. Some of these men have shared with me their concerns about the testimony of Christ and the future of biblical Baptist churches.

As with other institutions, and even other denominations, we serve in a day when the actions and reactions of a few have been broad-brushed over all of us. In these times, it is more vital than ever that we understand our biblical position and allow the Holy Spirit to thoroughly search our lives for imbalances in ministry.

Packaging these thoughts into book form with written steps of action has been a challenge. In fact, I haven’t written a book with more prayer…or a greater passion to clearly communicate.

As the book was in progress, I asked many friends across the country and around the world for their help in discussing and praying with me about these truths. Their response and affirmation has been greatly encouraging.

None of us have apprehended. We haven’t arrived. But for those who are pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, I believe we should carefully consider the road ahead.

There has not been a generation in more need of revival than ours. And I believe revival in our generation is possible. In fact, I believe the road ahead for biblical Baptists will be a blessed road if we seek God’s face, humble ourselves, and continue to make the adjustments necessary to be increasingly Christ-centered and biblically authentic in our daily lives and ministries.

It is in this spirit that I have written The Road Ahead. I trust you will enjoy and benefit from this book.

For chapter titles and a free sample of the book, visit Striving Together Publications.

Scripture expressly tells us why the Pharisees observed Jesus—for the sole purpose of finding fault: “And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.”(Luke 6:7).

When we observe other men or ministries only to find fault, we evidence the spirit of the Pharisees. But when we observe with a heart to learn, we grow.

In this week’s Growth Points video, I share three biblical motivations for observing godly men and ministries:

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

Make sure you get all future Growth Points videos by subscribing to the Spiritual Leadership Podcast.

This interview is with Pastor Andrew Reed. Pastor Reed has served as the senior pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Cortez, Colorado, for the past six years. Brother Reed and his wife Angela are both graduates of West Coast Baptist College. I had the privilege of preaching his ordination last summer.

What is an area in the past five years in which you’ve launched out by faith, and how has God blessed?

About five years ago, our church was in a tough spot. I was a young pastor, and there were some difficulties I had inherited with the church. Particularly, some people were divided and resisting our leadership and vision.

My wife and I were discouraged. Sometimes we wondered if we could even help the people. We regularly considered giving up on the church, thinking they needed an older and more experienced pastor. Thankfully, instead of quitting, we decided to trust God, love the people, and preach the Word.

For us, launching out by faith was a commitment to stay in the deep water where God had called us. When we were uncertain about our future, we stayed, and we are so glad we did! Today the spirit of the church is better than it has ever been. Hardly a week goes by without someone being saved, baptized, or joining the church.

How have you seen Satan target leaders who launch out? What is your counsel to others to overcome those challenges?

I think that there are many ways that Satan attacks leaders who launch out by faith; however, I have noticed that, more times than not, it is through pride. Whenever a leader launches out by faith and begins to see God do something, that leader will be tempted to think that all of what has been accomplished is because of his ability and wisdom.

If Satan cannot keep great things from happening for God, he will convince the leader that he is the reason they are happening. Unfortunately, many great leaders have fallen victim to the attack of pride.

To overcome this challenge of being lifted up with pride, we must remember that everything that we accomplish of any value is because of Jesus living in and through us. When I trusted Christ and then answered God’s call to the ministry, I brought nothing to the table. Everything I am able to accomplish, I accomplish through the power of Christ!

What reoccurring obstacles do you face when you sense God calling you to launch out, and how do you overcome them?

It seems every time I sense God calling me to launch out I am faced with the obstacle of doubt. I tend to over analyze the situation and ask, “What if this doesn’t work?” or ”What will others think of this?” or “How will we pay for that?” or “What if I am wrong?”

Many times when God calls me to a decision of faith, He doesn’t make it clear where we are going and how we’re going to get there. He just tells me to launch out and follow His lead.

I have found that the best way to overcome my doubts is to remember past victories in which God has proven His faithfulness. I have also found that feeding on His Word and standing on His promises helps me overcome my questions. God always graciously answers my questions and always proves that He loves me and is faithful!

You have a session at the conference on “Growing in the Pastorate.” Would you provide a brief overview of this session and how it will be a help and challenge to pastors to launch out in faith?

I am familiar with this topic because when I became a pastor I had so much growing to do. I believe that it is imperative for a pastor, especially a young pastor, to establish a pattern of growth and to make a plan for growth early on in his ministry. In reality, all pastors must continue to grow if they desire to continue to see their ministry and influence grow.

In my session at the conference, I will be reflecting on my short time as a young pastor and looking at three truths about growing in the pastorate.

The first truth we will consider is the areas in which a pastor should be growing. These areas range from growing as a family man to growing in our study of God’s Word.

The second truth we will explore is the arenas in which a pastor is able to receive this growth. We see how growth comes from personal training as well as the many practical ministry experiences we get to be a part of.

Finally, we will explore those attitudes that a pastor must have to make sure he continues to grow. Our attitudes can either help or hinder our personal growth in the pastorate.

I believe that this session will help and challenge pastors to grow by inspiring them to not become complacent and satisfied. I hope to encourage pastors to establish a pattern of growth and a to make a plan for growth.

See other posts in this series:

• Launch Out: an Interview with Kevin Folger
• Launch Out: an Interview with Tom Farrell

There are many ways to use your life, but there are only a few ways to invest it.

One of the greatest joys of my life is training young men and women in the ministry through West Coast Baptist College.

Today we had the privilege of graduating almost two hundred new laborers for the harvest. Within ninety days, graduates of the 2013 class will be serving the Lord in twenty-five different states and thirteen foreign countries.

It has been a joy to invest in the lives of these students, making a joint investment in what parents, home pastors, teachers, and others have already poured into their lives.

Is training people in the ministry difficult? Yes. Is it time consuming? Yes. Are there disappointments? Yes.

But is it rewarding? A thousand times, yes!

It is a joy to graduate a new class as students and welcome them into the ministry as co-laborers in the work. And it is a joy to know that they have been trained to perpetuate the investment—to pour their lives into soulwinning, discipleship, and training people for the work of the ministry.

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.—2 Timothy 2:2

Most of us who use Twitter would like to think of our tweets as resembling eagles—majestic, timeless, strong.

In reality, we probably sound more like ravens—noisy, incessant, perhaps annoying.

(If you’ve lived in Southern California, particularly Lancaster, for any length of time, you’ve had plenty of opportunities to observe the common raven. Ravens are rated as the most intelligent birds, but they have a knack for making themselves obnoxious as well.)

Eagle or raven (or mocking bird, hawk, or vulture), spiritual leaders who use Twitter should be intentional about how this tool relates to their leadership.

I’ve been using Twitter for about five years now, and I’ve gone through multiple love/hate phases with it. Currently, I enjoy using it to receive updates and interact with friends around the country who are in ministry. But I’ve recently read a couple of disparaging articles regarding Twitter—both which made me pause and consider anew the effect Twitter has in spiritual leadership.

From a bird’s eye view, here are a few thoughts on Twitter and leadership:

1. Recognize the amplifying power of social media.

Written communication always carries more weight than spoken communication. And once that weight is attached to the wings of social media, it easily spreads far and wide.

If you let a snide remark out in personal conversation, that’s too bad. But if you post it to Twitter, that’s like saying it over a worldwide PA system.

Twitter doesn’t change who you are, but it does have the potential to magnify it.

2. Don’t take Twitter too seriously.

A recent study showed that only 16 percent of internet users tweet. Understand that not everyone you serve in ministry is on Twitter, and most of them are not wowed by the wisdom you pour into your tweets.

Don’t allow social media to distract you from the real work of ministry—serving people.

3. Retain your focus.

A common frustration to those who do not use social media is the observable loss of attention span among those involved in today’s media.

Do you allow a Twitter update to interrupt a conversation with your wife? Does your sermon study time get eaten up by incessant scanning of your social media accounts? Do you find yourself thinking more about what you will tweet about a ministry event than the event itself?

Refuse to surrender your attention span or your focus. You need both in leadership.

4. Understand you are what you tweet.

I remember when I became a parent, and I remember the awesome weight of responsibility that came with it. There was no checking out, no days off. No matter where I go or what I do, I’m a dad. And I recognize that my actions have a direct effect on my children.

The same is true of pastors and other spiritual leaders. You don’t check out of spiritual shepherding. Yes, you can enjoy a day off with your spouse. But you’re still a pastor.

And everywhere you go (including Facebook) and everything you say (including tweets) is representative of who you are. Don’t see Twitter as a place to check out of leadership.

5. Remember your testimony, but forget your image.

One of the pitfalls of social media is an increased focus on personal image.

Focus on lifting up Jesus and serving people, not inflating your image. Be fully engaged in ministry—not with what people think about you in ministry.

All five of these tips are covered in one Scripture verse:

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)

I know it’s more than 140 characters, but the truths of this verse should be the guide by which spiritual leaders compose tweets.

This interview is with Dr. Tom Farrell. Dr. Farrell has served as an evangelist since 1979. We are looking forward to his session at Spiritual Leadership Conference on “Preaching that Pleases God.”

What is an area in the past five years in which you’ve launched out by faith, and how has God blessed?

In the last five years we have launched out in three specific areas of ministry:

• Caribbean Project, evangelizing the Caribbean Islands and helping to plant churches and Bible institutes. One Bible institute has been started in Nassau, Bahamas, and a second will open this fall in Grenada.
• Advanced Ministry Training Internship Program for male Christian College graduates. This one year intensive mentoring program puts young preachers in three independent Baptist churches for three months each, involving them in every aspect of ministry. There are two one-week modules during which leading pastors spend a day with the interns equipping them for ministry. The men travel with me in evangelism and then finish the program on the mission field of Uganda. Most all of the graduates have launched out into full-time ministry.
• Elijah’s Harbor Retreat Center for preachers and wives who need to be refreshed and refocused for ministry. We were privileged to help start this center. Many pastors have been encouraged and helped, and some have stayed in ministry because of this program.

How have you seen Satan target leaders who launch out? What is your counsel to others to overcome those challenges?

Any time you launch out, Satan will oppose. Someone said, “When God’s people say, ‘Let us rise up and build,’ Satan will rise up to oppose.” Paul wrote, “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

The reality is that Satan does oppose the work of God. His favorite tactics are discouragement and distraction. He also loves to cause division among the workers.

The best way to overcome these obstacles is to know that your goal is from God and patiently and persistently move toward it. First John 5:4, exhorts, “…and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

All three of our recent projects have been opposed by Satan but God has given great victories in each project. He will do the same for you!

You have a session at the Spiritual Leadership Conference on “Preaching that Pleases God.” Would you provide a brief overview of this session and how it will enable preachers to challenge others to launch out in faith?

Much of today’s preaching is a lecture instead of a sermon. It is information without inspiration and facts without fire.

True preaching is Bible based and calls for a verdict. It is both exposition and exhortation. It is application oriented and helps the congregation take their next spiritual step to launch out for Christ.

In this session at the conference, we will particularly look to 2 Timothy 4:2 for equipping in preaching that pleases God and changes lives.

Every spiritual leader, including the pastor (actually, especially the pastor) needs personal and spiritual accountability.

I have gathered a team of godly men with whom I meet (sometimes on the phone, but often in person) on a regular basis for accountability.

These men know they have access into every area of my life—and they take the access. They ask me probing questions regarding my walk with the Lord, family time, reading, and my thought life. They don’t hesitate to point out imbalances they see developing in any area of my life.

These men pray for me as well—for my personal needs, for my family, for specific challenges and needs in my life and ministry.

It seems that every time I mention the need for a leader to develop an accountability team or to seek out mentors, someone will ask, “How do you select such men?” This is a great question, especially considering the vital role of accountability in a Christian’s life.

The men whom I have asked to help me have had the following distinguishing characteristics:

1. More mature than I am in ministry years
2. Faithful in doctrinal integrity
3. Have testimonies of personal holiness
4. Love their wives and families
5. Have families who love Jesus
6. Love me enough to be honest with me
7. Love the local church

Godly friendship is a gift. Godly accountability is doubly a gift. If you already have such friends in your life, thank them.

If you meet the criteria above, I’d encourage you to be willing to serve others through accountability.

And if you are a spiritual leader in any capacity, I’d encourage you to seek out mature servants of God who love the Lord and will help you to serve Him with integrity and balance.

This first interview is with Dr. Kevin Folger. Dr. Folger serves as the senior pastor of Cleveland Baptist Church in Ohio. I’m thankful for his friendship, and I’m looking forward to seeing him here in Lancaster next month.

How long have you served in your current position of ministry?

The end of this month marks thirty-five years that I’ve been serving at Cleveland Baptist Church. For seventeen years I served as an assistant pastor, associate pastor, and (for the final five of those years) as a co-pastor. I became the senior pastor of Cleveland Baptist on September 3, 1995, so I will complete my eighteenth year in that position this September.

What is an area in the past five years in which you’ve launched out by faith, and how has God blessed?

In 2009 we completed a one million dollar capital stewardship campaign that allowed us to pay off all of our debt, to finish the remodeling of our auditorium, to turn two homes on our property to mission homes, to update twelve buses in our fleet, and finally to complete a master plan of the property.

Last year we were able to acquire an additional three acres of property at a real good price. That happened because we waited on the Lord for His timing. That property should be completely paid for this year.

Another area is that I have been praying for several years for a man to come and help us to win the Hispanic community to Christ. God honored that request last year by giving us a Spanish-speaking pastor and his wonderful family. They are winning Spanish-speaking people to Christ every week and baptizing and discipling them.

I have had a dream for years of being able to give over $500,000 to missions each year. This past Sunday we just conducted our annual Faith Promise Conference and, by God’s grace over the past fifty-two Sundays, we have been able to give just a few dollars short of $530,000 to world missions. This was possible because of debt elimination and people getting a heart for the world.

How have you seen Satan target leaders who launch out? What is your counsel to others to overcome those challenges?

It seems obvious that whenever we take a step of faith we are going to be attacked. The devil hates it when men obey God and live by faith. I have seen those who are faithful to God go through great tests, but gold must be tried and purified. When we face the trials, we must remember that we are to count it all joy (James 1:2).

There will always be those who attack a vision and desire to do something for God. Some of these folks will be good people who at that moment don’t see what God is doing. In many cases, they don’t realize they are a tool in the hands of the devil to discourage the vision of the man of God. We must not retaliate against them, but we should redouble our efforts to help them to know that we are doing what God wants us to do.

Stay the course and trust God for something marvelous.

What reoccurring obstacles do you face when you sense God calling you to launch out, and how do you overcome them?

The first obstacle that seems to be difficult for me is simply a plan for how to accomplish what I know God wants me to do! This is when I must just wait upon the Lord for Him to lay out the strategy of how to accomplish what He has asked of me.

Once I have direction from the Lord, I then face those who question the wisdom or the timing of the decision. I must assure my heart that I have heard God correctly and know that it is the time and this is the way.

God’s Word and prayer are always the means by which God reassures my heart and my spirit that I am on track. For instance, When we entered into our capital stewardship campaign, it was 2006. This was before the great downturn in the economy, but we had been dealing with depressed finances in our region since the year 2000. If I would not have capitalized on the timing that God directed, we would never gotten off the ground once 2008 came with another major financial setback. I spent the entire year of 2006 preaching to our folks on faith and trusting God. And they responded with a marvelous commitment and then completed their commitments in 2009. It was absolutely a great moment in our church’s history.

You have a session at the Spiritual Leadership Conference on “Nurturing the Church Family and the Pastor’s Family.” Would you provide a brief overview of this session and how it will be a help and challenge to pastors to launch out in faith?

In the first part of my session, I am going to deal with living life with balance. Because a pastor wears several hats, he has to balance his life. He can’t nurture either his church or his own family if he does not balance his life.

This balance starts, of course, with a consistent walk with God. It means we live our life with discipline and by a schedule. Then, to nurture the church means you must be a Bible preacher, using the Word of God to preach expository messages and rightly dividing the Word of truth. As a shepherd, you must spend time with your sheep—this is essential. There is also an element of patience that we need as we watch and allow God to do a great work in people’s lives. We must have wisdom from God on when to act and speak about certain matters either to the church corporately or individual members.

To nurture our own families means being real and genuine at home and incorporating ministry into the life of the family. It is vital that we have healthy family relationships with our children and our wives. God has been extremely good in my life in these areas. God has given me a gracious and wonderful wife. My wife helped me as a young father, and we loved raising our sons and having fun at home. We enjoyed helping them see that life was ministry and that ministry was not a problem or intrusion.

This speaks to the nurturing aspect of the pastoral ministry. We can only take the church family where God has taken us. We must know that we have heard from God and then take our folks on a journey so they too can hear Him.

My greatest joy as a parent has been that my children are all in church with my ten grandchildren. I am thrilled to have two of my three sons in fulltime ministry. My middle son, Peter, is my Senior Associate Pastor overseeing administration and youth here at CBC. My youngest son, Andrew, is the executive associate pastor for his father-in-law, Dan Tidd, at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. My oldest son, Kevin, is a Christian business man who lives his life with distinction and integrity as the financial controller of a plant in Buffalo, New York. He is active in his church with his family. Our children love us and want to spend time with us. Our grandchildren are such a blessing and they think Papa and Grandma are wonderful.

One of the great joys of life is to pastor a people and influence the next generation for Christ.

Not the kind of leadership where pastors write and circulate mean letters about one another. Not the kind where leaders are known for sharp criticism. Not the kind where we lift ourselves up.

We wanted a conference that was based on a common understanding that we need the Holy Spirit’s filling in our lives. An understanding that if we would walk in the Spirit as leaders, we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh expressed through carnal leadership. An understanding that it is only by pride that contention comes.

God has blessed the emphasis of spiritual leadership in this conference. This year, in particular, I’m praying that God will bring about revival in our hearts through the conference. I’m praying that the spiritual leadership in our churches will come to a new dimension by the grace of God.

In this growth points video, I share three aspects of the conference that are emphasized every year: spiritual leadership, servant leadership, and soulwinning leadership.

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

Much of the conference will be live streamed at lbclive.tv. But I invite you to personally join us. We’d love to serve you in any way that we can. We do have a few dorm rooms available yet, and we provide airport transportation as well.

We look forward to joining together to lift up the name of Christ and learn how to better follow His model of servant leadership.

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.—Mark 10:45

Make sure you get all future Growth Points videos by subscribing to the Spiritual Leadership Podcast.

Part of the joy of ministry is that of enjoying it with fellow laborers in the work.

In the secular workplace, friendship with coworkers is often a corny topic. When your expected ambition at work is to support your family and perhaps also further your career, who cares if you enjoy time with your coworkers?

But the work of the ministry isn’t the same as the work of factory. Should not those of us who have a common bond in Christ also have a common strength in relationships?

Ephesians 4:3 says “yes!”

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.—Ephesians 4:3

If you desire unity of the Spirit and a bond of peace, you will have to take the first word of that verse as an action item. Friendship requires endeavoring. You must give it specific attention and invest your energy in it.

Healthy churches and healthy ministry teams have healthy relationships. How can we develop these friendships?

Walk in the Spirit

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.— Galatians 5:14–16

We all know that we should walk in the Spirit, but sometimes we forget the impact our yieldedness to or independence from the Holy Spirit has on our relationships.

Spiritual laborers remember it is not all about them. You will never have a great team when it is all about one person because self-focus interrupts team purpose.

Additionally, spiritual people yield to the inner promptings of God. Developing strong ministry relationships cannot happen effectively unless you are daily spending time with the Lord, nurturing your relationship with Him, and choosing to walk with a right spirit.

Remember the Cause of Christ

And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?—1 Samuel 17:29

Colaborers in ministry are joined by a common cause. When each of us focus on this cause, it gives perspective to personality differences and personal grievances.

Not only is the cause of Christ greater than any one individual, but it is an eternal cause. When we mutually invest in it, we have mutual stake in a cause that outlives ourselves.

Make Much of Commitment

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:14

Strong teams have strong commitment. This includes commitment to the Lord, the pastor, the team leader, fellow laborers, the purpose of the ministry, and personal excellence.

When co-laborers share these commitments, there is a strength in their relationships with one another. It gives freedom to approach concerns or to encourage growth with the common goal of common success.

Cultivate Relationships with Purpose

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.— Ephesians 4:29

Few relationships develop without purposed effort. And no relationships remain healthy without action. Purpose to encourage one another in ministry.

Admittedly, some temperaments have more of a knack for encouragement than others. Some of us have brains wired in such a way that we are quicker to notice what needs improvement than to see the progress that has been made.

Nevertheless, we all can and should encourage. It takes some effort, but it is effort well-invested.

Be a Grace Giver

We love to receive grace from others, but we’re not always so quick to give it. However, relationships without grace are destined to corrode.

Many relationship differences could be easily settled if we would consistently follow the instruction of these two verses:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.—Ephesians 4:32

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;—Romans 12:10

We should be gracious to forgive and gracious to give deference.

Communicate Effectively

We know that lack of communication contributes to lack of relationship. But how effective are we at remaining approachable for whatever communication the other party may need?

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.—James 3:17

Are you “easy to be entreated”?

Are you willing to “entreat” when misunderstandings arise?

In Matthew 18, Jesus commands us to privately restore relationships in which there has been an offense. But sometimes we’re too proud to let another know that we have been offended and to graciously ask for clarification.

Most potential conflict could be avoided with a spiritual and kind one-on-one meeting. So take responsibility for relationships with others. When a relationship goes bad, initiate action to be a communicator and a relationship strengthener.

Conduct Team Building Events

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.—2 Timothy 2:2

As you work with a team, be a person who invests in the team by inspiring growth in skills, creativity, and encouragement. Leaders obviously carry the responsibility to build up the team. But any team member can encourage the same goals by maintaining a team spirit and reaching out to others on the team with encouragement.

I like Zig Ziglar’s quote, “The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them.”

Train, plan, dream, and even create times for rest.

Enjoy the journey

The longer I serve with others, the more convinced I am that relationships are the stuff of life. Relationships are not the icing on the cake; they are the cake!

Invest in them. You will be the beneficiary.