Pastoralized

Why Sermon Illustrations Do More than Entertain

Eric McKiddie — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:49:37 +0000

From Bryan Chapell in Using Illustrations to Preach with Power (14-15):

The mind yearns for, and needs, the concrete to anchor the abstract. To say that illustrations aid the intellect, however, does not mean that they are merely a congnitive crutch. Illustrations are not supplemental to good exposition; they are a necessary form of exposition in which biblical truths are explained to the emotions and the will as well as to the intellect.

Illustrations will not allow mere head knowledge. They exegete Scripture in terms of human experience to create a whole-person understanding of God’s Word. By framing Biblical truths in the world in which we live and move and have our being, illustrations unite our personalities, our pasts, our present, our affections, our fears, our frustrations, our hopes, our hearts, our minds, and our souls in teh understanding of that which is divine.

They are integral to effective preaching, not merely because they may entertain or clarify, but because they expand and deepen the applications the mind and heart can make.

To illustrate Chapell’s point, if sermons were pancakes, illustrations would be more like the eggs, as opposed to the syrup and butter.

While We're On The Topic:

Do You Use “Gospel” as an Adjective More Often than a Noun?

Eric McKiddie — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:05:08 +0000

Did you know that you can make anything gospel-centered just by adding the word “gospel” in front of it?

There is contextualization. But then there’s gospel contextualization.

There is church growth. But then there’s gospel growth.

There are the arts. But then there are gospel arts.

Gospel centrality has morphed from a movement to a culture. And cultures, as we know, have their own languages. Gospel-centered pastors have a gospel language.

This is a good thing, by the way. It’s a sign that pastors and churches want to be driven by the gospel.

It’s also helpful. It’s much easier to say “gospel contextualization” than “contextualizing for the sake of spreading the gospel of Jesus, since the Son contextualized to us through the incarnation.”

But, like all good things, the language of gospel centrality comes with its own potholes and roadblocks that we need to steer clear of.

Hear are just a few issues at stake, off the top of my head:

1. We might team up with the wrong guys. Do other pastors who speak the gospel-centered lingo easily impress you? A guy’s gospel vocabulary may be nothing more than flames painted on the side of a Honda Civic. Peak under the hood to see if there really is gospel-centered horsepower driving his pastoral ministry.

2. We might fail to clearly communicate to our congregation. Do they know what you mean when you talk about “gospel contextualization”? Most of them probably don’t check the TGC site for new articles every day. The labels aren’t bad, but they are ambiguous. Define them as you use them.

3. We might get more caught up with gospel articulation, rather than articulating the gospel. What I mean is that we could spend more time making sure we are clearly communicating our gospel centrality than actually communicating the gospel. Don’t let the idea of gospel centrality take the place of the One who the gospel is about.

There’s more I could list. There’s more you could list.

The point is, as we endeavor to the make the gospel of Jesus Christ the main thing in our ministries, let’s do so in a gospel-centered way. Not a gospel-centered-centered way.

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While We're On The Topic:

Shepherd Links – 2/18

Eric McKiddie — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:04 +0000

While We're On The Topic:

Shepherd Links – 2/11

Eric McKiddie — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:00:25 +0000

This is the first installment of a new series here at Pastoralized: Shepherd Links.

Throughout the week, I will collect links that pertain primarily to the pastoral roles of prophet, priest, and king, and then publish them on Saturday. These are called Shepherd Links because true shepherding takes place where the roles of the prophet, priest, and king overlap.

I hope you are strengthened in your pastoral ministry through these articles. I’m sure you will have seen some of them if you are on the web much, but hopefully I’ll be able to point you to some things you missed.

To start off, I suggest you hit up Jay Thomas’ articles on the roles and make up of the prophet, the priest, and the king in pastoral ministry. He offers very insightful thoughts on what makes pastors tick, depending on which role they are particularly gifted in.

Prophet Links

Hell, Hades, Gehenna, and the Realm of the Dead – Acts 2:27

A Review of Douglas Wilson’s Wordsmithy I can’t wait to read this book.

How to Prepare an Annual Preaching Plan

The Earliest Manuscript of the New Testament Discovered?

Different Ways Paul Uses “Law” A helpful little graphic.

Priest Links

The Pastor as Counselor

Learning to Worship from Idolators: Sports Fanatics

Russel Moore responds to the question, “Should I Marry a Man with Pornography Struggles?”

Sound Words for Tragic Times What do you say at a funeral for a teenager?

Prayer is Your Spiritual Cardio Work

King Links

Who Can Lead?

Two articles on why group brainstorming doesn’t work: here and here.

Leading and Following In Covenant What should leading and following look like in a church context?

Can Everyone Be a Leader?

Layering: Multitasking That Works

While We're On The Topic:

10 Reasons Why Physical Books Are Still Better Than Digital Books

Eric McKiddie — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:38 +0000

After 8 months of experimenting with digital books on my iPad (got a nice deal buying it refurbished from the Apple site), I’ve determined that I still like physical books more. Here’s ten reasons why.

1. Physical books never run low on batteries.

2. Much more efficiently than with digital books, you can put your finger in your spot in a physical book, flip back and forth in it as needed, and then go right back to your spot.

3. You can put physical books in multiple places (desk, bedside, bathroom) to remind you to read more often. You lack that visual cue to read the digital books that are hidden in the hard drive of your iPad.

4. It’s faster to reference a book when all you have to do is pull it off the shelf and open it up.

5. Printed books ignite all your senses. I like the smell of a new book, and the texture of the pages’ edges under my thumb. I get more pleasure from a glance at the design of the cover before I open the book, compared to the immediate transport to where I left off in my Kindle app. And the thud of closing a book, after you’ve finished, it has a triumphant ring to it – one that the puny speaker of a mobile device can never reproduce.

6. Physical books are easier to loan, borrow, and give (especially in bulk).

7. Because the pagination changes based on your text size, it’s difficult to follow and contribute to a group discussion about a book if you are one of the few who read it in iBooks.

8. The ability to write in the margins provides much more freedom to develop your own note taking style.

9. It’s easier to keep track of your progress while reading a physical book.

10. The context of a digital book, since it consists of apps, makes a high level of focus difficult to achieve. It sucks away the attention you can give to what you are reading, even if you have the discipline not to check sports scores or email, because the other stuff on your device is in the back of your mind.

While We're On The Topic:

What Theological Theme Holds the NT’s Center of Gravity?

Eric McKiddie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:31:23 +0000

From Greg Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology (179-180, my italics):

The beginning of the new-creational reign is understood as Christ’s life, especially his death, resurrection, and ongoing ascended resurrection existence and rule, so that he is a formative microcosmic model that determines the nature and destiny of people, and the rest of creation, on a macrocosmic scale.

What happened to Christ in his life, death, and resurrection contains patterns of things that not only recapitulate earlier OT historical patterns but also embody patterns of things that will happen to his people – for example, with respect to his suffering, resurrection as first fruits, his identity as Son of God (Christians are adopted sons/daughters) and Son of Man (i.e., Adam: Christians become true humanity in Christ), being a light to the nations, reception of the Holy Spirit, keeping of the law, restoration or reconciliation to God’s presence from death, and his vindication becoming the Christian’s justification. The new-creational reign is the NT’s hermeneutical and eschatological center of gravity.

While We're On The Topic:

Why There Is No Excuse for Avoiding Theological Rigor

Eric McKiddie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:18:19 +0000

Pastors and congregants alike often use the “we will never fully know” excuse to marginalize the practical value of certain theological topics. This trump card brings to a screeching halt conversations about eschatology or the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom.

But just because we can’t fully know something, does that mean we shouldn’t learn as much as we can about it?

Speaking of how the divine Son was able to be incarnated into fallen flesh, T.F. Torrence says, “Here we are faced with something we can never fully understand, but it is something that we must seek to understand as far as we can” (Incarnation, 62).

We must seek to understand it as far as we can.

Even though some theological topics contain more mystery than others, there is always more that we can understand about them.

So let’s bring our theological A game, even to the most mysterious doctrines.

While We're On The Topic:

How Each Chapter of the Book of Ruth Points to Jesus

Eric McKiddie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:24:04 +0000

How do you appropriately and accurately preach Jesus from the Old Testament? Every pastor faces this challenge, if he wants to preach the whole counsel of God to his congregation.

Many fall prey to the fallacy of pointing to Jesus in the Old Testament. They see something that reminds them of the gospel or the life of Christ, and they say, “See! Here’s Jesus!”

But it is not the preacher’s job to point to Jesus in the OT. Rather, it’s his job to show how the OT points to Jesus. It’s a difference as big as driving against traffic on a one-way street.

Here are some examples from the Book of Ruth that show how to drive with the traffic flow of redemptive history, not against it.

Chapter 1: Where’s the bread?

Ruth opens with the words, “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab.” This is almost comical, since Bethlehem is a compound word in the Hebrew, combining beth, “house,” with lehem, “bread.” Bethlehem, the House of Bread, has no more bread in it!

Naomi, after the passing of her husband and two sons, hears that “the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (1:6), and so she returns.

This points to a future time when the Lord will visit his people and give them food. Except the difference is that the Lord, I AM, will not merely give his people food, he will be their food. He will visit them, not only providentially, but also physically. He will announce to them, “I am the bread of life.”

Chapter 2: The wings of the Lord

The temptation in chapter 2 would be to compare Boaz – who gives food to Ruth, with leftovers – to Jesus – who fed the 4000 and 5000, with leftovers. But that smacks of the “this reminds me!” fallacy that we ought to avoid. Rather than drawing comparisons, trace the storyline of redemptive history.

The part that points to the redemptive historical climax in Jesus is Boaz’s statement in 2:12, “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Here in chapter 2 we see a pagan, idolatrous Gentile come under the wings of the Lord. There would come a time when many more among the nations would do the same. But not until, in a stunning twist of irony, God’s own people refuse to come under his wing:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37, parallel Luke 13:34)

It was Israel’s rejection of Jesus, which included his atoning death on the cross, that opened the door for the nations – you and I – to come under his wing of protection from God’s wrath.

Chapter 3: Finding rest

The chapter begins and ends with the theme of rest. In 3:1, Naomi asks Ruth, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?” Then in the last verse of the chapter, Naomi assures Ruth that Boaz “will not rest but will settle the matter today” (3:18). These verses form an inclusio.

The principle is that the redeemer doesn’t rest until he accomplishes rest for his beloved. Furthermore, we see that the redeemer does this on behalf of the Lord. This can be seen in the connection the author makes between Boaz’s and Ruth’s statements about “wings”. Boaz says, “a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2:12). Ruth, in a manner of speaking, views Boaz as the incarnation of the Lord’s wing when she says, “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (3:9).

But, as the author of Hebrews tells us, there is a rest that God’s people are still waiting for (Hebrews 4:8-9). Ruth chapter 3 points to the actual incarnation of our redeemer, Jesus, who promises, “I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29; same Greek word for “rest” as the LXX in Ruth).

Chapter 4: A son who anticipates the Son

The story concludes with Boaz and Ruth being married, and Ruth giving birth to a son. In this chapter, the responsibility of pointing to Jesus shifts from Boaz to this new son. There are five ways this son points forward to the birth of God’s Son.

1. This son is born in Bethlehem (4:11).

2. This son is referred to as “the offspring” in the midst of a comparison to Judah (4:12). The word “offspring” often is a technical term used to identify someone who will have a special role in God’s plan of salvation.

It is first used of Eve’s offspring who will crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Later this word is used in reference to the offspring of Abraham who will inherit the land (Genesis 17:7-8), and the offspring of David who will sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12). Each of these promises are fulfilled in Jesus (see Revelation 13:3, Galatians 3:15-16, and Luke 1:32-33, respectively).

3. This son was conceived through a unique demonstration of God’s power, “and the Lord gave her conception” (4:13). Jesus also would be conceived in an even greater demonstration of power, in a virgin.

4. The women of the town bless Naomi, saying the son, “shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age” (4:15). The delightful renewal Naomi experienced was only foretaste of the complete restoration of eternal life that God’s Son would provide.

5. This son is the next step toward the coming of David, from whom would come the Messiah, Jesus (4:17-22, see the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3).

Conclusion

A few observations regarding the application of this method. You might even call them rules of thumb.

1. As I said before, the goal is not to point to Jesus in the OT, but rather to discover how the OT points forward in the storyline to the coming of Jesus, and what he will accomplish in fulfillment of the OT.

2. Notice that the aspect of what points to Jesus changes throughout the book. It would be a mistake to say Boaz is the only pointer to Jesus because he is the kinsman redeemer. This is especially clear in chapter one, where he doesn’t appear, and chapter four, where there is strong evidence that the newborn son is the pointer.

3. The kind of pointer changes from chapter to chapter. Abraham, Moses, David, etc. will be the pointer to Jesus in some of their stories, but not in others. So look for trajectories in theme or the part of story that demands an intensified resolution. The strongest pointers, however, are quotations or allusions of the OT in the NT, which we don’t have many of in the Book of Ruth.

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While We're On The Topic:

7 Ways to Become an Entrepreneurial Pastor

Eric McKiddie — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:56:13 +0000

More and more these days, we are hearing that successful pastors, especially church planters, need to be entrepreneurial. But what does that mean exactly? What does it not mean?

In my previous post on this topic, I pointed to renowned business and management author, Peter Drucker, for a definition of entrepreneurship. He says an entrepreneur is simply a person who looks for changes, and then methodically exploits them. It’s about what you do, not your personality, which means any pastor can become more entrepreneurial.

In his book, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Drucker lists seven ways entrepreneurs innovate based on changes they see around them. I have slightly rephrased them in order to apply them to the ministry context.

1. Capitalize on the unexpected success or failure

I faced one particular unexpected failure in my first year as a junior high pastor. My goal was to obliterate the dichotomy of “fun and games” youth ministries, and “bible preaching” ones. I was going to do expository preaching and put on big, fun events.

My surprising failure, however, was that no matter how big the event I ran, only about half my students showed up. Bigger wasn’t better.

In response, I decided to “go small” through Bible studies, informal small group gatherings, and after school hangouts. It worked, and I have experienced two fantastic results: a closer-knit student community and less administrative pressures. Win, win.

2. Close the gap on an incongruity

An incongruity means that there is a void between a current reality and what ought to be true. In ministry terms, it often means that people who need to be reached aren’t being reached. The textbook example is the 10/40 Window. That only 10% of missionaries were going to the area that contained 90% of unbelievers was a huge incongruity.

Who’s not being reached in your community? What communities are not being reached around you?

3. Fulfill a process need

The exploding refugee population is one of the big changes in Wheaton over the past decade. My church has tried to reach this burgeoning community by helping them in the process of getting acclimated to Wheaton.

In order to accomplish this, we have set up teams that commit to helping a new family for their first six months in Wheaton. This team picks the newcomers up at the airport when they first arrive, shows them around town, and helps them learn simple, but new, tasks like mailing a bill or using a microwave. The goal is to build relationships and share the gospel by helping refugees through the process of adapting to a new life.

4. Adapt to “out of the blue” changes in church structure

Such changes can be as broad as evangelical culture, or as narrow as your own local church. As for the broader spheres, the New Calvinism (and its conferences) and church planting networks are restructuring how churches affiliate themselves. Independent, non-denominational churches don’t have to be entirely independent anymore.

In a local church context, for example, if your church is growing at an unexpected rate, your leadership structure will need to adapt if you want to keep up.

Whenever you adapt your ministry structure, it is essential to keep your innovation simple. Complicated changes to the structure often cause the whole thing to collapse.

5. Recognize changes in demographics

Demographics changes are not high on Drucker’s list of innovative strategies, but for ministry purposes it might be one of the easiest to capitalize on. What could be simpler than aiming your gospel efforts at places where more people are going? (In case you’re wondering, here are the top ten fastest growing cities.)

As I said above, the key demographic change my church has faced is the increased refugee population. In response to this change, we have launched several ministries to refugees, in addition to the acclimation teams. We host and teach English classes in our building during the week. Also, several singles (and even a couple families) have moved into the low-income apartments where many of the refugees live, in order to build relationships and share the gospel.

6. Recognize changes in perception, mood, and meaning

Instead of bashing the “I hate religion” people and the “occupy” people, consider where these perceptions come from. Is there a way to communicate the gospel message in a way that answers their objections? Is there a way to show how Jesus has already provided what they are looking for? Kevin DeYoung provides a good example of addressing these changing moods here and here.

7. Apply new knowledge

According to Drucker, this is the “super-star” source for entrepreneurial innovation. It gets the buzz, but it’s also the most capricious and volatile. Social networking and social media is the “new knowledge” making its way into churches. Many pastors are tweeting, blogging, and friending, and lots are doing so in ways that are magnifying their word ministry. Many churches are using Facebook, or even installing their own social network.

But when the social media craze dies down, will these pastors be able to pull a Jack, and nimbly jump over the social media candlestick to next big thing? Or will they drag their feet and get burned? My advice is, if you happen upon a “new knowledge” opportunity, go after it. But don’t spend your time looking for it.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are not hard lines that separate these seven ways to approach ministry from an entrepreneurial mindset. These strategies for innovation can be combined or blended. I hope you have seen that thinking like an entrepreneur does not mean you are smuggling a business model into your church. I also hope you have seen that being an entrepreneurial pastor has more to do with making calculated ministry decisions for the sake of spreading the gospel, and less to do with having an extroverted, risk-taker personality.

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While We're On The Topic:

What It Means to Be an Entrepreneurial Pastor

Eric McKiddie — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:18:35 +0000

Entrepreneurship is one of the new, hot characteristics pastors are claiming for themselves. But many operate, I am afraid, on the wrong definition of an entrepreneur. Because they focus more on personality than skills, more and more pastors are slapping an “E” on their uniform, but can’t play ball.

What entrepreneurship really is

The entrepreneurial attitude has inaccurately been equated with extroversion and riskiness.

Consultant and author, Peter Drucker, is regarded as tops on management and entrepreneurship. His books are a great help to the discerning pastor who can determine which principles overlap with pastoral ministry, and which belong solely in the business world. Drucker, in opposition to the pervasive mindset, says entrepreneurship has little to do with personality, and more to do with action:

“Entrepreneurship should be the least risky rather than the most risky course…Entrepreneurship is ‘risky’ mainly because so few of the so-called entrepreneurs know what they are doing. They lack the methodology. They violate well-known rules” (Innovation and Entrepreneurship, pages 28, 29).

What action, then, defines entrepreneurship?

“Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice…the entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity” (viii, 28).

Do you want to be an entrepreneurial pastor? Do those three things. Search for change. Respond to it. Exploit it. For the spread of the gospel.

The entrepreneurial pastor is not necessarily an extroverted risk-taker. There is too much at stake to embrace an impulsive ministry model. Rather, the entrepreneurial pastor is someone who methodically hunts for opportunities to minister the gospel based on changes in his church, in his town, and in the world. Particularly, he sees changes as opportunities to be exploited for the gospel, not obstacles for the gospel.

Say a mom left an open package of cookies on the counter. There are risky three year olds who grab the granite and treat the cabinet door like a treadmill. There are those who throw a tantrum because the goods are out of reach. Then there are those who pull the chair from the dining room table and pig out before big sis notices.

Sure, if that toddler keeps it up, he’ll be the fat kid in class someday. But for pastors, opportunity obesity is a good thing.

Why entrepreneurial pastors must rely on God’s grace in Christ by the Spirit

What apparent opportunities are real opportunities? How do you go about tackling them? What do you do when you fail? How do you achieve success?

Each of these questions is answered by the grace of God that all pastors must rely on. Pray to your Heavenly Father for discernment, because he stands ready to give you wisdom (James 1:5). Bow at the cross when you fail to seize opportunities for the gospel, because Jesus has borne your failure already. Pray that the Spirit – who does the work of God among the people of God through the Word of God – would make your efforts find and seize opportunities effective.

A pastor who recognizes and tackles opportunities for the gospel by the grace of God?

That guy’s got game. And he’s probably humble enough not to strut around in the uniform.

(I’m going to follow up this post with one on how to apply Drucker’s seven sources for entrepreneurial opportunities in the context of gospel ministry. So stay tuned!)

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