Since I had these men at our church on a Sunday evening, I conducted an interview with them both in front of our folks about 20 Schemes.  Listen to this interview and hear about all the Lord is doing in this exciting ministry and how you can get involved.  To listen, click on the link below:

20 Schemes Interview with Matthew Spandler-Davison and Mez McConnell.

I cannot share my excitement about this ministry with you too much nor commend it to you enough.  I am convinced this is one of the most unique and important church planting movements that exists in the world.  For this reason, Practical Shepherding is in partnership with them and encourage you to be as well.  For more information, contact 20 Schemes through their website.  There are some excellent videos to inform you better about the ministry and how you can help.   You should also check out their blog where Mez regularly blogs.

There are often several factors considered: (1) full-time vs. part time, (2) level of education, (3) location of church in the country, i.e. local economy, (4) average income of the membership, (5) level of responsibility, (6) cost of replacement of personnel, i.e. what others in similar roles in the area are being paid with a similar philosophy of ministry, etc..  One site that can be a help to you is:http://compstudy.lifeway.com/homepage.do;jsessionid=B169CE9F87C4E2F4315A1EAE376D6B05

How should a pastor (and his wife) view his salary, knowing that it comes from the tithes of the church members? He should be thankful for the Lord’s provision that he is able to minister full-time and receive compensation. He should guard his heart from
entitlement that comes from many working hours (some times, too many working hours). He should budget his money to show he is being a good steward. He should have reasonable expectations of what it means to provide for his family. He should be generous proportionate to his capacity.

How should a church think about the salary paid to the pastor and other staff?  The congregation should realize they are asking a pastor to serve full-time as an elder (instead of doing “tent-making” where he is likely able to make the same amount of money if not more). 1 Timothy 5:17-18 teaches that there are some elders that labor more in preaching and teaching. This is typically pastors who have been called by the congregation to serve even more in those specific roles. When a man does that a congregation should appropriately support him so that he is not tempted unnecessarily towards bitterness and discontentment because of how poorly they support him.  When they support their pastor(s) so that he does not have be distracted by the provisions for his needs it ends up freeing him up to be more focused on pastoring his family and his people. The congregation should also remember inflation so that they recognize paying him $40,000 ten years from now is not the same as paying him $40,000 today.

Lastly, I cannot recommend strongly enough the ministry of Stewardship Services Foundation. They deal with these issues all the time. They can speak to you or other people in the church and provide a non-bias opinion. In addition to providing free tax return service to those in ministry, they counsel churches regularly on these issues.  I have had their Executive Director come in and speak to our finance team, our elders, our church, and other groups in our church.  Their website is http://ssfoundation.net/ I would recommend you read the information on their site and then give them a call.

I hope this has been helpful to you.  May the Lord bless you and your husband and the ministry to which you are giving yourselves. May the Lord mature the people to the point where money is no longer a primary conversation but ministry is and money is just a manifestation of a ministry mindset of the people.

• Humility (C.J. Mahaney)
• Valley of Vision (Arthur Bennett)
• The Holiness of God (R.C.Sproul)
• Communion with God (John Owen)
• The Bruised Reed (Richard Sibbs)
• Trusting God (Jerry Bridges)
• When People are Big and God is Small (Ed Welch)
• Mortification of Sin (John Owen)
• The Confessions (St. Augustine)
• Crook and the Lot (Thomas Boston)
• The Mystery of Providence (John Flavel)
• Knowing God (J.I. Packer)

SBC Convention, June 11-12 2013:  Practical Shepherding has been invited to exhibit at the Southern Baptist Convention.  Swing by and see the faithful folks working our booth throughout the week in Houston, TX.

ONE8 Bootcamp, Aug. 5-6, 2013:  Brian will be speaking at this conference.  He will take a plenary session as well as a few breakout sessions.  The theme is “Shepherd the Flock.”  You can see the details about this conference and how to register here.

PRTS Conference, Aug. 22-24, 2013:  Brian will also be speaking at this conference.  He is scheduled for one plenary session, a breakout session, and a member of the panel discussion.  You can see details on this conference and register here.  Practical Shepherding will also be given exhibit space at this venue.  Additionally, our newest book, written by Brian and Cara Croft on The Pastor’s Family will be released by Zondervan at this conference.

9 Marks Conference, Sept. 27-28, 2013:  Practical Shepherding will be exhibiting at this 9 Marks conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  If you are unfamiliar with 9 Marks, you should try to come.  A great ministry!  We hope to see you there.

The other extreme often results from the carelessness of the first.  This extreme prevents both parents and pastors from being willing to affirm whether or not a child is truly converted until they are adults and are completely independent of their parent’s authority and care.  I believe a middle ground must be approached if we truly desire to discern clear biblical evidence that a child, teenager, or young adult has become a new creature in Christ.

Knowing we are not God and cannot see the heart, I believe there are still evidences we can see and know to help us discern the conversion of a child or teenager in a similar way we try to do with adults.   In the spirit of Jonathan Edward’s 5 signs of true conversion, here are 5 evidences that I try to use as a template as both a parent and pastor in wrestling with this issue.

1)  A growing affection and need for Jesus and the gospel.

2)  A heightened understanding of the truths of Scripture.

3)  An increased kindness and selflessness towards siblings.

4)  A greater awareness and distaste for sin.

5)  A noticeable desire to obey parents.

In my experience as both a parent and a pastor, I have found that age is not the most important gauge to determine true conversion, but to genuinely look for these evidences in an age appropriate manner.  For example, we need to know that a child has a clear understanding of the gospel.  However, a 10 year old will articulate that differently than will a 16 year old.  A desire to obey parents and a selfless spirit towards siblings will also show up differently in a 10 year old than they will in a 16 year old.

Nevertheless, they must be present in some way and I would strongly discourage any pastor or parent to affirm a child’s conversion without some kind of tangible evidence apart from their verbal profession.  On the flip side, I would also caution you from falling into the trap I have in the past in regard to demanding more from a child than can be observed.

This is tricky ground I realize.  So much so that as a pastor it must be approached on a case by case basis.  Many of us will be all around the spectrum, but the one takeaway from this post is be mindful to avoid the extremes that do exist on both sides.  Find a nice seat in the shade somewhere in the middle as a starting point.  Then, be wise, assess honestly, and pray that the merciful God who does regenerate adults, teenagers, and even children give you much discernment.

Spurgeon once wrote this about his mother’s faithful example:

It was the custom, on Sunday evenings, while we were yet little children, for her to stay at home with us, and then we sat round the table, and read verse by verse, and she explained the Scripture to us.  After that was done, then came the time of pleading; there was a little piece of Alleine’s Alarm, or of Baxter’s Call to the Unconverted, and this was read with pointed observations made to each of us as we sat round the table; and the question was asked, how long it would be before we would think about our state, how long before we would seek the Lord.  Then came a mother’s prayer, and some of the words of that prayer we shall never forget, even when our hair is grey.  I remember, on one occasion, her praying thus: “Now Lord, if my children go on in their sins, it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear a swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold of Christ.”  That thought of a mother’s bearing swift witness against me, pierced my conscience, and stirred my heart.

Mom’s be encouraged by this remembrance.  You often do not know the impact you make, but God does and uses it often to bring lasting spiritual fruit.  Be encouraged this Sunday.  Be thankful.  Strive by God’s grace to be a faithful example as Spurgeon’s mother was.

Bible – A pastor’s task is to read, study, and teach God’s Word to God’s people.  It is also to be that which dictates all that a pastor believes, lives by, and does to care for others.

Cross – A cross is the simplest visual to understand the gospel of that which a pastor preaches and equips the church.  It is also the most obvious way to talk about Jesus and his person and work in a way for children to understand.

Picture of prayer – A pastor is to be dedicated to prayer and the ministry of the Word.  The easiest way to portray prayer to children seemed to be a drawing I brought that showed a man on his knees with folded hands praying to God.  A pastor is specifically to be dedicated to pray for his family and the people in his local church.

Family Picture – My role as a pastor is to first shepherd my wife and children before I focus on anyone in my church.  Their souls have been entrusted to me in the same way as my congregation has been by God.  This is so important that if I fail in this task, I am disqualified from being a pastor.

Stethoscope – Most kids would recognize a stethoscope as that which a doctor uses to care for his patients.  A pastor is similar to a doctor in 2 ways.  First, we also go to the hospital to visit people who are sick.  Secondly, like a doctor we care for sick people.  However, as doctors care for the physically ill, we care for those who are spiritually ill whose hearts need healing from sin.

Coffee Mug - I know many of you might take issue with this one, but much of what I do as a pastor revolves around shepherding the flock under the oversight of the heavenly gift of “coffee.”  Whether it is a pot of coffee that gets put on when someone comes over to the house, a one-on-one discipleship meeting conducted over a cup of coffee, or important uninterrupted sermon writing or counseling that takes place at a local Starbucks, much of a pastor’s work (at least mine) often times revolves around coffee, tea, hot chocolate (my 6 year old’s contribution) or some other hospitable drink of choice (which is what the mug ultimately represents).

I hope this acts as a guide for you to come up with your own way to communicate the important role of a pastor to children and why even these little ones should be thankful if they have a faithful pastor in their life.  Whatever version of this teaching you create…try it out on your token 6-year-old at home as I did.

What props would you add to the list and why?

I decided to pray the gospel for this dying woman, her husband, and this room full of non-Christian family.  I did not pray for God to spare her.  I did not pray that God would heal her.  I did not pray some manipulating request that God would receive her (which is what I think they expected me to pray).  I prayed that the gospel was her only hope in such a way that God could let every person in that room know it was their only hope also.  Praying the gospel does not have to be complicated, just simple and faithful.

God taught me an invaluable lesson that day in the hospital room that has had a profound impact on me and my ministry.  When the gospel is prayed, the gospel is heard.  When I prayed the gospel in the room that day, it was for this dying woman moments from facing judgment, her Christian husband, and her lost family members to hear.  If we truly believe that faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), we should never leave a hospital room, nursing home, rehabilitation center, or home of a sick person (or healthy person for that matter) without praying the hope of God in Christ.

When you visit, it is ideal in the midst of attempting spiritual conversation to speak about God’s righteousness, man’s sinfulness, and Christ’s dying on the cross in our place for our sins.  However, many circumstances can make that difficult.  But nothing prevents us from praying the gospel.  It is God alone through his Holy Spirit who transforms the darkest heart.  Whether through prayer or proclamation, we should see every visit as a divine appointment to make the saving power of the gospel known.

Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,

even though I think I do not deserve them;

Use them to make me tenderly afraid of sin,

more jealous over myself,

more concerned to keep heart and life unblameable;

Cause them to help me reflect on my want of spirituality,

to abhor myself,

to look upon myself as unworthy,

and make them beneficial to my soul.

May all thy people know how little, mean, and vile I am,

that they may see I am nothing,

less than nothing,

to be accounted nothing,

that so they may pray for me aright,

and have not the least dependence upon me…

Hello Brian,

Thanks for the post on pastoral discouragement in a declining church. Even the good things that are written on church revitalization are written by those who have been “successful” which implies that those who may be faithfully applying the same principles without similar growth are either doing something wrong, are poor preachers, or aren’t cut out for the job. I struggle with those feelings all the time. One further reason that should be taken into account is economics/demographics. I pastor in a region with a total population of about 10,000 which has steadily declined in the last 20 years.

The local economy has been supported for 100 years by 2 paper mills. One mill is now dead and the other is on life support. (If you believe the recent national news story the only thing keeping the mill alive is the success of “50 Shades of Grey” because the paper for the printing of it is produced here.) Anyways, we have seen several families go, or, come and go because of the lack and loss of jobs in our area. Some recent retirees who would still be quite active in the church have also moved to be closer to children and grandchildren who already left the area because of lack of work. The population that remains here is skewed towards older/retired people. I try not to use this as an excuse but it is a reality we live. Thanks for your (almost) daily encouragement.

Pastors, remember God know all things, including the area of which you minister and shepherd you people.  He determines our faithfulness and no one else.  Press on and be faithful to care for your sheep in that place until the Chief Shepherd returns for them and us.