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DLW
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457
| Posted 5/21/2003 11:28 AM (GMT -6) |   | This is taken from the most recent Prism E-pistle...
dlw
5.TEN THINGS I DIDN'T LEARN IN SEMINARY...ABOUT
HOLISTIC MINISTRY,
by Phil Olson.
In the 2/22/03 issue of the CHRISTIAN CENTURY, the
editors ran an article by John Esau entitled, "Ten
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary." Here are the 10
items that he explicates in that article:
One: Church members want pastors to succeed.
Two: Pastors are called to be priest and prophet
with a little bit of king thrown in.
Three: Pastoral ministry is a political vocation.
Four: Perception is more important than piety.
Five: Persons with significant personality disorders
ought not to be in ministry.
Six: Pastors probably won't be tried for heresy, but
we may come close to crucifixion if we fail to
respond pastorally to crises.
Seven: The office of ministry empowers us to do
things we didn't know we could do.
Eight: We pastors have to create our own support
group; the church won't and can't do it for us.
Nine: There is no single personality type that makes
an ideal minister.
Ten: Ministry is good.
Prompted by that article, I've come up with my own
list. Here are the 10 things I didn't learn in
seminary...about HOLISTIC MINISTRY.
One: How to form a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.
Best place to begin? Your local United Way probably
has a boiler-plate document to get you started. Or
contact (Network 9:35 partner) Nazarene
Compassionate Ministries for their handy booklet by
Oliver Phillips, "The 12-Step Program: Steps to
Starting a Compassionate Ministry Center"
(http://www.nazarenecompassion.org). You probably
weren't trained in seminary on how to run a board
meeting and/or do strategic planning, but once
you've got the organization up and running you'll
need to know how.
Two: What an RFP is and how to write a grant. It
helps to receive a grant in response to that RFP
(Request For Proposal) so that you can operate the
501(c)3.
Three: If your church is involved in community
ministry, you better live in the town where your
church is located, because at the city council,
planning, zoning, or school board, they only listen
to taxpayers. They might not agree with you or grant
you your request, but they have to LISTEN to you if
you can say: "My name is Such Andsuch and I'm a
homeowner at 215 Main Street."
Four: If you're in a program church (usually 200+ in
worship attendance), and/or are committed to serving
the needs of your community, you'll need good
entrepreneurial skills. Seminaries (like the
military) don't like highly independent, strongly
self-initiating, can-do-at-all-costs people; they
train it out of them.
Five: You exegeted the Pentetuch and learned about
J, E, P and D, but you didn't learn how to mobilize
lay people, as Jethro suggested to his son-in-law
Moses.
Six: How to negotiate to buy that piece of prime
property contiguous to your church's property.
Author Lyle Schaller, who's written prolifically on
the church, says that property expansion is one of
the keys to continued growth.
Seven: How to break the cycle of poverty rather than
service poverty. Most of our churches engage in
charity work that perpetuates poverty: "We served
100 people last year in our soup kitchen; this year
we're serving 200; next year we hope to serve 300
people!" Either God's opening your eyes to scores of
new hungry people, or you've become a part of the
problem in a welfare-dependent system.
Eight: How to network. Pastors are usually taught to
care just for their own flock. I didn't learn how to
access the gifts, skills, abilities, passions, and
energies of people OUTSIDE our congregation for our
mutual benefit and the common good of the community.
Nine: How to hang out in bars and gyms, hob-nob at
Rotary/Elks/Lions Club/Kiwanis, mix in at community
mixers, and get newspapers to call you for your
opinion whenever there's a national or community
crisis.
Ten: How to do leadership development. The corporate
world does a better job of training its human
resource personnel. Churches are in the HR business,
too - we call it disciple-making - but we don't
devote the time, money, or energy to do it better
than the business sector.
BONUS ITEM: Take a sabbatical. Seminary professors
took sabbatical, and we were taught about the
Sabbath; however, no one gave us a sabbatical leave
policy to take to the first church we served so that
we could be around and valuable for a long time.
Prayer from Kenya
From the Cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the Laziness that is contented with half-truth,
From the Arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Lord Deliver Me. | | Back to Top | | |
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Empiress
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2002
Total Posts : 363
| Posted 5/21/2003 6:51 PM (GMT -6) | | Thank you for posting...that was delightful and oh so true.
| | Back to Top | | |
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DLW
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 2457
| Posted 5/22/2003 11:49 AM (GMT -6) | | You can suscribe to the e-pistles of Prism by emailing the following address...
PrismEpistle-subscribe@onelist.com
dlw
Prayer from Kenya
From the Cowardice that dare not face new truth,
From the Laziness that is contented with half-truth,
From the Arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Lord Deliver Me. | | Back to Top | | |
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