PASTORS E-NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2011
Hi fellow Pastors!
As we approach this Easter season, I pray that for you it will be a time of a deep personal encounter with Jesus. It is very easy for us to be so busy in preparing services, messages, etc that we don’t personally engage this profound redemptive act. May your ministry to others over this period arise from the depths of your own encounter.
I trust that the links below and events mentioned which are being arranged for pastors may assist in enhancing your ministry. Please note the reflections on Directions 2012 as this is an important issue for our churches as well as us pastors.
PASTORS DEVELOPMENT DAY – TRAINING in BIBLICAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Conflict is an inevitable part of human experience. Followers of Jesus and the churches they are part of also experience conflict. Responses to conflict can either be biblical or destructive.
If you struggle to deal effectively with conflict, or just wish that you had more skills to handle difficult people better; if you would like to be equipped to understand conflict from a thoroughly biblical perspective, as well as be given practical tools to model God-pleasing ways of responding to conflict; if you would like to learn how to build a genuine culture of peace in your church, then you are invited to an opportunity for Training in biblical conflict resolution on 15 July 2011, 9.00 am – 4.00pm.
This workshop is being sponsored by MSD in cooperation with Peacewise. The cost is just $85 (normally $154). This course will also qualify you to do the next level of PeaceWise training. Further details can be found at www.msd.org.au/resources.
ASPECTS of BEING an EFFECTIVE PASTORAL LEADER
The nature of leadership as pastors is an ongoing issue for consideration as often there are various definitions of what leadership ought to look like. Even as we read the Scriptures and delve into the lives and ministry of numerous biblical leaders we see such a variety in personality, style, gifts and approaches. While some are effective leaders in certain circumstances they may in ineffective in other situations as their leadership gift mix isn’t always what is most helpful in every circumstance. Below are a couple of articles that some of you might find helpful in your situation.
A pastor has forwarded the following link in regards to signs of what makes an effective or ineffective leader for your consideration: http://www.bigisthenewsmall.com/2011/04/08/10-signs-they-are-not-a-good-leader-2/ <http://www.bigisthenewsmall.com/2011/04/08/10-signs-they-are-not-a-good-leader-2/>
Here is also a recording of a talk that Rev Dr Mark Griffiths, a Church of England Minister and author from London, gave in Christchurch earlier this year which unpacks aspects of post-modern culture, particularly as it applies to evangelism: http://newwine.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Post-modern-Culture.mp3
Following a discussion that stemmed from a Webinar on “Social Media for Pastors and Church Planters” a pastor has compiled a reflection which can be found on www.msd.org.au/resources. The webinar can been seen at http://bit.ly/iiqUaa. Slides from the webinar can be viewed at
http://blog.ourchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Social-Media-for-Pastors-Church-Planters.pdf
A couple of years ago Heidi Saundercock (who is now married to one of our pastors) completed a MA research project entitled To Burnout or Not to Burnout?: An examination of burnout prevention strategies with Australian ministers. A subsequent article on her research can be found at www.msd.org.au/resources . Heidi will also be presenting a workshop at Revive on her research.
REVIVE 2011 – HOPE
Planning is well under way for Revive 2011 and beyond. The venue for the next four years will be at the Sydney Showground (Homebush) which will meet our needs more than the State Sports Centre did in the past.
This year’s dates are August 26-27 with the theme of HOPE. Our keynote speaker for the weekend will be Mark Wilson who is currently the Director of Ministry with the Baptist Union of WA. Mark previously pastored quite a large Church of Christ. Friday’s afternoon workshops will particularly focus on encouraging and equipping pastors while the focus on Saturday afternoon will be on equipping ministry teams. Programs for pre-schoolers on Friday and children and family ministries on Saturday are being finalized. It is important to alert and encourage your ministry and program leaders to begin planning to be involved.
A dinner for pastors and spouses will again be held at the Bel Parco Restaurant, Bicentennial Park, on the Friday evening of the 26th. Secure these dates in your diary as there will be limited seats available. More details are to follow.
RETREAT for PASTORS and for PASTOR’S SPOUSES
As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, MSD has arranged a retreat on October 16-18 for pastors and for pastor’s spouses. However, due to excessive costs we have moved the retreat from the resort at Wisemans Ferry to Collaroy. Please keep these dates in your diary. Our guest speakers for the days will be Murray and Beth Robinson from New Zealand.
This is not just a couples retreat but for pastors and for those spouses who are also available to attend. There will be a number of electives available, some for pastors, some for spouses, others for pastoral couples. We pray that our time away together will be inspiring, encouraging and challenging. Details of registration, etc will be available in next month’s newsletter. We also intend to write to churches and other organizations whom you minister for to contribute towards financially supporting your attendance.
DIRECTIONS 2012: TASKFORCE 3 – GOVERNANCE
One of the indicators of a vital healthy church is having a functional structure that serves the mission and ministry of the church. Such structures need to be simple. They need to effectively support the purpose and vision of the congregation, and promote the health and growth of the life and ministry of the church. Such structures are life-giving, flexible and open to ongoing review.
MSD believes this is also true for any governance and organizational structure for the denomination. It needs to effectively serve the purpose and vision of our movement of churches that promotes health and growth arising from our collective life and ministry. As previously indicated, MSD has made certain assumptions about the purpose of a Baptist Denomination from which we have considered the role of MSD in partnering our churches. While these have not been formally approved, these assumptions have been useful in guiding our vision and objectives.
Our assumptions on the purpose of the Baptist Union are:
The purpose of a denominational structure is that of a para-church organisation. It exists to:
- minister to and with our local churches. Historically and globally, the Baptist movement has been a movement of local churches and the ‘Union’ is to assist the local churches in their endeavours.
- promote a spirit of fellowship and co-operation between churches and their members.
- facilitate and provide resources for healthy churches and pastors.
- provide ‘best practice’ administrative support and consultancy services, such as in finance and insurance.
- facilitate collaborative ministries, projects and missional initiatives across the Baptist movement in NSW and ACT. Such activities may include establishing new churches, theological education, global mission, aid and development, oversight of accreditation of ministers, etc.
- providing a prophetic voice on behalf of the Baptist movement into Australian society.
As this stage I don’t know what the final recommendations from Taskforce 3 will be. However, potentially any governance structure has the capacity to either enhance and support the purpose and mission of our local churches or become a hindrance to such possible support to our churches. The governance issues that we will be considering in July are not just about ‘the Union’ but are about having an organisational structure in place that can better serve the local churches and pastors in their mission and ministry. While changes in governance in themselves won’t cause our churches to be healthier and more missional, they do have the capacity to enhance our endeavours to respond to the leading of the Spirit.
It is for this reason that MSD urges all our pastors to engage in these considerations to ensure that what we put in place is able to effectively serve you and the mission and ministry of local churches in the years ahead. While our current structures may have served us in generations past, MSD believes that now is the time to make some significant changes to support our congregations in becoming healthier and more missional communities of faith.
DIRECTIONS 2012 24 HOUR PRAYER VIGIL
Any consideration about the direction of our denomination needs to arise from our response to listening to the voice of God and the leading of His Spirit. Before last year’s consultation on Directions 2012, MSD arranged a 24 hour prayer vigil so that we might listen and respond to God’s leading. On May 7 as we meet to consider the recommendations arising from taskforces 1, 2 4 and 5 we are calling our congregations and pastors to continue in prayer and have therefore set aside another 24 hour vigil.
We will be meeting for prayer from 8:00am Friday 6th May until 8:00am Saturday May7th at the Baptist Ministry Centre, 3 Carlingford Rd Epping. The theme for the vigil will be “Surrender the Agenda”. Please join with us to pray for our movement that we will know God’s heartbeat and respond by aligning ourselves with Him. Pete Davies has filmed a short video clip which can be viewed here – www.msd.org.au/prayer
We are hoping to also have some regional gatherings for people more than a couple of hours out of Sydney.
If you have an article or link that you would like to share with your colleagues in ministry, please pass it on so that I can include it in further newsletters.
Ken Clendinning
Director of MSD
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