PASTORS E-NEWSLETTER
JULY 2010
Hi fellow Pastors!
This last month has been rather full so this edition of the pastor’s newsletter is running a little late. We welcome some new readers in the 15 persons who completed the Recognised Ministers Course two weeks ago.
Following up from the reflections last month on Dan Allender’s Leading with a Limp, MSD has purchased 6 copies of the book and have been passing them onto various pastors to read and then pass onto fellow colleagues in ministry. We encourage you to keep passing the books around after having a read. A further short sermon outline with a similar theme The Weakness in Virtue and the Virtue of Weakness can also be found on www.msd.org.au/resources.
PRAYER DAYS and PRAYER ROOM
It was pleasing to have all 24 hours on July 9-10 covered as people gathered for the Prayer Vigil at the Ministry Centre, Epping, praying for our pastors and churches and especially for the Consultation Day. It was a timely reminder that prayer needs to be central to our life and ministry, particularly in reference to our decision-making. As a follow-up, MSD in consultation with Global Interaction, decided to transfer our meeting room into a prayer room. We are in the process of refurnishing the room so that there is a place for the Epping Ministry staff to withdraw to pray either together or alone. However, this is a space for all our pastors and others to meet and pray. If you want to book the room to pray or to meet and pray with others, give Ros a call on 9868 9230 or just drop by.
In consultation with the Regional Ministers, MSD is also planning further half days of prayer in our regional areas as well as in various locations around Sydney. We are encouraging churches to join together for these prayer times. At the moment we are putting together some resources, similar to what we had for the 24 hour vigil, which we will make available for such prayer times. As soon as we have these together we will provide suggested dates for prayer. We are keen to encourage increased prayer as the normal part of our personal and congregational life.
PASTORS and SPOUSES ANNUAL DINNER
Numbers of pastors have already booked in for the Pastors and Spouses Dinner that MSD is putting on at the Bayview Room at Tradies Caringbah on Friday evening September 17 as part of the Baptist Churches Annual Conference (being held at Gymea). Our guest speaker will be Rev Allan Demond from NewHope Church, Victoria. This is an opportunity for us to champion the contribution that pastors and spouses make to the work of God’s Kingdom among our churches and other ministries. If you haven’t already booked in, then we encourage you to get in soon so you don’t miss out as numbers are limited.
The cost of the three-course dinner will be $50 per head. However, Christian Super has again generously offered to provide some sponsorship to enable us to reduce the costs for pastors and spouses from rural churches and smaller churches where Pastors do not receive a full income. Registrations can be made by either booking on the MSD website or contacting Ros on adminmsd@baptistnsw.asn.au. Full payment will be required by Sept 3.
EXIT INTERVIEWS for PASTORS
Over the next month MSD will be revising our exit interview forms as part of updating the Managing the Call resource documents. While MSD seeks to conduct exit interviews with all pastors as they bring their particular ministry to a close, we also encourage pastors to have exit interviews with the church leadership. The MSD Exit interviews endeavour to assist pastors to leave well, plan their transitioning, to re-engage a new context or circumstance, identify family issues as well as issues that MSD might take up with the church. Such interviews also provide MSD with good general data on issues leading pastors to leave or change ministry contexts.
Exit interviews with the church leadership provide opportunity to chat about finishing well, celebrating a shared journey and identifying joys and frustrations. We believe that such interviews assist pastors and church leaders to release and bless each other as they move into a new season of ministry. Next newsletter we hope to include copies of these interview forms.
PASTORAL TEAMS DAY
The workshop for pastoral teams entitled Pastoral Teams and Personality will be held on October 29. This workshop has limited numbers and is nearly full so register soon if you and your team plan to attend. Full details of the workshop and registration can be found on www.msd.org.au/resources. Other workshops for pastors in regional areas are held as part of the Catalyst conferences and in consultation with the Regional Ministers.
RESEARCH on PREACHING REVIEWS
This is an advanced notice of a research project that Rev Marc Rader (Senior Associate at Gymea Baptist and part-time Lecturer in Preaching at Morling College) will be conducting on the place of Preaching Reviews. Part of Marc’s intent will be to produce a helpful assessment tool for pastors that might assist us in the development of our preaching. Marc has a real heart for assisting preachers to become more effective in their preaching.
MSD has agreed to help Marc provide you with a short on-line survey to complete and we encourage all pastors to participate when Marc contacts you about this in the future. He will also be inviting pastors to become part of some focus groups. Your involvement will assist Marc to provide us with a further tool for our ministries. The results of the research project will be published on the MSD website.
FINANCIAL PLANNING for PASTORS
In partnership with Christian Super, MSD is hosting a seminar day on financial planning for pastors. Entitled Pastors’ Financial Boot Camp the seminar day will be held at the Baptist Ministry Centre, Epping on Friday September 3. We encourage you to put the date in your diary. There is no cost associated with this seminar. However registrations through the MSD office are necessary for catering purposes. We have arranged for a number of presenters who will cover such topics as ‘Financial Markets update’, ‘Key Issues impacting Ministers’, ‘Practical Financial Tools for Pastors’, and ‘Living with Financial Freedom’. Further details of the presenters and program are available on www.msd.org.au/resources.
RURAL AND REGIONAL RENEWAL GRANTS
The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal in partnership with the ANZ bank is offering grants that some rural or regional churches may want to consider applying for. These are for communities that have a population of 15000 or less, have a charitable purpose, and are not-for-profit organizations. Grants are worth up to $15,000.
Preference is given to applications that help communities thrive through:
- Creation of education and employment opportunities
- Building financial capability
- Helping bridge urban and rural social and economic divides; and
- Supporting disaster recovery or preparedness.
Applications close on September 3. Details can be found on www.msd.org.au/resources.
DIRECTOR for CHURCH PLANTING
As MSD has reviewed the ministry roles of each of the team members it has become evident that the Director of Church Development’s role needed to be divided up due to the increased momentum that is emerging in church planting. As a result, MSD is looking at appointing a part-time (2-3 days per week) Director of Church Planting from early 2011. We will be advertising this position next week with applications closing a few weeks later. If you are interested in this position either email me for the Position Description or call me on 0421 289 917 if you would like to chat about the role.
USEFUL WEBSITE
Have a look at http://www.ea.org.au/crucible/welcome.htm. This is an Australian online journal of peer-reviewed theological articles and other resources on Christian life and thought, with material from a wide range of denominational backgrounds. The name crucible has been chosen because the journal aims to fuse biblical and theological truths with the life, ministry and mission of the church in the world. It also has an echo of the Latin crux (it is possible the words are related) and thus is a reminder of the cross which is so central to any Christian thinking.
Crucible is completely free to all users and is sponsored by a number of evangelical institutions. In a recent collection there is an article from Sylvia Collinson of Morling College on Jairus’ Daughter and the Woman with a Haemorrhage.
May you be richly blessed in your own ministry service and be a blessing to others.
Ken Clendinning
Director of MSD