PASTORS E-NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2012
Hi fellow Pastors!
Over the weekend, in reading the latest edition of Management Today (published by the Australian Institute of Management) I was surprised to read of the General Social Survey conducted by the National Organisation for Research at the University of Chicago and online resource CareerBliss in which clergy rated the happiest of all professions. The results list the top 10 happiest jobs and the 10 unhappiest/hated jobs. Full details of these lists and a brief discussion can be found on www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/09/12/the-ten-happiest-jobs/.
We pastors sometimes do complain about our roles, to be sure. However, most pastors are happy with their ministries. We might get frustrated with some of the people in our congregations, and we think we’re underpaid, but generally most pastors I speak with love what they do. Part of this is knowing that what we do is worthwhile and is of value. Even in the disappointments and heartaches we often go through in ministry, what an exhilarating experience it is to see lives and communities transformed through the power of God. It is such a delightful privilege to be part of God’s activity, to teach his word and to engage with people.
By the way, technical specialists, directors of information technology and senior web developers were the most miserable with the suggestion that this is likely because such employees struggle to achieve a sense of fulfillment in their roles, despite them often being highly paid and having higher status roles.
Some years ago I also heard an interview with the international management guru, Peter Drucker (shortly before he died). He commented that over his career of consulting with some of the world’s largest corporate companies, the most challenging were non-profit and volunteer organizations such as churches. Even then, he stated that the most difficult of all were churches with congregational-based governance structures. This makes the above mentioned survey all the more interesting, especially for Baptist pastors.
I’d value your thoughts on this. How much do you enjoy being a pastor? (you can “Leave A Reply” at the bottom of the page)
BAPTIST ASSOCIATION ASSEMBLY COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
The Nominations Committee that has the task of identifying potential persons to serve our Baptist Association on the inaugural Assembly Council are seeking suggestions of suitable persons who might be considered for election at the September Assembly. Details of the role of the Council can be found in the new constitution (p.23f) on the Baptist Union website. This Council is primarily a governance group to oversee the ministry of the Association on behalf of and accountable to the Baptist Assembly.
This Council will need people from ministry and from governance/management backgrounds. If you identify any persons in your congregation who you think could make a contribution to our wider movement as Baptists by being on this such a Council, could you please forward their details to one of the members of the Nominations Committee. Would you also include an explanation of what you think they might bring to such a group? The Committee members are John Brew, Graham Henderson, Virginia Ellis, Keith Jobberns and Tim Burns.
REVIVE
Registrations are open and we encourage you to utilize the dvd resources that were forwarded to you to promote Revive. The most effective promotion will be your personal enthusiasm to gather with others who are part of our Baptist movement and to hear what God may want to say to us through Matthew Barnett and his journey. Plan to bring a group with you. Invite them personally. There will also be opportunity to dialogue and explore common interests together in the various workshops, to celebrate and be inspired. It is as we work together that collectively we might realize the vision and direction that God has given us as an Association of churches.
The Revive Pastors and Spouses Annual Dinner has been moved to the Thursday evening so that pastors who wish can also attend the youth night with their young people. It is yet to be confirmed but we hope to have Matthew Barnett to share with us in a more intimate setting over dinner the joys and challenges of pastoral ministry. Details will be out shortly and numbers will be limited for this event. [Subsidies will be available for country pastors and those in tight financial circumstances.]
NEW WORSHIP SONGS FROM SONG WRITING INTENSIVE
Here is the first lot of songs for churches to use that were written by participants at the recent Song Writing Intensive. They can be downloaded from the worship canvas website. All the songs are free to use and play – JUST REGISTER THEM NEXT TIME YOU DO A REPORT TO CCLI – so that this ministry can continue and grow.” To access the songs you can either go to www.worshipcanvas.com <http://www.worshipcanvas.com> “Downloads” or simply visit http://www.worshipcanvas.com.au/Site/Downloads.html. Some of these songs will be sung at our upcoming Revive, so be sure to include them in your normal church’s repertoire.
The registration for the Song Writing Intensive for April 21-25 2013 is now open. If you want to get an idea of what it was like, go to www.worshipcanvas.com.au and listen to the testimonies of the participants. Registration will close when the 12 spots available are full. Registration form is found on the Welcome home page.
INTRODUCTION TO LIFE COACHING WITH TONY STOLZFUS
The Coaching Training team would like to invite you to join them for a unique opportunity with internationally recognised coach and author, Tony Stoltzfus who is to present an “Introduction to Life Coaching” seminar on Monday 16th July 2012 at Morling College 9.00am – 5pm.
As a pioneer in the Christian coaching field, Tony has trained hundreds of coaches, helped found an international coaching school and developed revolutionary training materials used around the world. Tony is involved with Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is involved with the coaching and training there along with Bill Johnson and the team.
For more information and how to register download the brochure here
If you are unable to be there on Monday, Tony will also speaking at Georges River Life Centre (Georges River Community Baptist) on Saturday 14th. This may also suit some lay people who cannot make it on the Monday. Details and registration can be found on www.msd.org.au/resources.
ASIA PASIFIC BAPTIST FEDERATION
The 8th Asia Pacific Baptist Congress will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 4-8, 2012. There are over 5 million baptised believers who are part of 59 Baptist Conventions/Unions within 51 countries in the Asia Pacific region and Australian Baptists have a significant part to play in this region. It would be good if there were some of us from NSW and ACT who could participate in such a gathering as we need to do more to connect with Asia Pacific not only with respect to our support, but our networking and involvement.
Details of the Congress program can be found at www.msd.org.au/resources with further details on how one can register on-line are available on http://www.apbf.info/Congress2012/index.htm. John Kok has in particular asked that if any Australian Baptists register they can stay at the Berjaya hotel option – a good central hotel and the site of the actual Congress.
If you also 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
When I read “Happy” I understand it as Joy, peace or contentment – happiness is based on happenings and they go up and down. For me joy and peace comes from knowing that I am in the place God wants me to be, that I have healthy relationships with those closest me (wife & kids) and that despite who I am I get to partner with the creator and be part of making a kingdom difference which happens more often in the midst of broken and quite unhappy circumstances, but despite those, there is still a sense of joy and peace because of who I am and what I have in the Lord Jesus.
Re: how much I enjoy being a pastor. I would gladly use the word joy rather than happiness, as I think it’s possible to have joy even in the midst of trials. For me there is a sense of privilege, joy, gratitude, trial, heartache, struggle in prayer, fulfilment, and even excitement as I see people bear fruit by the Spirit thru his Word. It’s all rolled into one. I find it to be demanding and satisfying at the same time. Being a pastor has pushed me to places I never would have gone otherwise in terms of my own godliness. I can definitely see why some give it up, and at the same time, why some would rather never do anything else.
I hope and pray that maybe sometime soon the great programs offered in NSW (Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong) will be made available by all this newfangled Communication technology to the rest of the Baptist community.
2 days travel plus all the associated costs to attend workshops in Sydney is rather impossible. Would love some DVDs or Webcasts of workshops like TONY STOLZFUS’ INTRODUCTION TO LIFE COACHING…