We mistakenly think the Gospel is just the four spiritual laws. We further mistaken that the Gospel is only for accepting Christ, for conversion, for “crossing the line” and after that we lay it aside and go to deeper things. How wrong this is, and how disastrous it is for the church to think so. The pastor ought to bring the gospel of Christ and his finished work as much as possible into his messages because the people need to hear it often. They need the constant reminders and renewal in the Gospel both in Word and sacrament, because our faith in the good news must be kept fresh and dynamic to keep drawing down from our spiritual inheritance of forgiveness, enabling grace, peace, power, the benefits of justification, love, healing and much much more. Here’s a video by John Piper that says this:
They said
There was a spillover crowd of about sixty outside in the open air on a cool and damp Thursday night. At the front 
entrance, projected on the screen, was a portrait of Joanne Karen Chan. She was looking out pensively from inside a bus. We could hear the songs and what was going on inside Grace Sanctuary.
“She was full of life.”
“She was real.”
“Her life was wrapped around two words: relationships and missions.”
“She knew what she wanted to do with her life.”
“I have known Joanne Chan since she was ten years old…”
Her godly parents
I did not know her but somehow I wished I had an opportunity. Her parents I knew well. We were in the same church in the late 70’s. Revival was in the air and we were immersed in the excitement, the whirlwind of the Spirit, and the love of God. James Chan and I, we loved church: we observed, studied and talked about church and ministry. When we talked church, we could talk for hours. Reserved, ponytailed and petite, Sarah Foo was a church librarian together with me. And all three of us were once on full time staff with the church.
Went home to glory
While on vacation in Bangkok, my sister in law informed my wife and I about Joanne’s hospitalisation. On our visit to the hospital in the city, we were saddened to see her in the ICU. She had just begun her Master’s in International Studies in Chulalongkorn University, with an intention to do development work in the Indo-Chinese region. Her heart was fired for missions, for justice and mercy ministry among the Indo-Chinese. Now she had been stricken with a mysterious illness, which the doctors thought was Japanese encephalitis. When we left after the visit, the administrative tug of war to bring her back to Singapore for treatment continued. News that she was finally flown back a few days later was greeted with relief, thanksgiving and confident prayer for her recovery. Thus on Tuesday morning, when I was told that she had passed away, my grief was beyond words, mixed with a quiet trust in the Lord.
It is going to be tough for the parents – a sword will pierce their soul. I felt for them, for I too had lost a child, but theirs will be a greater grief. She was 25 and she loved her Lord deeply. Brimming with life and purpose, her arrow was about to be shot into Indochina- so completely consumed was she by missions and a kingdom calling.
Puzzle
Her sudden departure remains a puzzle that is not lost on those who know her. It is a puzzle that cannot be fully resolved on this side of eternity. Only implicit trust in God’s higher purpose will help assuage the anguish and grief, and safely leave the unexplainable in God’s hands.
Though gone, she continues to speak.
Though brief, her life was lived to His greater service and glory.
Though the seed has fallen into the ground, it will bring forth a harvest.
Goodnight Joanne….we will all see you in the morning.
A Preacher took the text and preached a rousing sermon on prayer one Sunday and exhorted the congregation to pray thirty minutes on waking every day that week. And some did and felt good, but most did not and felt short.
The next Sunday, he preached a tremendous sermon on being a witness and challenged his members to witness to one person in school or in the workplace that week. Some did and felt good, but most did not and felt short.
The following Sunday, the Preacher motivated his members to love their wives, and he did it with tears, and confessed his lack, for he had been too busy as a pastor, and he was sure others were the same. So he gave them seven things to do to love their wives. The women loved the sermon. Many men walked down the altar with tears and arose resolute. That week roses were bought, love letters were written, and romantic dinners were had. Some felt good, and those that were still too busy, felt short.
On the last Sunday of the month, the Preacher was convinced what the members lacked was time management. So he talked about the tyranny of the urgent, and underlined the importance of keeping the main thing the main thing. He listed five things they could do to manage their time better. The members were perked with hope that if they could do the list, the nub of many problems would be solved: they would wake up to pray; they would have time to witness, to love their wives, and be a better disciple. Some did it, and felt good. Most of them fell short.
And by the end of the second month those who felt good about waking up to pray no longer thought of themselves as good Christians, for their habit faltered. Those who witnessed did it only that one week. The flush of renewed romance of those men who loved their wives had chilled. And the weekly schedule in the diaries was blank. That Sunday the Preacher looked over the congregation and saw a jaded people. They looked like a people weary of religious must do, ought to do, and should do. The trust that began their relationship with God has given way to earnest but relentless attempts to reach and maintain the C+ of Christian behaviour. They now felt weary. After some months the Preacher left the church with his shoulders slouched, his face downcast, his eyes absent of the gleam with which he started.
After several long months, the congregation found another Preacher. On the first Sunday, he preached Christ the High Priest who sympathized with man’s weaknesses and who offered Himself for the forgiveness of sins. The congregation felt the love of God and they experienced a cleansing peace and assurance wash over them. They had a new found boldness in approaching God in prayer, and though they had not prayed every morning, no pall of guilt hung over them.
The next Sunday, the Preacher exalted Christ as the Baptizer of the Spirit. The people received a fresh infilling of the Spirit, nothing emotional, more a faith thing. Strangely at the cell group that week, there were numerous reports of how members had opportunities to share Christ and pray for the concerns of friends.
The following Sunday, the Preacher talked about the length and breadth, and height and depth of the love of Christ as pictured in the Song of Songs, and the people experienced a new sense of being the Beloved of God. That experience of being loved stayed with them and they found themselves feeling affection for their spouses and children, and being patient towards the people at school and at work.
On the last Sunday of the month, the Preacher talked about the Jesus the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23 and the people were re-assured that God was watching over their ins and outs, guiding them with His staff, protecting them from all kinds of enemies with His rod, and that they need not fear anything. The members entered that week with a restedness and confidence in the Shepherd’s care for they knew in their hearts that the steps of a good man were ordered of the Lord, and that God would work all things for good.
The Preacher kept preaching Christ, and though it seemed elementary, it was fresh as he drew from the wells of Old Testament as well as New with the heart of one who had drawn near and drank from the living waters. The infectious love he had for the Lord Jesus was being passed on to the congregation. Beyond just knowing, the members were catching it.
After four months the Preacher looked over his congregation one Sunday, and saw a sea of contented faces, oozing assurance and animated with joy. Though they may not have prayed every morning, nor witnessed every week, nor loved their wives as they should, or managed their time as they ought, they knew they were forgiven, empowered, loved and watched over and guided by a wonderful Man with scars in His hands, and love in His eyes.
Most helpful process
It was probably the most helpful course I had taken. And there had been many over the years of pastoral ministry since 1980. Maybe it was about timing and fit. The Focused Leaders’ Course I attended several years ago, increased my understanding of God’s work in my life. It also clarified self understanding. Tools were picked up that aided me in moving towards a progressively clearer understanding of my personal calling.
Based on Robert Clinton’s research
The materials and ideas on which the course was based, originated from Robert Clinton’s research in Christian leadership. One of Robert’s mentees, Terry Wallings, with permission put them into the format and process that we are using in our workbooks. The course blessed me so much, I went through facilitator training, and now serve as a volunteer in the exco of the Church Resource Ministries Singapore(CRMS) and occasionally help out in facilitating their Focused Leaders Network(FLN) when my schedule allows. Together with a senior church leader, a lighter version of this called Focused Living, was also introduced to the church I serve, with a warm reception.
Foursquare Church pastors
Recently there was a group of Foursquare Church pastors who went through this course and it was my joy to co-facilitate with 
James Creasman, the Founder-President of CRMS, Bishop Moses Tay, and Pastor Walter Lim of Grace AG. The Foursquare Church were great hosts and wonderful co-learners as we did most of the sessions in their beautiful headquarters. With good coffee, delicious delivered lunches, and million dollar sea view, who could ask for more. The sessions which were 8.30am to 4.30pm were not that taxing as most were discussions, self reflection, and interactions. These were enlightening times and facilitators learned as much as those attending.
Learning together and personal coaching sessions
Outside of the sessions each leader had a coaching appointment with the facilitator and that was where we gently pointed the pastors towards a clearer sense of God’s call on their lives as well as draw the practical implications on their roles, goals, and mentoring constellation.
Mealtimes and breaks were also times to get to know each other and to engage in light banter and more serious stuff, especially as the period also spanned over the two elections. Mostly we were talking shop – church scene, ministry, society.
It was a great privilege and joy to co-learn and journey along with pastors of big as well as small churches. For more information on what this ministry does and what courses are on offer go to the CRMS website.
These statistics have been around for some time and the research was done in the 1990’s but they do strike a chord for us even today and in Singapore. The research was finished by the Schaeffer Institute, but quoted in Thabiti Anyabwile in a post titled, “Don’t Make Your Pastor A Statistic”. In the post he quoted the research of the former and I reproduce part of it here:
But if I am to believe some of the survey statistics published on pastors and their view towards the ministry, the vast majority of my fellow pastors do not feel this way and are not receiving proper care from their people. Consider these figures compiled by the Schaeffer Institute:
Hours and Pay
90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.
Training and Preparedness
90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they
thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.
Health and Well-Being
70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if
they could, but have no other way of making a living.
Marriage and Family
80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.
80% spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.
Church Relationships
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
#1 reason pastors leave the ministry — Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.
Longevity
50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.
These statistics are startling and sad. Dr Richard J. Krejcir commented about this epidemic:
“After over 18 years of researching pastoral trends and many of us being a pastor, we have found (this data is backed up by other studies) that pastors are in a dangerous occupation! We are perhaps the single most stressful and frustrating working profession, more than medical doctors, lawyers, politicians or cat groomers (hey they have claws). We found that over 70% of pastors are so stressed out and burned out that they regularly consider leaving the ministry (I only feel that way on Mondays).”
However if you want to get further depressed, read the original article on why U.S. pastors leave their churches in Statistics on Pastors by Dr Richard J. Krejcir. Needless to say, we need to pray for all our pastors. And give them regular sabbaticals!