How Pastors Go the Distance

Tim Peters has a helpful article at http://blog.pastors.com/blogs/pcom/how-pastors-go-the-distance/.

Based on his experience of running an actual marathon, his suggestions for pastors who want to go the distance are

1. Run at a healthy pace

2. Run with no excess baggage

3. Run with a team

4. Run with frequent re-fueling

Thom Rainer on the Lifecycle of Pastors

Southern Baptist researcher Thom Rainer comments on the various lifecycles of pastors on his blog at http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-lifecycle-of-pastors-60613/.


The honeymoon lasts a year. After that, through year three, the "crisis" of both pastor and congregation is discovering their mutual humanity. Most pastors leave during this time. Years three to five are a period of "realignment," during which dissidents leave and new people arrive. "Growth," if it's going to occur, comes in years five to ten.


But here's what I found most interesting: he calls the years beyond ten "Mystery," because, "There are relatively few pastors and congregations that continue their relationships beyond a period of one decade. Thus any perspective I have of long-term pastorates is inconclusive and limited. I am confident, however, that if we see more and more pastors entering their tenth year of ministry and beyond, we will see more productive and fruitful ministries in local churches across the nation."


I found it sad that he had so few models of long-term pastors to be able to draw any conclusions, but encouraging that he finds a certain trend in that direction.

Expository Preaching

Over the past several years, I have suggested that long-term ministry is enhanced and encouraged by expository preaching. Obviously, I'm not the only one who believes this. Check out this post that is strikingly similar to my very first post to this blog (not, by the way, because they plagiarized me but because these are self-evident ideas!):

http://www.thegoodbookblog.com/2011/sep/07/7-reasons-in-support-of-consecutive-exposition-of-/

Short-Term Capitalism

From Seth Godin's Blog of August 22, 2011. The same could be said of short-term pastoring.

Short-term capitalism

There are a few reasons why one might not care what happens in the long run:

• You don't intend to be around
• You're going to make so much money in the short run it doesn't matter
• You figure you won't get caught

Short-term marketing involves using deception to make a quick sale, or using aggressive promises to get a quick hit. Having a price war counts as well. Linkbait is on that list as well.

Short-term architecture means putting up a cheap building, a local eyesore, something that saves money now instead for building something for the long haul. The guys who put up the Pantheon in Rome weren't doing short-term anything. Hard to say that about a big box store.

Short-term manufacturing ignores the side effects of pollution, bad design and worker impact because it's faster money in the short run to merely make the product (and the sale) in the most direct way possible.

Short-term investment banking invests in transactions that are unsustainable and eventually blow up (after commissions are paid).

Short-term sales involve spamming as many people as you can, as fast as you can.

Short-term hiring requires you to hire cheap, train as little as possible and live with turnover.

Bernie Madoff was a short-term capitalist, of course.

Left to their own devices, (particularly during difficult economic times) too many people misunderstand the essence of capitalism, and rationalize a do what it takes mindset that is ultimately self-defeating. The reason we need the SEC, the EPA, transparent operations, a free press that cares about its mission and people willing and able to speak up is that they make it expensive to choose the short-term option.

The short-term capitalist is betting that someone else will clean it up.

One of the worst things you can call a business person, I think, is a short-term capitalist. He selfishly takes for now and fails to contribute in return.

The internet has opened two doors. First, it's easier than ever to do the short-term thing, anonymously if you choose, with a big splash, internet ads, eBay scams and more. On the other hand, since there's a revolution going on, it's also easier than ever to build something that matters, something that lasts.

The thing to remember about the short-term is that we'll almost certainly be around when the long-term shows up.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/08/short-term-capitalism.html

Other long-termers!

I just came across two fine articles on long-term pastorates from 9Marks. Highly recommended!

One Preacher's "Death Wish" and Staying For the Glory of God