Tom Ascol has served as a pastor for 35 years, the past 28 with the same congregation. In a recent blog post he recounted what he has learned. While I would probably use slightly different words, I found myself nodding in agreement over most of his points:

Thirty-five years ago this month I began serving my first church as pastor. The Rock Prairie Baptist Church in College Station, Texas took a major risk on a senior Texas A&M student by issuing me a call to be their pastor. It was my happy privilege to serve them for nearly two years before being called to the Spring Valley Baptist Church in Dallas. I am currently in my twenty-eighth year of serving Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida.

As I recently reflected on the last thirty-five years I wrote down some lessons learned and convictions I’ve come to or continued to hold. Here are thirty-five of them.

1. Long-term perspective helps you to endure and to think wisely about immediate problems.
2. The kingdom of God does not—and will not—skip a beat when I am sidelined.
3. The church is more important than I thought when I started.
4. Some of my words and actions to which I am most oblivious can be hurtful to people.
5. Pastoral ministry is indeed, as John Newton puts it, “a bitter full of sweet” and “a sorrow full of joy.”
6. Christians are the greatest people in the world.
7. Christians are capable of the most wicked actions in the world.
8. My greatest challenge at the beginning of my ministry continues to be dealing with my own heart.
9. An excellent wife is the greatest earthly gift I have, and she is more excellent than I ever could have imagined.
10. True friends are rare and invaluable.
11. Some of the most outwardly religious people can be the biggest hypocrites.
12. It is nearly impossible for a man who marries poorly to make it in the ministry.
13. Some of the most humble, unassuming saints provide the greatest encouragement to pastors.
14. Some of the most effective pastoral ministry I have ever had has come through my presence more than my words.
15. Some words I have spoken incidentally have ministered God’s grace more powerfully than others over which I labored and prepared for hours.
16. Preaching really is a divinely ordained, foolish activity.
17. Every conversion to Christ is a miracle of grace involving intricate acts and provisions that have been divinely orchestrated.
18. Having the right books is far more important than have many books.
19. God’s grace has shined brightest through the suffering of His people.
20. Justification by faith is a bottomless well of grace.
21. The complete humanity and spotless righteousness of Jesus has become more amazing to me.
22. There is no easy way to do a hard task and ministry is full of hard tasks.
23. The propitiatory work of Jesus on the cross amazes me more and more.
24. The relationship of God’s law to His gospel has implications for every biblical doctrine.
25. Some of the greatest pastors are men who live, serve and die in relative obscurity.
26. Incremental progress is real progress and should not be dismissed.
27. God is far more patient than I could have ever imagined.
28. Forgiveness is one of the sweetest graces both in its giving and receiving.
29. Though I’ve stayed in one place a long time, I have served at least 4 different churches during that time and my people have had at least that many different pastors in the same man.
30. Wherever you see a long pastorate you can be sure there is an abundance of grace in the congregation.
31. Godly widows and widowers are worthy heroes.
32. The advance of the gospel and the spread of God’s kingdom is a testimony to power of His grace.
33. Raising children is one of the greatest privileges and challenges in human experience.
34. Having adult children is a greater joy and blessing than I ever imagined it would be.
35. Grandchildren rock!

Well said!
http://tomascol.com/35-lessons-from-35-years-as-a-pastor/

Remembering Sermons

Adrian Reynolds has this great comment on whether or not it's important that people remember my sermons:

I've just spent a wonderful hour with a dear Australian brother who has given his lifetime to preaching the gospel and teaching others to do so (no name dropping here!). He made an observation, almost in passing, that really grabbed my attention. "It doesn't matter", he said, "if people don't remember your sermons. Preaching is about making actions instinctive, not giving you more head knowledge." He went on to say that he's a good reader, but doesn't remember being taught to read. He can play the piano but remembers very little about his tuition. He knows how to ride a bike, but can't recall the moment when the stabilisers were taken off.

How true and how liberating! We are tempted, I would suggest, to measure our ministry in terms of how much people can remember of it. And when people say to us "I remember your three points" we get a inward glow. But in fact, the measure of God's word preached is whether people change and if spiritual habits that were unnatural become the norm, become instinctive. We need to pray that our preaching would be effective and not so much that it would be memorable. 

It doesn't matter if people don't remember your sermons. 

Long-Term from a Business Viewpoint

While not all of this will apply to the pastorate, I thought this note from the Harvard Business Review blogs was suggestive of why it's worth it to stay in one place for a while:

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/10/10_reason_to_stay_in_a_job_for.html

Angry Pastors

From Dan Bouchelle at "Confessions of a Former Preacher:"

While I don’t fully understand my anger, here is my current best shot at explaining it. I am angry because I couldn’t force the church to live up to my image of what it should be even when they implemented most of the changes I wanted. I am angry because I thought I had a contract with God: if I did ministry the right way, he would make me feel successful and fulfilled. I am angry because I could not shake the feeling of failure when I was doing everything I knew to do and I could not get the church to post the measurables I needed to validate my ministry. I am angry because the church I was building was too much a figment of my imagination detached from sustainable reality. I loved the people in my church and I enjoyed ministry with them. But, as a congregation—which is an abstraction in many ways—I could not reconcile what was with what should be. I am angry because other preachers who used what I thought were inferior approaches to serve inferior visions saw their churches grow while mine was plateaued or declining. I am angry because I could not solve the problem of church, as if churches are problems to be solved instead of people to be loved and developed. I am angry because I looked to my ministry for self-validation instead of modeling self-denial. I am angry because I wasn’t willing to obey what I heard God calling me to do and trust the outcomes to him instead of expecting something specific in return.

No wonder I have wanted to deny my anger. It is ugly. But there it is. Why say it out loud? Why reveal this online? Am I now an exhibitionist? Am I trying to get attention in some sick way? Perhaps. I hope not. I just think it needs to be said. I think those of us who have gotten seduced into being career minded, if only in part, even when we wouldn’t admit it to God or ourselves, need to repent and fess up. I think we need to stop blaming the church for our immature emotional issues. The church does not need to face enemies within when it has a huge challenge without.  I also want to warn other preachers to avoid a path that can lead to their undoing. Watch your expectations. We are called to a cross, not a crown. We are called to serve the Lord through the church. The church isn’t here to take care of our emotional needs.

So you are angry? Well, you might want to do something about that. That road goes to a bad place.

http://danbouchelle.blogspot.com/2012/05/so-you-are-angry.html

Memories

This week I spoke with a woman who wishes she could erase some memories and a man whose mind is beginning to erase his. Both are living in tragedy.

The sad reality of sin is that even though God forgives our sin — indeed, He forgives us — yet we have trouble forgiving ourselves and even more trouble forgetting many of those sins. Like an old scar on our head left over from a youthful fall, some sins engrave themselves almost indelibly on our souls. Or so it seems.

Then there's my friend whose problem is not forgetting but remembering. It is so hard to see this smart, sharp professional slowly becoming a caricature of himself. Without even realizing it. And, even at this early stage, I am imagining the pain that his family — especially his wife — will be going through in the years to come.

Memory is a gift. And I am convinced that even bad memories, with a large dose of time and an even larger one of grace, can change, even if they don't go away. Our goal is not necessarily to forgive and forget (though it's great when we can!) but to forgive and move on. And to cherish our forgiveness.

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

Expository Preaching

I just came across this "Top Ten List" on expository preaching. While I wouldn't word each one the same, it's hard to argue with. It comes from Timothy Witmer's new book, The Shepherd Leader.

Expository preaching identifies exactly what is at the heart of the Christian message

Expository preaching requires that the shepherd concern himself with the intent of the Divine Author for every text.

Expository preaching respects the integrity of the textual units given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Expository preaching keeps the pastor from riding his favourite hobby horses.

Expository preaching requires the preacher to preach the difficult or obscure texts and challenging truths of the Bible.

Expository preaching will encourage both pastor and students alike to become students of the Bible.

Expository preaching gives us boldness in preaching for we are not expounding our own fallible views but the Word of God.

Expository preaching gives confidence to the listener that what he is hearing is not the opinion of man but the Word of God.

Expository preaching is of great assistance in sermon planning.

Expository preaching provides the context for a long tenure in a particular place.

Preaching Home Boy!

I came across this entry the other day and could not agree more with the author. I don't mind occasionally preaching in a congregation other than my own, but I never look forward to it. An important part of preaching is knowing your audience, and after 32 years I know mine pretty well!

Why I'm a preaching home-boy

Mon, 2010-11-22 06:30 — Adrian Reynolds

Preached a week ago last Sunday on Zechariah 5-6 and yesterday on Zechariah 7. Hope and pray it went OK. I don't think these are passages I could ever have preached anywhere other than at home church. Sure, I could explain them OK to strangers, but that is not preaching. 

• In difficult apocalyptic literature you need to know people well enough to know what they will understand and won't.
• Knowing people also shapes application sharply, or it should. Sure, the preaching of Zechariah 5-7 got the people building again (see Ezra 5.1-2). But we need sharper application than simply "you get building too...!" Ezra 4 details the opposition that the exiles faced. Zechariah 5-7 needs to be preached in the light of the opposition we face.
• Chief among the "mighty mountains" (Zech 4.17) that God needs to level is indwelling sin (which, I think, is the significance of the woman in the basket in Zechariah 5). Again, knowing people and knowing how that sinfulness manifests itself is key to sharp application. Similarly, false religion rears its ugly head in Zechariah 7. There it is fasting. It may well be fasting for our people today, but if we don't know how we will preach well...?

I'm a preaching home boy. That's where it counts. 

http://www.proctrust.org.uk/blog/2010-11-22/why-im-preaching-home-boy-935

Rick Warren on Longevity

I'm not a great fan of some of Rick Warren's ideas, but his post entitled, "Pastoral 'free agency' hurts churches," is right on target.

Among other things, he says, "The truth is pastoral longevity is one of the untold secrets of church health."


Check it out.

Still More on Preaching

I just finished this week's sermon (and it's only Friday afternoon, not Saturday night! But that's because I know I'll be busy tomorrow night. It's amazing how we can adjust to deadlines!)

I'm preaching through Mark's gospel, and I love it. (Though whatever I'm preaching through tends, at the moment, to be my favorite part of the Bible.) But I was thinking about what hard work it is — the research, the meditating on the text, the conceptualizing of what God is trying to say to me and my people through this particular text — all this is very hard and tiring work. I love it, but it's draining. And I haven't even started the physical preparation of preaching through the sermon (out loud) three or four times. I'll do that late Saturday night and very early Sunday morning.

But for this blog what came to mind is how many pastors are unwilling to invest all that hard work into their preaching. So they either buy their sermons (or download somebody else's work from the internet), or they do some cursory work on their text but find very little new to say. Either way, they are cheating themselves and their people. And, after a while, if you have little new to say, you have to move on to another congregation, because people quickly tire of "the same old thing" every Sunday.

Now, in truth, all we do have is "the same old story" every Sunday; but the Bible is such a rich texture of different presentations of that gospel that we have an almost infinite storehouse from which to draw. It's the same old story, but we have so many ways to tell it. So, for the pastor who is willing to do the hard work, preaching can be fresh each Sunday — for him and for his people. And that's been what has kept me going for over 30 years in the same pulpit!

The Fruit of the Spirit

If I ever write a book (which I won't), it will be on the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22ff) as exemplified in the life of the pastor. I know Paul described these for the entire church, but surely we pastors and elders should be known for our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We pastors tend to blame other people for all our problems, but I wonder how much church turmoil could be avoided if leaders demonstrated the Fruit of the Spirit rather than giving in to reactions of our sinful nature?

When I'm gone, I don't want to be remembered simply for staying at my church for a long time, I want people to say, "He was a man who loved his people (and was loved by them)."

Consistent, persistent generosity

Seth Godin's words from his marketing blog might resonate with some long-term pastors:

Consistent, persistent generosity

That might be exactly the strategy you need to have an impact on the market.

Consistent as in not stopping to say, "my turn." Persistent as in long-lasting, not as in annoyingly over the top. And with permission, because interacting without delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages is a waste at best, annoying at worst.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/10/consistent-persistent-generosity.html

Gratifying Comments

"My people" have always been generous with their comments to me, but today, I received an email note and a phone call expressing appreciation for my ministry. I try not to let such things "go to my head," but they are nice to hear every so often! Here's the email:

"A little over a week ago, I was at an event where, as part of an ice-breaker, we had to answer a series of questions in writing. One of those questions was: 'Who was your best teacher?' I initially, like most everyone else began to consider school teachers I had had, but, in a moment of revelation, I realized that you had to be the one! I knew immediately that I had to write a note of appreciation.

"I actively sat under your teaching longer than anyone else, including my dad, and my world view was radically reshaped in the process. I owe even more than I really know to your guidance, as you taught and counseled my wife and children as well as myself. You led me to discover more in scripture than I had, or would have, and to see it as a whole, complete and sufficient, both simple and unfathomable. You introduced me to evangelism and discipleship, and inspired me through your servant example to a reduced level of selfishness. You put up with my immaturity, and did not give up on me or become hostile or dismissive, even when it was deserved. Your wisdom and counsel was useful even when it was ignored at the time: I heard and understood it later. You allowed me to question and to err, even when it would have clearly been more convenient to put me in my place. I understand you are not perfect, and, unfortunately I have not been particularly graceful on those few points, though you always were more than gentle toward me. Your perseverance is remarkable: Others often cut and run, or give up, but you have persisted, despite occasional temptation to do otherwise. You have a legacy that cannot fade or spoil: complete the course in the same manner as you started it, and you can rest assured that you will hear 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'"

The caller (who also lives at a distance now) called to say he had been on our web site and was surprised at the breadth of ministry that we had. All I could say was, "It helps to stick around for a few years!"

The Philippian Jailer

What a great service we had this morning. Some months ago I officiated at the funeral of a friend (not from our church) whom I had known for a number of years. As a result of that funeral, this man's widow and their daughter and family began to attend our church.

As part of our new members class, I always give a presentation of the gospel along with an invitation for people who've never done so to place their faith in Christ. The dad of this new family became a believer as a result of our class, and today I baptized him and his two boys (his wife was already a believer and had been baptized).

What made this morning so neat was that the dad is the administrator of our county jail. And so, during the baptism, I told the story of another jail "administrator" from the city of Philippi, as told in Acts 16. And, of course, it was this jailer who asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" and was told, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved -- you and your household." And, indeed, not only was this man baptized but also the rest of his family. So it was fitting (and very touching) this morning to baptize this dad and his two boys -- just as Paul had baptized the family of the Philippian jailer.

On this blog that focuses on long-term ministry I would love (but won't take the space) to elaborate on how many years and how many contacts went into making this morning's wonderful service possible. This sort of fruit is rarely seen by a pastor who feels the need to move from church to church -- or by churches who trade off their pastors every few years! But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Experience Helps

Yesterday was one of those days that if it had occurred 30 or even 25 years ago would have left me -- if not devastated -- wiped out and discouraged. It began, moments after I arrived in the office following a week-long vacation, with a desperate call from a parent that her daughter's marriage was in trouble. Shortly afterward, I met with the husband and learned, in a very tense discussion, that infidelity was involved. Meanwhile, a recently divorced woman came to see me -- sure that her former husband would try to wile his way back into my good graces. Finally, a man called to tell me that his elderly mother had just died.

Death, divorce, and infidelity -- all in about four hours!

But all, I now know after more than 35 years in the ministry, a pretty normal part of pastoral care. And so at the end of the day, as I finally had time to think about all these crises that I had managed, I was able to smile and reflect upon the thought that what had been a very full and rather intense day -- but by no means overwhelming -- would have left me dish rag limp had it occurred toward the beginning of my ministry. Instead, I was able to commit the various crises to the Lord, deal with each one lovingly and thoughtfully, and simply thank the Lord as the day closed, for His wisdom and presence.

Experience does help!

On the Long-Term Benefits of Preaching

We're always wondering if people are truly "getting" what we're trying to say -- if our preaching is really practical and applicable. One of my concerns over the years has been that if we're too focused on application (that is, at the end of each sermon we have two or three life-oriented ways people can apply the truth of what we've preached), pretty soon our people are going to have such a long "laundry list" of things to do that they won't do any of it anyway!

After more than 35 years of preaching (and trying faithfully to "apply" the text to daily living) here's the conclusion I've come to: As people sit week after week under the ministry of the Word, they will probably pick up a practical suggestion or two along the way that they find helpful.

But I am coming to realize that the greater impact is far more cumulative than immediate. Here's what I mean by that: Normally after a Sunday service several people will say something like, "Great sermon, Pastor, I really enjoyed it." Occasionally, someone will pick up on a particular point of that week's sermon and want to discuss it further or just make some comment about it. Those reactions are always encouraging; but I've learned not to be too seduced by them. In truth, within a few hours most people (sometimes even me!) will have forgotten most if not all of what I've said!

But over the course of several years I have observed that people seem to pick up on the major themes of my preaching and get the "big ideas" that I've tried to suggest from the texts. And, perhaps more importantly, they've learned how to examine those texts for themselves and develop their own applications. And that's when it's exciting! But it takes lots of time to get there.

There's a caution in this as well. Years ago I read a book by a Princeton Seminary prof, J. Randall Nichols entitled, Building the Word. Nichols suggested that most preachers are only capable of keeping a handle on six or seven catagories of ideas. And he noted that most of our sermons -- despite our attempts to diversify and to preach from all sorts of different texts -- had as their themes these six or seven categories. He point was not that we should try to break out of those categories, but simply that we should be aware of what our particular emphases are so that we can be sure to "spread out" our sermons among them and not be "one note" preachers.