Ministry Leadership Final

Front 1

You are in the middle of an interview for a position at a church, when a Search Committee member says, "Our last staff member was the worst leader and manager I ever saw. What do you know about those roles in a church?" In response, quote and comment on the definition of leadership and management provided in the second and third full paragraphs on p. 312.

Back 1

I. Though often overlapping, it is important to distinguish leadership and management
A. Leadership – “Doing the right things,” diagnoses, vision, goals, motivation, etc.
B. Management – “Doing things right,” stewardship of resources, planning, budgeting
II. Apply to your specific ministry position (i.e. Assistant Pastor)
A. How I will manage – as an assistant I will carry out and implement the vision of those in authority over me.
B. How I will lead – as one responsible for certain areas of ministry within the church I will lead in that sphere well, provides vision, motivation, etc. to those working under me.
Well, the paragraphs state that there is no clear, broadly agreed upon definition. It lists several potential ways of viewing a distinction between the 2 concepts:
Leadership = doing the right things / determine whether the ladder is leaning on the right wall
Management = doing things right / successfully climbing the ladder

Front 2

2. On p. 317, the author states, “Biblical managers help people to discover and utilize their gifts for the welfare of the entire community. Thus, management is never an end in itself, but only a means to achieve the goal of implementing the church’s mission." The author continues, “Managers are task oriented, yet they must possess people skills or face the lack of task fulfillment. The best managers and leaders don’t manipulate subordinates, but they invigorate colleagues (fellow laborers, fellow soldiers) to join in the common mission of accomplishing the objectives of the organization." Explain how you plan to "invigorate colleagues" to accomplish the objectives of the church.

Back 2

Adopt an attitude of service and care, “[Ministerial managers] fulfill their duties by serving, and their service is motivated by genuine caring for constituents” (217).

Work to know well the people I manage, their unique gifts, skills, preferences and background, so that I can invigorate them in a way most effective for their unique makeup.

Provide clear and realistic expectations and foster an environment of honest dialogue where they expect to get and are expected to give honest feedback and encouragement. Everyone knows what is expected of him or her and where he or she stands.

Allow for failure. Failure needs to be seen as an opportunity to grow and refine our goals.

Make sure everyone knows the mission of the team (and are reminded often of it) and specifically how their responsibilities help accomplish our goals.

Encouragement, motivation, critique and incentives must be tailor to the individual person, realizing that different people require different approaches.

Front 3

3. On p. 319-320, the author presents four descriptions of management styles. Choose the style that fits you the best and describe how you would explain that management style to a Search Committee.

Back 3

Bureaucrat – organized, efficient, planner, politically-sensitive, formal, detached, love to go by the book, moving efficiently through procedures

“Management-style flexibility is a cardinal virtue. We need to strive to utilize our preferred style (the one God has especially suited for us) in as many situations as possible that benefit from its strengths. We should also use any strong subordinate styles in a similar fashion.”

Front 4

4. Your one-year "honeymoon" has concluded in the church you are serving. You find yourself reflecting on how your ideas for bringing change to the church, which were so enthusiastically received by the Search Committee, have not been accepted at all by the church as a whole. According to p. 324-325, what fact have you had to learn "the hard way" and what could you have done differently during the interviewing process.


Back 4

According to our reading, “what happened is simple. The interpreters of the rules were on the committee. The committee hadn’t been deceitful; they simply didn’t know the rules of the game—the unwritten rules.” One of the ways our books suggests dealing with this issue, is by asking a variety of people in the congregation who the movers and shakers of the congregation are. Questions like, “who are the three to five people you think, by their support can make virtually any new program or idea successful?” (pg. 325)



Front 5

5. You have been at your new church for six months when you determine that piece of computer software, which cost $500, would be very helpful in your ministry. However, when you bring up the need to the Session, you are turned down. However, you have been at that same church now for ten years when you discover that a particular room in the new church wing did not turn out as you expected. When you bring up the matter to the Session, the vote is unanimous to make the change even though the cost will be $15,000. According to pp. 228-330, explain what church dynamic you have just experienced and how does it influence your efforts, strategies and plans in regard to the requests you will make of Session during your first several years at a church?


Back 5

According to the reading you have just experienced a “roadblock.” The author gives several examples of ways to deal with the roadblock. A person can break through, go around or get comfortable with the roadblock. One of the best pieces of advice from this section was to use your “storehouse of goodwill” or “your relational credit” in order to move the roadblock.



Front 6

6. You have been at your new church for a year and you discern that your problem-solving methods are conflicting with the style of some of the key people on the Committee that oversees your ministry. Present your strategy, as guided by Swindoll on p. 332-333, regarding practical ways you can diminish these struggles.


Back 6

schedule time together between official meetings,

get away for overnight retreats,

translate attitudes into actions,

support each team member.”

Front 7

On pp. 408-409, the author lists five fundraising roles for the pastor. Even if you do not plan to be a pastor, everyone in ministry vocation should be involved to some degree in stewardship ministry. Therefore, make use of Bloom's third level of learning: "Application" to interact with the one role that best describes how you envision yourself being engaged in stewardship in the ministry you might conduct after seminary.

Back 7

I would probably function as "an accidental fundraiser" in my engagement in stewardship. In other words, I would not focus a great deal on preaching "stewardship" sermons, but would rather go through the scriptures and preach passionately on the message of particular passages and trust that God will provoke the hearts of the congregation to give in response to the message of the gospel.

Front 8

According to the author on 419-420, there are distinctions among three generations in the church in reference to their attitudes towards stewardship. Make use of Bloom's fourth level of learning: "Analysis" to interact with the description of the one generational attitude that you find the most contradictory to your theology and values.

Back 8

The pragmatic attitude of my own Gen X generation is the attitude I find the most contradictory to my theology and values. Gen Xer's motto is "whatever works" and I find this to be an appalling attitude when it comes to giving faithfully to the church. Gen Xers want to see the impact of their giving, be inspired by the payoff from their generousity. But in my mind, this reverses the biblical order of things when it comes to stewardship. We are called to regularly tithe our income not because of the way the use of our money will inspire, but because all of our money is a gift of God, and he commands us to return the firstfruits of our income. When Gen Xers apply their pragmatic attitude toward stewardship, bringing our tithes and offerings to church can become a fundamentally man-centered activity instead of the God glorifying act of worship it was intended to be.

Front 9

On p. 464-466, the author presents five guidelines for initiating effective change in the church budget. Make use of Bloom’s third level of learning: “Application” to describe and interact with one of these five guidelines regarding a ministry you might conduct after seminary.

Back 9

Listen for underlying issues – changing choir time to another time.

Front 10

. The senior pastor of the church you are serving, gives you the task of forming a Budget Committee to revamp the way the church develops an annual budget. Based on the information provided on pp. 467-469, how would you lead this process?

Back 10

I would start by forming the committee with non-business men that represent a broad range of people in the church.

The budget will be determined based on each ministry within the church giving an estimated budget for their expenses (“bottom-up budgeting”).

I will implement zero-based budgeting so that each year everything in the church budget must be measured based on its effectiveness. This budgeting starts at zero and works up based on the priorities and plans of the coming year.

Front 11

11. On p. 492, the author states “The most important point to remember is that churches are subject to copyright law. This means that a church cannot without permission” do three things. Make use of Bloom’s fourth level of learning: “Analysis” to interact with the reasons that some churches engage in one or more of these three violations.

Back 11

Ignorance is probably the main reason that churches engage in these violations. Royalities for making copies of articles, song lyrics, etc. Also, misguided piety—i.e. this is for church, doesn’t matter.

Front 12

There is a church interested in you coming on their staff, but you begin asking questions about their particular ministry style (or church personality). A member of the Search Committee asks you to explain what you mean by a church's ministry style or personality. What is your explanation?

Back 12

We would all agree that people have different personalities. Because of this we are going to approach problems or tasks in a different ways. When I say my “ministry style” I’m not talking about my competencies, life stage, experience, theology, or godliness, but my unique personality working itself out in ministry. And in the same way that people have different personalities, so do churches. It’s easy to see this reality when we compare a high steeple formal church, with an urban informal house church. Neither one is wrong or sinful; it’s merely different styles of ministry. In order to find out your ministry style, just find the 30 opinions leaders in your church, get them to take the Myers Briggs personality inventory, and whatever personality the majority of those 30 people fit into will be the guiding ministry style of the church.

Front 13

A member of the Search Committee interviewing you for a staff position challenges you by asking, "Are you saying that our ministry style (or church personality) is all you need to know about us?" How do you respond?

Back 13

No, of course not. I’m sorry I gave that impression. The most important thing that trumps everything else is Godliness. What is God's role in sanctification/holiness? What is the Christian's role? How is personal piety practiced and encouraged? How you deal with sin in your own life and the life of others?

Others aspects: Theology- What do you believe Scripture teaches? How do you understand/interpret certain parts? How do you handle controversial and non-essential topics? Competencies- What do you excel in? What do you need training in? Life Stage- How old are you? What generation are you? What changes have you experienced or are waiting to experience (kids, empty nest, parent's health, etc)? Experience- What have you done or seen? Who have you worked with? What programs have you used or been trained under?

Front 14

Towards the end of your interview with the Search Committee of a church, you discover that your two predecessors in the same position did not make it past 5 years in that church. What questions would you ask the Search Committee (reflecting interaction with John LaRue's research) that describe the first four reasons that pastors experience conflict in the ministry.

Back 14

A: LaRue’s research showed that the first four reasons in forcing pastors to exit were:
1. Conflicting Visions;
2. Personality Conflict with Board Members;
3. Unclear or unrealistic expectations;
4. Personality Conflicts with non-Board Members.

Four questions we should ask:
1. What programs are you planning to implement in the next ten years?
2. What were the circumstances of the last pastor leaving?
3. In what areas did you wish your former pastors had more expertise?
4. How does the governing board operate?

Front 15

Drawing upon the lecture material, how would you describe your primary Learning Style to a Search Committee.

Back 15

NTs desire competency in knowing, understanding, explaining, predicting and controlling events.
Lectures that explain ideas, theories, and principles help structure their understanding of the world.
Logically researched presentations will stimulate them, and lead them to complex problem solving and discovery through intellectual exploration.

Possible Statement: I learn and teach best in a classroom-like setting. Learning about the principles and structures behind things helps me understand the material better. Big picture ideas give me a helpful framework in which to set the details. Lectures that jump from point to point without a logical progression confuse me.

Front 16

The Chairman of the Search Committee of a church with which you are interviewing, asks you to verbalize your Personal Mission Statement. However, one of the members of the Committee says, “I’ve never heard of a Personal Mission Statement; what is that?” How do you answer the Committee member using descriptions presented in the class lecture?

Back 16

• Your personal mission statement summarizes or encapsulates your philosophy of ministry.
•
• Your personal mission statement reflects your values.
•
• A personal mission statement is derived from your divine design and succinctly expresses your understanding of God's call upon your life.

Front 17

The Chairman of the Search Committee of a church with which you are interviewing, asks you to verbalize your theological convictions. However, one of the members of the Committee asks, “Why should we be interested in this person’s theological convictions? We are not that sophisticated around here.” How do you answer the Committee member using descriptors presented in the class lecture?

Back 17

Whether we realize it or not we all have a theology.

Theology is simply a fancy word for what we think about God.

Our theological convictions then are the Scriptural mandates that support the type of ministry we feel called to do.

Articulating our theological convictions helps us to determine if our vision for ministry and that of the church we seek to work for are in sync.

If we are driven by different theological convictions it does not necessarily mean that one of us is wrong but simply that we are wired for different types of ministry (lecture 3, slides 33-43)

Front 18

18. The members of the Search Committee of the church in which you are interested in serving, ask you to discuss with them the job description of the position for which you are candidating. In the context of that discussion, explain the 60%—40% Principle.

Back 18

The degree of ministry style overlap between you and the church predicts your level of fruitfulness in that ministry. In order to succeed in ministry it is crucial to have at least 60% overlap between your ministry style and that of the church and to have 60% of your time devoted to ministries that fit your gifting. We will naturally all encounter ministry tasks that are out of our gifting and drain our energy, but they should not exceed 40% of our duties. No more than 40% of our ministry style should be out of sync with the church we wish to work for. If these ratios get out of proportion, it will quickly lead to ministry burnout (lecture 7, slide 16).

Front 19

19. Explain to the Search Committee two ways that Ministry Values and Principles, as presented by the lecturer, would guide the way you conduct your ministry among them.

Back 19

Personal ministry values and principles are the ideals that are central to your life and which you perceive to be of primary worth. They are the convictions which consciously or unconsciously direct your style of ministry and how you spend your time day to day.

1. Ministry Values and Principles are based on the central ideals of your life, your convictions about what is valuable to you in ministry. Your daily activities as a pastor stem from your ministry values and principles.

2. People, churches and organizations behave in ways that are consistent with their actual ministry values. Your actions validate your values. Your telos compels your praxis.

Front 20

20. Explain to the Search Committee why the wide variety of expectations represented in the church make it essential that you present your philosophy of ministry to them.

Back 20

Wide Variety of Expectations - You meet with a variety of expectations and pressures in vocational ministry:
To fit a traditional or contemporary pastoral role that is not your calling.
To be like your predecessor or senior pastor,
To be like a popular Christian personality on radio or television.

Which Ministry is God’s Specific Calling
Your philosophy of ministry statement will guide you to the specific ministries that are in accord with God’s calling upon your life.

Front 21

You are assisting the officers of the church you serve in developing their individual Philosophy of Ministry Statements. List for them the three corners of the triangle that make up the Philosophy of Ministry and provide the short question that describes each.

Back 21

The Normative Element: “Why I Conduct My Mission As I Do?”

The Situational Element: “What is My Place in Ministry?”

The Existential Element: "How I Uniquely Represent Christ in Ministry?"

Front 22

In explaining to the people of the church how to choose their ministry values, you present four guidelines as explained by the lecturer. List and explain those guidelines.

Back 22

Choose Ministry Values that are derived from your theological foundations and lessons from your mentors that reflect what is most important to you.

1. Describe an atmosphere in which you are most fruitful,
2. Influence the decisions you make,
3. Compel you to take a stand,
4. Supply meaning to your life and work.

Front 23

The lecturer asserts there are at least 7 different types of American churches based on their values and priorities. List and explain all seven. Note: This is different than the instructor’s 8 church model presented in circle format.

Back 23

1. The Classroom Church - (Teaching/Training) Also, called the lectern centered church. The pastor acts as a teacher, the people as students, and the desired result is growth in knowledge of the Scriptures. This church is founded on an educational model so the Christian education program is central.

2. The Soul Winning Church - (Reaching the Lost) The pastor ministers as an evangelist, the people as “bringers”, the desired result is born again Christians. This church and pastor are driven by a heart for the lost. Often Evangelism Explosion or a similar evangelistic training program will be at the center of the church’s activities.

3. The Spiritual Development Church - (Fellowship Ministries) The pastor ministers as a mentor who is driven by a passion for the spiritual growth of people. The people serve according to their divine design. The desired result is transformation of lives within the church and in the community

4. The Social Conscience Church - (Mercy Ministry) The pastor ministers as a reformer who is cause oriented, the people serve as social activists. The desired result is greater opportunity for the disadvantaged and handicapped. There is great compassion for the oppressed and much involvement in social programs for the sake of the community

5. The Worship Centered Church - The church is driven by a passion for extolling the glory of God in services of worship. The people serve as respondents and participants. The desire is to help people center their personal and corporate lives upon worship.

6. The Experiential Church The pastor leads the people to a spiritual experience of God. The people serve as an audience, and the desired result is an engagement of the affections with the Lord. The purpose is to help people sense the movement of the Holy Spirit in their midst and be empowered for a vital Christian life.

7. The Kinship Church - The pastor ministers as a chaplain who is responsible to minister to the people in their times of crisis. The people serve as members of a family to one another, and the desired result is security and deepening of roots. The church and pastor are centered around loyalty and sense of belonging

Front 24

. The Chairman of the Search Committee of a church with which you are interviewing, asks you to verbalize your ideal church from among the seven presented by the lecturer. How do you answer the Committee member using descriptions presented in the class lecture?

Back 24

The Worship Centered Church - The church is driven by a passion for extolling the glory of God in services of worship. The people serve as respondents and participants. The desire is to help people center their personal and corporate lives upon worship.

Front 25

You find yourself candidating with a church that has had 70-80 people in average attendance for the last 2-3 decades. What are some questions you will want to ask the Search Committee in regard to kinship issues? Refer to p. 324-325 in the book.

Back 25

“who would you say are the key people in the church that could make any initiative work with their support?”
“how long have they been in the church?”
“Do they have family in the church?”
“are there some people with large families in the church?”

Front 26

Respond to the following case study by interacting with the five worship styles presented by the Instructor. You are candidating for a ministry position at a church. In the course of the interview, one of the Search Committee members asks you to present to them the worship style with which you most resonate. Upon hearing your statements, he then states that the worship style with which the church resonates is one of the other styles presented by the Instructor in class (for this case study choose one of the other five styles). Respond to this case study by: 1. presenting to the Search Committee the worship style with which you most resonate; 2. interacting with the Search Committee member regarding the church’s worship style and how you would be able to minister in that different worship context.

Back 26

High Middle – formal dress, a little less liturgical, uses creeds confessions, formal hymns

vs.

Middle Middle – Non – liturgical, yet a bit formal. Uses hymns and gospel music, informal leadership style, some humor during worship

Front 27

Respond to the following case study by interacting with the two outreach styles presented by the Instructor (i.e., front door and side door). You are candidating for a ministry position at a church. In the course of the interview, one of the Search Committee members asks you to present to them the outreach style with which you most resonate. Upon hearing your statements, he then states that the outreach style with which the church resonates is the other style presented by the Instructor in class. Respond to this case study by:
1. presenting to the Search Committee the outreach style with which you resonate;
2. interacting with the Search Committee member regarding the church’s outreach style and how you would be able to minister in that different outreach context.

Back 27

Side Door Style of Outreach
Encourages contact with individuals or groups outside of Church. Evangelism and nurture occur before the come into the church
Attract people through: Felt need activities, Open to community groups, business persons breakfast, Friendship evangelism

vs.

Front door Outreach Style of outreach
Big events are initiated to attract first time visitors, Most new people are introduced to the church at an event on the property
Most evangelism and nurture occurs after people come onto the church property. They attract people into the front door through
High visibility – one time events designed to interest particular groups. Outreach by advertising, direct mail, and surveys. Word of mouth interest.

Front 28

The Instructor presented three levels of belief in the church which he displayed as three concentric circles: essentials of the faith, theological distinctives and debatable matters. Describe these three levels of belief and then present how these three concentric circles will guide you in the ministry you envision conducting after seminary.

Back 28

The inner circle is the “Gospel Core to die for.” This is made up of Christian distinctives that are represented by non-negotiable truth ie. The views reflected in the Apostles Creed – These are non-negotiable and “to die for” truth statements.

The middle circle is the “Biblical commitments to divide over.” These are biblical doctrines that can be construed more than one way. Ie. Paedo-baptism, inerrancy, 5 points of Calvinism, and doctrinal distinctives like the Westminster Confession of Faith – which we are committed to.

The outer circle is the “Personal Convictions to dialogue over.” This would include topics like: worship style, parenting style, school choice (public, private, home, Christian), political issues, eschatology (pre-, post-, amillennial), bible translations, 6 Day Creation, Alcohol use, Sabbath Expression.

Front 29

. You are being interviewed by the Search Committee of a church for a ministry position (for this case study you are welcome to choose what that position is). The Chairman of the Search Committee shows you the list of 21 ministry priorities compiled by the PCA and asks you to present to the Committee your top 3 ministry priorities and explain how you would see yourself serving in their church context accordingly. (You will find these 21 ministry priorities at the end of the lecture entitled, "Church Ministry Distinctives".)

Back 29

Worship leadership, administrative leadership, congregational visitation

Front 30

You are in the process of discipling a member of the church you serve and have completed with him the Divine Discovery study that has resulted in the following fifty word mission statement: “Joe Smith is an Encouraging Shepherd called of God to show compassion for those who are straying for the purpose of helping them form long-term, in-depth spiritual relationships with Christ and His people through small groups, service projects and missions in order to help them mature in their walk with the Lord.” On the basis of this mission statement, what six theological convictions would you help him develop as the foundation for his calling?

Back 30

o Service projects (servant hood) Mark 10:45
.
o Encouragement – Hebrews 10:24-25

o Compassion –Colossians 3:12

o Missions – Matthew 28:18-20
o Maturity in walk with Lord – Ephesians 4:13

o Shepherding: John 10:11

Front 31

According to Robert Clinton, “Christians who plateau early reveal a common pattern. They learn new skills until they can operate comfortably with them, but then they fail to seek new skills deliberately and habitually. They coast on prior experience.” Develop a ministry scenario for yourself in which this quote could become true for you and then outline a plan to prevent its occurrence.

Back 31

Potential Scenario: You move to an area where you’ve never lived before to plant a church and are motivated at first to learn the new culture, the people, the local idols, etc. Given prior training, mentoring, and your spiritual gift in evangelism you begin to engage the culture with the gospel and see visible fruit of people coming to faith in Christ as a result of your ministry. However, you get comfortable and stop learning about the “new” culture, the people, and the local idols. You feel like you’ve got a handle on things and aren’t as “hungry” to learn because seeing the fruit you’ve seen makes you feel like you’ve got it figured out and you “coast on your prior experience.”

A plan to prevent this scenario may include: Praying daily for non-believers. Continue meeting with non-believers throughout the week for building friendships and discussing the gospel. Take other disciples along with you to train them in evangelism. Spend time around others who have the gift of evangelism.

Front 32

Robert Clinton defines a “challenge” as a time of increased pressure due to situations such as threatened loss of life, property or style of life; situations requiring urgent change on our part; sickness; persecution. Develop a scenario for yourself in which you would be confronted by one of these “challenges” and then outline a plan to respond in a God-honoring manner.

Back 32

“Situation requiring urgent change on your part”: Your wife lovingly tells you that you’ve been very successful at “planting the church” by investing lots of time in the lives of believers and non believers. However, she goes on to tell you that she feels like you’re too busy to pursue her and “plant your marriage and the family” successfully on a perpetual basis. A plan to respond to your wife in a God-honoring way may include:

(1.) Listen and don’t defend yourself. Try to repeat what she’s said and how she feels without shaming her or belittling her – to see if you listened well. If she says you listened well, then ask her if there’s more that she needs to share. If she says you didn’t listen well, then start over by having her share all over again. (2.) Grieve with your wife regarding this period of busyness. (3.) Don’t minimize the issue, but feel its effect on others around you – namely, your wife. (4.) Rely on your team more to accomplish the things that need to be done in the church plant. (5.) Live within your limits and begin to say “no” to some things in an effort to protect your marriage. (6.) Plan a weekly “fun date” and don’t miss it – no excuses! (7.) Plan a “communication date” to cover the serious stuff and don’t miss it – no excuses.

Front 33

. According to the lecture on “Conflict in the Church”, there are five levels of conflict. Make use of Bloom’s third level of learning, “Application”, to describe and interact with these five in the context of a ministry you might conduct after seminary.

Back 33

Healthy Problem Solving = As a young church planter you decide to plant a more contemporary style church and attract some of the members of the local, more traditional PCA church. Bill is one of those who comes to your church and jokes about becoming an elder and tells you that you should hurry up an elect elders and that you should be sure to pick him. You approach Bill and let him know that you thought it was a little inappropriate for him to joke about becoming an elder. You and Bill talk openly and honestly about this.

Disagreement Stage = While it looked like Bill understood your comments, he distanced himself from you and began to talk to other people about you regarding your lack of character.

Contest Stage = The lines have been drawn and you and Bill decide not to budge. People begin to take sides: some agree with you and some agree with Bill regarding the issue of electing elders.

Fight OR Flee Stage = As it turns out, Bill has formed an antagonistic group that does not want reconciliation, but wants you to leave so they can get a new pastor.

Do OR Die Stage = Bill makes several emotional threats and it is confirmed that Bill has psychotic tendencies.

Front 34

According to the lecture on “Conflict in the Church”, Kenneth Newberger describes four causes of conflict in the church. Choose the one of the four that you think you might confront most often in your ministry and then outline a plan regarding how you will respond in a God-honoring manner.

Back 34

I believe I will most likely deal with conflicts over organizational culture: competing worldviews, values, norms and customs, and visions for the future.

If I am in conflict with someone over, let’s say, a vision for the church’s future, I must realize that Christ wants his people to live in peace (Eph. 2:14-16). Further, I have to assess the level of the conflict. I cannot over-react or under-react. I have to talk to my brother. I cannot avoid the issue, give in to keep the peace, seek to force my own solution, or attack my brother’s character. I must seek a healthy “both/and” solution. Perhaps my brother wants more at-church evangelism and I want more in the community outreach. We can easily do both. If the conflict is not resolved between the two of us, I will seek to have us sit down with a wise third party.

Front 35

According the lecture on Conflict in the Church and Church Discipline, there are generally four ways that people are tempted to respond to conflict as Drivers, Expressives, Amiable and Analyticals (see Divine Design material). Describe which of the four seems to fit you the best and then explain your strategy for overcoming those temptations in the midst of crisis and conflict. (These descriptions are found towards the end of the lecture: "Moving Your Church through Conflict")

Back 35

The description of the Analytical fits me best.

The Analytical can be less assertive, more controlled, holds in feelings, keeps quiet and does not disseminate his ideas, and is tempted to avoid, dodge, and retreat. To overcome these temptations I will pray about the conflict to bring clarity to my emotions, depending on the Lord to help me see what I am really feeling; I will draw on close friends to help bring the conflict into perspective; I will face the conflict head on, going to the person with whom I have a conflict and look to express my emotions in an honest, humble manner. I will also listen well, being slow to respond and trying not to retreat from legitimate criticism of me.

Front 36

36. The “Crossing the Boundary between Seminary and Parish” study conducted by the Alban Institute indicated the graduates expected greater continuity between the seminary and the church. On the basis of the findings of the survey, what three or more elements of vocational ministry in the church might be a discontinuity for you or has already proven to be so in your experience in full time vocational ministry.

Back 36

1. Role Confusion and Mentors

It will be hard being looked to as the sole provider of wisdom and theological insight. Who am I supposed to look to in this context?

2. Expected to Be with People

I fear that I will not have as much time to study as I would like and that many people will expect me to be at every social event and on call to for every occasion of a hospital stay, wedding, house call, or counseling session.

3. Church Administration

The challenge of being a church administrator and pastor at the same time. I fear becoming overwhelmed with both the burden of administration and the demands people will place on my personal time and attention.

Front 37

37. You are ½ year into your first ministry position when you discover that you are “in over your head”. In accordance with the lecture, “Transitioning from Seminary to Church”, state what you plan to do and then present a strategy for carrying out your plan.

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Feeling overwhelmed in your first year is possible and maybe probable. The senior pastor or the church itself is thinking, “We finally got the person we need and we are going to move forward,” while you are thinking, “Man I’m glad I found the right church.” Because of the possible disconnect between what the church expects you to be doing and what you think you are supposed to be doing, you need to: 1) talk to as many people as you can (church boss, elders, patron saints, leaders of various ministries) to level out expectations, desires, hopes, dreams, hurts and fears and be focused on building relationships (primarily by listening) with those people. 2) Achieve a visible tangible ministry accomplishment (ex. Staff training event, a retreat, and appreciation banquet, etc…) so that people can say “We are headed in a good direction and what he just did was good.” You cannot allow yourself to feel like you need to go in and change everything overnight. No one will benefit from that, primarily yourself. You need to focus on building relationships and doing a positive short-term ministry event. Major changes or overhauls are not necessary other than to point to future opportunities for God-honoring change. You must be communicating a genuine care for the church and a servant’s heart. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you need to communicate with the major players of the church and work through expectations so that everyone is on the same page and is wanting successful, healthy, and godly ministry to occur.

Brass tacks: You have to not allow yourself to think “I need to change everything.” You have to know your purpose in the first year is to build relationships and have one successful positive ministry event (think of your own event that would be pertinent to your desired ministry).

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