How Much Time Do You Invest In Sermon Prep?

Tim Challies says there are minimalists and maximalists, and everything in between.


Tim Keller – 14-16 hours.

John Piper – All day Friday, half day Saturday.

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Matt Chandler – All day Tuesday, all day Thursday.

Kent Hughes – 20 hours.

John MacArthur – 32 hours.

Mark Dever – 30 to 35 hours.

Mark Driscoll – 1 to 2 hours.

Driscoll explains:

By God’s grace my memory is very unusual. I can still remember a section of a book I read 20 years ago while preaching and roll with it. I’ve also never sat down to memorize a Bible verse. Yet, many just stick, and I can pull them up from memory as I go. Lastly, I’m a verbal processor. I think out loud, which is what preaching is for me. A degree in speech and over 10,000 hours of preaching experience also helps. And most importantly and thankfully, the Holy Spirit always helps.

When I get up to preach, the jokes, illustrations, cross-references, and closing happen extemporaneously.

http://www.pastoralized.com/2013/09/26/the-number-of-hours-keller-piper-driscoll-and-5-others-spend-on-sermon-prep/

Survey Says? Nine things That Have Replaced Tradtional Outreach In Churches

1. Nothing. The church leaders who gave me this response knew that it was not a good answer. They simply have not found an effective means to reach their community.
2. Social and caring ministries. Usually these ministries are effective in helping people, but I have heard few success stories of getting those same people assimilated in the church. Often the socioeconomic barriers are too large, despite the church’s best efforts.
3. Big event. The church puts many of its resources toward a major production at Easter, Christmas, or Fourth of July, to name a few. Usually a good number of community residents do attend these events. Usually most of them do not return to the church.
4. New venues or campuses. The multi-campus and the multi-venue models are becoming increasingly popular. Because they are able to attract new segments of the community, this approach does seem to be more effective than most.
5. Community events. This approach is similar to the big event, except it is held in the community instead of the church facilities. I recently saw, for example, a church put significant resources into an event called “Carnival in the Park.” Like the big event in the church, I am not hearing of significant outreach success with this approach.
6. Natural relationship building. A number of leaders indicated problems with structural outreach approaches. They believed that the members should be naturally developing relationship with non-believers. I believe that too; I’m just not seeing it too often.
7. Intentional invitations. Our research shows that many unchurched persons will have a high level of receptivity to an invitation to church. Many churches encourage this approach to outreach, but I would like to see how some type of accountability could be created so that the approach can be sustained.
8. New groups. I am perplexed. Churches that are intentionally and aggressively starting new groups are having significant outreach success. They are seeing more unchurched people accept invitations to join the new groups. But relatively few churches are intentional and aggressive about starting new groups. Why?
9. Sticking with the traditional outreach. A few churches report that their traditional approach to visits in the homes works well in their communities. Great! If God’s using it, stay with it.

http://thomrainer.com/2013/07/13/nine-things-that-have-replaced-traditional-outreach-in-churches/?

More Than 4 in 10 LGBT Adults Identify As Christians

 How can we square these stats with the biblical truth of scripture that declares, "Sinner's shall not stand in the congregation of the righteous?" [Psalm 1:5]


Here's what else a substantial survey by the Pew Research Center discovered about LGBT adults and religion:

*Most LGBT adults with a religious affiliation are Christians (53% Protestant, 26% Catholic).

*Of LGBT adults with religious affiliations, 1 in 3 believe there is a conflict between their  religious beliefs and their sexual orientation (vs. only 18 percent of the unaffiliated).

*A majority of lesbians (56%) consider religion either very important or somewhat important in their life. This compares with 40 percent of bisexual adults and 39 percent of gay men."

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2013/06/pew-research-lgbt-adults-and-christianity.html?utm_

Three Types Of Churches

The Easter church “holds the belief that new & resurrected life in Christ looks a certain way and lives by certain standards.” It may be a conservative congregation that has strict doctrinal or behavioral standards or a progressive church that implicitly forces conformity to particular social justice perspectives.

The Good Friday church functions as a hospital for the wounded. They “make room for our woundedness … they also allow us to remain there.” She notes that they often focus their ministry on a particular demographic or specialize in responding to particular needs and devote themselves to tending the injuries of those broken by life.

The Pentecost church “witnesses to our worst wounds and our best actualizations, and it echoes the Spirit’s unending call to fuller life in Christ.” They regularly challenge people to refuse to settle for the outward righteousness that may pervade the Easter church or the wallowing in woundedness that may characterize those in the Good Friday congregation.

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/rachel-hackenberg-on-three-types-of-churches

When To Leave A Church?

J. Lee Drady says,"If you see any of these seven warning signs in your church, my advice is to run as fast as you can."

1. No accountability. There is safety in the multitude of counselors (see Prov. 11:14). There is much less safety—perhaps even danger—when a leader does not bother to seek counsel from a diverse group of his peers, as well as from gray-haired men and women who have the wisdom that comes with experience. If a pastor or church leader isn't open to correction or financial oversight, he is headed for a train wreck. If you stay in that church, you may crash with him.

2. Spiritual elitism. Healthy leaders love the entire body of Christ. Beware of any church that claims “exclusive” revelation or suggests they are superior to other Christians. This is how cults start. There is a large charismatic church in Hungary that began in revival, but the founder began teaching that their church was the only place people could truly be saved. If a pastor ever makes such claims it is time to shake the dust off your feet and move on.

3. Entrenched immorality. The apostle Paul commanded leaders to enforce biblical discipline. This must be handled with gentleness (see Gal. 6:1) but nevertheless with firm resolve, because the enemy wants to infiltrate the church with moral compromise. If a pastor has been involved in adultery or perversion and continues preaching, meanwhile refusing discipline, his unrepentant spirit will infect the entire congregation—and you can expect to see immorality spread throughout the church. Don’t be defiled.

4. An authoritarian spirit. Some leaders develop a dictatorial style and try to control people through manipulation, threats and legalistic demands. I’m amazed at how much spiritual abuse is tolerated in churches today. No pastor is perfect, and we are called to be patient with each other’s faults. But if a church leader is verbally abusive toward his staff or members of his congregation, he is in direct violation of Scripture. The Apostle Paul taught that church leaders should not be "violent" or "quarrelsome" but "self-controlled" and "gentle" (see 1 Tim. 3:2-3). It’s best to find another pastor if yours cannot control his anger.

5. Unbridled greed. Paul made it clear that a leader has no business being in the ministry if he isn’t “free from the love of money” (1 Tim. 3:3, NASB). Yet we have turned that requirement on its head today. We have given greedy charlatans access to the airwaves and allowed them to corrupt the church with a money-focused message. Your pastor does not have to live in poverty, but if he insists on living in luxury—and manipulates people during offering time to squeeze more money out of your wallet to pay for his toys—you are supporting his habit. You should leave.

6. False doctrines and manifestations. A pastor should be open to the Holy Spirit’s spontaneous work, but he or she should also protect the flock from deception. In many segments of the charismatic movement today, bizarre New Age influences have been wholeheartedly embraced—and Christians seem to have thrown away the gift of discernment. If your church is focusing on a particular prophet’s revelations, or is going off on weird tangents—at the expense of solid doctrine—then you should go elsewhere fast.

7. A culture of pride. Some church leaders are so insecure that they manufacture a sense of importance around them in order to function. They surround themselves with security guards, “armor bearers,” handlers and assistants—and never actually build genuine relationships with their church members. They think church is all about their stage performance, so they rely on volume, theatrics, clothes and a grand entrance to impress the crowd rather than just being normal, touchable, accessible servants. If your pastor is building a personality cult rather than a dwelling place for God, run for your life!

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). His latest book is Fearless Daughters of the Bible. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady.

- See more at: http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/fire-in-my-bones/16895-when-is-it-time-to-leave-a-church#sthash.kBHFbGjf.dpuf

Post Preaching Agony

The overwhelming pains of discouragement and soulish agony often befall those who minister the word. What can be referred to as spiritual "postpartum depression" is the experience  associated with conception of the  life of God's word in the soul of man and then agonizingly being birthed as a message into the world of a local congregation.

I applaud  J. Lee Grady for being so candid concerning his own experience that follows his ministry of the word. Especially when it has the strength of prophetic tone in the proclamation.

This extract is a great read.

rgh

"What we need in today’s pulpits is less glitz and polish and more gut-level honesty"

"Ever since God called me to preach, I’ve battled with deep insecurity about my delivery style. I can’t electrify a crowd like T.D. Jakes, pack an arena like Reinhard Bonnke or get audiences to turn sermons into trending topics on Twitter like Craig Groeschel or Steven Furtick. Those guys hit home runs when they preach. I get base hits—or strikes.

For years I felt like the reluctant Moses, who complained to God by saying, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent” (Ex. 4:10). For years the Lord kept pushing me out of my comfort zone, urging me to surrender my fears so that I would take the microphone willingly. Once He told me: “I didn’t call you to be T.D. Jakes. I called you to be you.”

On many occasions after speaking in a church or conference, I would sulk. I battled constant discouragement and wondered if my words had hit the mark. Did I preach OK? Did the message sink in? Finally I asked an older pastor if he had ever struggled with disappointment in his pulpit performance. He smiled and told me: “Son, I feel that way every Monday of my life.”

I’m learning an uncomfortable secret about preaching: Those who dare to allow God to speak through them will always squirm in holy agony. Preaching the gospel is both a glorious and a horrifying responsibility. When we speak under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and impart the very truths of Christ, we get so dangerously close to Him that our pride is challenged."

http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/fire-in-my-bones/16716-the-secret-of-becoming-a-prophetic-preacher

Hyper Calvinism

Contemporary critics of Calvinism often attack the doctrines of grace by erroneously identifying them with “hyper-Calvinism.” Phil Johnson gets it right and by doing so, demonstartes that hyper-calvinisn should never be confused with Calvinism and to do so is  intellectually dis-honest.

rgh


Phil Johnson has a helpful primer on the subject, offering a fivefold definition:

... varieties of hyper-Calvinism, listed here in a declining order, from the worst kind to a less extreme variety (which some might prefer to class as “ultra-high Calvinism”):
A hyper-Calvinist is someone who either:

1. Denies that the gospel call applies to all who hear,
2. OR Denies that faith is the duty of every sinner,
3. OR Denies that the gospel makes any “offer” of Christ, salvation, or mercy to the non-elect (or denies that the offer of divine mercy is free and universal),
4. OR Denies that there is such a thing as “common grace,”
5. OR Denies that God has any sort of love for the non-elect.

All five varieties of hyper-Calvinism undermine evangelism or twist the gospel message.

You can read the whole thing

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2013/02/08/hyper-calvinists-are-not-the-same-as-hyper-calvinists/

2013 Gathering In Dallas,Texas

Greetings Brothers

Planning is underway for our "Reformata Family of Ministers and Churches" 
Gathering this year so I need your prompt action please. Jacob and Jon Paul
have requested that their new church plant,"Covenant Community" to host the
event in Dallas, Texas. Therefore, we have tentatively scheduled May 2nd-5th.

Covenant community is willing to graciously assist with housing, meals and
Airport transfers. This makes Dallas a very conducive location and the following
even more so:

>Frank, Jacob and Jon Paul are already in the region.

>Dr. Seif has shared willingness to join us and he lives in DeSoto..

>We plan to invite continuing Friends from Redeemed and make it a reunion of sorts.

>The event will be announced to invite other guests and interested ministers from DFW.

>Covenant Community congregants will attend the gathering.

These points make for a well attended-celebratory-and relational  RFM Gathering 
with added potential for future growth.

This means the rest of us need only purchase airfare for the event and advertised prices are currently excellent. Spirit Airlines is offering  $167.80 round trip from Atlanta and American Airlines in a modest $216.00 round trip as well.

Please check your locational listings and promptly procure your airline ticket. 

Kind reminder that you are encouraged to bring your wife and invite other ministers who may be interested in RFMC.

For The Kings Honor!

Richard G. Hanner

RFMC

Sr Presbyter