Good LEADERS
The Book of Titus | Making Leaders | Titus 1:5-9 | Pastor Duane Smets
This an exegetical sermon of Titus 1:5-9 which addresses the need for leaders, the example of leaders and the qualities of leaders. Particular attention is given to the plural elder model of church government, the importance of church planting and the qualities pastors need to possess in order to help teach and train others in those same characteristics. This sermon was originally preached on June 12th, 2011 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
How To Help A Pastor
Scott Thomas(President of the Acts 29 Network) recently wrote a blog titled, Why Every Leader Needs A Shepherd. It is well worth the read. In it he writes…
Pastors deal with an array of emotions as a result of ministering to a group of people. The stress of preparing sermons, developing leaders, handling boards, raising funds for the budget, caring for the sick and elderly, encouraging the wayward, challenging people to get on mission, bringing unity, reconciling conflicts, conducting worship, handling facility issues, counseling, weddings, funerals, social functions, praying with others and the responsibility of having an exemplary marriage and family.
Some of the statistics about pastors are staggering:
- 25% have been forced out of or fired from their ministry.
- 90% feel inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands.
- 80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
- 45% experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence.
- 40% have serious conflict with a church member 1x/month.
- 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
- 66% families feel pressure to model the ideal family to their congregations and communities.
- 20% admit to having an affair while in the ministry.
- 37% admit that Internet pornography is a current struggle.
- 72% stated they only studied the Bible when preparing a sermon
- 26% stated they felt they were adequately fed spiritually.
- 14% of pastors spend an hour or less in personal devotions each week.
- 77% said they felt that did not have a good marriage.
(sources available here)
These statistics are a staggering warning. In light of them I thought it would be helpful for me to offer both some encouragement to our church in how I am attempting to protect myself from these dangers and how our church might help me be a good pastor.
Jesus Hired Me 13 Years Ago
By Pastor Duane Smets
In late 1996 God intervened in my life using an intricate web of relationships, experiences and His Word all to draw me to a place where I realized I was a sinner in need of a savior. It was then that I truly began following Jesus as my Lord. The experience was such a large shift for me in the way I thought about everything…pleasure, friends, women, the Bible, God, school and what I was going to do with my life.
The question, “What do I want to do with my life?” became trivial, self-centered and off-base. My world had been turned inside out, so that the only thing which seemed relevant was, “What does God want me to do with my life?” After much prayer, fasting, and many conversations with friends, family and seasoned pastors, I came to the conclusion that God had designed and called me to be a full-time minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I entered into what has been a long and arduous journey.
At the time I didn’t have a clue of what type of ministry or what capacity God wanted me to serve him in. All I knew was that I was to give up all other pursuits and begin preparing for the ministry. So in 1997 I changed my major in college from Graphic Design to Religion and set my sights on one day working full-time for Jesus’ Church as a preacher of the gospel. Now it’s 2010 and that was thirteen years ago.
1 Corinthians 9:14 “The Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”
Since that time I have completed three degrees in theology (8 years of college), been a Youth Pastor, been a College Pastor and in 2005 planted The Resolved Church out of my wife and I’s apartment in Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA. Along the way I have had several opportunities to become a full-time minister in various capacities, some of which were very enticing…including triple digit pay offers, free housing, and large numbers of people to minister to. But I turned every opportunity down.
New Elder Installed: Ron Broersma
This last Sunday we officially installed Ron Broersma as an elder of The Resolved Church. We welcome Ron and his wisdom, guidance, authority, and care that Jesus has called and enabled him to provide for our flock.
Our Church and the Acts 29 Network which we are a part of believes in the Plural Elder Led form of church government. This day was a hugely significant day in the history of The Resolved Church, since we have been functioning with only one present elder (assisted by three outside virtual elders) for the last three years. For more on this model of ecclesiology at The Resolved Church read: Plural Eldership
Below is a transcript of last Sunday’s installation ceremony.
Nehemiah Series (Part 8): “The Centrality of God’s Book in God’s Vision”
This is the eighth week of our sermon series, “Nehemiah: Building God’s Church in the City.” Part 8, this week is an exegetical sermon of chapter eight and is about The Centrality of God’s Book in God’s Vision. This sermon addresses the following issues in the context of church planting: assembling to study the Bible, receiving instruction from the Bible, understanding the meaning of the Bible, and responding to the message of the Bible. This sermon was originally preached March 15th, 2009 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.
