QUESTION:

“Hey man, if you’ve got time i just wondered what the greatest piece of advice you would have for a worship pastor going to a new church.”

Well…I may have not a greatest but 10 GREATEST HITS perhaps. Read to the end to see what I think is the THE single most important advice I could give.

1. be yourself: you have to know what you are good at and not good at and leverage the good and expose your weaknesses. You have to school your new place of service in who you really are, but if you do not know that yet you could be handicapped. If you are younger, well you are. Be happy about that and look the other way when people sour because they are no longer young like you are.
2. understand politics: it is really something you have to learn in any leadership role, even though it sucks. Embrace not politics but the idea that you must consider navigating them. Really, being above politics means you never will like it when you do navigate them. When you start to like politics too much, please quit ministry!
3. beware of entitlement: you will not know who truly is supportive until 18 months…people tire of faking it, and some think your job is theirs. Church people feel they are owed. They are not. The mission is. However, the pain is in not knowing really who is supportive for almost 2 years. Be wise in who you let into your inner circle.
4. count on friends: get some guys immediately in or outside your church you could be “real” with…because…venting is important: always better to say stupid things in safe company so you spare the rest of the world.
5. uphold your conscience: if there are ANY issues of conscience challenge those immediately and strongly–not issues of comfort or entitlement but issues of integrity. This will pay off…eventually. “Live within the integrity of your own conscience.” Or, quit.
6. strategize changes: be patient about too many changes, until you see what is really working or not–the new church may think they know, but they may not and will take time for you to clarify what you see.
7. spot the spin: you can be sure that the situation will not be what you expected–mostly you will be disappointed because even the best intentioned leaders don’t  mean to but churches are selling themselves to you so you can work there. Once you are there….well….reality!
8. speak the culture: learn the lingo and adopt it immediately and be careful about comparing to past places of service or other churches you have read about, etc. Do it, but with caution. (Remember #2)
9. forget your title: you do not need position to influence, just character and resolve. This is a far better place to expect your ministry to be. Management is about pressure, leadership is about suction–drawing people to the vision.
10. be an apprentice: find a mentor, or two or three and keep asking questions. You will not get answers. Most likely the good mentors will ask you questions and make you solve your issues. But, they know what to ask. A mentor is not someone who is perfect, but has the luxury of pointing to the results of both good and bad choices you might make. Making mistakes makes you an expert, right?

Hit #10 would be my single most important piece of advice, but any close seconds listed here?

The cross was the greatest social injustice in history, but no greater act of mercy has been recorded for mankind and the world.

Most of us, when confronted with the injustice of the world want to act. This is a very Christian thing to do and one could say “un-Christian” to not do. But, what about the words we use? I thought I would open up a conversation that might be a bit controversial to some, but I think words and our use of them matters. Semantics, I know, but does not “social mercy” sound more Christian than “social justice”? Let’s discuss a bit.

Let me explain. Social justice assumes our role is to dispense justice as if it is something we can on our own arbitrate. Social mercy means we are to give mercy, which we clearly see modeled in Jesus. God is the arbiter, and we work under His divine design to provide mercy to a world in need of forgiveness and redemption.

Micah 6:8 says to “do justice and love mercy” so justice is surely part of the equation. But, does it make sense that when we say justice we are not pronouncing a love for mercy? I know, just semantics.

No where are the words of Jesus filled with telling us to be dispensers justice, but Christ does say “blessed are the merciful” and lived a life that gave hope to the poor and forgiveness to sinners who brought injustice on those poor, including the tax collector in his gang. Jesus, lived mercy. He is justice.

I am just trying to dialog a bit about how we come across or approach evil in our world. Fighting injustice or giving mercy–one is militant the other is grace-oriented. We need to fight, but who is our real enemy? My solution would be to say “justice and mercy” ministries rather than leaving it just as “justice.”  Or, “compassion” ministries.

Your thoughts?

You know you are a pastor/minister when…

• Everyone edits their f-bombs and s-bombs when you enter the room.
• You edit your f-bombs and s-bombs when entering the room.
• Relatives hide the booze when you come over their house for the holidays.
• You hide your booze when your relatives come over your house–any day.
• People tell you their deepest struggles within any random casual conversation.
• You avoid all conversations as much as possible cause when you tell people your deepest struggles they laugh.
• You believe people do not think you are human, fragile and normal.
• Everyone around you knows you are not normal….human? Heck, yes!
• You love and hate your job with equal passion and at the same time.
• You have a choice, but not really, since it is a calling.
• The thought of doing anything else bites! Being part of people’s lives and helping them grow and find Jesus makes every minute worth it!

Did I miss any?