New Hire: Connections Pastor

This summer I wrote about the change of pastoral seasons for our church and me (here). My co-pastor, Jason Abbott, moved to another church in Chicago. Jason pastored faithfully at our church for seven years, and it was a joy to share five of those years with him.

Rather than continuing the co-senior-pastor model, I’ve moved into the more traditional role of lead pastor, and we need to hire another associate pastor—there’s plenty of work to be done! We had 30 new people ask to join a small group in August!

We have assembled a search team. The job of the search team is to advertise the position, narrow in on a handful of candidates, and then hand one candidate back to the pastor-elders for more vetting, and then we’ll present that candidate to our membership for final affirmation. We’ve posted the description on our church website, with several seminaries and other job boards, and now below on my blog. You can also download a PDF of the job description here. Our search team met for the first time last night. We appreciate your prayers.

Please advertise with us if you know pastors who might be interested. Encourage them to send a resume and cover letter to Scott Elder, the head of our search team: jobs@communityfreechurch.org. Within two weeks, we’ll follow up with each applicant about potential next steps.

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Associate Pastor of Connections

Overview

The connections pastor will serve as the primary shepherd to move people from visitor to engaged member at our church, helping us to become the type of community God desires local churches to be. He will implement strategies to integrate a growing refugee population into membership and full participation in the life of the church. As an associate pastor, he will also help with church administration, preaching and teaching, and supporting the men’s and women’s ministries and deacons. The connections pastor will be one of the pastor-elders. He will operate under the direct supervision of the senior pastor and under the overall governance of the Pastor-Elder Board.

Compensation

Benefits: 6 paid holidays; 15 paid vacation days; 5 paid personal days; 1 day off during the week in addition to Saturday, which is considered a day off (Sundays are considered a workday); Pay every 2 weeks on a Wednesday

Salary: Annual Salary **; FICA  **; Health Insurance  **; Retirement  **

Total Compensation: Please ask for the salary range during interviews.

Job Requirements

• Committed Christian who will participate and engage in our church and who agrees with the EFCA Statement of Faith.

• Humility and willingness to work with teams.

• Deep love and compassion for people, Christian and non-Christian alike.

• Excellent people skills with the ability to engage diverse types of people.

• Skilled expositor of God’s Word; ability to teach and preach to all ages of the church.

• Passion for discipleship and seeing people shaped by the gospel in all of life.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong gifts in administration.

• Aptitude for training, recruiting, and catalyzing leaders for ministry.

• 5–10 years of ministry experience, preferably in a church that emphasized small groups (MDiv degree preferred).

• A shared theological and philosophical DNA with the pastor-elders including warm complementarianism, a humble embrace of Reformed soteriology, and a gospel-centeredness in all of ministry.

Job Responsibilities & Duties

The connections pastor is the curator and catalyst for our small group Bible study ministry. He will serve on the teaching team and preach approximately 6 times a year on Sunday mornings. The connections pastor will work with the men’s and women’s ministries to implement the vision of the church and enhance connection; oversee the volunteer-led greeting & ushering, and deacon ministries; help with church administration; and participate in the discipleship of individuals and young families. The connections pastor will also serve the church more broadly as an associate pastor, performing weddings and funerals, visitation, counseling, and the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Church bio & How to Apply?

Our church belongs to the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). We have around 300 people in attendance each Sunday and 200 people in small groups. For more information about our church, please see our website, CommunityFreeChurch.org. Send your resume and cover letter to Scott Elder, the head of our search team: jobs@communityfreechurch.org. Within two weeks, we’ll follow up with each applicant about potential next steps.

Life-Giving Groups: An Interview with Jeremy Linneman

Jeremy Linneman and I both graduated from the University of Missouri. We met a handful of times over a dozen years ago. I’m excited to see how the Lord is using him.

He’s the pastor of the recent church plant Trinity Community Church in Columbia, Missouri. He’s married to his wife Jessie, and they have three boys. From 2010–16, he was a community and executive pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing him about his new eBook on small groups called, Life-Giving Groups: “How-To” Grow Healthy, Multiplying Community Groups.

You can listen to the 30-minute interview below.

These are some of the questions we discussed:

1. For those that don’t know who you are, can you introduce yourself?
2. Where do you see small groups in the Bible?
3. What are small groups for?
4. What are some of the significant hurdles to meaningful and healthy small groups?
5. How should small groups include (or not include) children?
6. What would you say to a person that has been in small groups before that were more hurtful than helpful to their process of becoming a mature disciple?
7. What role can small groups play in church plants?
8. If you and I were in a cycling race, how bad would you beat me?

Yesterday, I posted short reviews of all the recent ebooks from Sojourn Network. Here’s what I wrote about Jeremy’s book. If you think you’ll purchase his ebook, in December all of the profits go directly to those planting churches in their network.

Life-Giving Groups: “How-To” Grow Healthy, Multiplying Community Groups by Jeremy Linneman

If you’ve been in enough small groups, then you know not every small group is “life-giving.” Some are, to be frank, “life-sucking.” But participating in a group that “gives life” means that you need to be giving your life to others.

In this ebook, Jeremy Linneman explains how an individual group (or a small group ministry) can cultivate mature disciples. He sets forth a biblical vision for groups, as well as offering tons of practical insights for cultivating the health of these groups. If your church has a groups ministry but no established training plan for leaders, you’d benefit greatly by taking all your current and new leaders through the material.

A favorite quote: “Like Jesus, we exist for relationships. We are created in the image of this triune God. To be fully human means to live in relationships. If Jesus was the most ‘fully alive’ human ever, it shouldn’t surprise us that a person cannot become fully human without a community.” (Linneman, Life-Giving Groups, 10)

 

New eBooks from Sojourn Network for Christians and Church Leaders

When it comes to learning, sometimes you need a “deep dive” into a subject: you need a 12-week course that meets thrice weekly for 90 minutes. But other times, an office visit with a professor will suffice.

This difference is the difference between books and ebooks. Ebooks are typically quick hitters that don’t say everything but do say enough to bring clarity to a specific topic. This fall, Sojourn Network released a series of “How To” ebooks for Christians and church leaders. Sojourn Network is a group of reformed Baptist churches that band together for greater church health.

I recently read each of their ebooks and gladly recommend all of them. Below are a few specific reasons why I liked each. Also, if you think you’ll purchase one of them, I was told that in December all of the profits go directly to those planting churches in their network.

Filling Blank Spaces: “How-To” Work With Visual Artists In Your Church by Michael Winters

“When the earth was brand new,” writes author Michael Winters, “it was formless and empty . . . . [B]lank spaces were everywhere. Now they are rare.”

This means that if your church is going to begin a ministry that promotes art and artists, you’ll have to do some de-cluttering first. You’ll have to clear the sanctuary walls and stage, the foyer and welcome area, the café and restrooms. You’ll need to make room for paintings and sculptures and photos that give sight to the blind.

It’s in this mission—giving sight to the blind and freedom to captives—that Winters contends artists can play a crucial role. And when they do, they are doing what God did and does, taking the blanks spaces, those formless and empty parts of creation, and filling them up with the glory of God.

Winters is the Director of Arts and Culture at Sojourn and is himself an artist. In addition to the practical advice and theological reflection on the arts, one thing I appreciated about the book is the way Winters transparently shares some of his missteps and failures as he has sought to cultivate the arts. I enjoyed this ebook so much, I’d love to see Winters expand his reflections beyond the visual arts to the written and spoken word.

A favorite quote: “Everyone and everything contributes to your church’s visual culture, from the kid’s ministry coloring sheets to the preaching pastor’s hair gel. The visual culture of your church should not be an obsession of control and marketing-driven scrutiny. But when you make aesthetic decisions, they should thoughtfully complement the church’s vision. Major factors would include: the architecture of your space, its interior design, technologies, graphic design, along with decoration, furnishings, landscaping, and outdoor signage including parking lot demarcations.” (Winters, Filling Blank Spaces, 10)

Life-Giving Groups: “How-To” Grow Healthy, Multiplying Community Groups by Jeremy Linneman

If you’ve been in enough small groups, then you know not every small group is “life-giving.” Some are, to be frank, “life-sucking.” But participating in a group that “gives life” means that you need to be giving your life to others.

In this ebook, Jeremy Linneman explains how an individual group (or a small group ministry) can cultivate mature disciples. He sets forth a biblical vision for groups, as well as offering tons of practical insights for cultivating the health of these groups. If your church has a groups ministry but no established training plan for leaders, you’d benefit greatly by taking all your current and new leaders through the material.

A favorite quote: “Like Jesus, we exist for relationships. We are created in the image of this triune God. To be fully human means to live in relationships. If Jesus was the most ‘fully alive’ human ever, it shouldn’t surprise us that a person cannot become fully human without a community.” (Linneman, Life-Giving Groups, 10)

Healthy Plurality = Durable Church: “How-To” Build and Maintain a Healthy Plurality of Elders by Dave Harvey

Dave Harvey begins this ebook with a thesis: “The quality of your elder plurality determines the health of your church.” In my own experience, although far less extensive than Harvey’s, I’ve found his thesis to be true, especially over the long-haul of a church. This means working on the health of your elders is a nearly constant priority. As with healthy eating, you can take a break for a meal or two, or even a week or two; but bad things happen if you eat hot dogs and Cheetos and sticky buns and drink Mountain Dew and IPAs for a year.

Local churches mentioned in the New Testament always had more than one pastor. They always had a plurality of pastor-elders. Numerous passages in the Bible indicate this. For example, see Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:17; Titus 1:5; and 1 Peter 5:1–5 (see Appendix 1 for a complete list).

In the ebook, Harvey takes readers through the philosophy, principles, and process of creating and maintaining healthy plurality among elders. He’s also the author of When Sinners Say “I Do” (which we keep in our church bookstore) and Am I Called? (which I read just a few months ago).

At our church, we do not have a single lead pastor but rather co-pastors, where each of us shares the role of a lead pastor (weddings, funerals, vision casting, preaching, disciplining, etc.). This is a deviation from some of what Harvey advocates for in his ebook, but I’m not sure we are all that far off from his intent either in the letter of the law or the spirit. As with the other ebooks, any elder team would benefit from reading this together.

A favorite quote: “Humility is the oil that lubricates the engine of plurality. When one considers all of the polity options God could have chosen for governing churches, I theorize that God chose plurality because he loves humility.” (Harvey, Healthy Plurality = Durable Church, 19)

Before the Lord, Before the Church: “How-To” Plan a Child Dedication Service by Jared Kennedy with Megan Kennedy

I just loved this ebook. It was relentlessly practical, even including several options for liturgies when conducting a child dedication service; sample invitations a church can send to relatives; suggested resources to give away on the day of a dedication; and instructions about putting an “X” on the stage with masking tape to show families where to stand. This sounds like micromanaging, but it’s not. Church leaders need this kind of help. I need this kind of help.

If your church does child dedications, you need to read this book. Doing shabby child dedication services is not helpful or honoring to anyone.  

A favorite quote: “As I said, I don’t have any Bible verses to reference here. I can’t point to a passage which says, ‘Thou shalt have child dedication services.’ But I do know parents are tempted to think about their relationship with their kids as if it was a contract. And I also know nothing challenges consumer thinking quite like making really difficult covenant promises. It’s true for marriage, and it’s true for parenting too. The child dedication covenant confirms this reality: parenting is a higher, self-sacrificial commitment. The sacred public vow helps us teach parents to practice regular patterns of sacrificial love from the very beginning of their parenting journey.” (Kennedy & Kennedy, Before the Lord, Before the Church, 12)

* Your can purchase the ebooks here.

Good Leaders Ask Good Questions

“Where are my keys?”

I’ve asked this question many times, sometimes in a low whisper and other times with my fists clenched, eyes closed, and vocal cords strained. “Where! Are! My! Keeeys!”

Regardless of tone, my reason for asking is always the same. I ask because I don’t know.

In the Bible, however, when God asks a question it’s not because he doesn’t know the answer to his question. He’s not asking to get new information. God knows the number of hairs on our heads and the number of the stars in the sky, even calling each star by name (Matthew 10:30; Psalm 147:4). In theological parlance, he’s omniscient.  

So when God asks a question, if he’s not asking to learn something, why does he ask? The answer is that he asks questions to teach.

I was reminded of this as I prepared last week’s sermon. In Luke 8, Jesus is surrounded by a huge crowd. When a woman touches Jesus, trusting that Jesus can heal her, Jesus then asks who it was who touched him.

As I looked at the story closer, it was clear that Jesus wanted this woman to publicly identify herself so that she could be restored to the community of God’s people, which she had been excluded from for a dozen years because of her issue with blood. Jesus asked the question, not to gain new information, but so that those in the crowd, and the woman herself, could gain new information. In short, he asked the question to teach.

The Bible is full of these types of questions. When Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say that I am?”, Jesus is not having an identity crisis. He want’s Peter to learn something. When God asks Adam, “Where are you?”, it’s not because God lost him. He want’s Adam to learn something.

A few years ago, when I was at my former church, I helped produce a monthly video for small group leaders. The very first video was on this topic of asking good questions.

This fall, in churches throughout the world, thousands of small group Bible studies will be launching and re-launching. If you help lead one, or even if you want to grow in your ability to be a thoughtful participant in one, perhaps you will enjoy the video. It’s just four-minutes long. In it, I encourage leaders to ask good questions to teach. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Beware of the Me Monster

If you don’t know the comedian Brian Regan, I’d love to introduce you to him now. I’ve been a fan of his for the last ten years, though he’s been doing stand-up comedy for much longer than that.

For my birthday last Sunday, my wife and I were given tickets to see Regan perform. What a gift! It was the first and only time that I’ve seen him live. He did not disappoint. Almost all of his material was brand new.

My all-time favorite bit, however, is called, “Beware of the Me Monster,” which you can watch below or click here to see. A “Me Monster” is someone who always has a better story, a better joke, a better experience. They tend to dominate social settings.

It seems to me that it is one role of poets, prophets, and preachers to cause us to reflect deeply on human nature, especially to do so in fresh ways. The best comedians assume this mantle, too. Sure, they want us to laugh, but sometimes it’s an awkward, uncomfortable, guilty laugh. At one point in the clip, Regan even asks rhetorically, “What is it about the human condition that we get something out of [topping another person’s story]?”

I’ve often wanted to show this clip when I train small group Bible study leaders. Small group leaders have to deal with so many different personalities and levels of maturity. There are new Christians and long-time Christians; there are those comfortable praying out loud and those who are not; and there are those who don’t talk enough and those who are . . . Me Monsters.

And by the way, if you don’t know who the Me Monster is in your group of friends, uh-oh, it might be you!

[Picture from Comedy Central]