Barnabas File

Tonight I begin a fifteen week online class on “The Ministry of Coaching” for Central Baptist Theological Seminary students.   My goal in this class is not to train the ten students to become professional coaches but to learn how to apply the techniques of coaching in the local church. The underlying idea of this course is that coaching is a ministry skill that can be used in the church in several ways.  Clergy can use coaching skills in pastoral care situations where church members are trying to adopt new behaviors that will improve their relationships, their quality of life, and their spiritual growth.  Christian educators can use coaching skills to assist believers in their growth as disciples and to learn spiritual disciplines.  Both clergy and lay leaders can use coaching skills to identify, equip and encourage new leaders in all aspects of church life. Coaching is not counseling but a process that provides a supportive framework for a healthy, commit...

Cecil Sherman, the first coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said, “The son comes up at different times for different people.”  He was commenting on that fact that not everyone perceived the changes in Baptist life in the south at the same time and was leaving the door open for other Baptists to join the Fellowship movement. I have been reminded of this recently as friends who have continued to support traditional Baptist structures in our state have found themselves cast aside because they do not agree with the predominant agenda being pursued by those entities.  Twenty years after many Baptists, including myself, turned their backs on the old way of doing things, they are ready to move on.  The sun has come up for them.  I applaud their decision and identify with the grieving process they are going through. At least one acquaintance has suggested to me that this is a good time for Fellowship Baptists to take advantage of this disillusionme...

Several blog writers that I follow have recently posted observations about the needs of pastoral leaders in the contemporary setting and in the coming years. They have asked questions like, “What are the competencies required?”   “What type of preparation is needed?”   “Will there be a place for paid, full-time clergy?”  In one of these blogs, Alan Roxburgh made the following observations about the preparation of clergy: “There is a disconnect between the kind of leader seminaries are producing and the growing sense of the kinds of leaders now needed on the ground in congregations. There is a heightening of anxiety across church systems that what seminaries are producing is simply out of step with what is needed. There is a growing conviction that the established model of the ‘professional’ clergy will go the way of the dodo bird. We are in need of shaping new kinds of contextual learning communities which are working at discovering together what the new leade...

If change is to happen in a congregation, the starting place is spiritual and relational vitality.  Change will provoke resistance, disagreement, and even anger, so it is important that congregants have the kind of relationships and spiritual commitment that will allow members to overcome those responses and emerge as a healthy and committed fellowship. Spiritual and relational vitality provide the strong root system that supports change.  Those who work with trees tell me that the root system of a tree below ground is as massive as the spread of the branches above ground.  If the root system is not healthy, it cannot support an expanding, growing plant.   We had a particularly dry summer last year.  I did not think too much about how it impacted the trees around our house until we had a couple of windstorms and lost large branches off of several trees.  The roots had inadequate nourishment, so the trees had been weakened.  Even though the b...

Although a friend once told me that passion was overrated, I believe that the things about which we are passionate give meaning and purpose to life.  The first definition of “passion” in the dictionary is “compelling desire” with “sexual desire” coming in third.  When I talk about passion, I am talking about what gets you up in the morning and keeps you going all day.  A sense of passion to encourage and disciple leaders for the church led me into a ministry with college students.  A passion for a free and faithful expression of the church led me to work with the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  A passion to walk with and encourage church leaders led me into coaching.  A passion to care for and support my family sustains me daily. In addition to all of the preceding, I have a passion for the church.  I will admit that such a passion is not always easy to sustain.  When I see churches and their members being fearful, demanding,...

Early in my ministry, I discovered that writing was a great diversion for me.  I had written papers, sermon manuscripts, and letters (remember those?) since I was a teen-ager, but I first came to see writing as a creative outlet when editor Bill Junker invited me to write an article for The Student magazine.  This began a long-time partnership with National Student Ministries that included a number of articles, several training resources, and one Bible study guide. My interest in writing found an outlet through articles and papers written both for The Campus Minister Journal and for some meetings of State Directors of Student Work (now collegiate ministry). Along the way, I also began writing a column for Reflections, the monthly publication of the Student Ministry Department of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, that I called The Barnabas File.  I carried the title over to my column in the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship newsletter and in June 2006, Barnab...

In the current issue of Congregations magazine, Jeff Woods suggests some alternative pastoral models.   He points out that churches want a called and equipped pastor, but it is more difficult today to provide the financial support for such a minister while carrying other institutional expenses.  Woods suggests a number of alternatives that go beyond the typical bi-vocational or bi-ministry (serving two congregations to make a full-time package) models. Woods’ comments encourage us to think creatively about church staffing not only for the pastoral ministry but for other ministries as well.  Several years ago a friend resigned his church to become an itinerant minister of missions.  He long had a passion for involving laity in the congregations where he served in mission and ministry projects.  In his new role, he actually serves about a dozen congregations in several states as their “minister of missions.”  As he comes to understand the unique g...

Have you ever had something you wrote come back to haunt you?  About 20 years ago, I was asked to write an article for The Campus Minister journal on “Where are We Going in Student Ministries?” and did so.  I had long forgotten this but it was brought to my attention recently by friend Wanda Kidd who sent me a copy.  As I reflect now on the ten observations in that article, I realize that some were general enough that I could not miss by including them. I am also reminded about how much things have changed in Baptist life since 1990, changes that led me to leave employment by the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and cast my lot with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  So where did I get it right and where did I miss the mark? One prediction was, “We will use ‘high tech’ equipment and resources, but it will not take the place of ‘high touch’ activities.”  I was pretty much on the mark there.  I even commented that “we will ...

My friend Jerry Gaither was a county superintendent of schools when it was an elected position, subject to the whims of electoral politics.  He also served during a time when folks here in Tennessee were dealing with significant issues relate to racial integration.  Jerry learned a lot as an administrator, challenging him to grow as a believer. Several years ago, Jerry shared with me one sheet of paper he entitled “Decision Making: An Administrator’s Ethics Test.”  I provide it here for your consideration. 1.       Will I be violating board policy, the law, or the rights of others? 2.       Is it equitable?  Can I sit down around a table and face all parties concerned at the same time?  Does it promote wholesome relationships? Can I look in the mirror and feel good about myself? 3.       Is it explainable?   By this I mean, is it explainable in a clear and concise manner that the general public...

The old joke goes something like this.   How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? The answer, “None.   Why would we want to change anything?” Change is never easy and rarely sought, but change is going to happen.  We can either adapt to it or use it as a springboard for innovative and effective ministry.  In his book, Innovation and Entrepreneurship , leadership guru Peter Drucker encouraged leaders to see changes around them as opportunities for purposeful and systemic innovation.  He pointed out seven sources for innovation:  the unexpected, incongruities, process need, industry and market structures, demographics, changes in perception, and new knowledge.  Let’s consider how those in congregational leadership might use these sources to make effective changes in the church. First, the unexpected might be the unexpected success, the unexpected failure, or the unexpected outside event.  Perhaps you begin a new worship servic...

On January 1, I celebrated the beginning of my fifth year of “retirement.” In many ways, I was not ready to give up full-time employment when the time came, but as I look over my calendar for the coming month, I realize that I have been blessed with the opportunity to continue to do a number of things I enjoy. During the coming month, I will lead two online peer groups for Doctor of Ministry students, coach five clergy clients, and begin teaching a weekly online class on “The Ministry of Coaching.”  In addition, I will provide support and encourage for my coaching colleagues with Pinnacle Leadership Associates and work on a research project for Central Baptist Theological Seminary.  I also plan to get away for a couple of days to do some reading and writing and will continue to write my blog (which ethicsdaily.com and Associated Baptist Press kindly share from time to time).  My church will give me the opportunity to co-lead a Companions in Christ group on Wednesda...