Sustaining Pastoral Excellence

During 2006 and 2007 the Department of the Ordered Ministry undertook an extensive set of trips to listen to Covenant ministers from all over North America. The purpose of these trips was to tap into the wisdom embedded in our ministerial community. The hope was to discern the formation and developmental needs of clergy as we continue the journey of excellence into the future. Hundreds of conversations later we discovered a clear clustering around 6 major themes. (more…)

The internet has produced a resource explosion.  It seems like the challenge is finding the time to sift and sort through a mountain of material for what might be most useful for a given focus.  When it comes to the emotional health and vitality of pastors and clergy couples Peter Scazzero, author of “The Emotionally Healthy Church” provides a web site with useful and user-friendly resources.  Below is the link.

http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/about/articles.asp

Peter was a well received Midwinter Conference workshop presenter a few years ago.

Sermons Most
Likely to Succeed
Do sermons actually change beliefs
and behavior? An ongoing study
reveals hard facts.
BY LORI CARRELL
New research is discovering the characteristics of sermons that
create lasting impact. The investigation began with surveys and
interviews contrasting listener and pastor perspectives in 102
churches across the country.
A central finding of the research to date is that listeners
value preaching, asserting that the sermon is the component of
the church service most likely to impact their spiritual growth.
In fact, listeners love their preachers (more…)

Excellence is a word that generates an easy discussion. Giving definition to the word, Biblically and theologically, has been a challenge which seems to ignite pastor’s passions. It is the word in the “Sustaining Pastoral Excellence” moniker which reeks with multiple meanings. Whereas the other words in the moniker may conjure up a yawn, this word – excellence – conjures up strong feelings. Some of these feelings are the result of personal history and the association of excellence with perfection, some believe it somehow undermines grace, others opt for something less weighty such as “effectiveness”.

I believe that the Lilly Endowment hung the word “excellence” from the right tower. I Corinthians 12:31 is a dramatic pivot point in a Biblical book filled with emotional swing points as Paul contends for a way of life that is marked with a different pattern. When he pens the words, “And now I will show you a more excellent way”, he pulls the Corinthians towards a way of life. Paul is literally calling the Corinthians into excellence (uperboln - beyond measure, extraordinary quality, surpassing, Abbot-Smith, p.458). This way of life (literally – a way beyond comparison) is highly relational, drilling to the core of our motivations, mindsets, manner of action, and methods. It links our relationship with God and others, becoming the pathway out of which our Christ journey is to be lived. Biblically and theologically this segment of Scripture suggests that,

1. Excellence is measured by who we are and who we are becoming. It is an issue of character. This is the heart of the Christian journey.

2. Excellence is not common, it is extraordinary. As a result it calls for the recognition that there is always room for growth.

3. Excellence is a way of life. We choose to live within patterns that produce uncommon characteristics.

4. Excellence is a relational journey. It is not accidental that Paul chooses to enter his magnificent chapter on love by referring to a more excellent “way” and concludes the chapter by calling the Corinthians to follow the “way” of love (I Corinthians 14:1). More than an endpoint, excellence is a journey – a relational journey. Paul shows us how to enter the journey (I Corinthians 12:31). The movement towards excellence is what matters.

5. Excellence is a grace-filled journey. God’s love, the pattern for our love, (I Corinthians 13:4- forms the net beneath our journey.

Pastoral excellence is a grace-filled relational journey shaping growth and character through a commitment to an uncommon Christ defined life. Pastors are not called to a common life, but an uncommon life skillfully lived. This life is defined by God’s grace and shaped by character, relationship, and commitment – empowering all other aspects of a pastor’s ministry.