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For we
have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness
of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. 2
Corinthians 4:7
 Preface
THIS book is primarily for pastors of small churches. Friends have told me the book will be useful for pastors of large churches as well. But I had the small church in mind since little is written for the small church and the bulk of my experience is with the small church.
Most churches are small churches and they are and always have been the backbone of Christianity. Someone cautioned me that this was a small target audience. Perhaps, yet I have in mind the thousands of students in Bible colleges, institutes, and seminaries who are preparing for the pastoral ministry. In addition, pastors are usually readers and they are the ones who frequently recommend books to members of their congregations. And if all this were not true, it is pastors who I want to reach out to because they are the most influential group, in terms of the kingdom of God, on the planet.
What are my qualifications for writing this book? I can not say I am a “wise” or “mature” pastor, but I have some experience as a pastor. I pastored a church in my seminary days, from 1966 to 1968, after which I was leader of a para-church ministry for five years, but essentially that was also pastoring, preaching, teaching, and organizing. And then, for eight years, I pastored a church I had an opportunity to co-found. Later on I functioned as an associate (minister at large) for several years before beginning another church, Miller Avenue Baptist Church, where I am now in my sixteenth year. At age 58 I find that I have been in ministry since the early part of 1966. So I have become an experienced, if not a wise and mature, pastor.
Each chapter begins with a true-to-life experience that highlights the significance of that chapter’s subject. Questions and statements appear at the conclusion of each chapter designed to provoke thought, discussion, or reflection about that chapter’s subject, or they could also be used for discussion in a classroom setting.
This book is a ministry project of Miller Avenue Baptist Church of Mill Valley, California, an American Baptist congregation. It has been my privilege and usually my pleasure to serve as the founding and continuing pastor from July 1, 1985. Ours is a small church, forty on Sunday morning is a crowd, and our focus is preaching the gospel, teaching, service, missions, prayer, and growing up into the fullness of Christ.
An experienced pastor may read this book and say, “I could have written this”. And I would agree. I welcome additions, corrections, suggestions, and other points of view. This may be seen as a “work in progress” or “under construction”. Therefore, if anyone would like to talk with me about the contents of this book please write to me at 285 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941 or send an e-mail to kentphilpott@comcast.net,
or visit the web sites: www.earthenvessel.net or www.w3church.org.
Margaret Jane Bates, a long-time member of Miller Avenue and art director of Earthen Vessel Publishing, transcribed audiotapes onto which I had recorded the contents of this book. My wife Lisa is working with distribution and general encouragement of the author. My daughter, Dory LaRue, helped edit the manuscript. If you see anything amiss, errors and what not, lay that to may credit. (You might also notify me of errors for correction in future editions.) My daughter, Grace Reed, is helping with marketing. Grace’s husband Bill put our website, earthenvessel.net, together. My twin ten year old daughters, Laura and Jenna, will be of help in ways not known right now.
Though this book is copyrighted, anyone, for whatever purpose, may use any or all of the material in the book without obtaining permission from myself or Earthen Vessel Publishing. The material may be copied, distributed, or whatever else.
All Bible quotations, except where noted, are from the New International Version.
Kent Philpott,
Mill Valley, California
Table Of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 - Avoid “Movements” Within Christianity
Chapter 2 - Avoid Fund-raisers
Chapter 3 - Limit Promotions
Chapter 4 - What Title to Use
Chapter 5 - On Being a Counselor
Chapter 6 - On Helping Others
Chapter 7 - Recognition and Rewards
Chapter 8 - Having A Trade
Chapter 9 - Own a Pickup Truck!
Chapter 10 - Weddings and Funerals
Chapter 11 - Do Not Ask
Chapter 12 - Our Need for a Confessor or Mentor
Chapter 13 - Thoughts on Retirement
Chapter 14 - Pastoring the Small Church
Chapter 15 - Pastoring the Large Church
Chapter 16 - On Being an Associate
Chapter 17 - Spend Time with Your Children
Chapter 18 - Dragons in the Church
Chapter 19 - Know and Face Your Limitations
Chapter 20 - Angry Pastors
Chapter 21 - Theological Models
Chapter 22 - Church Discipline
Chapter 23- On Being Politically Correct
Chapter 24 - Avoiding Magical Thinking
Chapter 25 - A Sermon to Have Ready to Preach
Chapter 26 - The Pastor as A Suffering Servant*
Chapter 27 - The Parsonage
Chapter 28 - Fifty-four
Chapter 29 - Pride: An Enemy of our Ministry
Chapter 30 - The Filing System
Chapter 31 - Refuse to Be Intimidated
Chapter 32 - One Last Word on Preaching*
Appendix
Postscript
Chapter One - On Preaching the Gospel
ONE day toward the end of my first year as pastor of Miller Avenue Baptist Church, a young man knocked at the door of my office. He had spent the better part of the day going from one church and pastor to another asking how he could become a Christian. For months he had been reading the Bible and listening to television and radio preachers, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
By the time he got to me he was frustrated and confused. “Are you going to tell me to join your church?” he asked with an edge to his voice. “I suppose you want to baptize me?”
“Sit down a minute, relax, and let me tell you the gospel,” I said as reassuringly as possible. For twenty minutes or so I told him about the finished work of Jesus. In the midst of my presentation he suddenly declared, “Oh, I see now, Jesus did it for me.” An hour later, he left, at peace; the seeker had been found. That encounter became one of the highlights of my ministry.
 HIS story dramatically illustrates the centerpiece of the gospel. This man wanted one thing—the good news of Jesus and when he heard it he knew it was what he sought.
Of first importance then, let me outline what I believe the gospel is.* Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 presents the apostolic gospel:
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
The gospel is Jesus, both who He is and what He did. Christianity is Jesus Christ Himself. To preach the gospel is to preach Jesus. Someone has said that good preaching is bragging about Jesus. Jesus is God in the flesh, at once truly and completely God and truly and completely man. Jesus is the eternal, uncreated Son of the Father, who freely choose to empty Himself, take on flesh, and be born of the Virgin Mary. Having lived a sinless life, He was crucified and died under the administration of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate in about 33AD. He was buried and on the third day He rose bodily from the grave. He ascended to heaven forty days later, where He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God, which is the place of power and authority. He will come again a second time to judge the living and the dead. He is the Lord of all and ultimately all knees will bow to Him.
Jesus died in our place as our substitute. He took our sin upon Himself. His death satisfied the just demand of a holy and righteous God who is offended by sin. The blood that Jesus shed cleanses those who trust in Him, completely washing away all sin, past, present, and future. Jesus’ work on the cross justifies sinners, and at once the sinner is declared righteous. This righteousness is imputed or placed within those who trust and come to Him. By the working of God’s Spirit we are able to repent and believe; both repentance and faith are gifts of grace. This is conversion or the new birth, and at that moment the sinner is indwelled by the Holy Spirit and given eternal life. “Justification by faith” is the great, biblical and reformation truth. “Sole fide,”—faith in Jesus alone brings salvation.
This gospel must be faithfully and honestly presented to the unconverted. The gospel preacher is Christ’s ambassador, and should speak as though God Himself was making a personal appeal. The gospel preacher beseeches, implores, and pleads for sinners to be reconciled to God. (see 2 Corinthians 5:20) Good preaching incorporates earnest pleading with the unconverted to come to Jesus; an impassioned call to trust in Jesus alone is the singular characteristic of the great preachers. Additionally, the preacher is an ambassador for Christ and not the church, a creed, or a theological system.
The gospel preacher urges trust in Jesus beyond a mere intellectual understanding that Jesus died and rose again; simply accepting facts will not result in new birth. The facts of the gospel are to be preached as well as the need to turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. A person may acknowledge and confess doctrinal truth yet remain unconverted. Conversion is coming to Jesus and trusting that His shed blood is sufficient to atone for sin.
The gospel is heard through the preached Word. (see 1 Corinthians 2:4) As the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit both convinces of sin and draws or calls a person to Jesus. The preacher is never able, by the use of clever means, to make salvation happen; the preacher must rely upon the Holy Spirit to bring about true conversion.
Is preaching the gospel a pastor’s only task? No! It is one of many aspects of pastoral ministry, which is broad and almost limitless. Ministry is service to Jesus and His Church. It is accomplished with varying gifts, service and working. (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-6) When a model of pastoral ministry is sought in the Scripture, one is not easily found. Most concepts of pastoral ministry are rooted in tradition. The pastor visits, counsels, administrates, prays, teaches, preaches, leads worship, and an “etc.” must be added.
In my view though, a pastor’s chief responsibility is the preaching of the gospel so that unconverted people might come to Jesus.
Most churches are structured so that the pastor bears the bulk of the gospel-preaching responsibility, unless there is a resident evangelist or apostle. According to some New Testament expositors, all “normal” churches would have evangelists and apostles whose primary focus would be preaching the gospel. (see Ephesians 4:11-12) I am not personally aware of churches that have a ministry office designated “apostle” or “prophet” or “evangelist.” Most small churches typically have one pastor/teacher, and such is the case at Miller Avenue Baptist Church. Therefore, it falls upon me to be the evangelist. I carry the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel. If there were another pastor serving alongside me, then I would be free to do the work of evangelism. Until then, I am charged with preaching the gospel and leading in the church’s ministry.
My great joy is to preach the gospel, whether to a small or large group, or to a single individual. I have often said that when it comes to being a pastor, I don’t rate high on the giftedness scale. On a scale of one to ten, I probably am rating a four. But as an evangelist I would probably get a six. I would imagine there are many pastors like me.
The typical congregation is blessed with a wide variety of spiritual gifts. However, few are called to preach the gospel. In Romans 10:14 Paul asks, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” In verse 17, Paul then says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Clearly, there is no greater joy than preaching the gospel. It is the highest calling of pastoral ministry, for How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Romans 10:15).
I do not believe the gospel message is to be tacked casually or perfunctorily onto the end of a sermon. When preaching a conversion oriented sermon, I will do so from beginning to end. When I preach strictly to the converted, the entire sermon will be of a practical nature. This is generally true, but not always an accurate description of my method. Sometimes I will give the gospel out when preaching to believers. We can never be sure that all whom we think are converted actually are.
In any case, I feel that preaching the gospel is my primary calling in pastoral ministry, and I will do it in whatever way I can. I pursue it on Sunday mornings, and through a community access television program. I regularly send out audiotapes of my sermons to a long list of people. In the past year and a half more than 2300 tapes were mailed. It is not self-promotion, just another way of presenting the gospel.
Preaching the gospel must be emphasized for two main reasons. First, unconverted people do not feel comfortable hearing the gospel because it offends them. When they hear of their need to turn away from sin and trust Jesus, the internal conviction of sin is uncomfortable. Many people think that Christianity is simply about love and that there are many paths to God. When a straightforward gospel message is preached that rejects such popular notions, there will be offense. The object of that offense is often-times the preacher. The preacher will sense this and may be tempted to soften the gospel message or cease from preaching it altogether.
Second, and worst of all, is the offense of the “Christianized”, those who suppose they are genuine Christians, but in fact are not. I have a particular sensitivity to them because I have helped to christianize so very many in the course of my ministry. For twenty-nine years I did not understand the mystery of conversion and the tremendous danger of false conversion. The Christianized are not able to tolerate conversion-oriented sermons. A fear they do not understand arises within them and they feel threatened. The Christianized generally prefer positive sermons with inspiring stories. They contend they need something that will motivate, inspire, encourage, and support them. They favor “how to” sermons—how to overcome anger, how to be successful in a crazy world, how to be this or that.
The converted, in contrast, love to hear the gospel preached. Such preaching builds them up and helps them grow up into the fullness of Jesus. “I love to tell the story”, “Tell me the old, old story,” the words of these great hymns reflect the heart of those who are genuinely born again.
The preaching of the gospel cuts like a double-edged sword—it brings both life and death. Here is Paul’s assessment: “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)?
Pastors preach the gospel, preach it with clarity and strength. For many pastors this is their greatest source of satisfaction. There is no greater joy than to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
¨ Concerning the young man in the opening vignette, would you have spoken to him differently?
¨ How would you describe the primary purpose of your ministry?
¨ Would you add or subtract anything from my view of the gospel?
*I include a presentation of the basic content of the gospel because I did not know much of it in the early years of my ministry and therefore I do not assume that everyone has a clear grasp of it. Of course, I thought I knew the gospel as a new pastor and would have felt insulted if anyone had suggested I did not. I do find though that my understanding of the gospel seems to grow; I am still learning it.
Join us in our Summer edition for Chapter Two - The Call to Pastoral Ministry
Ask
for this book at your local bookstore. ISBN:
0970329601
Online: at
www.amazon.com
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