DS-ING FOR DUMMIES Chapt. 1

DS-ING FOR DUMMIES

*The year of our Lord 2007

Chapter 1

*warning… if you are not British, as in from the UK, perhaps you should read no further. If you are British or of British decent, or linage, or heritage, or ancestry, you may find the hint of irreverent references to leadership just your ‘cup of tea’. The author, means no true disrespect, far from it, so please don’t chide. It just seems that there is a world yet unexplored with reference to church leadership, or would be leadership, that once discovered, somewhat like “Narnia”, could prove to be quite stimulating, if we would but allow ourselves to enter.

If the book is already written, my apologies to the author. Honest sir or ms., if you have already gone to press, as soon as you let me know, I will change the name of this * bloglet from DS-ING for DUMMIES to …. Ds-ing for Dimmies. Actually “dimmies” was my first choice since I didn’t feel I dare infringe upon the Dummies dynasty, but my wife insisted that “Dimmies” was just totally too disrespectful. (She is definitely not British) I don’t think that she understands just how resilient and understanding D.S.s are and how their great sense of humor would revel in such a take-off. Never-the-less, until further challenged, notified, threatened, or, sued, for the foreseeable future, it shall be “DS-ING FOR DUMMIES”.

* I can only assume, that as soon as a blog is printed, it must, by all good reason, become a ‘bloglet’

THE ASSESSMENT

First Thoughts …..
It is a noble exercise to find “that quiet place” closet, empty house, or garage, and spend the appropriate time to ask: “do I really want to do this job”? or perhaps to take it a step further, “what is this job”? I know that somewhere in this little green book around paragraph 1310 or there-a-bouts (is that an actual expression) it talks about leading an aggressive program of evangelism and church growth. Do I really want to be in a job where I am expected to do that? Just what is the likelihood that something like that would actually happen? Have I seen that, the way it is expressed there, take place somewhere in the U.S.? Could I possibly be a leader under whom such a thing would actually take place? Oh, then I noticed that there is this impressive list of committees that I am automatically the (‘officio) chairman of ( or more correctly, of which I am the chairman). Actually it looks like there are 28 areas of express responsibility with at least 10 areas of expertise necessary to carry them out. Whew, this will be a tall order. Perhaps if I just work really hard, it will all begin to fall into place as time goes on. After all other men have done wonderfully well at this job and they are certainly no …brighter than I, (brighter, let’s see that is a hint at ‘dimmies’, and I said I was not going there)

On second thought do I really want a job like this? I will be on the receiving end of a fair amount of recognition, and quite a few people will like me or pretend to like me. But, all the while, they may be thinking, “can he help us do some of the stuff we want to do?” They may be wondering, “does he know how to do what I want to see happen in my church?” “If he does, will he tell me, will he resource me, will he encourage me, or will he simply watch to see if I can do it?”

Yes, I see there in this little book, where I am supposed to help the churches and pastors “achieve” our mission, our goals, and at times our wishes. Perhaps I could do that. Let’s see is there anything missing here? Oh, yes it did not mention it anywhere, just an oversight I’m sure; it did not mention helping the pastors be all that they can be. It left out helping them to be at their best and accepting the areas where they have little or no skill. It did not mention ……. Oh well, it couldn’t mention all that. People figure that stuff out on their own, I think.

Now that I think about it, I am not sure that I am honestly interested in helping the local pastor succeed. Can any person, no matter how well intentioned actually help another succeed? I think that the pastor should stand on his own two feet. If he does well in his church he deserves credit (perhaps even a little cash), but realistically he or she is on their own. It just seems to work better that way (I think).

Do I really want this job as D.S.? Sometimes I feel that God has definitely called me to this position, and there are some folks who are very sure that I’ll “do great”. They even told me so.

Weigh it out … yeah …that is what I will do. Let’s see now ..

Weighing it out …

What I need to do is weigh out some of the issues. First is my background; I’ve done fairly well there. I have pastored some fine churches that caught the eye of our denominational leadership. That is always a good thing. Actually now that I think about it … I have learned a lot over these years in ministry, other pastors will probably be privileged to pick up on some of my wisdom. But then .. this is not … pastoring. Could it be all that different? Some of the other d.s.s are called “pastor” by the pastors of the dist. churches. I have even heard them say that the pastors are “like” their congregation. That sounds like a “good thing”, I suppose. If the pastors follow along like a well pastored congregation all should be wonderful. Well surely I could sort that all out as I go along.

Things will come into focus once I get into D.S. training. To take a pivotal position in the denomination, and in such a vital leadership role … training will be key. I learned most of what I need to know already, I’m sure, but… just in case … there is always the training. When I go for the training specifically geared to equip me to D.S., they will spell out this stuff.

If all of my experience, and all of the training, and the eager followers is not enough to indicate God’s direction, I don’t know what is. If things get uncertain I can always simply do what I have seen other D.S.s do down through the years. After all they survived for decades and decades in districts, with seldom a disparaging word. That is what I will do. I will take all the training the H.Q. has to offer. With that training, my experience, eager followers, a decent salary (don’t forget that), and the option of simply doing what the “others” have done; well, this should work.

I think I will take this job, and love it. I will be the chairman of every committee conceived, appreciated by the general church, eagerly followed by the dist. pastors, admired by the people in the congregations … surely God is in this. Yes, Dr. G.S. I will take the job. There it is done, “Mission Accomplished”. (is it ok to say that?)

Letter to H.Q.

Letter to H.Q.

Dear Dr. Wilson,

Your plans for the “Gathering ‘07” that our denomination is sponsoring is truly exciting. I just received confirmation of my registration and am already anxious to attend. While going over the plans and purposes of this landmark event I was convinced that our pastors, by the thousands will be inspired, encouraged and refreshed. For all of this, I am truly grateful.

It also caused me to do some real soul searching about the future of our churches and our denomination here in the U.S. The analogy that came to mind, was what I saw happen in the city of San Diego where I lived and pastored for many, many years. The city was degraded at its center and the city fathers saw it and decided to take action. What they did was truly remarkable. They brought in cruise ships for added tourism, added extensive trolley lines for transportation, a world class shopping center within close proximity, built their baseball park downtown, constructed beautiful condos to promote downtown residency, put in a convention center for special events, and cleaned the town up. Now, they could have simply put more police on the streets, and worked overtime on code enforcement, but they didn’t. They took the long look and literally changed the city. I lived there while most of this was happening and watched the transformation. It was 1977 when I first moved to the area, and have seen a remarkable change take place.

What is this story all about? It is about this. Our pastors will be inspired by ’07, and they will be re-invigorated, and then they will return to the same struggling or broken infrastructure of their particular districts, only to become frustrated over again.

We all know that many of our districts are failing to experience any gains in effective ministry, the numbers make it clear. On the districts that I am most familiar with there is either a plateau or actual decline. The district superintendents used to receive a couple of days training at H.Q. (probably a lot more now) . However, when they go to their respective districts, they are hard pressed to find the competent pastors that they need to fill their churches. Every D.S. that I have spoken with about this expresses the same frustration. The pastors that they do find are seldom if ever, able to move their churches forward. This is one of the greatest challenges of the D.S., and the greatest frustration of the pastors. It appears that something about this system is broken that is not getting fixed.

The demands and expectations put upon the local pastor cannot be fixed with any number of inspiring experiences. The local pastor, facing the present society, and its demands, needs to have a leadership team working with him to assist him in such a way that he can be successful. On some of our districts there are perhaps 5 or so churches that are actually growing. There are many that are flat lined or in decline. If this is not acceptable to us, and if the no growth of our Anglo churches in the U.S. is troubling, then, it seems to me that some work needs to be done as soon as possible. When we loose our baby boomer crop of pastors, the list of churches in “the hands of the DBA” I think will grow rapidly.

Just like San Diego did not focus on simply getting more tourists to revitalize the down town, which was never going to happen; I think that it is realistic to recognize that our attempts to inspire our pastors is only one small piece of the puzzle. I have pastored Wesleyan churches on various districts for about 30 years and been on the DBA of those districts for years. It is hard to be optimistic with what I see happening. So many of us pastors are not creative or analytical enough to see or solve the kinds of issues our ministries now demand. Our society was a totally different society when our denominational structure was created. It is questionable if we can expect our present structure to achieve its goals without the necessary changes taking place. It is obvious that we can only turn these trends around with an infrastructure that is truly an aggressive team effort that focuses upon individual churches and what it takes to see them succeed.

In the words of Bill O’Reilly from the “factor” where have I gone wrong here?

I am most appreciative of the conference in ’07, and I know hundreds and perhaps thousands of us pastors will be refreshed. For that I am truly grateful. Then when the inspiration is complete, I will be looking forward to how we can actually go back to our churches and be more effective at getting our ministries to move forward.

Peace,


Richard Lauby

Losing Virtue

Losing Virtue

In the biblical account of a woman needing healing, we read that she touched the hem of the garment that Jesus wore. He is recorded as saying “virtue went out of me”. He knew that there was an “exchange”, which had taken place. Whatever that spiritual quality was that is referred to as virtue, well, at any case, Christ knew that an exchange had happened. Something that was within him had “left” him, in order that the miracle could take place.
I get it. I get it every time I pray with the lady who just lost her mother. I get it every time I sit in the living room of a couple in my church who are living together without the benefit of marriage. I get it when I have a late night discussion with a rape victim. I get it when I go through the weeks of ministry in my community that I go through. I am a believer. There is such a thing as “virtue lost”, in this biblical sense.

What is not so clear is how to respond. There are times of extended prayer, and of scripture reading, and of meditation. There are times of introspection, and even an afternoon of fishing, from time to time. There are helpful inspirational books, and some Christian songs that I count on for a certain “lift”. I wonder if it could be something that builds over time. The balance too heavily weighted in the area of virtue lost vs. gained. Perhaps over a period of years, even some slight “deficit” could add up. Or is it that so many battles have been fought, that the war has exacted a toll of weariness of years.

There has always been one more opportunity to stare sin itself in the eye, by way of daily life and ministry. There have been times when the conflict, though difficult, was to be expected and faced with a certain resolve, and even satisfaction that this is what the spiritual life is all about. But. But what if there does not seem to be adequate renewal, for the renewal that is needed. Not enough to “feel good”, or even enough to keep on keeping on, but enough renewal to know that the next difficult situation will not find me wanting a “postponement”. There are many conversations that are somewhat overdue, any number of lunches not yet shared, and yes, appointments not yet made.

This is an area that I do not like to talk about with my fellow pastors, and I think, they do not like to talk about with me. We know what each others answers will be and we suspect that they will be either trite or simply inadequate. There is also the possibility that they will be downright insulting. In fact, most of my conversations with other pastors never get to the level of how we deal with having the spiritual strength that we need to actually do what we need to do. I think that, for the most part, they seem ok with that. I wonder if ministering while tired, or empty, or “unfull”, is seen as ok, or adequate, or simply unavoidable. Or, perhaps if the day to day stuff we do keeps us so involved that we fail to notice that touching our lives no longer passes along virtue to others in any significant way.

I know that there are avenues of renewal. I think I know what most of them are. What I don’t know is why some of those avenues don’t seem so renewing as they once did. Just when I think that all the years in ministry should make me more readily renewed, I find the opposite to be true. It almost seems like there is a betrayal going on here. Physically I expect that it takes longer to recover from the physical demands I place on my body. I thought that spiritually, the veterans were blessed with the ability to bounce back simply because they knew the way so well. I may be the only person that is wrestling with this virtue issue. I may be the only one, resenting finding more spiritual conflicts in front of me than I wish to face. I may be the only one desiring to find that dimension of refreshing that will prove adequate, and make me fit for the conflicts ahead. I may be the only one who senses the eternal trauma when staring into the eyes of evil, while talking with one of the flock that I love. I may be ……………….. but I doubt it.

Addict Once Again

Addict once again. It just keeps happening. They just keep coming and coming. No I do not pastor in the inner city, or any city for that matter ... its more like a small town. I have tried, practiced, read, consulted, prayed, talked to hypnotists, hinted with other counselors ... and when it is all said and done ... a whole lot more is said than done ... to help the addict get free of the addiction. We pray together, we cry together (as recently as yesterday) and we hope together. We talk about solutions, find scripture promises, and even when necessary commit to residential programs. Somewhere in the middle of all this addiction it seems that there should be the perfect scripture, the perfect promise, the wonder-working plan of attack. It just makes me sick to realize that over 30 years of wanting to be helpful to addicts (and having some good results) over all .. in the big picture ... the addiction seems to hold most of the good cards. Is satan really that powerful, is the human race really that weak, are we truly that clueless as to how to tap into the miracle working power of our Lord ...

I am wanting to help a number of people I know escape their addiction. They are addicted to different kinds of things, substances, and or behaviors. If there were one more book to buy ... one more prayer to pray ... I would really, really, really, like to ... read, buy, pray, do whatever I am not yet doing ... to see some of these fine people free from their addiction.

peace .... eventually ...... richard lauby

Not 10-4, but "Roger"

Not “10-4” but “Roger”

He called me and wanted to know if he could park his motor home on the church property. He said it would be for a few weeks. Since I had more important “fish to fry”, after a brief conversation I said, “OK”. Then Roger arrived. The motor home had seen better days, as had “Roger”. Once the motor home was appropriately hooked up I began to ask about the well-worn pickup with its “salvage” contents. It seems that Roger collects old cars (no not antiques) and hauls them to the scrap yard. Once he has collected a few dollars for one car he finds and hauls another, then another. In the evening, he parks his car hauling truck and trailer by his motor home on the back of the church property. Roger has a wife (I think). When he did not come “home” last Tue. night she greeted me early wed. Am. Wanting to know if she could use the church phone to try to track him down. I asked her if this happened very often (him simply not coming home at night) she assured me that it had not happened for many years. She was crying as she explained, and I put a reassuring arm around her shoulder (an obvious mistake at that point). She was able to get the answers that satisfied her after a few phone calls. It seems Roger had run out of gas and slept in the pick up over night.

As he pulled into the church property with his beat up truck, ratty trailer, and very grease stained clothes…. Well I truly “looked down on him”. I thought, what on earth am I doing letting these people stay on our church property. They are living from hand to mouth, and who knows, they may steal from us even though they sincerely talked about perhaps attending church. His fairly long graying hair put him in my “Vietnam” generation, but his life at this point put him light years from how I live. I looked down on him, and his salvage operation.

In the midst of my “superior” thoughts, along came God The Holy Spirit and said: Hey Richard … yeah you! You are only a couple of decisions from living the life he lives. That’s right. You could have made a couple of decisions, not a lot, just a few decisions, and that would be you hauling junk and living in a worn out motor home, in a day to day existence.

The whole rest of the day I was uncomfortable. I could not say; “Oh God please forgive me”, often enough. In fact the words echoed through my mind and heart like through some desolate cave. Again and again and again I cried, as I do at this very moment; “Oh my Lord please forgive me”. Roger matters to you; his wife matters to you; and I have a very, very strong feeling deep down inside that if I am going to claim your peace again … he had better matter to me.

Today I had a very good conversation with Roger and his wife. I like them.

Peace …. Peace River Wesleyan Church …. Port Charlotte, Fl …. Richard Lauby

4-7-06

The "rest of the story"

Americas friend Paul Harvey is famous for his saying "and now you know the rest of the story".
Today I had the privilege to speak with one of my respected friends at our Wesleyan World Headquarters. In the course of the conversation someone (an unnamed source, sorry) said "a whole lot of pastors, that is a whole lot of pastors" (red neck sounding to hide the identity) think that HQ is not trusting of the pastors in our churches. It is as if the poor "Doofus" (not an actual name) who pastors the local Wesleyan church is clueless about how to make his church, (pick one) a. survive. b. grow c. flourish e. or even look good "on paper". So ... the conclusion goes ... why listen to the pastors who labor in the whitened fields when we have information that lets us have the "big picture", and thus ... after all ... we do in fact ... know what is best for our churches. In some instances that may or may not be the case but let "Paul" continue. Then the reply comes back. Oh, by the way, HQ feels that the pastors think of HQ in some similar ways. The "Grand Doofus (or Doofi)" are not considered by the pastors to "be in touch with reality" (as it is experienced in the trenches). Therefore ... HQ will busy themselves answering questions that pastors are not asking, and creating programs that the pastors find ineffective in their local setting. So ... at half time the coach says ... "guys ... we are still in the game, but you better get it together". What the "coach" means is that the team had better do something quite different than what these previous lines have depicted. Paul would say: "now you know the rest of the story". Lord help us ... i certainly hope not! To whatever degree these two groups of people can begin to work as a team, will spell out clearly on the score board, as will any lack of teamwork. A scary thought, but the score board don't lie. Oh Paul ... Hey Paul .... You ain't heard ... "The Rest Of The Story". Oh lord help us ... I hope he hasn't. I really really .... really ... hope there is more to the story. (secretly i think there is, and i ain't tellin' Paul)

They Ain't Sayin'

I am sure someone knows ... but "They Ain't Sayin'".

I am sure someone knows what percentage of students enrolled in each of our Wesleyan colleges are Wesleyans. I am sure someone knows that actual number of Wesleyan students that we have at each college. I am sure that someone knows how many students are preparing at each of our colleges for ministry in a Wesleyan church. I am sure that someone knows the total number of pastoral ministry students are in the "pipeline" of our colleges and flame training. I am sure someone knows how many of our churches are struggling for want of a better equipped pastor for their church. I am sure someone knows how many churches we could plant in each district if we had qualified and willing pastors to plant them. I am sure that someone knows how many of our baby boomer pastors are going to be retiring in the next five to ten years. I am sure someone knows how difficult it will be to fill that many positions. I am sure that somone knows how very difficult it is for our district supts. to find quality pastors to fill our existing churches. I am sure someone knows what we as a denominatin are going to do when in just a few years an incredible "shortfall" of pastors hits us. I am sure someone knows what will happen to our denomination as we rapidly replace our Wesleyan pastors with pastors from many different denominations. I am sure that someone knows what that already growing impact will be on the future of our denomination.
BUT ... "They Ain't Sayin'" THEY SIMPLY ... AIN'T SAYIN'

BUT .... I FOR ONE .... REALLY .... REALLY .... WISH ... "THEY" WOULD.