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Something that you need to know about your pastor is that he (she) is always being watched. For some reason there is this strange fascination with the pastor. People want to know where they live (I try and keep the cave well hidden), what kind of car they drive and even what restaurants they frequent. If MTV did a series of episodes called Pastoral Cribs I bet it would be very popular.

I can only assume that some of this obsession is because a lot of people think the pastor is in some way different from them. It’s like they have somehow achieved something that other people may never experience. Not everyone feels this way mind you but a lot of people do.

Another way pastors are watched is in their conduct. People are looking for us to mess up and we never let them down (refer to the next post in this series). Maybe they want to catch us speeding, losing our temper or doing lines with a homosexual prostitute but whatever the mistake you can bet someone saw it. And that person is usually already cynical to begin with and terrible at keeping secrets. So whether it was just a little mistake or not, for the pastor everything can turn into a life altering situation if not handled swiftly.

I believe this happens for one of two reasons. Either people simply love to point out the shortcomings of others and what a better candidate than the pastor or they feel it excuses them from their own failures. It’s as if they say that if the pastor can’t keep it together then there is no hope for the rest of us so why bother. Sure does make life easier with all of that pressure removed.

With the above in mind let me just say on behalf of all pastors, we are not your excuse. We will mess up because we are human which is the same reason you mess up. The sooner we realize this the sooner we can take our eyes off of each other and start looking to Christ who is the only one who can deal with our mess.

This post is the reason why I protect my home. I am called to pastor LifePoint but wife is not and I do not wish to subject her to the same scrutiny that comes with that calling. I realize that on many levels there is nothing I can do to protect her from it but I will always do what I can.

In a young church like ours this may not happen quite like this but bear with me.

It’s Sunday morning. You have just sat through about 30 minutes of music and now it is time for the message. A person that you know nothing about gets up to share what God has been revealing to them. Who is he (she)? We listen to them week after week but do we really know them from their occasional anecdotes.

The truth is that most people who attend church never really know their pastor. How could they? The pastor is busy running everything and making sure that the church stays on track. The pastor has so many people to meet how could her possibly find the time to get to know them all on a real personal level.

This was my experience of my pastor growing up. I grew up in Upstate New York at a church called Mt. Zion Ministries. My pastor was Michael Servello Sr. He was (is) an amazing man of God and I still have such great memories of his leadership. The church at the time was about 800 to 900 people but he seemed to know everyone in such a personal way. I rarely got to talk to him myself but he always remembered my name and seemed to know more about me and my family than I thought was possible. He did this with everyone and it always impressed me. A little while ago though I started to wonder, although he seemed to know everyone, how many people actually knew him?

In this series of posts I am going to share some things about your pastor that you may not know. They are definitely true of me and I am pretty confident they are true of your pastor as well, regardless of what church you attend. My hope is that it will help with some of the many misunderstandings that take place between pastors and their congregations. On a personal level I hope it will help all of you LifePointers get know me a little better and perhaps understand where I am coming from and where we are going.

I saw this a while ago and have been meaning to put it up. I am definitely not saying that this is the guy to vote for; I’m just saying that there is something so right about someone who would make this ad.

Sometimes it is an extremely tedious process to create a system that will make things easier and more efficient. Part of leadership is discovering what things need to be improved and what things need to decommissioned.

When I think of a communicator’s style I think about their notes, voice, and even map if you will. I may have lost some of you on these so I will hit them one at a time.

NOTES

Rick Warren uses a heavily detailed outline while Craig Groeschel uses a very simple outline. Ed Young Jr. uses a mind map while some preachers use a full transcript. Andy Stanley doesn’t use any notes at all. It just goes to show that one size does not fit all. Find what works for you and perfect it.

I personally don’t use any notes and that works for me. Part of what led me to this style is the idea that if I can’t remember my message why should anyone else.

VOICE

I’m not speaking of pitch. Some communicators are naturally funny but try and fight it because they feel preaching should always be serious. Don’t do it. It’s your God given voice and you should use it to the fullest. Although not my favorite style to listen to, some are yelling preachers. These people sound like they are excited even when they are reading the begats. If that is your voice then start experimenting on how to use it effectively. You are who God created you to be and you owe it to him to be great at it.

Kevin would say that my style is a cross between Jerry Seinfeld (although not quite as funny) and Al Gore (although not quite as political). I don’t know how I feel about that but if it gets the right message to the right people then I’ll take it.

MAP

This is at least how Andy Stanly refers to it in his book, “Communicating for a Change”. You might refer to it as your outline, blueprint, storyboard, etc. This is different from you notes in that your notes are WHAT you are going to say while your map is the order in which you are going to say it so as to bring people to the same destination at the same time. A map helps you connect to your audience, make your point, connect to your audience and make your point.

A simplified map that you’ve most likely heard before is to tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. Andy Stanley’s map is ME, WE, GOD, YOU. WE. You can read his book for an explanation. My over simplified map goes like this. Make a connection between me, the audience and the topic at hand, let God’s Word address the real issue, and offer a challenge to follow Christ in light of what was revealed.

Whatever your style is; be it notes or no notes, loud or soft, 3 point outline or one single thought, my advice is this…find Christ, follow Christ, preach Christ.

As the primary communicator with a unique process you need to develop a team that feeds that process. Every communicator has a team. It may be a highly developed team or a rotating team but every communicator has one. Determining the type of team that fits your style is a huge help in presenting the most life changing messages you can offer.

To give you a look at the great divide of team use here are two different approaches. I’ve tried them both. In, The Big Idea, Dave Ferguson and co-authors share the secrets of a highly developed team. They have a schedule and responsibilities. They plan several weeks in advance. They have a detailed process to aid in the presentations of their Bid Idea” each week. It’s a great book…it didn’t work for me. Parts of it did but in LifePoint’s current state it wasn’t a fit for us.

Craig Groeschel, on the other hand, doesn’t use a team in the same way. In fact it doesn’t even appear to be a team. He rotates different people in at times to bounce his thoughts off. Oh, it’s a team but it has a loose application. Although my use of a team is similar it is still different. I’m just not good enough to do it that way.

Here is a hint, the team must fit the process. If you are an eight week out detailed, agenda oriented kind of communicator than a highly developed team might work for you. But if you are a more easy goes it, follow the flow type or an individually focused type then rotating a person in here and there might be perfect for you.

Another point would be that how you use a team might change over time. I have tried using every kind of teaching team you can think of. And how I do it now will probably not be how I do in 5 years. So how do I do it? Good question.

My process is based on how God is speaking to me at the time. This is different at different times of the year or stages in the church life. Because of this I don’t need a highly developed team or even just an occasional person to bounce ideas off of. I need a team that can adapt from week to week. One week they are creative team, the next they are team that I bounce ideas off of. Sometimes they contribute a bunch of message ideas and the other times they help me develop my ideas. This team meets every Monday night and I am grateful for their flexibility. It’s hard being on a team that you don’t know what might happen from one week to the next.

The point…my team fits my process and I couldn’t do it without them. Will it always be this way? Of course not but right now it works.

Here are the questions of process. It’s Saturday night, are you prepared? Have you had your message done for 8 weeks, 4 weeks, 2 weeks or are you just getting started? Do you spend more time in the Bible or on the internet? And the most important question…is it working?

Like I said in the first post, communicators come in many different shapes and sizes and there is no right way to prepare as long as YOU are prepared. Some people have a gift of advanced preparation; I am very envious of these people, while others are Saturday night oracles. In this post I will share my short journey to my current process of preparing for the Sunday message. Here is my story.

It was a Saturday night around 7pm almost 6 years ago. My phone rang and it was the Senior Pastor. He told me that he felt like I was supposed to deliver the message the next morning.  I had been assisting him for about a year but during that time I played a mostly behind the scenes role. I had never preached a full service before. I had shared a ten minute thought here and there but I had never been called upon to actually teach.

I was inexperienced and ill-prepared. I had some training in acting and stage presence but not as a public speaker. I didn’t know the first thing about preparing a message. I was nervous, anxious, but mostly excited. So I locked myself in our other room, at the time my wife and I only had two, with a notebook, a pen and my Bible to begin what would become my process. I really have come full circle on this one.

That first message was prepared with nothing but a few versus that God had been revealing to me over the past few years and a desire to present it in a simple fashion. I had no internet, no commentary and no preconceived ideas that I needed them. I just had God speaking into my life. It was a great message. The few people that remember that message still say it was one of the best I have ever delivered. So what happened?

To put it simply, I became insecure. Over the next few months, being surrounded by people who were far more educated than me, I arrived at the false conclusion that more information equals better information. In the pursuit to impress and make proud I took on the task of preaching messages jam packed with scripture, quotes, stories, illustrations and witty nuggets of wisdom. I had 45 minutes to an hour to fill and I was going to make sure each second was a WOW second.

It wasn’t long before my messages became sterile commentaries from the mouths of better communicators. I prepared too much in too short a time. I would start one week in advance with a topic and points in mind and then search the internet for relevant additives to make my points. On Saturday night I would arrange my wealth of gathered information into a detailed outline that would make a scholar proud but leave the average person wanting.

A couple years ago I realized that my process was stressful, time-consuming and even worse…ineffective. It’s not that quotes, stories, and antidotes are bad but it wasn’t who God called me to be. So a real journey started. I started reading a ton of books and trying on everyone else’s process. This post isn’t to take the place of self-discovery so you may just have to stay on the journey yourself. This is just to encourage you that your process needs to fit you and not everyone else. If I never read those books and watched those other teachers I would have never know I had it right with the first message I ever prepared.

Here is how I do it now and how I did it first. I start months and sometimes even years out. I know that sounds intimidating but stay with me. I have hundreds of messages brewing in me at any given moment. They come from my devotions, strange occurrences, normal life happenings and many other sources. The very first message I taught was from something that God started dealing with me about almost 3 years prior. I try to recognize the message from God everywhere and in everything. This is the most important part for me.

Four weeks out I have a topic and a Scripture or two in mind. Notice that I have no points to reinforce, just a topic and some Scriptures. Over the next four weeks I read and meditate on those Scriptures and allow God to reveal THE point. On the Saturday before the message is to be delivered I have a ton of thoughts that I spew out on Kevin. These thoughts are just what God has been revealing to me through the passages and my own insights. We discuss these for an hour or so. That night I meditate some more and put my thoughts in an appropriate order. That’s it.

I still use quotes and stories and antidotes but I don’t go searching for them anymore. They come by memory and out of a truly internalized message. I never worry about if I have enough to say or if it will be meaningful. When the message comes from God’s mouth and a sincere heart it is always meaningful and it is always more than enough.

I know the post was long but I hope you find some encouragement in my struggles.

Wow! These are some amazing statistics. Imagine if we shared this food with our less fortunate neighbors. We could feed several nations. It’s crazy.

Thanksgiving Day
Nov. 22, 2007

In the fall of 1621, the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. It eventually became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.

272 million
The preliminary estimate of turkeys raised in the United States in 2007. That’s up 4 percent from 2006. The turkeys produced in 2005 together weighed 7.2 billion pounds and were valued at $3.2 billion.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov/>

Weighing in With a Menu of Culinary Delights

46 million
The preliminary estimate of turkeys Minnesota expects to raise in 2007. The Gopher State is tops in turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (39 million), Arkansas (31 million), Virginia (21.5 million), Missouri (21 million) and California (16.8 million). These six states together will probably account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2007.

690 million pounds
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2007, essentially unchanged from 2006 and 11 percent more than 2005. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 390 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (180 million). New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 18 million to 52 million pounds.

1.6 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes — another popular Thanksgiving side dish — produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2006. North Carolina (702 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (381 million pounds). Mississippi and Louisiana also produced large amounts: at least 200 million pounds each.

1 billion pounds
Total pumpkin production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2006. Illinois led the country by producing 492 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania also provided plenty of pumpkins: Each state produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all the pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $101 million.

If you prefer cherry pie, you will be pleased to learn that the nation’s forecasted tart cherry production for 2007 totals 294 million pounds. Of this total, the overwhelming majority (230 million) will be produced in Michigan.

1.8 billion bushels
The total volume of wheat — the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pie crust — produced in the United States in 2006. Kansas and North Dakota accounted for 30 percent of the nation’s wheat production.

841,280 tons
The 2007 contracted production of snap (green) beans in major snap (green) bean-producing states. Of this total, Wisconsin led all states (310,200 tons). Many Americans consider green bean casserole a traditional Thanksgiving dish.
Source: The previous data come from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov/.

$9.5 million
The value of U.S. imports of live turkeys during the first half of 2007 — 99.5 percent from Canada. Our northern neighbor accounted for all of the cranberries the United States imported ($2.2 million). When it comes to sweet potatoes, however, the Dominican Republic was the source of 63 percent ($1.7 million) of total imports ($2.7 million). The United States ran a $4.9 million trade deficit in live turkeys during the period but had surpluses of $9.4 million in cranberries and $15.3 million in sweet potatoes.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www

13.1 pounds
The quantity of turkeys consumed by the typical American in 2005, with a hearty helping devoured at Thanksgiving time. Per capita sweet potato consumption was 4.5 pounds.
Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Tables 205-206 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

An Organic Feast

144,086
Number of certified organic turkeys on the nation’s farmland, as of 2005. Most of these turkeys were in Michigan (56,729) or Pennsylvania (48,815).
Source: USDA Economic Research Service <http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/organic/>

The Turkey Industry

$3.6 billion
The value of turkeys shipped in 2002. Arkansas led the way in turkey shipments, with $581.5 million, followed by Virginia ($544.2 million) and North Carolina ($453 million). In 2002, poultry businesses whose primary product was turkey totaled 35 establishments, employing about 17,000 people.
Source: Poultry Processing: 2002 http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i311615.pdf

$3.86 billion
Forecast 2007 receipts to farmers from turkey sales. This exceeds the total receipts from sales of products such as rice, peanuts and tobacco.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/farmincome/finfidmu.htm

The Price is Right

99 cents
Cost per pound of a frozen whole turkey in December 2006.
Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 709 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

Where to Feast

3
Number of places in the United States named after the holiday’s traditional main course. Turkey, Texas, was the most populous in 2006, with 489 residents; followed by Turkey Creek, La. (363); and Turkey, N.C. (270). There also are nine townships around the country named Turkey, three in Kansas.
Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

8
Number of places and townships in the United States that are named Cranberry or some spelling variation of the red, acidic berry (e.g., Cranbury, N.J.), a popular side dish at Thanksgiving. Cranberry township (Butler County), Pa., was the most populous of these places in 2006, with 27,509 residents. Cranberry township (Venango County), Pa., was next (6,900).
Source: Population estimates http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet,
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html.

28
Number of places in the United States named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims. Plymouth, Minn., is the most populous, with 70,102 residents in 2006; Plymouth, Mass., had 55,516. Speaking of Plymouth Rock, there is just one township in the United States named “Pilgrim.” Located in Dade County, Mo., its population was 135.
Source: Population estimates http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010315.html, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

114.4 million
Number of households across the nation — all potential gathering places for people to celebrate the holiday.
Source: Families and Living Arrangements: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/009842.html

God, thank you for our wealth but forgive us of our waste.

I was going to continue with my series but decided to lay low today. Instead just a quick post to say thank you to all who poor their lives into LifePoint. If I haven’t done it well enough to date, my goal is to make sure you know how extremely grateful I am to all who have picked up the vision of LifePoint as their own. When we all do that amazing things begin to happen.

Thank you and I hope you all have great day and I will see you this weekend for what I hope will be a supercharged Sunday. Eat some turkey for me.

Although no one has ever asked the question, my own insecurity always assumes people wonder why I am the primary communicator. Another way I assume they might be looking at it is that I am the Lead Pastor and therefore that is why I am the primary communicator. So in this installment of the series I will explain why I am the primary communicator. This is meant to help other teachers or those who considering the journey,  not the people who might question their validity, although it may help them too.

First let me share all the reasons that have NOT factored into why I am the primary communicator. First of all it’s not because I am the most educated. You can probably tell that just by reading this blog. I have two people in particular on our teaching team that are far more educated than me. One is a co-writer on this blog and the other a professor at Lee University.

Another reason that wasn’t really considered is the fact that I am the Lead Pastor. I know that seems strange but the Lead Pastor does not have to be the primary communicator. They must be a passionate communicator of the vision but that does not necessarily mean they must be the PRIMARY communicator. It helps if they are but many churches have shown that that is not a non-negotiable issue.

Finally, it is not because I am the best speaker. The reason I say that is because speaking style varies and each reach different audiences. My style may appeal to some and not to others. Dr. Ward’s style may really hit home with some and turn other people away. Kevin may be very influential with one group of people and yet get no response from another. Style is just that…style, but not a reason to choose a primary communicator.

Now don’t get me wrong, the above mentioned areas assist a primary speaker but they do not create the primary speaker. I am always trying to continue my education. The fact that I am the Lead Pastor makes it easier for people to hear me out and my style does matter as it relates to effectiveness. But the reason I am the primary communicator is because God called and gifted me to do it for LifePoint.

If you have been called to primary communicators role do not be intimidated by those with a better education, surround yourself with them so that you can learn more. Do not be frustrated that you don’t have the title; after all it is Holy Spirit and not your position that changes lives. And do not be discouraged if you are not the best speaker to ever walk the earth. You are the best speaker for the people God has sent you to.