9Marks E-Journal: Counsel for Young Pastors

9Marks has posted there March/April 2009 e-journal also available in a pdf formt.  This edition is centered on practical advice for the young pastor.  Below is the Editor’s Note and the table of contents.

Editors Note:

“Clear vision but little depth perception.” That’s how I’ve heard Mark Dever characterize young pastors.

Young pastors see their doctrine with utter clarity. They know exactly what a church should look like. But they don’t know how to assess what’s important, what’s really important, and what can be overlooked. Their gauges haven’t developed.

Probably, the best solution for this is plain old experience. Yet a little battle wisdom from older men can’t hurt, either. So we turned to several pastors who have walked a few miles down ministry’s road, asking them to pass on a morsel or two of counsel.

Bob Johnson and Ken Swetland talk about getting started. Matt Schmucker, Mark Dever, and Phillip Jensen offer their thoughts on making changes. Philip Ryken and Robert Norris help us persevere to the end. And a couple of younger guys, like Aaron, Greg, and me, throw in our two cents.

One word of caution about an eJournal full of practical advice: Wisdom can be found in principles of the sort you’ll find here. But wisdom always begins with a posture of heart—a heart the trusts and fears the Lord. Only this heart finds the wisdom to know which principles apply when: “Is now the time not to answer the fool according to his folly (Prov. 26:4)? Or is now the time to answer him according to his folly (Prov. 26:5)?”

Only the Lord will make your paths straight.

That means that we cannot tell you exactly how to pastor your church, unless the matter is plainly Scriptural. You’re God’s man for that job. So take what’s offered here. Consider how it might apply in your context. But above all else, guard your heart, that it would fear only him.

We’re praying for your pastoral work, reader. Pray, too, for us.

Table of Contents:

YOUNG PASTORS: WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?

A Pastor’s Priorities For Day One
So you’re a brand new pastor. What do you do when you show up at the office on Monday?
By Bob Johnson

The Goals and Benefits of an Installation Service
More than a formality, an installation service gives you a chance to set the tone for your pastorate and begin the work of shepherding.
By Aaron Menikoff

YOUNG PASTORS: WHAT DID YOU INHERIT?

8 Steps for Dealing with Difficult Leaders
What do you do when influential members of your church are—shall we say—less than helpful?
By Ken Swetland

Dealing with Bad Documents
You’re the pastor now, but the church constitution is clunky and the statement of faith is almost heretical. What do you do?
By Greg Gilbert

YOUNG PASTORS: HOW DO YOU LEAD CHANGE?

Is This a Hill Worth Dying On?
Some pastors make every dispute a hill to die on; others wouldn’t fight to save their grandmother’s life. Schmucker offers some guidance.
By Matt Schmucker

What I CAN and CANNOT Live With as a Pastor
What issues are worth fighting—or leaving—over? Are there any criteria?
By Mark Dever

Love the Church More than its Health
Pastors need to love the people in their church more than their dream of a healthy church.
By Jonathan Leeman

Should Pastors Change Anything in the First Year?
An old maxim says, “If you don’t change something in the first year you never will; and whatever you change in the first year will be a mistake.” Is that right?
By Phillip Jensen

One from the Vault: Mark Dever’s classic article from 2000, How to Change Your Church

YOUNG PASTORS: HOW TO PERSEVERE!

WWJD—What Would Jim Do?
James Montgomery Boice’s successor shares a few lessons he learned from watching a master.
By Philip Graham Ryken

Shepherding and Trust
A church doesn’t learn to trust its pastors overnight; he better be in it for the long haul.
By Robert Norris

A Pastor For Now
Why Mark loves the pastorate, but will be happy to proceed to what’s next.
By Mark Dever

MISCELLANEOUS BOOK REVIEWS

Book Review: Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace, by Harvie M. Conn
Reviewed by Greg Gilbert

Book Review: Jesus the Evangelist, by Richard D. Phillips
Reviewed by Byron Straughn

Book Review: The Heart of Evangelism, by Jerram Barrs
Reviewed by Geoff Chang

Book Review: Vibrant Church, by Thom S. Rainer & Daniel L. Akin
Reviewed by Jonathan Leeman

Book Review: Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger
Reviewed by Graham Shearer

AUDIO—LEADERSHIP INTERVIEWS

On Books with D.A. Carson
Posted on February 25th, 2008
Mark Dever asks D.A. Carson for a tour of how he writes and what he’s written.

Christian Discipleship and Growth with Donald Whitney
Posted on January 25th, 2008
Don Whitney discusses busyness, praying through Scripture, the disciplines, mysticism, and more.

9Marks: Raising Up the Next Generation of Pastors

The January/Feburary 2009 edition of the 9Marks journal is now available. A pdf file is available as well.  Below is the index.

9Marks:

RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION OF PASTORS

Raising Up Pastors Is the Church’s Work
Seminaries are neither necessary nor necessarily advisable for future pastors. They are useful for some, so long as churches don’t surrender the commission that Christ gave to them.
Part 1 of an interview with Mark Dever

How Do Pastors Raise Up Pastors?
Not every church can afford an internship program or pastor’s college. So where does a pastor begin? It turns out he begins with what’s most important.
Part 2 of an interview with Mark Dever

A Seminary President’s Forum
We asked a roundtable of seminary presidents why their seminary is needed, as well as what encouraging work they’re seeing in local churches.
Answers from Daniel L. Akin, Bryan Chapell, Dennis P. Hollinger and Paige Patterson

A Pastor’s Forum
We asked a roundtable of pastors whether churches have the responsibility of raising up the next generation of pastors and, if so, why?
Answers from Rickey Armstrong, Stephen E. Farish, David Helm, Juan Sanchez and Sandy Willson

The Church as Classroom: The History of Master’s Seminary
Here’s the story of how one local church pursued the mission of equipping future leaders.
By Nathan Busenitz

HOW THREE CHURCHES MENTOR PASTORS

“I Learned the Hard Way”—Mentoring at South Woods Baptist
By Phil A. Newton

“Why Are We Joyfully Committed?”—Mentoring at Bethlehem Baptist
By Tom Steller

“Look, It’s the Church’s Job”—Mentoring at Lakeview Baptist
By Al Jackson

CHURCH-AFFILIATED TRAINING PROGRAMS

9Marks wants to see more churches and pastors taking responsibility for raising up the next generation of pastors. To help our readers catch a vision for what that might look like, we asked several organizations closely tied to one or several local churches how they fulfill this mission. With one exception, each of the following organization answers the same 18 questions.

• • Bethlehem College and Seminary (formerly TBI) Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Capitol Hill Baptist Church Washington, DC
  • Charles Simeon Trust Chicago, Illinois
  • Cornhill Training Course London, England
  • ENTRUST Durban, South Africa
  • Lakeview Baptist Church Auburn, Alabama
  • Ministry Training Strategy (different format) Sydney, Australia
  • Sovereign Grace Pastors’ College Gaithersburg, Maryland

(HT: Owen Strachan)

Practical Lessons and Wisdom on Parenting

Matt and Elizabeth Schmucker have provided 30 lessons, 10 tips, and “don’ts” for parenting.  Below is just a portion of their article.  Be sure to read the whole thing.

The Schumuckers:

Lessons About Ourselves

1. To be a faithful steward of your children you must abide in Christ (John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”).
2. “Trickle down theory” – Mom’s daily devotion naturally trickles down to encouragement and instruction in the Lord for the children.
3. Not listening to your children causes you to misjudge them (James 1:19-20: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires”).
4. Our task list is not as important as our children’s thought life.
5. Preach the gospel of grace, not self-discipline.
6. Being parented is defining; Parenting is refining.
7. You will parent the way you were parented unless you think things through.
8. Parents should become “smaller” as their children become bigger. In other words, a parent should become more transparent in confessing one’s sin and in sharing past struggles as children mature. Your children should hear more about your fight for faith as they grow older. Don’t be a plastic Christian!
9. Ordinary times make for extraordinary memories.
10. To have children is to need margin in your life.
11. A disreputable life will undermine the gospel. An exemplary life will commend it.

(HT: Challies)

What to Look For in an Elder at Your Church?

Church Matters:

IV. We Are Looking for Men Who Are Already Recognized as “Elderly”

– We want men who are known, because they attend.

– We want men who are known as a person of love.

– We want men who are known as a person of wisdom and knowledge and confidence

– Discipling others, serving faithfully.

– Putting the church’s interests above his own.

– All this makes you a center of gravity in the church. Not a loyal opposition center-of-gravity, but a person whom the people of this church are already gravitating to as a pastoral figure.

– We want to say, “How could we not recognize this person as an elder?”

9Marks e-journal for Sept/Oct 2008 on Family and Parenting

The latest e-journal is now available at 9Marks.  Centering on family and parenting topics discussed range from the decision to take your family overseas on the mission field to recommendations for children’s books.  Below is the table of contents.  You can access the PDF here.

FAMILY & PARENTING
Wanted: Kingdom Families

Embedded Portraits: A Theological Vision for Families

Part 1: Why Families Matter to God
Part 2: How Families Minister to the
Church and the World
Part 3: Raising Boys vs. Raising Girls

Book Review: Family Driven Faith
By Voddie Baucham Jr
Reviewed by Michael Lawrence

Book Review: Practicing Hospitality
By Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock
Reviewed by Adrienne Lawrence

Learning to Multiply

39 Lessons, 20 Tips and 10 “Don’ts” For Parenting

Favorite Children’s Bibles

MISCELLANEOUS BOOK REVIEWS
Book Review:
Gracism: The Art of Inclusion
by David A. Anderson
Reviewed by Ken Jones

Book Review:
Multicultural Ministry: Finding Your Church’s Unique Rhythm
by David A. Anderson
Reviewed by Juan Sanchez

Book Review:
Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandates, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation
by Mark DeYmaz
Reviewed by Benjamin Wright