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61 pages

English

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In a church culture that is rapidly losing its unique, intergenerational make-up in favor of small groups and even entire churches designed to target specific age groups, it can be difficult for ministers to relate to those who are not in their own demographic. But Warren and David Wiersbe, representing two generations, believe that generational differences should not keep ministers from relating to their congregations. In this thoughtful and practical book, they offer ten principles for Christian service that always work, at all times and in all places, inviting ministers to get back to the basics of serving others. New and seasoned pastors alike will find this a welcome source of inspiration and instruction on how they can relate and minister to people of all ages.

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 juillet 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441234629
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0432€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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10 P OWER P RINCIPLES FOR Christian Service
Other Titles by Warren W. Wiersbe (Selected)
Being a Child of God
Be Myself (autobiography)
The Bible Exposition Commentary (2 vols.)
The Bumps Are What You Climb On
Developing a Christian Imagination
Elements of Preaching
God Isn t in a Hurry: Learning to Slow Down and Live
The Integrity Crisis
On Being a Servant of God
Prayer, Praise, and Promises: A Daily Walk through the Psalms
So That s What a Christian Is! 12 Pictures of the Dynamic Christian Life
Turning Mountains into Molehills: And Other Devotional Talks
Victorious Christians You Should Know
Wiersbe s Expository Outlines on the New Testament
Wiersbe s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament

1997, 2010 by Warren W. Wiersbe and David W. Wiersbe
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3462-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture marked Message is taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New Century Version Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Contents
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Introduction: The Tale of Two Churches
1. The Foundation of Ministry Is Character
2. The Nature of Ministry Is Service
3. The Motive of Ministry Is Love
4. The Measure of Ministry Is Sacrifice
5. The Authority of Ministry Is Submission
6. The Purpose of Ministry Is the Glory of God
7. The Tools of Ministry Are the Word of God and Prayer
8. The Privilege of Ministry Is Growth
9. The Power of Ministry Is the Holy Spirit
10. The Model of Ministry Is Jesus Christ
Conclusion: Two Open Letters
Notes
Preface to the Second Edition
A new edition of any book usually means that its message continues to be valuable. We want the next generation of pastors and Christian workers to benefit from this second edition.
As the speed of change increases, churches and their leaders need a stable foundation from which to evaluate and respond to ministry opportunities. Principles provide stability and perspective. We believe the couplet
Methods are many, principles are few; Methods always change, principles never do.
We have followed these ten principles in our own ministries and have applied them to test each new method that has been recommended to us. They have helped us pursue eternal goals and avoid current trends.
We reviewed the principles in this book in light of presentday challenges to American (and global) economics and culture. While ministry methods must be adapted to a constantly-shifting culture, we know from experience that these ten biblical principles are still supremely effective. Pastors and leaders are called to build Christ s church for eternity. Techniques can build a crowd but only sacrificial service will build a church. Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing, says John Henry Jowett.
Our prayer is that the Holy spirit of God will give all of us eyes to see the truth, hearts to love the truth, wills to obey the truth, and courage to stand up for the truth, until our Lord returns. His purifying fire will test the quality of our work, revealing if our ministry produced ashes or merited reward (1 Cor. 3:13). At that time each will receive their praise from God, (1 Cor. 4:5).
May we all end well!
Warren W. Wiersbe David W. Wiersbe
Preface to the First Edition
I n 1983, we published a book for ministerial students called Making Sense of the Ministry. Its success was modest, and in 1989, Baker Book House issued a second, enlarged edition. The response from seminary personnel, pastors, and students was encouraging, but we discovered that chapters 3 and 4 ( Some Principles of Ministry ) were considered by many to be the best part of the book.
When Chuck Swindoll read these ten principles over his Insight for Living radio program it created new interest in the book, but by then it was out of print and not scheduled for reprinting. Our friend and editor, Jim Weaver, at Baker Book House suggested a book expanding on each of the ten principles designed for both ministers and ministerial students.
Since we represent two different ministerial generations, we tried to achieve some sort of balance in an age when churches seem to be going from one extreme to another. We hope we succeeded. This is not a time for generation bashing.
Both of us are busy in ministry, so it wasn t easy to find time to share ideas, write, and assess our work. But thanks to telephones, computers, machines, and the blessing of the Lord, and a lot of patience on the part of our publisher, we have completed the book.
We trust that what we ve written will not only help God s seasoned servants as they minister in an age of change, but will also encourage ministerial students and younger pastors as they get started in their work. In spite of the bad press the church occasionally receives, there are some great things happening among God s people, especially pastors, and we rejoice in it. If we build on principles, our work will endure. If we embrace every new idea that comes along, without reflection, we will find ourselves only trying to hug the wind.
The stories about pastors and churches used in these chapters are fictional. If you think we ve written about you, your church, or somebody you know in ministry, please be sure that you re mistaken. Unfortunately, the bad situations we describe frequently occur in churches because people are people, and the good situations we write about don t occur enough.
Over the years, we have both been helped by reading books about ministry, so if this book brings encouragement to other ministers, we are grateful. This is one way to repay the great debt that we owe to others.
Warren W. Wiersbe David W. Wiersbe
Introduction The Tale of Two Churches
T his will probably be our last pastorate, John Chandler said to his wife as they unpacked the everyday dishes and put them the dishwasher. But I think it will be our best.
I agree with you, Martha replied encouragingly, as she always did. To her, John Chandler was the greatest preacher who ever lived, and the thirty-two years they d served together had been exciting and enriching.
John went on. The Lord willing, I m good for the next six or seven years. And then it s off to that little house in Colorado, where I ll have lots of time for reading and fishing and doing whatever pulpit ministry the Lord opens up for me.
Well, you certainly have plenty of experience to draw on from our last three churches, Martha said. Your ideas have always worked and they ll work here at Briarwood. This is our first suburban church, so let s enjoy it. They wouldn t have called you if they didn t think you could do the job.
But Pastor Chandler didn t do the job. After eight painful months as pastor of Briarwood New Life Fellowship, he was ready to quit. In spite of his excellent track record in previous pastorates, almost every idea John had suggested at Briarwood had been turned down by the members of his young suburban congregation.
At first John was baffled by this response and walked away from board meetings muttering, Baby boomers! Then he became bitter and hardly spoke to the church officers at all. Finally, feeling that his time was short, he became belligerent and unfortunately started to make enemies in the church. That was when Tom Harris, chairman of the board, stepped in to rescue him.
Pastor, the church loves you and wants you to stay and the board wants you to stay. Youngsters like us need leaders like you and Martha. You ve got the kind of maturity and experience that have enriched all of us. It s just that you re going to have to accept us as we are and learn to go with the flow.
But nobody s accepted one idea I ve presented! John protested. I feel like a reject.
Then stop presenting ideas for a few months. Just live with us, preach to us the way you did when you first came, get to know us, and then together we ll work out the future. You have some growing to do and so do we. I admit we re younger and different, and you ll have some adjusting to do; but together we can make this ministry work.
John thanked Tom; he talked the matter over with Martha, and they prayed together. They agreed to stay, come what may. John started meeting the young leaders personally and Martha visited with their wives, and before long all of them bonded. Today John laughs at the dumb things he did trying to make people grow up overnight, and he confesses his bad attitude toward that younger generation. Today, Briarwood New Life Fellowship is exploding with power and people, and John is grooming his associate to become the next senior pastor.
Kevin and Karen Randall were excited as they read the letter from Grace Bible Church. They had been accepted! After four years of Bible colle