In most Baptist Churches, the pastor serves until he passes away, voluntarily resigns or terminated by church for some ethical or moral indiscretions. Therefore, many Baptist churches have enjoyed their pastors for longer intervals than some other denominations. In my ministry context at Oak Grove Baptist Church (OGBC) the former pastor served for forty-six years and died unexpectedly. Unfortunately, OGBC did not have any procedures in place for pastoral transition and was unprepared for the change. Pastoral transition can be difficult for any church that does not have procedures in place. Once the church has selected a candidate the work of welcoming the new pastor and his family begins. In addition, the work of strengthening the relationships …show more content…
With that said, the time has come at OGBC to manage the inevitable transition of welcoming a new pastor. The researcher is an associate minister at OGBC and recognized the need for developing a transition plan to help her church to transition well. Transition is the process of letting go of the ways things used to be and then holding on of the way they subsequently become. William Bridges identifies a place in between the transition process called the “neutral zone”. Bridges suggests that while in the neutral zone people resist the transition because it takes longer (often much longer) than change, and it leaves us in this zone while a replacement reality and a new reality is gradually being formed. The researcher’s church was in the neutral zone for three years until they finally selected a new pastor. The time has come for OGBC to let go of the way things used to be and take hold of the way things have become and then move forward with their new pastor embracing the process for a healthy pastoral transition. Transition is the way that we all come to terms with change. The pastoral transition process does not have to be chaotic thus, this project is develop in the anticipation to make the way smoother for …show more content…
In this periscope, Moses is encouraging the people and Joshua as they begin to enter the promised land. Moses is aware of his departure as leader and Joshua becoming his successor (Deut. 31:1-3). According to William Bridges transition process, Moses is preparing the people for transition in leadership. Moses words solidifies the need to let go of the way they did things under his leadership and embrace the leadership of Joshua (Deut. 31:7). The 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness reflects what Bridges calls the “neutral zone”. The time in which they were in between letting go of the way things used to be under Moses leadership and beginning again towards the promise land under Joshua leadership. Once the Israelites entered the promised land the process of a “new beginning” under Joshua’s leadership is underway. The transition from Moses leadership to Joshua reflects Bridges transition process. In addition, it provides a valuable and biblical reference for pastoral
I agree with Kitchens, Mead, and Roxburgh who all basically say in their own way that one change in ministry that we need to focus on more is the congregational life of the church. However, I think Mead explains it best when he says that the future church must be more intentional in the spiritual formation of its laity (Mead, location 919). According to Mead, the church is moving towards becoming a more missional institution that cares for the needs of the community. Therefore, oftentimes laity will be the ones on the front lines and will need the capacity to minister to people on their own without the help of clergy. In order to do this they will need more directed and intensive training to deal with...
Everyone has their own unique life experiences, and it is inevitable that every personal life is connected to communal life which refers to history. My father, Kisoo Yoon also has unique life experiences, going through the history of World War 2 and Korean War. He was born in 1929 in Pyongyang, the capital city now of North Korea, raised in his grandmother’s Methodist tradition. When he was 22 year old, his pastor died a martyr to his faith because of persecution by the army of North Korea during Korean War. The pastor asked my father heartily to go to South Korea and become a pastor before he died. The pastor wanted my father to work continually for the Kingdom of God. My father left his hometown, but
What sources and conversation partners does s/he draw on? There are many factors that he draws upon. The primary experiences are working with youth and young adults.
Just as the author states for a church to develop new thinking and a new approach they have to be taught through interaction and experience. If their experience is not a favorable one and there is not a general spiritual and human consensus then the leader applying transformative theories to further develop and improve the church must reassess. Ultimately because humanism is involved in this process church leaders must also be resolved to the fact that not everyone 's perception will be the same, and therefore makes the transformative learning process a very arduous tool of
What is Christianity and why has it been able to develop into a continuously growing and evolving religion?
The Romans Road is a direct outline of how one is to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. It is a step by step method that guides a person from the time they realize their sin and their need for a Savior to the point where they accept Jesus and begin to live their life for Him. The Romans Road uses verses from the book of Romans to justify and explain each step of the process. There is a total of seven steps starting with recognizing the role of God as Creator and us as the creation and ending with the decision to follow Jesus and make Him Lord of your life.
...ne woman stopped me, as I thought I was finally able to catch my breath, and she said “We need young people.” Then it dawned on me, I am the preacher. I am the one to whom others look to find peace, comfort, and solace while going through their current situation. I am the one pointing “out the details to those who come to” (page 185) me. . As I reflect on Willimon’s role of preacher this ordeal enabled me to truly reflect on this role. Again, Willimon’s assertion for the proclamation of a “new life” comes to mind. We have to be engaged in “creative service and rich fellowship.” (Page 181) This is paramount if the church wishes to continue to thrive in an ever growing and ever changing world. I am committed to helping the church reach that plateau and transform their way of being into a new way of living. (Just to note, the pastor was released and is doing well)
Within our church, we believe the best way to conduct education is through the confines of small group in which sermon based curriculum is develop. Research suggest that people drop out, fail to go consistently, or fail to grow in a church have discovered that the first few months are a critical time period for that reason, it is important that a strong bond be between an individual and others in the church at this time. 80 to 90 percent of individuals who join a church become inactive during the first six months because no relational bond was established. Therefore, it is important that as a church we implement practical methodologies for grounding a person in the discipleship process. People who become members of small groups develop meaningful relationships, which result in strong bonds with the local church. This is what we ultimately w...
Christian Retreats can rejuvinate and refresh the spirits of particpamnts. Taking time out of life to commune with God and talk to Jesus is important for every Christian man. The rewarding experience of a Christian Mens retreat has the added benefit of filling one with Christ' love, renewal of fellowship in parsihoner, and the reward of great memories.
If I wrote this paper 20 years ago while I was attending North Central Bible College, my thoughts on what I believed was the personal call on my life and of my plans for ministry after college would have created an essay that is significantly different than what I am writing here. My interpretation of a calling was probably like most of the students that attended NCBC, that it is a divine mission placed on your life, meaning that your life is dedicated to the furthering of the Gospel through the means of full-time career minded ministry. As a very typical Assembly of God church attendee that grew up in the church, my understanding was that this calling would take on the form of a staff pastor at a local Assembly of God church, such as a children's, youth, music, associate, or a senior pastor. At that time I believed that I would eventually become the senior pastor at an Assembly of God church. Although many ascribe to this interpretation, and I thank God everyday for those that have that calling, I now believe that my interpretation is no longer defined that narrow. Simply, I no longer believe that my personal calling is for fulltime pastoral ministry. The journey I took that lead me to realize this fact was initially very exciting, but quickly turned into a very disappointing one and has been a source of much discouragement and insecurity over the years. Only within the past 10 years or so have I discovered and accepted the true calling that God placed on my life.
The differences between spiritual transformation and conversion can be made by giving the distinction between spirituality and religion that now dominates much of the scientific study of religion. Psychologists define conversion as a radical transformation of self, and these definitions emphasize intrapersonal processes. Spiritual transformation is expressed in nonconventional religious language and often in opposition to religious institutions from which the individual has converted. The concept of deconversion careers makes clear that for some converts, a variety of conversion experiences can be expected. This characterizes converters to a new religious movement, the majority of whom can be expected to leave within a few years.
The first hazard a young pastor may come across is his companions. Friends will either make or break a person, and friends will either make
Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, begins the process of spiritual transformation. Taking on the spirit of Christ is a direct result of being obedient to the commandments given by God to the believer. The first element of the transformation phase, which is the process of change from the sinful nature of man, to accepting the spirit of Christ becoming a Christian renovating into Christ’s image. The transforming of one’s mind, heart and soul. While it is true the beginning stage starts in the mind. Spiritual formation does not only effect the believer’s intellect, it transforms the inner and outer life as well. Ruth Barton points out how Paul parallels the process by using the metaphor of a mother giving birth to her child and the
There are a lot of religions in this world. Among the religions are; Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. At all time, religions have plays a vital role in the progress of human civilization (Huston, 2003, as cited in Yaxin, 2012). Generally, religions can be considered to be meaningful phenomena in human affairs. Although it can be as an indicator of human civilization, how it may lead to a conversion of one religion to another religion in some cases?
It is hard to define religious experience as a large part of it is subjective. By their very nature religious experiences are incredibly personal and differ wildly from individual to individual. Everyone is going to react to a religious experience differently; some will dismiss it, others will take it to heart and it can change their lives. Religious experiences can happen from almost anywhere, from the beauty of being out in nature or in the middle of a church service. How one interprets a religious experience is largely “depends on the culture, ideas, and language of that particular time and place” (Thompson, 7).