Where Do Pastors Go to Cry?: Practical Principles You Won't Learn in Seminary

By Pastor Paul D. Stevens

Seminary plays a crucial role in the lives of ministers, pastors, and lay leaders. But seminary cannot teach you the real life, day to day, practical experiences and operation of leading God's people. In this book we will look at some practical principles a pastor will not learn in seminary. Many pastors are in for a rude awakening when they are called to their pastorate. They enter the job with excitement and zeal, only to be later frustrated by the everyday duties a pastor must deal with. This book will cover everything from understanding your call, how to handle criticism, do you and your church make a good fit, leading church meetings, to knowing when your assignment is over. We will discuss how to plan a construction project, dealing with ministry and staff betrayal, finding a mentor, the power of preaching the Word and spending time with the Lord in prayer. ( i will add a small photo of myself)

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468572933

Pastor Paul D. Stevens

Dr. Paul D. Stevens, Sr. is an ordained Baptist preacher who has been in pastoral ministry over 27 years. He has pastored in a traditional church setting, he has been a church planter, and understands the sacrifice and work that is needed to have a successful ministry. In the past 13 years, Dr. Stevens has led his congregation to grow from 150 to over 1500 members. Dr. Stevens has a passion for pastors, church growth, and church health. It is his desire that every church reach its God given potential and become a beacon light in its community and the world. Dr. Stevens is a sought after evangelist, conference speaker, and workshop leader. Dr. Stevens and his wife Belinda have been married for 27 years. They live in the Texas Hill Country outside of San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Stevens enjoys playing golf and exercising in the local gym.

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© 2012 Pastor Paul D. Stevens, D.Min. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse    06/11/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7295-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7294-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-7293-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012907053

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1

Understanding Your Call

Chapter 2

Don’t Be Afraid of Their Faces: Handling Critics

Chapter 3

The Pastor As C.E.O.

Chapter 4

Are You and Your Ministry a Good Fit?

Chapter 5

Leading a Church Meeting

Chapter 6

Keeping Balance in Ministry and In Your Life

Chapter 7

Before Construction Starts: What You Need

To Know Before You Build

Chapter 8

Dealing With Staff / Associate Minister Betrayal

Chapter 9

Know When Your Assignment Is Over

Chapter 10

Where Do Pastors Go To Cry? Find A Mentor

Chapter 11

The Power of Preaching the Word

Poem

Chapter 12

Go to the Rock: Spending Time

with the Lord in Prayer

Poem

Conclusion

Notes

Reflective Questions

Acknowledgements

To my wife Belinda who has been by my side through 28 years of ministry. We have walked together in this awesome calling by the grace of God. Thanks for your love and support throughout this journey.

To my friend, Chip Hannay. Thank you for being the first proof reader of this manuscript. Your encouragement and insight were very helpful.

To Nicole L. James, you did an awesome job editing this book and smoothing out the rough edges of my draft. Thank you so much for your time and input.

This book would not have been possible without the influences of all of my former pastors who have encouraged and mentored me throughout my years in ministry: Rev. Lloyd Joiner, Jr., Progressive Baptist Church, Lafayette, Louisiana, Rev. Joe D. Johnson, Riceville Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, Dr. J.S. Smith, (retired) New Light Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas, Dr. S.J. Gilbert, Sr., Pastor Emeritus,

Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Houston, Texas. Dr. Jimmy R. Stevens (biological brother), New Covenant Faith Baptist Church, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and above all, my father, the late Rev. Willie Stevens, Jr. the best mentor a son could have.

Introduction

Seminary plays a crucial role in the lives of ministers, pastors, and lay leaders. I am a great believer that seminary helps one to stir up his God-given gifts. There are many preachers / pastors today who are critical of seminary training. I believe when God calls men or women into the gospel ministry, He also calls them to prepare themselves through formal religious education.

I thank God for seminary training. While in seminary, I was able to truly discern what the Lord had called me to do. There was never any doubt as to my calling to preach. I just wanted to be the best preacher that I could be. If the Lord wanted me to pastor, I wanted to have had seminary training as a way of preparing myself for the task ahead.

In seminary I was taught about systematic theology, eschatology, pneumatology, hermeneutics, homiletics, apologetics, anthropomorphism, and the list goes on. I was taught church history, church polity, ethics, and the books of the Bible. There were classes in Old Testament and New Testament survey. I studied everything from interpersonal communication to how to write a dissertation. All of these classes were enjoyable and a blessing in my life. Seminary can and will prepare you to preach a sermon, but it cannot teach you how to be a preacher or a pastor. Seminary training will give you some valuable tools when it comes to being prepared or getting prepared for a vocation in ministry. But when it comes to being a pastor, seminary cannot teach that discipline. Seminary cannot teach you the real life, day to day, practical experiences and operation of leading God’s people. Being an effective pastor only comes from on the job training (OJT). Yes, it is God who gives you pastors after His heart, but you must ask the Lord for continued guidance in this awesome calling.

In the book of I Kings 3:3-13, when Solomon became king of Israel, he asked the Lord for wisdom to go out and come in before the people. Because of his humble request, God not only granted Solomon wisdom, but also riches.

In this book we will take a look at some practical principles a pastor will not learn in seminary. Many pastors are in for a rude awakening when they are called to their first pastorate. They enter the job with excitement and zeal, only to be later frustrated by the everyday duties a pastor must deal with. One cannot be effective as a pastor until he or she understands his or her calling. So, we will look at how to understand the call into ministry. We will also talk about dealing with different personalities, temperaments, and attitudes of the people you pastor. In other words, are you able to handle criticism? The role of the pastor is something one must understand as well. The pastor is like the CEO of a major corporation. In this book we will compare the role of a CEO and that of a Pastor. In Chapter 4 you will be challenged to see and know whether or not the church you pastor is a good fit for you. I believe that some churches are not right for every preacher / pastor.

Are you a good or gifted administrator, or would you rather someone else handle the church, staff, and other related issues? Being a good administrator is crucial for today’s pastor. Do you know how to lead a church meeting? Are you familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order? Are you able to interpret and communicate your church’s by-laws? As a pastor, you are to be aware of the demands on your time. We will discuss the pastor’s role as a CEO. Do you dread church meetings? Have you ever led a church meeting prior to becoming a pastor? These questions will be answered in Chapter 5.

Are you keeping balance in your life when it comes to the church and the home? Are you able to shift gears when you get home from the office? Can you separate between being a pastor at church, a husband at home and a loving father to your children? You should be able to transition from work to home with ease.

Are you prepared to pastor full-time or be a by-vocational pastor? Can the church afford to call a full-time preacher? How will you know when it is time to leave your secular job? Pastors must be careful not to get ahead of God. The most important of all chapters in this book is the chapter on the pastor spending plenty of time in prayer. The pastor must know without a shadow of a doubt when he is hearing the voice of God. Then you must know when your assignment as a pastor is over. Some pastors stay too long at a particular church when the Lord has released them long ago.

I believe pastors deal with several pent up frustrations and aggravations because they are often shocked by the everyday wear and tear of being in ministry. Many great preachers and pastors have walked away from ministry because they were not prepared to face unknown challenges. They were not prepared or did not expect ministry to be so demanding and time consuming. Yes, being a pastor involves more than preaching on Sunday mornings or teaching on Wednesday nights. Being a pastor involves more than blessing a few babies, making sick calls or officiating at weddings. Pastoring is hard work. It is not to be taken