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March 26, 2008

 

 

 



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Best Practices Sermon
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New Community

To the Point:

If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.
  - Robert X. Cringely

There are three kinds of people: those who are good at math and those who aren't.
 - Anonymous

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
  - Robert Jackson

All charming people have something to conceal, usually their total dependence on the appreciation of others.
  - Cyril Connolly

Got a favorite quote? Send it to BestPractices@ameritech.net. 
Gordon AnicEffective Ministry:
Michael Temple, Dickinson, North Dakota
In a perfect world God's church would not experience negatively aggressive behavior from its members, but all too often it's not the exception but the norm.  If you're a pastor or leader, you know just how frustrating some people can be when they are "acting out" in such destructive ways. 

Our response towards these disruptive behaviors can make an incredible difference. Accountability for words and actions that are demeaning, mean-spirited, or manipulative is not something we need to shy away from. It's a delicate balance between allowing people to say what's on their mind, while holding them accountable for negative and unacceptable behavior.

I've found something that works for me. It's a phrase that's certainly not fool-proof, but I find that it helps me cope and uncover real issues in tense situations. This "cushioned" response helps me stay focused on the issues and not on my feelings. Here it is:

"You must have a very good reason for saying (doing) what you just said (did); may I ask what that reason is?"

This phrase is both probing and problematic for the person you ask it of.  It takes the focus off the behavior and puts it on the person displaying the behavior. He or she must now be accountable for what he or she just said or did.  You have effectively set up an environment that lovingly says, "We won't allow destructive behavior (verbal or otherwise) in this church family without an honest and probing response to it. We care about you, so help us understand what's going on."  

Relational harmony in a congregation is a tall order. Although it's not a cure-all, this phrase has helped me move in that direction.

You can correspond with Michael at temples@ndsupernet.com.
Reading for Pastors
by Best Practices Editor, Loren Seibold
Resources and Ideas
by Best Practices Editor, Loren Seibold

  • Please note our sermon by A.W. Tozer, on the Second Coming of Christ. It is easy to forget that Jesus Christ is the purpose and center of the second coming! (I think it should go without saying, but of course we don't have to agree with everything Tozer says. But I hope we're able to get the message-a powerful one for Seventh-day Adventists, in this sermon-without being tripped up by a few doctrinal details.)
  • If you've found an especially thoughtful sermon online, please share it with us.
  • Insight magazine has opened it's own social networking website for youth, "theFlow, where people talk about the Water of Life." Visitors can create their own profiles, upload videos, start discussions, and join groups, in the manner of MySpace or Facebook, but with a clean, Christ-centered atmosphere. "Our goal is to connect with youth on their level and interact with them in a way they are familiar with" says Nick Bejarano, administrator of theFlow. "Secondly we want to create a place where youth of all faiths can come and learn about our unique Seventh-day Adventist message and what it has to offer them in the 21st century. Our website receives a lot of traffic from non-Seventh-day Adventists, so this site is open to anyone looking for answers, not just SDA youth. And thirdly, we're hoping to create relationships and not just network. Relationships is the key to discipleship."
Got a tool, resource, site, article, idea or seminar that you like a lot? Share it with us at BestPractices@ameritech.net.
NAD Events
Do you have an SDA-sponsored event that you'd like to invite NAD pastors to? Tell us about it at BestPractices@ameritech.net.
NAD Church RESOURCE Center
Best Practices is an e-publication of Vervent
NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER
Editor: Loren Seibold
Senior Pastor, Worthington Ohio Seventh-day Adventist Church