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10 Things I Wish Congregations
Would Do For Their Pastors
We know all too well the diverse  expectations that our congregations have of pastors. But how often do our members hear how pastors would like to be treated? A few weeks back I shared with my congregation 10 things that I wish they would do for pastors. You can read my entire list here and feel free to comment on it and add to it in the discussion section. You can download a reproducible bulletin insert here. And you can see how I used it in my sermon here. If you're not brave enough to preach this yourself you may wish to slip your list to an Elder to be preached during the upcoming pastoral appreciation month in October.
--Dave Gemmell
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LIVING IN THE HYPHEN
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 Editor's Note: On February 8, 2013, Pastor Juanfer Monsalve, second generation church planter in Chattanooga visited Pastor Andres Flores, second gen church planter in Wicker Park, Chicago. You can watch the 15 minute documentary here. Below is a partial transcript of that interview.
Juanfer: Second generation people are some of the largest demographics in the US. Why do you think we are losing them so fast and why do you think that Epic is a special place that we can start reclaiming them?
Andres: There is an illustration to help understand second generation people in any culture. They live in the hyphen. They are the hyphen between the first and second generation. Being in the hyphen is overwhelming. You can lose your spirituality by being the hyphen all the time--by trying to bridge between the first and second generation. So here at Epic we don't ask them to be the hyphen for everything except to be the hyphen with their friends. They don't necessarily have to bridge culture although they can, they aren't required to bridge one culture into the other because they all speak English.
 Juanfer: Why won't second generation people feel comfortable at a Spanish church or in a regular Anglo church?
Andres: I think second generation people are extremely liquid or flexible. As a hyphen they can feel quite overwhelmed in a first generation church. They could stay there, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will grow or experience growth. So by being in a church that is designed for them in their own culture they can use all of that energy that they were using to be in the hyphen for ministry. And when they do that they are just free--free to be themselves.
Read and discuss the full interview here...
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THE SILENT EXODUS AND SIGNS OF HOPE
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 By John Grys
Having spent all my years as a child growing up in Chicago and my adult years pastoring in urban contexts, I'll never forget the time when a local language-specific congregation found itself with a new pastor who demanded that their youth Sabbath school no longer be conducted in English but in their native language. Many of those youth shifted over to our English-speaking church.
This incident highlights a recognizable tension within the framework of both local congregations and various levels of church governance. Described by others as "The Silent Exodus," these are children raised in immigrant churches who have left the immigrant church of their childhood and ceased attending church altogether.
This article serves as a brief introduction to the question of this sacred relationship between 1st Gen and 2nd Gen Seventh-day Adventists. While both anecdotal and statistical evidence may suggest the validity of this silent exodus of 2nd Gen's from immigrant churches (and increasingly from any congregation), there are signs of hope. Read and discuss entire article here.
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FINANCIAL MAKEOVER
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 By Randy Robinson
For many, including members in your churches, pastoral colleagues, and other church leaders, family finances can be a source of difficulty, pain, and strife. I believe God knew finances would be a challenge for us, so He included scores of biblical references on how we should manage our financial resources.
Short of an unexpected windfall, there really is no silver bullet to heal our finances. But sharing these principles with your members or applying them to your own situation can help create a major transformation!
Let's start by identifying some areas that are harmful to the health of our finances and need to be avoided. Read More.
Discuss this on our Facebook page!
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IDEAS, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS
| Best Practices Webinar August 20, 1:30 pm EDT. Making Your Church a Center for Healing in the Community with Katia Reinert, NAD Health Ministries Director. Join us for a webinar on how you can make your church a center for health, healing and wholeness in your community by engaging in comprehensive health ministries. Learn about this renewed emphasis on transformational evangelism following Christ's method of ministry. Register now!
Judson Press releases new book entitled The Work of the Associate Pastor. Author Alan R. Rudnick presents the associate pastorate as equally important but distinctively different from the role of the senior or solo pastor. Judson Press promises that readers will explore the diverse roles and responsibilities that fall under the associate umbrella, embrace associate ministry as more than training round for a senior pastorate, and discover the challenges and opportunities for associate pastors.
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Best Practices for Adventist Ministry is published by NAD Ministerial. Opinions expressed belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NAD Ministerial. Publisher: Ivan Williams; Managing Editor: Dave Gemmell. Copyright 2013 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. v(301) 680-6418
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