The Altar — Is It a Safe Place?

Every now and then, I will read a report that Southern Baptist pastors (and others) still give an altar call or extend an invitation at the end of their sermons. The purpose: for people to accept Christ or renew their commitment to Him. Do you use the altar area for such purposes?

I grew up in an environment where the altar area was used much like the "mourner's bench" in Methodism. As a pastor, I used that area for evangelism, but also for times of emotional and physical healing. I don't see that as much as I used to. I wonder why?

It might be because ...

• Invitations take time and, with multiple services, time is of the essence.
• We do not address the "sin" issue like we once did. It is not politically correct.
• Many pastors do not know how to "draw the net" or extend an invitation.
• There is a "what if no one comes" syndrome.
• We have either grown much too sophisticated or the altar is not a part of a church's tradition.
• Small groups are used more for the purpose of allowing the searcher a safe place to pray, or decision cards are made available after a church service.
• The seeker-sensitive approach makes moving forward too threatening.
• Evangelism is not emphasized as it once was.
• TV preachers have sensationalized the altar almost as a prop rather than a sacred place.
• Fewer and fewer sermons are being preached with a decision expectation in mind. Our emphasis might be on "feel good" rather than Godly conviction for rebelliousness or disobedience.

I could go on, but I'm sure you get my point. If we do not give people an opportunity to seek God in a quiet safe place, at what point in their lives will they? Do we make an attempt to "close the deal," so to speak, or just leave it up to chance? Just asking. More people would turn to Christ if someone would just ask them to.

Personally, I think many people are frightened by the altar area. One way to overcome that is by using it as a "place of prayer" during the service — not just for those who are seeking, but for those who just need to feel closer to God and receive the support of a church family, as long as it is a safe place.

What say ye? Please leave a comment below.

Be blessed and be a blessing.

(P070202)

And the Lord said, "Pray for one another."

At the beginning of the work day each Wednesday, our Pastoral Ministries team gathers to pray for pastoral family members who have sent us their heartfelt requests. I want to share with you just a few excerpts of those we prayed for last Wednesday.

"I am simply asking that you pray for me. I have been a pastor for 21 years, but now am struggling with depression. I have some severe "political/power" struggles in my church that have stripped me of my joy of the ministry. I am totally overwhelmed and am more discouraged than I ever thought possible."

"I am so tired of feeling empty. Please ask the Father to give me a fire for His work again. Please pray for my wife to feel a fire for the Lord. Please pray for my children to not be damaged emotionally and spiritually by what Daddy does for a living."

"My husband, who is a pastor, and myself are going through a divorce. I had an affair with a church member after serving 10 years in the ministry. I am broken and so is he, not to mention what this has done to our children. I am now an outcast in a town where I have no family, and now, because of my foolish choice, no friends. I have failed horribly and have nowhere to turn for spiritual restoration. Please pray for me and my broken family."

"I do not know how to pray. My husband is a pastor, but he fails to provide for the needs at home. All our bills are behind, but he insists on providing free ministry. The church does not provide a salary. We are using personal funds to support the church. Please pray for me. My heart is so heavy."

"I am bursting with anger at God and His so-called people, the church, my church. I'm tired of being treated like _____. I've yelled and cursed at God for the _____ I've taken. And I've pounded the doors and walls. I'm _____ tired of all of it."

There were others that asked us to pray that a daughter would make a good choice of a college, a teenage son who had become rebellious and now decided to be a homosexual, a daughter married to a youth pastor who had lost her faith and was ruining his ministry, a wife with a serious illness, a mission team heading to another country, a wife battling congregational lies about her fidelity to her marriage, a pastoral family struggling with finances. You get the picture. Probably, many of you could have sent in these same prayer requests.

My point is that a huge number of our pastoral colleagues and their families are suffering, struggling, falling apart. They need all of us — not just our Pastoral Ministries team at Focus on the Family — to be supporting them in prayer. You may even need the rest of us to support you and your family right now. Can we be there for one another? Oh, I pray so!

If you need to request prayer for your family, pastor, please contact us in one of two ways. First, you can visit our Web site, the Parsonage, and submit a prayer request. Second, you could visit our Pastoral Families Online Community and post a prayer request in the appropriate area. We promise to pray for you next Wednesday, and your colleagues will pray for you, as well. We are all in this together! "One for all, and all for one!"

Are You Underpaid?

The Gallop Poll recently released a study showing that 51% of Americans (age 18 & over) feel they are underpaid for the work they do. Do you? Even if you made more than $75,000 this year, 38% of you apparently still feel that way.

What if you are in non-profit work or serve a church? Christianity Today reports that, on average, a senior pastor receives $80,000 a year in total compensation. The better educated you are, the higher your salary. So, where do you fit in?

I know a lot of my colleagues who are not only underpaid (i.e., nowhere near the $80,000 mark), but who do not have adequate health insurance. Are you and your family adequately covered?

In our outreach to the clergy, we are attempting to find ways to address the issue of your compensation with your congregations (not just yours, but you understand), especially when it comes to health insurance and other essential benefits. We are talking to various agencies to see what would make sense and be affordable.

We also believe that many clergy spouses work just so the family can have health benefits, and also to make ends meet.

Now, please, when you respond, do not give your "household income," but only the total compensation figures of the one in full-time Christian service. We just want to know (1) what position you hold (i.e., senior pastor, only pastor, associate pastor, etc.), (2) your total compensation and (3) whether you feel you have adequate health insurance.

Please use the "comment" link below and share your information with us. In a subsequent blog, we will let you know what we found out. Thanks for your help and God bless!

Be Prepared for an Online Conversation - Thursday, August 21

We are excited!! This coming Thursday, August 21, our Pastoral Ministries Division will be featured on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast entitled "The True Strength of a Pastor." (Click here to find a station in your area.) Then, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (MDT), we will be hosting our very first online forum event. Please join us. Here is what you do:

JOIN THE FORUM TODAY

Get a head start by simply clicking here to "join" the forums, agreeing to the standard Terms and Conditions, then entering a username, password and avatar icon (as described in our forum policies). You will then be able to participate in any of our Focus on the Family forums. Then, on Thursday afternoon, login to the Pastoral Family Forums and select the "Live Forum Event" topic to follow the conversations and submit your own questions and comments.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS

You can submit a question for the event at any time (even in advance) by logging into the Pastoral Family Forums, clicking on the "Live Forum Event" topic, then clicking on the "New Topic" link in the "Pastoral Family" subheader box directly beneath the main header. Enter a question for the panel as the Message Title, then explain it more fully in the Message Text box. When you are done, click the Post Message button. Once a moderator has approved it, your topic/question will be displayed.

INVITE OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE

Because this is our very first live forum (I know we are a little slow technologically), we are very excited about greeting you and making some new friends, as well. Please consider forwarding this message to a colleague, or direct them to the online version of this week's issue of The Shepherd's Covenant Encourager at http://www.parsonage.org/images/sce/issues/SCE-080818.html. You could be doing us a favor and perhaps making a contribution to the ministry of one of your colleagues.

PLEASE PRAY FOR US

We are not interested in just doing something new. We have been praying that our online forum event would prove to be helpful, nurturing, renewing and healing. You can help us by taking a moment and asking God to favor us technically, emotionally and creatively.

So, thanks for letting us use this space to promote ourselves a bit. Again, we are excited about the opportunity and are very hopeful that you will join us on Thursday, Aug. 21, for both the Focus on the Family radio broadcast and then the live forum event from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (MDT).

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30).

We really do believe that. Have a great week!

The "Churched" and the "Un-churched"

The following information was shared in our most recent Pastor's Weekly Briefing

New Ellison Research asked 1,007 American adults to report on their attendance at worship services. Results of the study showed that the traditional definitions of "churched" — people who attend services monthly or more often — and "un-churched" — people who do not typically attend frequently enough to be considered "churched" — often doesn't tell a complete story about how often people actually attend religious worship services. If adults in America are placed in more realistic categories based on their normal behavior, attendance stats at religious services would look like this:

• Attend more than once a week (11%)
• Attend once a week (22%)
• Attend two to three times a month (14%)
• Attend once a month (5%)
• Attend occasionally, not on a regular basis (9%)
• Attend only on religious holidays (10%)
• Do not attend at all (29%)

The study also showed that if an adult attended worship services regularly at some point before the age of 18, there is a 55 percent chance that person is currently attending once a month or more. If the person never attended prior to age 18, there is only a 21 percent chance that individual is currently attending worship services on a regular basis.

The questions I have for you are (1) Do you agree with the Ellison Research Survey? (2) What would you consider a regular attendee in your church (3) Do you believe the "fractured family" syndrome affects church attendance? (4) Does erratic church attendance affect how you prepare sermons?

(I have always felt Barna's estimate of 40% of our population attending church regularly was too high.) 

Don't ever give up!!

Pastor Preaches Politics; Dares IRS to Investigate

Fellow Clergy ... Please see excerpts below, taken from an article (see http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=67620 for article in it's entirety) and tell me ...

Would you willfully violate the IRS code? What would happen if one-half of your congregation left because of your revolt against the IRS? Should the church become so involved in politics that they do not give adaquate time to the gospel? The article states that Gus Booth, a pastor in Warroad, Minn, preached from the pulpit about being a Christian and withholding support from a specific presidential candidate .. knowing that he was violating  federal tax code and jeopardizing his church's tax-exempt status by speaking against a specific candidate.

... Then he wrote a letter to the IRS explaining what he did and challenging the agency to investigate him.

Booth told ABC News that the threat of the IRS revoking churches' tax-exempt status if they preach politics amounts to government censorship of religion and a violation of our nation's founding documents.

"I may be taking on the IRS," Booth said, "but the IRS has taken on the Constitution unchallenged since 1954. I feel like the only law that should dictate what I am allowed to say is the First Amendment."

In 1954, the IRS tax code was changed to forbid churches "from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office."

If pastors target specific candidates, like Booth did in his sermon, their churches risk losing tax-exempt status.

In his sermon, Booth explained his spiritual opposition to the tax code by quoting an 1863 sermon from Henry Ward Beecher: "It is sometimes said that ministers must not preach politics. … They would have to toe hop, and skip and jump through two thirds of the Bible if they did not, for the there is not another book on the face of God's earth that is so full of commerce and business and government, and the relations between the governing and the governed, as this same Bible."

Booth knows he has invited trouble, and he didn't do so lightly. "A month before I made the sermon, I talked to the church leadership," he told ABC News. "I told them, 'If we do this, we could lose our tax-exempt status. Are you prepared for that?' We spent a week in prayer, and I felt God was telling me to make that speech."

Trouble may have indeed found him. The Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter last week to the IRS urging the government to take Booth up on his challenge.

"Tax exemption is not a right; it's a privilege with certain restrictions," Barry Lynn told ABC News.

Tax exemption is not a privilege the IRS has been ready to revoke easily, however. In 2006, the IRS received 237 complaints of groups abusing their tax-exempt status, investigated 100 and has yet to recommend revocation for any of them.

The last time the IRS revoked a church's tax-exempt status was in 1992, when a New York church took out an ad asking, "How, then, can we vote for Bill Clinton?"

"It is my desire, and I dare say God's desire," Booth said in his sermon, "to use this pulpit to influence you and your family and friends to vote for the most biblical candidates this November. When you participate in the election process, you allow God to participate as well (through you)."

Booth may soon have a large number of allies in his challenge to the IRS rules. As WND reported earlier, the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty advocacy group, is asking for preachers to join in their Pulpit Initiative, an attempt to "reclaim pastors' constitutional right to speak truth from the pulpit" by inviting pastors on one Sunday to intentionally challenge the IRS ruling with the content of their sermons.

The event, planned for Sept. 28, will be a day for pastors to "evaluate candidates in light of Scripture," Eric Stanley, senior legal counsel for ADF, told ABC News. "Our hope is that the IRS will initiate investigations and we can bring this into the federal courts."

"This isn't about political speech; it is about religious speech," Stanley said. "Scripture applies to every aspect of life, including who we elect."

The ADF said its program will "equip, protect, and defend pastors who wish to exercise their First Amendment right to openly discuss the positions of political candidates and other moral and social issues from the pulpit."

Pastors who want to participate can find information at a special page assembled on the ADF website.

New President of SBC

Well, the Southern Baptist Convention elected a new president (see clips below) ... what's your opinion of their choice? 

Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 10, receiving 52.94 percent of votes (3,100) cast on the first ballot.

Hunt was nominated by Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla.

Traylor said he was nominating Hunt because of his "heart for the nations" and his "heart for the next generation." Hunt will unite the convention and "forge a hopeful future" focused on the Gospel and connected to local churches, Traylor said.

Hunt's heart for the nations has been demonstrated in his church's missions giving and participation, Traylor said. Last year alone, he said, First Baptist gave $3.3 million to Southern Baptist mission causes. Over the past 28 years, the church has been responsible for planting 78 new churches and during Hunt's 22-year tenure has seen hundreds of people surrender to full-time Christian ministry and mission service, Traylor added.

Hunt's heart for the next generation, Traylor said, has been illustrated through his work with conferences that have reached 25,000 young leaders during the past 20 years. As you elect him today, you will send an instant message to that young generation that they have a place at the SBC table," Traylor said. "They love him. You know him. And I believe it's time we elect him as our convention president."

"Ministerally Speaking" and the Southern Baptists

I read a small article a few days ago suggesting that the Southern Baptist Church is not as large as it claims to be. Have you ever wondered about that?

"Ministerally speaking" is a phrase that is used from time-to-time to qualify a statistic used by a pastor or Christian leader to estimate the size of their congregation or ministry. There seems to be a lot of estimating going on — even, or should I say 'maybe' in the Southern Baptist Church.

Are you a Southern Baptist? What would you estimate the membership in your convention to be? Some say 16 million and others, as much as 17 million. What would you say?

I have been to a lot of Southern Baptist churches who claimed to have 26,000 members when in actuality they might have 5 or 6,000 in attendance.

Do numbers really matter? It seems so. Because if you talk to pastors for very long, they will very soon either ask you "how many do you run" or tell you how many they have.

Through the years, I am sure I have "rounded off" a lot of numbers to make myself look better. I was not technically being untruthful .. I was just "rounding off" on the high side. Nobody "rounds off" on the low side.

At the Southern Baptist Convention they will be electing a new president. Six men are running. I can remember in the old days where the leader was basically selected in the 'back room' and then presented to the convention for approval. Those days seem to be gone forever.

So — two questions I ask you my dear blogging colleague.  How many members do you think there are at the Southern Baptist Convention? And, who do you think their new leader will be? A conservative or a member of the new breed? No need to be exact, just "ministerally speaking". Round it off!

Talk to me .. please!! Consumerism can kill us!

HB London

Survey Results

Some time ago I asked our Pastor's Weekly Briefing readers what they were thinking about political correctness in the pulpit. Below you will find the results. How would you have responded to the 10-question survey? I would really like to know.

Last week, H.B. London asked what you were thinking about political correctness in the pulpit. We would like to express our thanks to those of you who responded by taking the time to let us know how you feel about being "politically correct" in the pulpit. The results are as follows:

1. Do you know what you can and cannot do from your pulpit without putting your 501(c)3 standing in jeopardy (politically speaking)?
Yes: 83%      No: 17%

2. Do you often make political or issues-related statements from your pulpit?
Yes: 41%      No: 59%

3. When you address issues such as abortion, homosexuality, ballot initiatives or "get out the vote," are you ever criticized?
Yes: 31%      No: 69%

4. Does your church board (deacons, elders, etc.) give you carte blanche to make or address political or moral issues without their consensus of opinion?
Yes: 86%      No: 14%

5. Do you feel the open pulpit is the place for you to make politically laced comments?
Yes: 36%      No: 64%

6. If you do make said comments publicly, have you paid a price for the statements you have made?
Yes: 29%      No: 71%

7. Would you allow a voter registration table to be set up in your church foyer?
Yes: 82%      No: 18%

8. Have you distributed "voter's guides" within your church body?
Yes: 79%      No: 21%

9. In a public sermon, would you be open to challenging the IRS guidelines related to what you can say or do as a 501(c)3 organization (a type of civil disobedience)?
Yes: 46%      No: 54%

10. Do you most often agree with the political issues addressed by Focus on the Family Action?
Yes: 97%      No: 3%

Trends in Tithing and Giving

The following stats are very interesting. It would be helpful to know what percentage of your flock really do tithe 10% of their income. It would be interesting to know how many clergy tithe 10% of their incomes. It would also be interesting to know what percentage of your people give to organizations like Focus on the Family, Billy Graham, Benny Hinn, PTL, etc. Do you think 50% of your people do?

A new study from The Barna Group reveals that just five percent of American adults tithed (i.e., made donations of at least 10 percent of their income to religious institutions or other charities) in 2007. The most likely groups to tithe were evangelicals (24%); conservatives (12%); people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the past week (12%); charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11%); and registered Republicans (10%).

Among those least likely to tithe were people under the age of 25, atheists and agnostics, single adults who have never been married, liberals and downscale adults (less than $20,000 income and no college).

Among all born-again adults, nine percent contributed one-tenth or more of their income. Protestants (8%) were four times as likely to tithe as were Catholics (2%).

In 2007, 84 percent of all adults donated some money to churches or non-profit organizations, a figure that is consistent with recent years. The median amount of money donated during 2007 was $400; the mean amount was $1,308. About one-third of all adults (34%) gave away $1,000 or more during 2007; nearly one-fifth (18%) donated $100 or less. Evangelical Christians far surpassed other population groups with four out of five (83%) giving at least $1,000 during the year. The percentage of born-again adults who gave any money to churches dropped to its lowest level this decade (76%).

Christians tend to be the most generous donors. Evangelicals, the seven percent of the Christian population who are most committed to the Christian faith, donated a mean of $4,260 to all non-profit entities in 2007. Non-evangelical born-again Christians, who represent another 37 percent of the public, donated a mean of $1,581. The other 42 percent of the Christian population, who are aligned with a Christian church but are not born-again, donated a mean of $865.

New Research Defines the Concept of Sin

It is interesting that, on this Easter week, we would write to you regarding sin.  What is it? How do you relate to it? The scripture says "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sin]". I thought the following might give you some interesting 'filler' for your sermon this weekend. Personally, I always defined sin as a "willful transgression of the known will of God". How do you define it? Happy Easter!

Results from a new study released from Ellison Research finds that 13 percent of Americans do not believe at all in the concept of sin. But, a majority of Americans (87%), however, do believe in this concept and they include adultery (81%), racism (74%), use of hard drugs (65%), failing to say anything if they're given too much change by a cashier (63%), having an abortion (56%), cheating on their taxes (52%) and homosexual activity (52%) as sin. "Sin" was defined in the research as "something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective."

One of the biggest differences in whether people believe in the concept of sin is actually not even religious, but political. Among political conservatives, 94 percent believe there is such a thing as sin. But, only 77 percent of political liberals believe in the concept of sin.

Evangelical Christians are far more likely to include numerous behaviors under the definition of sin, and the difference between evangelicals and other Americans is often quite large. For instance, 90 percent of evangelicals believe getting drunk is sinful behavior, compared to 35 percent of all other Americans, and 92 percent of evangelicals believe sex before marriage is sinful, versus 39 percent of all other Americans. Still, evangelicals do not consider all types of behavior sinful — only a minority believe it is a sin to work on the Sabbath, not attend church, drink alcohol, dance, play the lottery, watch an R-rated movie, or not tithe 10 percent of their income to church or charity.

Women tend to have a longer list of what is sin than do men and are more likely than men to include racism, gossip, use of hard drugs, marijuana, adultery, pornography, not reporting income on taxes, abortion, failing to say anything if given too much change, and swearing as sinful behavior.

People under age 35 are less likely than Americans in other age groups to believe adultery, getting drunk, not reporting income on taxes, homosexual activity, pornography, and gossip are sin. At the same time, younger people are more likely than others to say using tobacco and working on the Sabbath are sinful.

Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, noted how many inconsistencies Americans show in their answers. "We can see numerous inconsistent patterns of thought and belief throughout the responses," Sellers stated. "For instance over a third of all Americans believe failing to take proper care of their bodies is sinful. Yet far fewer believe tobacco or obesity are sins — even though medical science consistently shows using tobacco and being overweight are two of the most harmful things they can do to their bodies."

Go figure!

Pagan Roots of Christian Practices

Hello,

George Barna is a good friend of mine and I really admire him even though I do not always agree with his premise.  Below are some observations about his new book Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices.  What would your impression of his latest book be?  H.B.

A new book, co-authored by researcher George Barna and Frank Viola, contends that many of the practices of the conventional church do not have a biblical foundation, but are based on pagan practices adopted by Christians in the second century or later.

For example the book, Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices, claims that:

• The early church met in homes, and that church buildings were not constructed until about 327 A.D. during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine.
• The pulpit came from Greek culture and was used by speakers during public debates.
• The idea of preaching a sermon came from the Greek orators late in the second century.
• A pastor was not seen as the official leader of the body of believers until the second century and the practice of ordination was based upon the prevailing Roman custom of appointing men to public office.

According to George Barna, the purpose of the book is not to criticize the church, but to "give people the freedom to re-think many modern church practices." "Often, people feel as if their worship and ministry are confined to what is routinely done because those patterns have a biblical basis or mandate," said Barna. "But when you research the origins of church practices, and study the practices of the early church, you discover that most of our current church practices have ancient cultural origins, with no biblical basis."

The book, which also addresses such practices as altar calls, the pastoral prayer, tithing and the use of church bulletins, has received mixed reviews. For example, an article on chrismartinsblog.com includes the comment that, "Although this book may seem to be a mere examination of when and where some of the traditions of the modern church originated, it most certainly has a bias and an ulterior motive. This book is laden with propaganda for the house church movement." But in a review posted on Amazon.com, David D. Flowers says that Barna's book "may very well be the most important book written on the Christian church in the last two millennia. Frank Viola and George Barna team up to give their readers a critical examination of the last 1700 years of church history."

Christianity Without The Church

According to the following article, the church world is changing more rapidly than we might imagine.  I think it will find a lot of us unprepared.  What say ye? Do you support a house church movement - or do you think it is blown out of proportion?  Let us know. 

"The results of a new study conducted by The Barna Group reveal that a majority of adults now believe that there are a variety of biblically legitimate ways to experience God outside of the conventional church.

At least 50 percent of adults who took part in the survey said that they felt that each of these six alternatives were "a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God:"

• Engaging in faith activities at home, with one's family (considered acceptable by 89%)
• Being active in a house church (75%)
• Watching a religious television program (69%)
• Listening to a religious radio broadcast (68%)
• Attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68%).
• Participating in a marketplace ministry (54%)

Other alternatives that were not supported by a majority of those questioned included interacting with a faith-based Web site (45%) and participating in live events via the Internet (42%).

The study also showed that 28 percent of adults who did not attend a conventional church in the past month did take part in one or more of the alternative expressions of faith. Also, two out of three senior pastors of Protestant churches agreed that "house churches are legitimate Christian churches," but only 40 percent said they would ever recommend a house church to someone.   For the complete report, visit www.barna.org."

Say It Ain't So ...

Yesterday there was an item that came across my desk entitled Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists.  It went on to read, "Sen. Charles Grassley asks ministries to turn over financial records within one month."

The story was written by a CBS news investigator, and indicates the Iowa Republican senator is trying to determine whether or not six ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.  The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn.  It was also interesting to note that three of the six — Hinn, Copeland and Dollar sit on the Board of Regents for Oral Robert's University in Tulsa.  You know about the issues at ORU?

And yesterday I also received a 6-page letter attempting to justify the activities of a very large church in mid-America. 

Focus on the Family has just come through a very extensive review by the IRS related to our 501(c) designation.  It was claimed that Dr. Dobson jeopardized our tax-exempt status by statements he made relative to political candidates.  We came through with flying colors and were given a clean bill of health — but it was time consuming and very expensive.

I may not agree with what and how the six ministries operate but I sincerely hope they are not found to be corrupt in any way.  Can you imagine what that would say to a suspicious world?  To the millions they address each week on television?

Yet nearly everyone of these ministries has been under investigation before. 

Caution!  The church should have an "open-book" financial operation.  If possible they should belong to the 'ECFA".  Check out their website at www.ecfa.org

Paul writes to Timothy, "Keep yourself pure." (I Tim 5:22) I would think that would include your church and ministry as well. 

Oh, by the way, none of the six are required to file form 990 with the IRS because they are designated as churches.  Huh? 

I hope it ain't so — Until next time. 

Answering The Critics (be very careful how you do it)

**Note .. If you receive the Shepherd's Covenant Encourager, you've already read what's posted below.  Forgive the repetition, but I believe it's important enough to restate.  And here on the blog you can comment back.  Feel free to do so.  I value your opinions.

I am under some scrutiny from self-appointed "watchdogs" regarding a conference I will be speaking at in January. I don't want to go into all the details now — I will later — but for the time being, suffice it to say I feel like I am back in the pastorate again, where your every move and decision is up for debate.

This whole scenario has brought back memories of a time when we had decided as church leadership to begin a school. To be open with our congregation, I held a meeting to discuss the pro's and con's of the new endeavor. Before that meeting was over, you would have thought we were a terrorist threat to our city, state and nation. How dare we even consider a school!!

Well, we took a step back and let emotions cool a bit, and then we moved forward with the school — and it is flourishing and creditable some 20 years later. I still shake my head when I think of that situation.

Now, I assume well-meaning colleagues are concerned that I will compromise my values and ethics because they do not agree with either the premise of the conference or the sponsoring group. Who knows?

What I do know is that the church really needs to wake up and realize that our effectiveness and creditability comes from "the church being the church" and not a finely tuned image campaign that creates a mirage. In many ways, the church is a mile wide and an inch deep. There are going to be lots of folks who have been so deluded by our "feel good" approach to the gospel that they are going to miss the "born-again" experience.

I will continue to be nice and respectful of my critics (I have learned a lot from James Dobson), but I will not allow the "watchdog" mentality to stifle a message that I believe is from the Lord.

I often agonize for you and the "power players" you must deal with on a weekly basis, but you cannot allow yourself to be emasculated or let the message God has placed in your heart be weakened, even if it does make some people feel uncomfortable.

Paul wrote, "To the weak I become weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22).

So there you have it.  Stay focused and have a great week.

What Happens to You Matters to Us

I am a "pastor to pastors." I have worn this title since November 1991, when I joined the staff of Focus on the Family. I had been a pastor for 31 years when, after conversation and prayer with Dr. and Mrs. James Dobson, I was given the privilege of making a career change.

You may wonder what a pastor to pastors does. I don't mean to be trite, but my assignment is to serve you and your family in a manner similar to how you serve your constituents.

I regularly speak to ministers, their spouses and their children in person and on the phone. I answer their letters. I pray with them. I hurt with them in failure and rejoice with them in success. Sometimes I walk with them in their brokenness when carelessness and sin have caused them to fall.

There are times I put down the telephone, having talked to a struggling spouse, and I cry because I can't take away the loneliness or wipe away the tears. Often when a pastor calls, I can tell by the sound of my colleague's voice that he or she has lost a battle — and a ministry.

During my many years with Focus on the Family, I have seen and heard it all where the minister's family is concerned. But that is why I am in love with the work I do. The need is so real.

I am not being presumptuous when I say I want to be your pastor. I want you to understand that I am available to you, as are other members of the Focus on the Family's Pastoral Ministries team. We are sincere when we say that what happens to you matters to us.

Please get in touch with us. To give your reaction to this blog, simply click the "comments" link below. If you have a crisis, contact our toll-free Pastoral Care Line at 866-233-4455. For other inquiries or business needs, phone us at 719-531-3360. Or you can e-mail us at pastors@family.org, or write us at Pastoral Ministries, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995-7001. Be sure to visit our Web site, The Parsonage.

Thank you for allowing us to join you in this exciting new venture. I look forward to sharing a long and meaningful relationship with you.