- I will preach what people need to hear, not what they want to hear, which is the Word. I will preach the Word.
- I will honor those in my congregation, but I will not be a slave to their expectations. I am only a slave of Christ.
- I will believe in people because I believe in the Holy Spirit that resides in them.
- I will develop people in their God-given gifting. I will not use or manipulate them simply to advance my vision or to see things happen in my church.
- I will not show great preference to those who can do more in the church or give more to the church. I will do my best to pastor my whole flock.
- I will model Godly character, demonstrated by humility, integrity, authenticity and faith.
- I will grow in generosity. I will model giving, even when it may hurt.
- I am not a CEO but I will assume my place of leadership, therefore, I will lead; I am the leader with an important job. Which is to point people to Jesus.
- I will oftentimes err on the side of grace, even when those around me don’t understand why I should show such grace or mercy. Oftentimes they lack the full picture or story.
- I will lovingly correct those heading towards error; I will not look the other way because it is convenient or it avoids conflict.
- I will hold onto people loosely, not in a controlling way, because I know who is the ultimate Shepherd. Should people leave my church, I will bless them on the way out.
- I will honor my family over ministry.
- I will not apologize for taking time to rest, as many do not understand the heavy weight of the pastorate.
- I will trust that the growth of my ministry is in the hands of the Lord; therefore, I will not be anxious if my church is large or small, for the Lord both gives and takes away. I will not succumb to the world’s superficial methods to growing a church, even if they are effective.
- When mistreated or persecuted for something I did not do, or when I am the object of gossip, I will not take revenge; I will count it all as joy.
- I will be an imperfect, but God-honoring, husband, father, and pastor. I will be a Christian man.
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An article of encouragement to pastors in difficult seasons I wrote for Tabletalk magazine.
"When No One Comes to Christ" - Featured on the Acts 29 Blog |
[ler em português?]JAY BAUMANHusband, father, pastor growing in grace. ministry
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