New Pastors: Advice for the New Pastors: The what "to do's" and not "to do's" on Day One

[Rev. Charles Moore]

I remeber my first comments on the BPN was under Min. Lockett discussion regarding "My First Sermon." At that time I was like him "An associate minister, faithful, patience, prayerful, hard working, and preparing for the day when God's will would allow me to pastor a church. You hear the discussion all the time, "When I am a Pastor, I will do this and that. We dont covete the position but we see ourselves preparing for the opportunity. Well, my season is here. After prayer/fasting/listening I recently accepted the Letter from a church to Psator. Words can't describe how I have been feeling. I'm careful to request to stay in God's mercy, remain humble, listen twice before speaking once, trying not to fix things that are not broken, (that is another discussion) learning names, praying frequently, and teaching/preaching. Every Pastor who I know has called, emailed, & texted congrats but I'm looking for advice from some of the experience members of BPN to begin a discussion of advice to new Pastors. I would rather learn from others mistakes than make them. School can prepare you but on day one, life experinces re-train you. by the way, all those ideas you had racing through your mind before you became a Pastor seem to exit on day one. I would like to hear your advice to New Pastors. I have always been one to recieve advice and learn from it.

[vanThe Layman]

Trust God.....lean not unto your own understanding
James 1: 1-6.........I believe
Psalms 118: 8
Thank you Jesus

[Pastor James T. Dixon]

This may sound like an oxymoron, but here is my advice. Love the sheep, but protect your heart. Know that as you build there will be those that come to complete a certain part of the building (ex. in building the one who put the windows in will leave after the assignment is complete, the one who does the painting will leave once the job is complete) same is true while building your congregation. 1Th 5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you...

Others will come to occupy the building and stay as pillars of the ministry.

Sheep follow Shepherd, not Shepherd follow sheep.

I extend the Olive Branch to mentor anyone who does not have a covering. I'm not talking about God as your covering. I caught you in the spirit. LOL.

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

So here's where all of you be hiding, in Pastoral Leadership & Church Folk.

[Michelle V. Williams]

The most effective advice that I received when I first pastored was "love the flock." That sounded so simple, yet that tid bit has been vital to my growth and development as a pastor. Loving those we have been given charge over will not always mean feeling affection toward all of them all of the time, and it definitely does not mean that all of them will always feel affection for us. But, it does mean that we will do our best to make sure that they are fed, protected, and have all that they need to grow and reproduce. Love means listening to, hearing the flock even when we think we have all the answers, and letting God make the final decsion. Love many times means looking at ourselves and staying before the Lord to see what we need to do or to change or to better so as to feed and lead, guide, redirect, and correct the members of the flock correctly and effectively. Love will keep us discharging our duties even when we feel unappreciated or our efforts seem ineffective. Love (for God and for the church) helps us assign members to the right places (as directed by Spirit) or handle administrative duties in ways that may be unpopular to the congregant(s), but necessary for the church body. Love as part of one's character- what one does. 1 Cor. 13 type love. That love is always God centered, God directed and it never fails.

I would like to have some of the experienced pastors to e-mail me with suggestions on effective pastoring as well. I am still new and learning and need guidance. I pray God's blessings upon you and your congregation and that you will have all that you need to do all that God has designed for you to do with the flock he places you with.

[Dr. Wayne P. Snodgrass]

Remember, pastoring is relationship. Many preachers destroy themselves because they try to Pastor without relationship. I have been in my church 24 years. There are things I can do now that absolutely could not happen year one. It is not always that the congregation and deacons/officers disrespect you, the relationship is not of such they know they can depend on you. In short, my best advice is remembering what I learned in seminary. Year 1 you are the visiting minister. Year 2, you are the resident minister. year 3, you can make suggestions. Year 4, after you've married a few and buried a few, then you can Pastor. Preach the Word. Love the people, is the best advice I can give.

Snodgrass

[Michelle V. Williams]

Thank you and God bless.

[Rev. Lamon C Perry Sr.]

My Brother Preach the Word.. Thats it! Not your opinion not what pleases their ear. The word of God! I have been Preaching 25yrs pastored 13yrs before I relocated. the best advice i got in 25yrs I will share with you. Every time you get up to preach, preach like it is your last time!

Be Blessed
Rev.L.C.Perry

[Prince Yosef Ben Israel II]

I am a Hebrew Israelite and from my Spiritual point of view, no one which is called by the MOST HIGH to preach HIS Words needs to practice, go to school nor receive any information on how to preach. But those not of HIS calling will need those attributes because they are not Spiritually truthful with the MOST HIGH, only trying to impress mankind.

Shalom,
Prince Yosef II

[Tarik Al-Hadi Hodge]

I am a new Pastor (This January marks the end of my second year) I can tell you seven things that I learned early on: Do not judge your calling on the number people in the pews or the number of people that leave the Church! There will come a time when men will not endure sound doctrine" however we are required by God to continue in the faith and teach "Sound Doctrine" 2. Don't let the number of people in the pews dictate the quality of your preaching! Allow God to work, you give your best that God gives you every time! no matter if its five people or five thousand people you preach the same! 3. When the people reject the Word of God they are not rejected you! don't take it personal; no body wants to be told what to do and no body wants to follow; but all of us need to be told what to do and all of us are following somebody (whether we admit it or not) or even realize it or not...we're are either following God or the Devil we are either obeying God or the Devil the bottom line is somebody is telling us what to do! 4. Trust God! have Faith in God! many will come and promise, but God will deliver! many will come and GO! but God will never leave you! 5.There are people who make a living off of using the Church; they will join your church and take all that you can give and when you get to the place where you have to tell them no or not yet, they get angry and leave! call you all kind of names and forget all that you have done from them in the past; you'll be tempted to question your calling; DON'T! you have just experienced normal human nature. Since they did not call you they cannot reward you! God called you and its God that will reward you! and believe me he will reward you! 6. Be faithful! Honor your commitment to God! let nothing get in the way of the minisrty that God gave you! this is your first Job! do it well! do it with joy! do it spirit of gratitude! God has called you to be his mouth piece! 7 Be yourself! Many times as we try to emulate some one else only to find out eventually the real you will come out and the people are going to get to know you; might as well do it now! what worked for the other preacher may not work for you! your obligation is to emulate Christ and since you've been changed to this new creature: you are just the person that God wants over that house. 8. You are the Pastor! God called you, God hired you, God charged you, God holds you and you alone to answer for the outcome of each and every soul...I had a Preacher who joined my Church (he's 10 years older than me) I watched as he slowly began to demonstrate areas of improvement, I was working another job (thinking that I could help raise money for the Church) one day my job had me work on a Service night so I called my preacher and asked if he would replace me for the night gave him the lesson scripture and he did the best that he could do...it was a total desaster! one of the dumbest things that I ever did as Pastor and I did not even make the money that I was working for that night - God spoke to me said "listen, if I wanted some one else to be over this flock; I would have sent them! I called you! I sent you! I prepared you! this is my church and you work for me! from that moment on I realized; I have no greater purpose that to serve God and keep his commandments! he commanded me to Pastor this flock whether big or small; faithfully executing the office of the Pastor is where he will find me. I hope this helps my brother; be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might!

[Mary]

yes we love basic counsel God bless you