John Markum

Category: Leadership

Pastors: Book list

Posted on by johnmarkum

I was told in college, “Leaders are readers.” How true I’ve learned that statement to be! I do a substantial amount of reading because I’ve discovered I don’t know it all. Shocking, I know. Whether you are in ministry full time, part time, thinking about pursuing ministry as a career, or simply a devoted lay leader, here is a list of books by people way smarter than me that I suggest you get your hands on. These books each changed my life.

  1. Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick – When I found out this guy was writing a book, I totally geeked out. As I finished reading the last page, I had goose bumps. Very powerful message. EVERY person in ministry should read it 3 times, seriously!
  2. Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels – This is a pastor who has withstood the test of time. And this book opened my eyes and challenged me in big ways to the power God has invested in His church. Purely life-giving!
  3. Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley – Andy Stanley is nothing short of a voice to my entire generation when it comes to leadership. This isn’t 21 things you need to know about leadership (nothing wrong with that either), it’s 5 simple applications that work.
  4. 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones – Every church leader/aspiring-church-leader should read this book, and have it easily accessible to reference and re-reference. This book cuts through all of the responsibilities of a pastor and forces us to focus (something we’re bad about doing) on the heartbeat of our calling in the ministry.
  5. Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones- Last Stanley book, I swear! I love this one because this simplifies all of the mystery surrounding how to prepare and deliver a message. This book changed the way I preach after doing for over 12 years.
  6. The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren – Long before he was making number one best sellers, Rick Warren was simply a pastor leading one of the most dynamic moves of God. His church has lead the way on how to do ministry for countless thousands of pastors. This was probably the first real book on starting a church from someone who did it extremely successfully in the last 40 years.
  7. The Heart of a Great Pastor by H.B. London and Neil Wiseman – These 2 are veteran pastors with a powerful legacy of training ministers to do the same. I think I like this book so much because it made me fall in love with my calling all over again. And it compares our “shepherding” as pastors to the “Good Shepherd,” Jesus. It’s so powerful and encouraging, that I reach for it every time I feel like my burden is getting too great. Every pastor should have it on hand. Don’t know how I got through my first 4 years of ministry without this…
  8. Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer – This book totally changed my approach to ministry here in the states. As a pastor who started a new service, this book is a must-read for anyone beginning a new service/church.
  9. It by Craig Groeschel – Pastor Groeschel is mega-leader! It’s refreshing to see a man with such an expansive ministry that remains pure to the Gospel, and carries himself with humble confidence. You know that feeling you get when you walk into a church whether big or small, new or established, and immediately sense “Oh, yeah this place has it!”? This book is about it and why some churches have it, while other similar ministries do not. Very powerful. If you don’t have it, you can get it. If you do have it, you can lose it. So get It, and read It!
  10. The Minister’s Instruction Manual by Mel Brown – Last, but by no means least! Pastor Brown is my pastor here at Edgewood, and has served our congregation for over 42 years. He has 6 degree including an earned Doctorate of Ministry, and a Doctorate of Counseling Psychology. He has trained over a dozen missionaries and church planters. Over the years, pastors time again kept asking him to make his materials available to train other church leaders. This book is the compilation of all of that. I love it so much because it is all the pragmatic things that no one teaches you how to do in Bible college.

Pastors: Why be a Pastor?

Posted on by johnmarkum

“If any man desires the office of an overseer, he desires a good thing.” 1 Timothy 3:1

I am blessed to lead a single’s ministry full of young adults who want to glorify God with there lives, many of them considering whether God wants to use them in full time ministry. And it is in that spirit that I want to share some thoughts on why someone might want to do that.

First of all if you’re even thinking about going into ministry, you need to know all the down sides. This is by no means a list of perdonal complaints about ministry, so don’t assume. I love my calling as you will see. On that note, this is a little depressing…

  • You will bear a stricter judgment before Christ. You will answer not only for your personal words, thoughts, and actions, but for the stewardship of your influence, creativity, and teaching.
  • Deciding to be a pastor is not a good “career” choice. It’s not lucrative. It’s not like you’ll work on commission… and chances are, as a pastor, you will live paycheck to paycheck most or all of your entire working life.
  • There’s little room for advancement… you don’t become a CEO Pastor, and if there was such a thing, it would only mean that you are responsible for serving more people.
  • The hours are terrible. You will (almost) never have a weekend off. And expect phone calls at any given hour of the night requiring you to leave the warmth of your bed in the middle of winter.
  • Marital strain. Ministry puts intense pressures on a marriage and family, that you would not experience otherwise.
  • People will hurt you. And not just “bad” people. Sometimes people you thought were “getting it” will turn on you though you’ve invested your time, heart, and energy into them.
  • Temptations are high. When you raise your hand and answer the call, Satan paints a bulls-eye on your back. Most of the pastors and church leaders who fall to immorality were good men  and women at one point. Don’t think you’re any better than they once were.

Now after all of that, why would you want to go into ministry?!? Well, for one…

  • There is no other individual effort that could be more rewarding. Seeing people far from God awakened with life in Christ is satisfaction enough.
  • You get a front row seat to the power of God in people’s lives.
  • You get to work for the most understanding, competent, encouraging, equipping Boss ever! Period.
  • There is incredibly high accountability, spiritually, as dozens (or hundreds, or thousands) of people are looking to you as a spiritual example.
  • The retirement plan is insane! (John 14:1-3)
  • There will be people who circle around you, pray for you, encourage you, lift you up, and work with you. The joy that comes from these individuals is irreplaceable.
  • Your marriage can be strengthened by the ministry.
  • Your kids can get a first-hand account of what it means to see God move.
  • God promises reward and favor to those who serve Him. (Isaiah 52:7)

Ok, so that’s like, nine. But my point is that there is no higher human calling. I heard someone once suggest to Billy Graham back in the day, that he should run for president, to which he replied, “Sir, I would not dare step down from preaching the message of the Gospel to rule over any nation.” If you are considering ministry full time, there are many avenues you could take. More on that coming. But if you could possibly find fulfillment doing anything else, pursue that. But if it seems like God just won’t leave you alone about it, then you might be one that He has anointed to preach His word.

Blessings,

John

Pastors: How to pray for a Pastor

Posted on by johnmarkum

Just a simple list of the top 10 things you should pray for your church leaders for:

  1. Integrity: That God would help them walk close to Him every moment of every day.
  2. Increased Faith: That their vision for God’s will in the church would be God-sized.
  3. Family: That God would protect his family, and that he would lead his family well. Preachers’ wives and kids have it tough.
  4. Influence: We have a message that needs to be heard.
  5. Wisdom: To understand the Word, and the people to whom they must communicate it.
  6. Creativity: Pastors are communicating a message that is thousands of years old to a people group that is one generation old. The message is not the problem, our lack of communicating creatively and compelling often is.
  7. Leadership: Whoever is greatest must be servant to all. Pastors serve by leading and lead by serving.
  8. Compassion: Help him keep a soft heart in the face of abrasive and abusive people.
  9. Passion: That your pastor’s hunger to experience God working never wains.
  10. Rest: That your pastor can stay sharp and passionate by having the appropriate sleep and down time.

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

The Premium of Pain