Ministry – Page 16 – John Markum

New Series: Relationships

Posted on February 5, 2011 by johnmarkum

My leadership team and I wanted to take the month of February and deal with relationships. We wanted to broaden it past the typical series on dating or marriage though. We wanted to deal with all relationships, and communicate that somehow. So tonight, we began a new series called, “Relationships: Mothers, Brothers, and Others”. Above is a video to let you know about it. We hope through this series that people will feel empowered to see their relationships healed in the name of Jesus, and establish healthier ones. If you happen to be around the Quad Cities, we would love to have you as our guest. If you’re not in the area, you are welcome to see the message online later this week (www.qcawakening.com). And if you’re a preacher and want to take our series idea, graphic, and/or video to use at your church… be our guest! Email me or leave a comment if you want something specific.

See you all this week!

John

Unplanned Day Off

Posted on February 4, 2011 by johnmarkum

This week in the Quad Cities, almost everyone was graciously given a free day off of work, school, etc. courtesy of the snow. But for myself, many of our readers, and perhaps yourself, taking an extra day off just puts you behind. And some things must get done every week regardless of what the weather did, who got sick, or what kind of family crisis broke out. I couldn’t show up this Saturday for The Awakening and apologize for not having a message to preach since I couldn’t get into my office because of the snow. That’s just not good enough, and chances are that you have your own high demands that don’t take vacation days, sick days, or snow days. So to stay on target, you and I must have a plan for these unplanned days off. Most likely, your plan will consist of answering a few of the following questions:

What can I do from home? Obviously this depends on your resources since you’re not in your typical work place. You also have to manage distractions, and the fact that you should take some of the time to recuperate (especially if your unplanned day off is because you’re sick).
What can wait? Maybe some things can get postponed this week.
When can I make it up? Perhaps you go in early the next day. Or stay late. Or both.
Where can I cram? Maybe you take 2 hours preparing a certain report. This week you can get it done in 1 hour. Maybe not your most careful work, but it will pass this week.
What can I delegate? Your friend covers your shift this week and you get him back next time.
What can get skipped? Some things may be possible and necessary to skip altogether. If that’s the case though, you kind of have to ask, “Why do I do this any week?!?”

Hope you had a fun snow day and that no one got hurt out on the roads.

Blessings,

John

Pastors: Book list

Posted on January 20, 2011 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.

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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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!
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.