You might be wondering why I thought I needed to take six weeks off from preaching during June and July. (After all, a pastor only works like one day per week, right?) First, we have so many good preachers in our congregation (as you have discovered), and I have wanted to give them opportunities to preach, and this series seemed like a good way to do it. I hope you have enjoyed hearing so many voices and perspectives.
During these weeks, I have not just been sitting by, doing nothing. The break from weekly preaching allowed me to give extra attention to a few activities:
- I completed a training course on church planting, including certification as a trainer for the course. I started the course a couple of years ago but was not able to finish it due to ministry responsibilities here at New Vision. (See below for the rest of this story)
- I organized and led the men's spiritual deepening camp out. This is a favorite annual tradition for me, and I was privileged to lead it again!
- In early June, I participated in three days of intensive adult curriculum planning for Nazarene Publishing House. I had the opportunity to sit around a table with world-class Bible scholars, talking about how to plan lessons for Sunday School teachers to lead studies of the books of Jeremiah, Ephesians and Philippians. I so much enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of discussing the Bible with scholars and preachers!
- I also wrote an essay that will hopefully be included in a book on the theology of holiness. A colleague and friend from college is working on a collection of essays that share how young leaders view holiness, which is the special-emphasis of the Church of the Nazarene. I submitted an essay on the topic of how we need to teach about holiness in terms of both love and behavior. I will let you know if and when it gets published. (No, I won't earn any royalties on it)
- If there is ever a time to get a short break from preaching, it is during the month of June. During our June board meeting, we set the church operating budget for the next fiscal year. This requires a lot of research and planning. I also have to submit our church's annual report of attendance, finances, and other statistics by July 15th. Let's just say that June is a paperwork-heavy month.
- I was able to lead the song-worship for our congregation on two Sundays, and it was a lot of fun! It was good to pick up a guitar again and sing loud!
- In July, during the week before VBS, I was privileged to co-teach the Churches Planting Churches seminar to a group of pastors interested in leading their churches to start new churches. It was so inspiring to hear how God is moving in the hearts of pastors - and to hear their God-given visions!
- Finally, I have also given a lot of time and thought to planning the preaching and LIFE Groups emphases for the next year. I am excited about the upcoming message series. We will look at improving our relationships, deepening our faith, understanding the Bible better, and developing a sense of our life's mission. This fall, I plan to teach an outreach-oriented series on the subject of forgiveness. Our LIFE Groups will look at several different topics that will also generally relate to the Sunday messages. Let me know if you would like a sneak peek and I will show you what I have planned. I would love to hear your feedback.
Finally, thank you for the short break from preaching every Sunday. While I love to preach God's Word, sometimes my creative juices just don't want to flow. I tell my friends that in ministry there are no late papers - Sunday morning comes around every week at the same time. These few weeks without preaching responsibilities have allowed me to rejuvinate a sense of creativity! I am looking forward to preaching in July!
Again, thank you! Nu-Vees are the best!
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