Author: john shields

John currently serves as the Leadership Health Director for the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists. He came to this role in 2021 after serving as lead pastor of Parkview church for 25 years. That season included walking through many joys, challenges & transitions. He learned and led through shifts in worship, staffing, structure, strategies and COVID with an overriding emphasis on making disciples and biblical church health. He is marked by a deep love for God’s Word. John has been involved in pastor cluster groups for many years and served KNCSB in a variety of volunteer roles including president of the convention. He has a passion for pastors and their families to thrive in their calling and relationships through a deepening relationship with Jesus & each other. He and Julie love connecting with and encouraging other ministry families.

Where’s Your Line?

In the late 1800’s British reformer names Samuel Plimsol observed that too many merchant ships and sailors were being lost because the ships overloaded. He argued that they were so overloaded that if they experienced any kind of rough water they would never reach their destination. This is true for pastors as well.

In this post I want to introduce you to the concept and a tool a discovered that can help you find a better way. The tool is part of a Three Hour Retreat series created by Tommy Kiedis, current president of Lancaster Bible College. It is called, The Plimsol Line: Drawing the Line that Contributes to Personal and Organizational Health.  You can find it at leaderslifeandwork.com.

The concept is best pictured by the result of Plimsol’s advocacy. Eventually the British government passed a law requiring ships to have a capacity line painted across every hull. No ship was allowed to be so loaded that the “Plimsol line”  became submerged. In other words they created a legal load limit for the sake of the sailors lives!

If only there were such a thing for pastor’s lives. For ships that line can be determined through engineering and science. For pastors we find it in a deepening thoughtful, obedient relationship with Jesus. Our redeemer repeatedly says that rest AND fruit come from continually following Him. He has a yoke, a purpose for each of us. This tool uses scripture examples and key questions to help you discover your line.

To whet your appetite I’d like to give you three to reflect on:

1. What is your capacity?

Often when I have been overloaded I have either taken on things that I was not created to carry. We all have limits in our capacity. Most are God designed or God given. They include our core make-up, talents and weakness. Our learning opportunities, experiences and all define the kind of capacity Jesus has in mind for us.

Eph 2:10 reminds us that we are created in Christ for good works that He has planned for us! We are shaped for the work He has in mind!

2. What is your calling?

Jesus promised that His yoke is easy and his burden light. When that is NOT true in my experience it is because I have taken on things outside of His yoke for me. Embracing His yoke involves submitting to His pace & direction. I create stress by altering the one or both! Learning to accept his way of life helps us discern where the load capacity lien lies for us. Jesus did not walk the entire planet when he was on earth in flesh. He did not heal everyone. He did not have thousands of disciples. He had a focused calling for that season. So do we!

We discover our calling only through following Him. We trust him for eternal life. Can we not also learn to trust him for our earthly calling?

3. What are you carrying?

This is an easier question to answer. Simply take time to reflect and list all that you are attempting to carry in any particular season of ministry. Then compare how it fits in light of the capacity & calling Jesus has given you. Prayerfully ask Jesus to help you see what is over the line. Ask him to help you see what should be off loaded. In light of the lines of calling & capacity He intends for your life.

If this provokes you I encourage you to check out this resource. If I can help you process this for yourself or your team, please let me know.

Our Foundational Work

Week in, week out no matter what else is going on faithful pastors work hard to teach the Word of God. Nothing is more foundational to healthy ministry than that. God’s word is where we learn about God’s character, God’s purpose, our condition and His wonderfully good life giving news! God’s Word gives certainty, clarity, direction and hope. God’s Word leads us to salvation in Christ and entrance in His eternal Kingdom. What could be more crucial?!

And yet, over time, a variety of temptations to drift lie waiting for those called to shepherd His people. Here are few we have all seen. I’m sure you could easily add to this list.

  • Sharing our own words as if they were God’s Word.
  • Teach His word without digesting and following it ourselves.
  • Short cutting His Word in favor of other growth strategies.
  • Using His Word to build our own platform.

The problem is deprioritizing God’s Word hijacks the power & purpose of our calling. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit that cuts to the core of our soul and releases cleansing transforming creation redemption power. I know that is too many adjectives but God cannot be limited by our sense of good grammar. To encourage you I want to simply remind you of some key verses about a pastor’s relationship to the Word and some questions for your reflection.

Does how you live embody God’s true knowledge? Do your words preserve true knowledge even when you are NOT teaching?

Teach His Truth Not Your Ideas!

Mal 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

I know you aren’t a priest in the OT sense, but you are a member of Jesus’ royal priesthood! You are an undersheperd of the Great Shepherd called to steward His word for the purpose of His mission. Pastors should be known for being men who know the Word while skillfully helping others understand and follow Jesus in it.

GUT CHECK: We must ask ourselves. Is what we teach true biblical knowledge? Do we value clear over clever? Do we honor the content & intent of our Creator’s word when we claim to teach?

Keep Your Life Anchored in His Word!

1Tim 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

GUT CHECK: Does how you live embody God’s true knowledge? Do your words preserve true knowledge even when you are NOT teaching? To teach with integrity and authority means our lives should demonstrate, exemplify, and model God’s living word with increasing faithfulness over time. I’m not talking perfection here but continual deepening as His disciples.

The problem is deprioritizing God’s Word hijacks the power & purpose of our calling.

Protect the Priority of His Word in Your Ministry!

2Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Work at living and teaching it well. It takes what it takes to study, pray, listen to the Lord and shape the message for those He calls you to serve. Prioritize that time, Plan that time & protect that time. I know there are other important things we do as pastors, yet if we drift from His truth those other things are likely to become polluted as a result.

GUT CHECK:  Do we prioritize intentional work to understand & follow God’s word in my own life? Do I work hard to make sure the principles and applications we teach from his Word are true to his word?

Pastor, I am for you in this sacred work. I pray you do not stray from the simplicity of teaching the Word of God so that people can experience the transforming power of Jesus. Whatever else you do each week, devote yourself to faithfully reflecting, digesting and teaching God’s Word.

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Embrace the Power of the Same Old Thing

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 

Preaching Easter is both exciting and strange. We are excited knowing the room is likely to be more full than normal. It is a great gospel opportunity. The strangeness is the temptation to be overly creative, clever or compelling in our shaping and delivery of the message. This is our one big shot this season after all. If we are honest it is our opportunity to see the size of the crowd take a more permanent move forward. Please my friends, let’s avoid stepping into that trap.

Believers should NEVER get bored with the powerful grace of Jesus in the cross & resurrection. Preachers shouldn’t either!

During my 25 years of preaching in the same church I sometimes wondered “How do I make is sound like I’m not just preaching the same thing as last year… as every Easter?” A better question would be “ when did I get bored with the Resurrection of Jesus?” Or “When did I forget that Jesus is on the job building His church changing hearts” It rests on His power not ours. Thankfully I have a wife who was quick to remind me that believers should NEVER get bored with the powerful grace of Jesus in the cross & resurrection. Preachers shouldn’t either!

So my encouragement to you this Easter is remember to rejoice in the powerful resurrection of Jesus yourself! Whether your message is done or still cooking embrace the power of the same old thing. In this case the “old thing” is the Eternal One whose resurrection changes everything!

Like Moses trusting the single staff God told him to take up, we take up the gospel trusting the calling, presence and power of our Lord to do his powerful work when we obediently follow Him.

So as this week unfolds:

  1. Rest in Jesus as you prepare. Study with faith, seeking the Lord prayerfully as you prepare. The risen Christ who has given you life is at work in you seeking to bear fruit including this weekend! Rest in Him. He is ready to work!
  2. Exalt Jesus as you preach. Live in the passages and prepare to teach what they teach. Yes make it clear. Share it in as interesting and compelling way as you know how. But don’t over work this! Jesus is compelling all on His own. Put His message on display. We are simply messengers NOT authors. Let the good news of Jesus’ resurrection power be clearly seen.
  3. Invite people to follow Jesus in faith. Call them to respond to the call of God in their hearts as they hear His Word. Remember preaching is never about showing how smart we are. It is ultimately about helping people see AND respond to Jesus. it is about transformation through information, not information alone.

It all rests on the power & presence of God in us as we prepare, in us as we share and in other as they hear & respond. Praise God our Risen Savior is at work still in the hearts of people.

John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

I am praying for you as you share His gospel truth this weekend. May His presence and power so fill you that those who hear you hear and respond to Jesus in ways that both bring and deepen His life in them.

What Do You Seek?

      You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jer. 29:13

Dear pastor, as March picks up the pace on its way to Easter I want to give you an encouraging reminder that begins with a challenging question.

The question I want you to consider is, “What do you seek?” Not the quick intellectual answer but the true, maybe unseen, answer that springs from our hearts and shapes our approach to life and ministry. What is your heart seeking in all the things you seek to do this season?

Think about last week for a minute… What were you working for? What were you hoping for? What guided your decisions and direction? If you had to boil down all your activities and think about your true desire- what were you seeking?

  • To advance
    • To survive
  • To succeed
  • To love
  • To improve
  • To solve
  • To restore

I ask the question because very often what we seek impacts what we see, what we find and what we miss. What we seek colors our approach to life!

I know you are busy so let me get to the point you already know. The pace and pursuit of effective ministry can often distract us from simply seeking Jesus. Like distracted driving, we think we can glance for just a moment, but the moment easily become a season. Our choice instead of relieving pressure deflates the peace & presence of Christ in us.

Of course it is better to avoid letting that happen. But when it does there is a simple way back! Return to Jesus.

Thus declares the Lord of Hosts, “Return to me, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts.” Zechariah 1:3

My main reminder for us all this month is return to the priority of seeking Jesus. Like a good marriage we must continue to pursue our wives with deepening holy love. So with Jesus he made us with a need for continually seeking Him with priority faith and love as well.

In Jesus we have life. In Jesus we have direction. In Jesus we have power. In Jesus we have peace. In Jesus we have fruitfulness. Everything we need for life, godliness, relationship and purpose is in Jesus. We know this theologically, but our hearts can wander even as pastors.

So this month I encourage you to take another step to strengthen your follow through in continually seeking Jesus. Seek to abide in His presence, hear His voice, follow His lead, keep in step with His Spirit and all the other expressions of this you know from His Word. Many things in this world call out for us to seek them. Jesus wants us to seek the Father through Him! As we do, we experience the true joy of His saving presence and His powerful purposeful work in the world He calls us to embrace.

So in your time with Jesus, this month, ask Him to help you discern what you are seeking when you aren’t seeking Him. Ask Him to remove idols and restore your focus back on simply following after Him. Affirm your faith that seeking Him leads to everything else He desires for us and through us.

      Col 3:1-2 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Believing Prayer?!

Do I believe prayer makes a difference? Do you? What a question to ask a pastor! And yet, if we are honest there, are moment we ask ourselves that exact question don’t we? I recently read Richard Blackaby and Rick Fisher’s book, Developing a Powerful Praying Church. That question snuck up on me as I read. It came right behind the lead question of the book, “What if the key to successful pastorate is prayer?”

It’s not that I don’t pray. I do almost every morning, intentionally, mostly. Still, there are ebbs and flows to prayer for all of us. Here is a truth: when we are in a low prayer season, somehow our beliefs about God or prayer have gotten off track.

Here is a truth: when we are in a low prayer season, somehow our beliefs about God or prayer have gotten off track.

Maybe we believe we don’t need His help and so we race to the work and skip the prayer. Maybe we question whether prayer makes a difference so we turns to something we believe might make a difference faster. I can’t speak for you, but I wonder how else you might explain the ebbs in your life?

I want to share a verse with you that has become an anchor for what I believe God wants us to believe about him to deepen our prayer life. But first I want to remind you that the Bible teaches us that we must come to God in prayer in faith, if we are to expect His to hear & respond. I have been memorizing Psalm 69:13 to deepen the specific of that faith that it models for us.

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Ps 69:13

Here is the gold of this verse: In contrast to others who look for help elsewhere, David intentionally choses to come to the Lord with His request.

  • David affirms faith in God’s timing. He believes God will answer in the time He thinks best. David expresses that trust even as he asks. This keeps us from demanding or panicking. It deepens anchors my trust.
  • David affirms faith in the God’s great love for Him. He is not praying with anxiety about God’s heart. He is a well-loved son. He affirms this beautifully. This calms my fears and settles any anxiety that maybe God doesn’t care. It deepens my faith in the depths of Jesus’ love for us.
  • David affirms faith in God’s faithfulness to save. He is not worried about God’s power or purpose. He is not afraid God might be fickle. He fully, deeply trusts God’s heart. We can trust God’s saving faithfulness every time!

This verse helps me settle my heart to trust God as I come to him in prayer as well. it teaches me to affirm that He is our life and salvation. His timing, love and saving faithfulness are ALWAYS in play. So I pray. How about you?

So let me ask you brothers, How is your prayer life in this second month of our new year? What do you believe about God that is impacting it? I encourage you to take time to ask Jesus to help you answer this question if you are struggling. Then reflect on His saving faithfulness, abundant steadfast love and saving faithfulness. Let it help deepen your prayer relationship with Him.

What if our impact as pastors really does depend on our prayer relationship with Jesus?

Deepening Or Drifting

Here we go again. Christmas is in the rear view mirror. The New Year is upon us. I really hope you got a refreshing break after Christmas! If not I’m sorry. Like it or not the responsibilities, strategies & schedules are back in full swing, or about to be. I wonder, does that excite you or exhaust you? Either way it might be a good time for a quick check up. Let’s do some personal game planning around your spiritual health for the next season.

Spiritual health always matters, but especially for those in pastoral leadership. Only the Spirit produces spiritual fruit & impact. When we allow the press of ministry to prevent the work of Christ in us, everybody loses. The ministry impact we dream of can never be achieved by pursing it first. We must always pursue Jesus first (i.e. Matt. 6:33)! You already know this of course, but we all have seasons of forgetful drift.

My main question for you this month is: how will you make sure you deepen with Jesus and minister out of the overflow as the new year begins?

This question comes from two crucial passages. Psalm 127 which reminds us that UNLESS the Lord build, our work is a waste. John 15 specifies that UNLESS we abide in Jesus, we can’t produce any true spiritual fruit. We can birth thorns, leaves and sticks for the fire, but nothing of eternal value. That is why I ask this question.

To help you begin, I want to give you two suggestions and two approaches to make it work.

Prov 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

TWO SUGGESTIONS

Keep Watch over Your Soul

What are your warning lights that your leadership health is out of whack and how often do you check them? When your soul is out of gas instead of abiding? Does they show up in your emotions, your relationships, your schedule? Are you aware of them? If not ask those who serve closest with you!

When you are alone with Jesus consider: How are you with Jesus really? Are you abiding in Him? Depending on the Spirit? Does your daily ministry overflow from the Spirit’s work in your heart or is it driven by something else? How will you know? What will you do about it? Does your schedule reflect faithful pursuit of His calling for you?

Keeping watch will help you catch the beginning of a drift and prevent it from going on too long. If you want to chase this further consider Don Whitney’s book Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.

Intentionally Deepen to Avoid Drift

What will help you deepen instead of drift? What would a more intentional pursuit of deepening leadership health look like for you in 2023? I’m talking about progress not perfection. I’m not talking about flesh driven discipline. I am talking about deepening intentional spiritual rhythms that keep us abiding more often, more frequently for longer periods of time so our work is actually more spirit than flesh.

The core real time ministry question to assess reality is “am I walking closely enough with Jesus to follow His direction and rest in His power?” If not what is my next step to deepen with Him?

I trust you to work out the specifics with the Lord and wise teammates in your church. Even better is to share with your pastor cohort. (but I’ll take that up another time). I’m glad to have a conversation with you about this if I can be of help.

TWO APPROACHES

Plan Regular Times of Reflection

It is good to have regular times of reflection to focus on the first two suggestions. These are “half- time moments.” They are planned times between ministry stretches where we can reflect, assess and adjust  with a bit less pressure. They might be daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly times we have made a habit through our schedule. I encourage you to take some time to do this and extend it in the next season for your own sake and the church you lead.

Call “Time Outs” as Needed

Time Out moments are brief moments in a game when you realize something is out of sync and need addressed immediately. If you have made used of the planned breaks then in these you go back to just two questions. Am I abiding in Jesus right now? How do I sync back up with His presence and calling? For me these prayer breaks involve responsive listening to Jesus about what is happening. This can lead to repentance and renewal in living out our calling in dependance on Him.

Don’t let another year begin without leaning in on your spiritual health. When this deepens, it empowers everything else for the better. As one of my early mentors said, “What your church needs most from you is that you have a vital relationship with Jesus!” I’m praying for you as this new year begins. May you so deepen with Jesus that His fruit multiplies in your life, family & ministry!

1Tim. 4:15-16 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

A Pastor’s Christmas: Worn Out or Wonder?

Christmas is a mixed bag for pastors. There is a reason many pastors look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year more than any other part of the Christmas season!

Let me ask you a question. What are you feeling as December marches toward Christmas Eve? Dread, Joy, Anticipation, Anxiety? I certainly have felt all of those things!

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Christmas is filled with opportunity and challenge. It is a great time to sow gospel seed and draw in gospel nets. Christmas is a key opportunity to help more people embrace the life changing love of Christ; to help those we shepherd embrace deepening levels of His work in their lives. We feel the excitement and the pressure. The challenge is while we embrace the work we can also hinder His deepening work in us as well. It can keep us from experiencing the same peace we invite so many others to receive. It can keep us from refreshing time with our own families.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matt. 2:10

This Christmas I want to remind you, encourage you to live the life you are hoping others will find. Pastor out of the overflow of your own deepening walk with Jesus.

Nurture your own wonder that the Word would become flesh to reveal the Father to you. That the Lamb of God would come to take away your sin. That God would so humble Himself in order that we might live in the blessing of His glory! Wow! Doesn’t that make you heart want to stop, reflect and worship?!

When our hearts are filled with wonder that lingers in Jesus’ presence and deepens faith in His powerful work, we are set free from the fleshy burdens that hijack the season. When our soul overflows with Jesus’ presence, His fragrance is more readily spread through ours.

You already know how this happens. Here is the reminder. Whatever else you do this season, create regular space to sit in Jesus’ presence. Lean in to the good news of great joy that caused Shepherds to leave their work and take a closer look. Adjust your plans to follow the star signs that lead you personally closer to Jesus’ presence. Take time to look more closely at Jesus! When we do this as pastors, He transforms us in ways that make it more likely others will be transformed as well.

Merry Christmas to you dear pastor! I am grateful for you. I am praying this is truly a season of peace and joy for you.

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. 2Thes. 3:5

Find the Right Insight at the Right Time

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Pastor, I know you work hard shepherding & leading your church to fully embrace Jesus’ mission in an impactful way. That means leading through continual changes and challenges that often overwhelm.

There are predictable challenges in a church’s journey. When we don’t navigate them well, churches stall, divide or decline. We’ve all seen pastors leave, problems blow up and churches die when they didn’t need to!

Because of this, We believe Every Pastor could use a strategic mentor. No one should pastor alone!

Continue reading Find the Right Insight at the Right Time

Book Highlight: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh & Samuel Rima

1Tim. 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

One inescapable reality for all believers INCLUDING those in ministry is that our sinful flesh remains in play. Embracing the call to pastor does not eradicate our flesh. While there are called leaders, there is no perfect leader. There are gifted & godly leaders but none are immune to the sin nature that remains in each until Jesus Himself returns. 

Whether passion, personality or ability every pastor that has an upside also has a dark side. Some are more obvious than others. It is always more obvious in others than it is in the mirror. And therein lies the problem. If our dark side is left unrecognized, unacknowledged and unaddressed it waits to betray Jesus’ work in us and harm His work through us.

“How easy it is for us as spiritual leaders to use our ministry positions and the people we have been called to lead to advance our own goals and meet our own neurotic needs.” p. 213

Continue reading Book Highlight: Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh & Samuel Rima

Preach Powerfully this Easter!

Easter can feel like the Super Bowl for Pastors. If you are scheduled to preach this weekend, I don’t have to tell you about the excitement and weight of preaching on Easter. In reality, it should be no different than any other week, and yet as fleshy humans the idea of the crowd gets in our head and distracts our heart.

If you are going to have an off-week, you don’t want it to be this one. Along with Christmas Eve and Mother’s Day it can be among the highest attendance days of the year. If nothing else, it is the one weekend that all who claim your church as their church are most likely to show up at the same time! If you find yourself struggling today thinking about what or how you will preach this Easter Sunday, I pray the following thoughts might encourage your heart and overcome any struggle or pressure your flesh brings to bear.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to validate your worth through an amazing Easter sermon performance.

Continue reading Preach Powerfully this Easter!