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.

Keeping Christmas Fresh

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

How is your Christmas preaching going? Are you excited about what you planned? Are you worried that it’s warmed up leftovers? Do you ever struggle with teaching the same passages to the same people at the same time of year each year?

It doesn’t take long for those who preach to struggle with Christmas preaching. In a world where our church families can find the best sermons from every other preacher we worry about boring them, especially if we have the privilege of staying in a church longer than 4 years.

There are many things that can drag us down this season. Don’t let your preaching be one of them.

I remember the excitement of preaching through Christmas in my first year as a pastor. I hit the ground running the first week of December with all the passion a rookie can muster. The second, and third Christmas seasons were equally exciting. Still, with each passing year a nagging fear grew about how to mix it up and keep it fresh after I ran out of “Christmas passages.” Thankfully the Lord worked my heart over.

The Easy Yoke?!

The race to Christmas has begun! Anyone tired yet? My prayer is that you enter this season energized by the presence of Jesus and the calling He has given you. Realistically though, I know many are tired. One of the elusive mysteries we face as pastors is how to live in that place where we work out of rest.

It didn’t take long for me to struggle with this in seminary. I was especially troubled by Matthew 11:28-30. As a full time seminary student with 2 part time jobs, one volunteer ministry, one wife and 2 kids in a one bedroom apartment, Jesus’ yoke did not often seem easy! Still, I knew God’s word had to be true and that something must be wrong in my heart and approach to life.

Receive It Well!

There are seasons in life where we struggle with appreciation. Some Octobers can feel that way for pastors. Some years I weirdly hoped to get through without being “appreciated” on the platform in the services.

An interesting irony of our awkwardness is that when we most desire appreciation, we are also least comfortable receiving it. Reflecting on it now, I wonder what that reveals about our hearts.

We must remember that healthy relationships are two way streets. Sometimes as pastors we want to give, serve, help & lead but struggle to receive from those in our spiritual family. That is not healthy. Genuine affection should be both given and received.

Pastor Appreciation Flipped!

1Cor 1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

What if the level of pastor appreciation you experience disappoints your heart? Few would admit they wish they could improve pastor appreciation. Most recognize the selfishness of that kind of thinking. Still, how do we keep from getting stuck on the dark side of pastor appreciation month?

I want to offer something for you to consider. This can’t be a gimmick. It can’t be fake. However, if you embrace this one thing in a genuine way, it will deepen pastor appreciation in your church culture.

Appreciation Challenges

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 1Thes 5:12-13

“Pastor Appreciation Month” is a mixed bag for most pastors. It began through the initial work of Focus on the Family in the early 1990’s. While most of us didn’t follow Jesus’ call for the human appreciation, it feels great to receive genuine gratitude. That can make it weird because our focus is making disciples, building Jesus’ church and fishing for people NOT fishing for appreciation! We feel strangely uncomfortable thinking or talking about pastor appreciation.

I want to just name part of that challenge out loud because you probably can’t in your setting. A core challenge includes the range of ways church approach it. Some churches are incredibly generous (think trip to Hawaii or Israel). Others seem oblivious to it. Many in the middle have good intentions but it snuck up on them or there just wasn’t thoughtful leadership to do something meaningful. So it ends up feeling more like an obligatory afterthought than genuine appreciation. It isn’t about what is spent, but the level of authentic appreciation shown. Some of my favorite blessings were heartfelt words shared in writing or verbally. If you are in ministry long enough you will experience all of them. If you are a pastor, stick with me a bit longer.

Giving Attention to Prayer

James 5:16b The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Where does your attention go in a typical ministry week? Where do you begin? What gets the most attention and time? When the dust settles, how much activity can we say with certainty was powered with spiritual strength? What kind of attention is given to prayer?

^{While we all believe in prayer and understand its importance, we also want to do better. Prayer is something we simultaneously long for and feel guilty about.}

For many in ministry, the ministry tasks and relationships take so much attention that prayer gets left behind. Perhaps that explains why the results of our activity can be so disappointing. We must find a way to give attention to prayer.

Stay Faithful to the Word

In today’s post I simply want to remind you or the priority & power of God’s word. The time you spend, the work you do to understand and share God’s word with people is one of the more important parts of your calling.

2Tim. 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. Cf. 2Tim 4:1-3

How much time do you spend in sermon prep? I have heard this question from other pastors trying to figure out how to juggle their competing demands of ministry. Some state that unless you spend 30+ hours a week you are being unfaithful while others assert if you spend more than 10 hours a week you are being unfaithful to your true calling.

What if the better question is not how much time but how faithful are you to the ministry of the Word in light of Jesus’ call and the Spirit’s gifts in your life.

Acts 6: So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.

We all face nagging tension over how and where to spend our ministry time. The challenge of competing ministry demands is nothing new. The apostles faced a crisis of expectations in Acts 6 and wisely took a stand. They would not neglect the ministry of the Word and prayer by taking on too many other ministry responsibilities. We are wise to follow their example still.

Consider this: Does your use of available ministry time show that you cherish the Word of God? Do you prioritize faithfully serving the Word of God to His people? So, how long should you spend? As long as it takes within the resources and responsibilities God has given you.

God gives pastors different gifts, ability levels, callings & opportunities. Certain aspects of sermon prep come faster for some than others. Full time pastors have more time than bivocational ones. But every one of us has the same Word of God with the same Holy Spirit. They are our most powerful spiritual tools for truly spiritual work. He gives each what we need to accomplish the purpose He desires.

1Tim 4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

Here are some questions that may help:

Do I study the passage enough to know what it really says?
Do I prayed enough to know what the Holy Spirit wants us to know & do in response?
Do I fleshed it out enough to teach the passage faithfully while trusting the Holy Spirit’s lead in the moment of teaching?
Am I abiding in Christ enough to be alert and usable to the Spirit in the moment.

Trust how Jesus chooses to work through you! God’s Word is powerful. It is a light, a fire, a sword, a hammer, and a healing balm. God’s word is able to lead us to salvation and transform our lives. When people receive and respond to the Word they follow Jesus more deeply well beyond us!

When we faithfully teach God’s word, we give people their best opportunity to experience Jesus’ life changing work in a personal way.

The purpose of teaching the Word is to shepherd people toward deepening relationship with Jesus. Remember the purpose! Trust the time God gives you and make the most of it! I’m praying for you as you share His message this coming weekend!

2Tim 4:1-3 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

The Most Important Thing

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20

I wonder what 100 pastors would say, if I woke them up from a dead sleep and asked them to quickly answer, “What is the most important thing your church needs from you?” I wonder what a thousand church members would say in the same scenario? I imagine there would a several things on the table: Great leadership, great preaching, great heart for people, great evangelists…

Still, if given a chance to reflect I’m confident your soul already knows. Without this one thing, nothing else has lasting value. Without this one thing, the pace and pressures of ministry in our darkening culture choke us out like an elephant on our air hose. What is this one thing?

No One Should Pastor Alone!

It is not good that the man should be alone… Gen. 2:18

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Prov. 27:17

I like my alone time. Apparently I’m not alone. Statistics reveal that a surprising number of those in ministry are introverts. That means people drain us even though we love them. Restoring our energy happens best alone. BUT I learned early on that no one should pastor alone! Genesis 2 clearly reveals that we are not meant to live alone. God Himself declares that it is not good!

Sadly, too many pastors serve in isolation and disconnection. I have been there, you likely have as well. The reasons for this include geographical distance, busyness and the size of our communities and churches. If we are honest, the greatest barriers are insecurity and its distant cousin… pride. Though it is out of context, I hear Jethro’s voice from Exodus 18 whispering “The thing you are doing is not good, you will wear out yourself and those you serve!” (Exodus 18)

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2

Welcome to the Pastor’s Life!

“… upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” – Jesus Matt. 16:18

Welcome to the Pastor’s Life! What a blessing to begin serving you in the areas of Leadership health. I am humbled by God’s call and the privilege you have given to be part of the KNCSB state team.

As a rookie pastor, I remember hearing John Maxwell answer the question “What is the one thing I need to know to be a great leader?” His answer was, “The most important thing you need to know about leadership is that there more than one thing you need to know.” HOW TRUE!

A few decades later, I am still learning! How about you? Leaders are always learning aren’t we? We learn new skills, new tools, new information, new levels of faith and holiness, new depths of God’s heart & faithfulness. Yet, the more we learn the clearer foundation stones of healthy ministry become.

A great deal of learning involves relearning and reminding. Reminding sinks things deeper. Reminding can be annoying, but it can also be encouraging, refreshing freeing! Reminding can sharpen the clarity of our remembering and sharpen our active follow through today!

In these articles I hope to encourage you, sharpen you and serve you through both learning and reminding. You have plenty of places to find something new. My invitation is to remember your first love, your foundation, your calling… your SAVIOR.

You are not working alone. Jesus is the most gifted in the room. Jesus is the best leader in the room. Jesus is the smartest person in the room. Jesus sacrificed the most in the room.

The pressures and pace of ministry too often propel us forward in ways that cause us to lose our footing. We have all been there, It could be you are there right now. The good news is that as we remind each other of the gospel core, both impact and health deepen.

For today I’d like to remind you of one foundational reality: Jesus is building His church! Read that again. Let it sink in. Wow! You are not working alone. Jesus is the most gifted in the room. Jesus is the best leader in the room. Jesus is the smartest person in the room. Jesus sacrificed the most in the room. Jesus who called us is with us in His building project! A project that will not be delayed or disrupted by any other power.

As Fall looms with a mix of excitement and anxiety, ground your heart in this truth. Jesus is building His church. He has invited you to be part of His project. Relax, follow His call, keep in step with Him and enjoy the opportunity! I am praying for you, and Jesus is with you.

If I can be of any help to you or your church. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

John Shields

KNCSB Leadership Health Director

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