Pastor's Page

Almost every week, Pastor Garrett writes an article for our church bulletin.  Here are the last several articles, reprinted for you to read. 

(If you would like to discuss these issues with him, please drop an email, or give him a call.  He would be glad to interact with you more personally.)

I make no claim to be an expert in leadership theory. Yes, I have taken classes about leadership in college and seminary. Yes, I continue to read about leadership from both Christian and non-Christian writers and experts. But in the end, church leadership, is a kind of mystery to me. One reason for this mystery is that leadership in the church is built on two very different pillars. One pillar is organization and the other is spiritual maturity or character. Let me explain what I mean.

The organizational pillar of leadership is made up of personality and skills that vary little between secular and religious organizations. For example a treasurer of a Kiwanis club and the treasurer of a church do much the same kind of job. Both handle money. Both need to be honest and trustworthy. Both need to understand how to balance checking accounts and both need to operate within the parameters set down by the organization. The same could be said of a secretary/clerk, a president or moderator, even a project leader or committee member. Often it seems that leaders who are effective in a secular organization are also effective in a church position. 

However, when I read the Bible, it seems to me that leadership is primarily a matter of spiritual maturity or character. That is to say, Christian leadership (in the Bible) seems to be more a matter of character than skill. Church leaders are selected based on their spiritual maturity, not on their skill set.

As you can see, there is a tension here. Leaders in a church need to have skill and they also need maturity, but a person with great leadership skill and great spiritual maturity is rather rare. Much more common is the person who has some leadership skills and some spiritual maturity, but still has a long way to grow in either direction. Maybe that is the reason the church is like a body, or a family. No one is great by himself, but working together, we can accomplish a lot.

Today, in our business meeting we will elect church leaders. None on our list claim to be great leaders, but they are willing to step up to the challenge and serve our church in this ministry. All of us need to work together to accomplish the work God has called our church to do. In the end, we have only one excellent leader, Jesus Himself. He is the head of Temple Baptist Church and if we all look to Him, He will accomplish all He wants us to do.

Ephesians 4:15-16 sums it up well, “We will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Your Pastor,

Dude Garrett

Please read carefully!! What I am about to tell you is IMPORTANT.

First some background: I have been the pastor here for almost 23 years. Never in that 23 years has our church had a budget surplus for more than a month, NEVER. But this year, after the first 7 months of 2010, we have a budget surplus of $4,000. It took me the first 3 months of 2010 before I would believe the figures. Was this just an unusual combination of circumstances? Was there an unusual amount of outside gifts to our church? Would it mean that next month, our giving would be proportionately lower? I did not know the answer to these questions, so I just waited and watched.

The next two months I started to think and pray, Lord, this budget surplus is no accident, what are we to do with it? Is this surplus to supply future needs? Should we use it for building repair? Is there a need that we are not meeting that we should address? For the last two months it has been my growing burden that we should use this money to give more support Lon and Kheng in their Wichita assignment. 

I should have acted on my prompting a month ago, but it was not until last Sunday that I presented my perspective to the Church Council and the Finance Committee. As a result of our discussion, we have formulated the following plan. 

We will challenge our church family (and those who know and pray for Pastor Lon and Kheng’s outreach to 3K people) to give a special love offering for their support. Those gifts that are given will be matched by budget surplus funds 2 to 1. That is to say, for every love-offering dollar given, our church will match it with two dollars more from our general fund surplus (up to a maximum of $2000).

The final approval for this plan must come from the church body, not just the Finance Committee. But I am confident that the church as a whole will see the Lord’s leadership in this matter when the Finance Committee recommends this plan at our business meeting next Sunday. If you are a church member, please pray for this decision and ask God what He wants you to give. You know how worthy Lon and Kheng are of this support. You know how much they have sacrificed to lead our church in 3Koutreach. You know their needs and you have been praying that God would meet those needs. It is now time for us to act on those prayers.

The promise of Philippians 4:19 is ours. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  We can see it alive in our church today. Together we will live out this promise!

Your Pastor,

Dude Garrett

Summer is almost over. In Fargo, school registrations are this week and classes begin next week. Labor Day is only three weeks away and then Minnesota schools will be in session. Next Sunday is my last Baseball Chapel for the season and it is not long until football will be getting lots of attention. (Did you know that the FargoDome is the 6^th largest “city” in North Dakota during a Bison home football game?)

As I was thinking about the end of the summer, I also took a look back. There are a lot of praises, it has been an eventful summer. On a personal front, Karon and I are doing house maintenance that has been needed for a long time. We have given extra attention to siding, painting, and other outside repairs. We welcomed a new grandson into our family when Dain was born on July 4, and we anticipate another grandchild within the next week or so when Erin has her second baby. God has greatly blessed our family!

In ministry, it has been a very special summer. Baseball Chapel has been great this summer, with players anxious and interested in chapel on Sunday and Bible study during the week. Ministry to Chinese students has also been a high point. Normally the summer sees few new faces, but this year, I have been working with more Chinese students than ever before.

In church ministry, our Lawn Party was a wonderful success with the group from Alabama and our own outreach to the immediate neighborhood. We had the biggest attendance ever for an event aimed at our neighbors. Maybe this is something that we need to do more intentionally?

Once again, VBS was a highpoint of the summer. It is just plain FUN for our kids and their friends. VBS is one of those ways that the whole church works together. This year, it was even more special because the group from Tennessee added a wonderful dimension of fellowship and ministry. In fact, their work on our building was a most unexpected gift and blessing.

Another rather hidden blessing this summer was the gift of a new lawn tractor to the church. Our 25 year old riding mower has been replaced by a bigger tractor, with a mulching mower that makes the lawn look better than ever. What a blessing!

The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) This summer has been a wonderful gift from our Father in heaven. Take time to PRAISE HIM for the gifts He has given you this summer.

Your Pastor,

Dude Garrett