{"id":32091,"date":"2022-09-10T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-ways-spiritual-growth-challenges-church-leaders\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:56:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:56:00","slug":"4-ways-spiritual-growth-challenges-church-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/4-ways-spiritual-growth-challenges-church-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways Spiritual Growth Challenges Church Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Mark Dance<\/em><\/p>\n

When I saw the dart board on the wall of a Nashville restaurant, I was compelled to challenge my coworker, Allan Taylor, to a match. Neither of us knew the rules, or cared for that matter. We hadn\u2019t thrown darts in decades so we just started slinging them wildly.<\/p>\n

Soon, the entire restaurant knew just how bad we were at darts. New holes were forming in the walls, so we gave up before anyone got hurt or arrested.<\/p>\n

The very first Greek word I learned in Dr. Franky Rainey’s class was hamartano<\/em>\u2014\u201cmissing the mark.\u201d As an avid archer, I\u2019m better with arrows than darts, but I still miss the mark sometimes. I\u2019m also familiar with failure as a pastor and a Lifeway employee.<\/p>\n

Quite frankly, no pastor is proficient at everything, although there\u2019s one bull\u2019s-eye we should all be laser-focused on\u2014our growing love for God.<\/strong> I\u2019m convinced a great commandment love for God is a pastor\u2019s greatest priority as well as his greatest challenge.<\/p>\n

According to Jesus, loving God is every believer\u2019s \u201cfirst and greatest\u201d priority. Why, then, is spiritual growth such a challenge for pastors?<\/p>\n

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1. Spiritual growth is difficult to measure.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When our children are growing, we can chart their growth with a measuring tape. How can we measure something as nebulous as spiritual growth? Even the fruit of the Spirit is difficult to discern sometimes.<\/p>\n

The best way to measure spiritual growth is to seek feedback from those you live and serve with regularly.<\/p>\n

2. Spiritual growth is seasonal.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Spiritual growth is not a temporary challenge we\u2019ll age out of. Nobody lives in a constant state of revival.<\/p>\n

Nobody.<\/em><\/p>\n

After Barna interviewed 14,000 pastors, 1 in 4 pastors (24%) said they experienced a period during their ministry when they significantly doubted their faith.<\/p>\n

An abundant life shouldn’t be confused with a perfect one. Even some of the pastors we see smiling on social media are occasionally crying behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

Preach the Word both in season and out of season, because both are inevitable.<\/p>\n

3. Spiritual growth is intentional.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

About a decade ago, I stalled spiritually. After 20 consecutive years of pastoring, I\u2019d allowed spiritual erosion to slowly creep in and rob me of my passionate love for God.<\/p>\n

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See also  The Power of a Father’s Faith<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I grew tired of missing the mark, so I made some changes on my calendar to reflect my priorities. I stopped taking breakfast meetings and moved my morning workouts to allow my first love to take first place in my day.<\/p>\n

4. Spiritual growth is simple.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t roll your eyes. I didn\u2019t say it was easy; I said it was simple.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Pentecost, the disciples temporarily stopped devoting themselves to \u201cprayer and the ministry of the Word.\u201d The Church stopped growing because the pastors stopped growing.<\/p>\n

The solution was as obvious as the problem was. After the church deployed deacons to solve the \u201cwidow war,\u201d they simply re-devoted themselves to prayer and the Word (Acts 6:4).<\/p>\n

Do you think God has changed His growth plan for pastors and churches?<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, there\u2019re no secrets or shortcuts to spiritual growth. Jesus\u2019 simple solution is to \u201cbe zealous and repent\u201d when we get off track. \u201cRemember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first\u201d (Revelation 2:5).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been missing the spiritual mark for a while, ask God to refresh your love for Him. Then show the fruit of repentance by making sure He\u2019s first place in your life and ministry.<\/p>\n

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Mark Dance<\/h2>\n

@markdance<\/strong><\/p>\n

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After serving as a pastor for 28 years, Mark is now the director of pastoral wellness for Guidestone Financial Resources. He frequently speaks at churches, conferences, and retreats\u2014often with his wife Janet. Read more from him at\u00a0MarkDance.net.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n