{"id":32235,"date":"2022-09-10T16:01:40","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-things-local-church-ministry-taught-will-graham\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:01:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:01:40","slug":"3-things-local-church-ministry-taught-will-graham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-things-local-church-ministry-taught-will-graham\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things Local Church Ministry Taught Will Graham"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Will Graham – BGEA photo<\/div>\n

By Joy Allmond<\/em><\/p>\n

These days, William (\u201cWill\u201d) Franklin Graham IV works for the ministry began many decades ago by his famed evangelist grandfather.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t get his start in ministry working for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) as an evangelist and director for the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove.<\/p>\n

He started out in local church leadership more than 20 years ago, and says his years as a young pastor were his greatest preparation for his BGEA role.<\/p>\n

Billy Graham with Will – BGEA photo<\/div>\n

And it was through those formative years in local church leadership, Graham says, that taught him some of his most crucial ministry lessons. Here are several pieces of advice he offers to anyone in church leadership\u2014especially those in early years of ministry<\/p>\n

1. Delegate ministry tasks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Graham says delegating was one of the hardest\u2014but most important\u2014lessons he learned.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI wanted to do everything,\u201d he says of an early pastorate. \u201cIt was a church plant, so we were small, and we had to do everything. I thought I had to do it all because I was the one<\/em> paid employee. I also just loved the work and didn\u2019t want to hand things over.\u201d<\/p>\n

One day a deacon sat him and down and explained to Graham he needed to let lay leadership and volunteers do some of the work\u2014work they had been gifted by God to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed the reminder that God equips and gifts lay people,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a hard lesson to learn, but man, we did so much more after that because it wasn\u2019t dependent upon my<\/em> work; it was the body of Christ doing the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Communicate effectively<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lost count of how many times I\u2019ve said something stupid and had to go back and apologize for it,\u201d says Graham. \u201cNot heretical or mean spirited, but taken out of context.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham, who pastored while he was in seminary, said it was in the trenches of local church ministry that taught him how to deal with people and how to navigate conflict resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got humbled through these experiences and learned to love people,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I was pastoring, some of the most valuable lessons in interpersonal communication I learned was through just sitting on people\u2019s porches and talking to them. As a church leader, this is a great skill necessary to hammer out issues before they get unmanageable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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See also  How to Pass the Baton to the Next Pastor: A Q&A With Bryant Wright<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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3. Be available for counsel and prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a preacher of the gospel\u2014and perhaps as a cue from his grandfather\u2019s preaching style\u2014Graham says he always gives an invitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know what God\u2019s going to do in someone\u2019s life,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I was a pastor at a local church and people came forward to pray, 99 percent of the time they weren\u2019t coming forward for salvation\u2014but to be prayed with.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tells the story of a time during his pastorate when his worship leader fell ill and needed to find a replacement. The substitute led a 55-minute session of congregational singing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we were close to being out of time for the sermon I had prepared, I decided on the spur of the moment save my sermon for the following week,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to rush through it. Instead, I gave the congregation a recap of my recent mission trip and talked about what God did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though he didn\u2019t deliver a sermon, he still gave an invitation after his mission trip testimony.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple came forward to give their lives to Christ,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was as though God said to me, \u2018It\u2019s not about you or your sermon. I work the way I want to work.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to encourage young pastors top give an invitation\u2014even if everyone in the audience is a Christian. You never know what someone is dealing with\u2014even in a small church\u2014and you never know how God might be at work in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Joy Allmond<\/h2>\n

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

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Joy is the executive communications manager at Lifeway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n