Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear

To kick-off our new season, we want to share some of our favorite leadership lessons from Pastor J.D. This has been a minor departure from our question/answer format, but these quick thoughts on different leadership topics are too helpful not to share. Oftentimes, Pastor J.D. will ask the staff of The Summit Church to read a book before our monthly large team meeting. In our episode today, J.D. is teaching the staff from the book A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

To kick-off our new season, we want to share some of our favorite leadership lessons from Pastor J.D. This will be a minor departure from our question/answer format, but these quick thoughts on different leadership topics are too helpful not to share. You don’t want to miss any week in September. In our episode today, J.D. works quickly through value statements about disciple making at The Summit Church. ________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at LifeWay.com/Overcomer.  

To kick-off our new season, we want to share some of our favorite leadership lessons from Pastor J.D. This will be a minor departure from our question/answer format, but these quick thoughts on different leadership topics are too helpful not to share. You don’t want to miss any week in September. In our episode today, J.D. very quickly answers some common questions around working – specifically working in a church. How many hours should we expect our team to work each week? What does rest look like while in ministry? ________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at LifeWay.com/Overcomer.

To kick-off our new season, we are sharing some of our favorite leadership lessons from Pastor J.D. This will be a minor departure from our question/answer format, but these quick thoughts on different leadership topics are too helpful not to share. You don’t want to miss any week in September. Oftentimes, Pastor J.D. will ask the staff of The Summit Church to read a book before our monthly large team meeting. In our episode today, J.D. is hitting three quick leadership application points from the book Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar and Disney Animation. Join Pastor J.D. as he talks about setting and changing culture. ________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at LifeWay.com/Overcomer.  

In one of our two most popular episodes from season one, Pastor J.D. shares four important things to keep in mind when responding to instances of sexual abuse. Enjoy this re-broadcast, and watch for season two in September. A glimpse into this episode: This is an extremely important question, so much so that after becoming SBC president, the first thing I did was appoint a Sexual Abuse Advisory Group to lead our denomination. They have been leading in dozens of ways—one of the biggest is they’re developing a curriculum to help churches answer this very question. Churches should be a safe haven for the vulnerable, so we need to do everything we can to make our churches safe for survivors and safe from abuse. A few preliminary thoughts: Don’t be shocked it’s happening. Prioritize the protection of victims, not the guarding of your reputations. Your goal is not to meet the minimal requirements–but as a shepherd to protect your flock. This is just the start of an answer, but here are four important things to keep in mind: Disclosing sexual abuse takes an enormous amount of courage, so we should honor that. This may be the least understood aspect of sexual abuse—it results in a huge loss of voice for the victim. Abuse is usually followed by threats not to say anything, and that’s usually what happens. What you need to know is that the first time you hear about an instance of abuse, chances are the person talking to you has been carrying this for years. They’ve been terrified about what people will think. They’ve assumed they wouldn’t be believed. To speak up takes bravery. Now, there are important responses and action steps after you hear of abuse. But don’t be so quick to rush to the action step that you forget your first response—listening to a person, made in God’s image, reveal one of the most hurtful experiences of their lives. Listen, listen, listen. If you know of a report of sexual abuse against a minor, you are legally obligated to alert the authorities. This is not a “Matthew 18” situation. This is a “Romans 13” situation. Because certain sins are not only immoral; they are also illegal. This is never clearer than in the case of sexual abuse against minors. If you know of sexual abuse against a minor, no matter who you are, no matter who they are, your first response is to alert the authorities. Call CPS or call the police. You may not know all of the best next steps. But they do, and you need to bring them in. The safety of more children than you know may be on the line. If an abuser has access to minors at your church, remove the access immediately—and, again, call the authorities. Statistics here are horrifying. Those who abuse minors don’t just do it once or twice. They do it repeatedly, even after they’ve been caught (if given the opportunity). So if you know about one case, you need to see that as dozens of more potential cases. This isn’t a gray area: Bring in the authorities. We need to reject any understanding of grace that puts the vulnerable in harm’s way by giving abusers a chance to do it again Help connect the survivor to other resources. If someone has disclosed to you, that’s an honor. And you will have a key role in their healing process. But you need to know you shouldn’t be shouldering this alone. Questions are going to come up—pretty early—that are best processed through a counseling relationship. So one of the best things you can do for a victim is to get them connected to a counselor. This isn’t a handoff—you need to remind the victim that you are still there and want to process everything with them—but it allows other people more trained in abuse care to do what they do best. Conclusion: It’s a gospel issue ________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Grid video features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.  

In one of our top two most popular episodes from season one, Pastor J.D. explains that the gospel must be of first importance, both empowering and informing the church. Enjoy this re-broadcast from Ask Me Anything. Season 2 begins this September. A glimpse inside this episode: I actually wrote a book about this, called Above All. The greatest need now is the same as the greatest need 100 years ago. It’s the same as the greatest need 2,000 years ago. It’s to keep the gospel above all. Above all preferences, preferences, priorities, politics, etc. In fact, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that the gospel is of “first importance.” First importance means other things are important, too. But this is of first importance. This means the gospel is what should characterize us 1 Corinthians 2:2: some scholars say an exaggeration? Is that really new, though? Aren’t churches already doing this? Churches haven’t stopped saying they believe the gospel. But many churches are looking elsewhere for the source of their renewal. The gospel, you see, should both empower and inform everything we do. Empowers Spurgeon’s trough back to the gospel. The gospel is the power in all that we do: It’s not just the diving board, it’s the pool Informs The gospel shapes our mission. Jesus described his mission as: To seek and save the lost. It should be our identity: We are a gospel people. When people think about and talk about us, they should think about and talk about the gospel Why we don’t talk about politics: We don’t want to get distracted by secondary agendas that get in the way of gospel proclamation and disciple-making. ________________________________________________ This Episode’s Sponsor: The Overcomer movie has inspired the creation of several resources. For small groups, there is the Overcomer Bible study. For individuals, there is a book called Defined. Both are based upon powerful insights from the Book of Ephesians. Learn more about all the resources at LifeWay.com/Overcomer.

Pastor J.D. discusses some of the major objections to short-term mission trips and how we can participate in and facilitate them wisely. A glimpse inside this episode: Well, I hope they aren’t a huge waste of time and money, because I’m about to go on one for the next few weeks. Actually, I think what I’ll be doing shows the ways that short-term trips can go well. (John Crist video reference) You see, short-term mission trips get a bad rap because so many of them are done very, very badly. Are they a big waste of money, gobbling up money that could just be given to indigenous church planters directly? Don’t a lot of church people use them to scratch their “foreign travel itch”—i.e., “vacationaries”? Aren’t a lot of short-term trips unhelpful to the work on the field—forcing church planters to take time from real ministry to serve as tour guides and babysitters for curious Christians? And why would we go overseas to help there, when our communities are in such need here—isn’t that arrogant? But just because they’re done badly doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be done. Here’s what I’ll be doing: Ministry to missionaries in Thailand and live with a family from our church for three weeks and join their ministry. Here are some of the biggest objections I get to short-term trips, and why I think we should keep doing these trips—wisely—despite the objections: “Short-term trips are a waste of money.” Dollars spent on short-term trips are not zero-sum—that is, every dollar spent on a mission trip is not one less dollar you can give to people serving permanently on the field. Quite the opposite: people who see mission firsthand typically give more in missions offerings. In other words, money spent on short-term trips multiplies itself by creating greater willingness to give in the future among those who go. Plus, an extraordinary number of mid-term (one year or longer) and career missionaries trace their call, in part, back to a short-term mission trip. God often uses what we see and experience on a trip like that to shape the rest of our lives. “Short-term trips are really just exotic vacations for curious Christians: vacationaries.” Sadly, too often true. But it doesn’t have to be. We also use the lead-up to a mission trip as an intense discipleship experience. In preparing for a short-term trip, members read books, memorize verses of Scripture, keep a prayer journal, and share their faith. Ironically enough, many who enter the process with a motivation of simply seeing the world have their hearts changed along the way. I’ve seen it time and time again: potential “vacationaries” have their hearts touched by the global need for the gospel and return with new eyes and fresh vision. “Short-term trips don’t make sense when there is so much need here.” Error of sequentialism, etc. “Short-term trips are more harmful to the field work than helpful.” Again, this is often the case, even for the well-intentioned. One mission agency leader told me that there is a city in Mexico that is a popular destination for American church mission trips, and the number of conversions reported in one year for that city was three times the population of that city. Not helpful. A helpful resource to counteract this problem is Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s book, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. They show that much of the “helping” that we do actually ends up being harmful to those we intended to help. When we do for people what they can (and should) do for themselves, it may make us feel good, but it can hinder those groups from developing the leadership necessary to meet their own needs—leadership capacity that God has put in them as much as he has in us. ________________________________________________ Feeling unequipped for marriage ministry? Woo Marriage is here to help. Backed by research and designed with your church in mind, Woo Marriage provides Christ-centered marriage coaching for your entire church. Get your first month free with offer code LEADERSHIP at WooMarriage.com/FreeTrial.

Pastor J.D. shares four important things to keep in mind when responding to instances of sexual abuse. Note: If you heard Pastor J.D. answer this question last week, please go back to make sure you also listen to “What is the greatest need in the American church?” A glimpse into this episode: This is an extremely important question, so much so that after becoming SBC president, the first thing I did was appoint a Sexual Abuse Advisory Group to lead our denomination. They have been leading in dozens of ways—one of the biggest is they’re developing a curriculum to help churches answer this very question. Churches should be a safe haven for the vulnerable, so we need to do everything we can to make our churches safe for survivors and safe from abuse. A few preliminary thoughts: Don’t be shocked it’s happening. Prioritize the protection of victims, not the guarding of your reputations. Your goal is not to meet the minimal requirements–but as a shepherd to protect your flock. This is just the start of an answer, but here are four important things to keep in mind: Disclosing sexual abuse takes an enormous amount of courage, so we should honor that. This may be the least understood aspect of sexual abuse—it results in a huge loss of voice for the victim. Abuse is usually followed by threats not to say anything, and that’s usually what happens. What you need to know is that the first time you hear about an instance of abuse, chances are the person talking to you has been carrying this for years. They’ve been terrified about what people will think. They’ve assumed they wouldn’t be believed. To speak up takes bravery. Now, there are important responses and action steps after you hear of abuse. But don’t be so quick to rush to the action step that you forget your first response—listening to a person, made in God’s image, reveal one of the most hurtful experiences of their lives. Listen, listen, listen. If you know of a report of sexual abuse against a minor, you are legally obligated to alert the authorities. This is not a “Matthew 18” situation. This is a “Romans 13” situation. Because certain sins are not only immoral; they are also illegal. This is never clearer than in the case of sexual abuse against minors. If you know of sexual abuse against a minor, no matter who you are, no matter who they are, your first response is to alert the authorities. Call CPS or call the police. You may not know all of the best next steps. But they do, and you need to bring them in. The safety of more children than you know may be on the line. If an abuser has access to minors at your church, remove the access immediately—and, again, call the authorities. Statistics here are horrifying. Those who abuse minors don’t just do it once or twice. They do it repeatedly, even after they’ve been caught (if given the opportunity). So if you know about one case, you need to see that as dozens of more potential cases. This isn’t a gray area: Bring in the authorities. We need to reject any understanding of grace that puts the vulnerable in harm’s way by giving abusers a chance to do it again Help connect the survivor to other resources. If someone has disclosed to you, that’s an honor. And you will have a key role in their healing process. But you need to know you shouldn’t be shouldering this alone. Questions are going to come up—pretty early—that are best processed through a counseling relationship. So one of the best things you can do for a victim is to get them connected to a counselor. This isn’t a handoff—you need to remind the victim that you are still there and want to process everything with them—but it allows other people more trained in abuse care to do what they do best. Conclusion: It’s a gospel issue ________________________________________________ Feeling unequipped for marriage ministry? Woo Marriage is here to help. Backed by research and designed with your church in mind, Woo Marriage provides Christ-centered marriage coaching for your entire church. Get your first month free with offer code LEADERSHIP at WooMarriage.com/FreeTrial.

Pastor J.D. explains that the gospel must be of first importance, both empowering and informing the church. A glimpse inside this episode: I actually wrote a book about this, called Above All. The greatest need now is the same as the greatest need 100 years ago. It’s the same as the greatest need 2,000 years ago. It’s to keep the gospel above all. Above all preferences, preferences, priorities, politics, etc. In fact, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that the gospel is of “first importance.” First importance means other things are important, too. But this is of first importance. This means the gospel is what should characterize us 1 Corinthians 2:2: some scholars say an exaggeration? Is that really new, though? Aren’t churches already doing this? Churches haven’t stopped saying they believe the gospel. But many churches are looking elsewhere for the source of their renewal. The gospel, you see, should both empower and inform everything we do. Empowers Spurgeon’s trough back to the gospel. The gospel is the power in all that we do: It’s not just the diving board, it’s the pool Informs The gospel shapes our mission. Jesus described his mission as: To seek and save the lost. It should be our identity: We are a gospel people. When people think about and talk about us, they should think about and talk about the gospel Why we don’t talk about politics: We don’t want to get distracted by secondary agendas that get in the way of gospel proclamation and disciple-making. ________________________________________________ Feeling unequipped for marriage ministry? Woo Marriage is here to help. Backed by research and designed with your church in mind, Woo Marriage provides Christ-centered marriage coaching for your entire church. Get your first month free with offer code LEADERSHIP at WooMarriage.com/FreeTrial.

Pastor J.D. talks about the three kinds of faith we see in the Bible and how that faith is a gift in various ways. A glimpse inside this episode: Yes, but in different ways: There are three different kinds of faith in the Bible. Saving faith General trust in God (I think of this as a spiritual fruit) Spiritual gift of faith: A spiritual gift is an empowerment given to all Christians. He gives to certain people the specific gift of faith, and different gifts to each Christian. “There is also what we might call charismatic faith, which I believe is what Paul had in mind when he spoke of the spiritual gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12:9. How is it different? While all faith is an expression of trust and humble dependence upon a person or promise, this is the experience of faith that arises somewhat spontaneously and unexpectedly in our hearts.” Sam Storms, Practicing the Power How do I grow and develop my faith? Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” There is a direct correlation between faith and knowing the promises of God. The more time in the Word, the more trust and faith in God. Reading great biographies of faith warriors.