Jeremy Hoover

This is a third post in my series reflecting on leadership in service. In the first post, I wrote about how ministers and preachers should be the lead servants in their congregations, out and among the people, serving them. In a follow-up audio, I explore how we need to be the lead servants because Jesus called us not to be served but to serve.

In this provocative 7 minute audio, I examine more about Jesus' teaching to serve and to be first by being last. I ask preachers especially to examine the tradition of spending hours and hours on sermons and lessons and ask themselves whether they do so on behalf of the congregation or to serve themselves.

Next week, I'll follow this up by exploring what sermons and lessons might look like if we spent less time on them and more time among people, serving them.

This audio picks up on my blog post from last week questioning whether preachers spend too much time in lesson prep and not enough time in actually serving people--individually and in groups. In this 3 minute audio, I explore Jesus' statement about his mission--he came not to be served but to serve.

1. How has Paul and Barnabas' evangelistic strategy developed (1)? What is their strategy?

2. Were they successful on this occasion (2)?

3. What were the two different reactions to their preaching (1-2)?

4. How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the negative response (3)?

5. How was the delivery of their message enhanced (3)? Were they always able to perform signs and wonders? What does this teach about the Holy Spirit and God?

6. What was the continued reaction (5-6)? How did Paul and Barnabas respond? Was this cowardly? When is it ever the right time to leave an evangelistic opportunity and how would you know?

7. What did Paul do in Lystra that was worthy of attention (8-10)? Who healed the man?

8. Why did they not go to a synagogue first?

9. What was the reaction of the crowd to the healing (11-13)?

10. How did Paul and Barnabas respond (14-18)? What is the content of the sermon? Why is it devoid of scriptural references? Is it a "biblical" sermon if it does not use the bible? What points are made and how are they made?

11. What happened next (19)? How did Paul respond (20)? Why did he go back into the city when earlier he fled at the threat of violence (cf. v. 6)?

12. What did Paul and Barnabas do after leaving Derbe (21)? What functions did they perform during these return trips (22-23)? What pattern do you discern?

13. How did Paul and Barnabas end their first missionary journey (26-28)?

In this 10 minute audio teaching, I briefly describe 3 models we can learn in Acts about evangelism.

1. We can perform a sign of the kingdom (anything that points the way to Jesus and the kingdom of God) which will open a path to teaching (Acts 3).

2. We can teach a larger group and follow up with those who are interested, either in smaller groups or individually (Acts 13, esp. vs. 42-43).

3. We can teach people individually in homes (Acts 18:24-26).

What do you think? What would you add? Please leave your comments.

Shouldn't ministers (especially paid ministers) be the lead servants in the churches they "serve"?

I've been thinking about how it is that ministers serve. I spend most of my time in an office preparing three lessons each week, planning projects, and doing administrative work. I spend a minority of my time with people, maybe 30% of my time. This includes phone calls, meetings over lunch or coffee, or home visitations (mostly with church members, by the way). This is what it takes to "run" a church.

But what if "running" a church is the wrong way of looking at things? What if spending the majority of my time in lesson prep, planning, and administrivia actually prevents me from serving others?

I know the first objection here--preaching and teaching groups is a form of service to them. I guess I agree--in part. But I wonder if this is an excuse we concoct in order to sound righteous while serving and pleasing ourselves? I don't mean to sound too harsh or critical here, but while serving the word to others has its place, it shouldn't be the only way we have real, personal service-oriented contact with members of the congregation.

A second objection I can think of is this: If the ministers led in this way, by serving members of the congregation through personal contact, who would run the church? My answer is this: maybe the question is wrong. Are we ever called in scripture to "run" anything? We're taught to love others, to serve them, to encourage them, and to build them up. We do this through personal contact and service. And in my opinion, evangelism is more likely to lead to conversion through personal contact and service than through public teaching or preaching.

We lead and influence others by serving them. It's that simple.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my points?

We lead and influence others by serving them. It's that simple.

Don't let anyone steal your motivation to work for the Lord. Nothing you do for the Lord is in vain.

You don't grow spiritually merely by thinking about it; you must take action on biblical principles to grow spiritually.

Jesus calls us to reach out to "outsiders" in compassion despite the complaints of the rules-bound "insiders."

Start your morning out right by reading or listening to something encouraging and uplifting. Then, act upon what you learned.