Crossway is providing a good outreach tool for churches this year called The Good News of Christmas. Their goal is to distribute a million copies of these kits, which include an ESV Outreach New Testament Christmas Edition, a Christmas tract by Max Lucado, a gift (30 days of access to the ESV Online Study Bible), a Christmas tract by Max Lucado, and an invitation to attend your church’s Christmas service and program. All of this comes in a small door-hanger bag.

They’re priced affordably at $1 a copy ($1.20 in Canada). I’ve received three sample copies so far, so they’re definitely trying to get the message out. I’m also really impressed that they’re offering Canadian distribution. It’s amazing how often they forget about us Canadians!

There’s also a Facebook group. It’s not too late to order – but it’s getting close.

C.H. Spurgeon knew what it was like to suffer from depression. I love his chapter “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” from his book Lectures to My Students. This paragraph is rich:

The lesson of wisdom is, be not dismayed by soul-trouble. Count it no strange thing, but a part of ordinary ministerial experience. Should the power of depression be more than ordinary, think not that all is over with your usefulness. Cast not away your confidence, for it hath great recompense of reward. Even if the enemy’s foot be on your neck, expect to rise and overthrow him. Cast the burden of the present, along with the sin of the past and the fear of the future, upon the Lord, who forsaketh not his saints. Live by the day–ay, by the hour. Put no trust in frames and feelings. Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement. Trust in God alone, and lean not on the reeds of human help. Be not surprised when friends fail you: it is a failing world. Never count upon immutability in man: inconstancy you may reckon upon without fear of disappointment. The disciples of Jesus forsook him; be not amazed if your adherents wander away to other teachers: as they were not your all when with you, all is not gone from you with their departure. Serve God with all your might while the candle is burning, and then when it goes out for a season, you will have the less to regret. Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are. When your own emptiness is painfully forced upon your consciousness, chide yourself that you ever dreamed of being full, except in the Lord. Set small store by present rewards; be grateful for earnests by the way, but look for the recompensing joy hereafter. Continue, with double earnestness to serve your Lord when no visible result is before you. Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: faith’s rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of her Great Guide. Between this and heaven there may be rougher weather yet, but it is all provided for by our covenant Head. In nothing let us be turned aside from the path which the divine call has urged us to pursue.

Mondays are a tough day for pastors. Last week Leith Anderson spoke at our denominational convention and quipped that he never took Mondays off, because he believed he should be payed for the days that he feels suicidal.

I’ve heard jokes like this before. I don’t mind low-energy Mondays. It’s natural for Mondays to be slow after the busyness of Sundays. What concerns me more is the ongoing sense of failure that pastors struggle with, not just on Mondays but on every day of the week.

A recent USA Today article focused on the problem:

Being a pastor — a high-profile, high-stress job with nearly impossible expectations for success — can send one down the road to depression, according to pastoral counselors.

“We set the bar so high that most pastors can’t achieve that,” said H.B. London, vice president for pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, Colo. “And because most pastors are people-pleasers, they get frustrated and feel they can’t live up to that.”

On Twitter, somebody linked to this sobering suicide note. “In the history of this great church, my office has been held by many fine and godly men. I am deeply ashamed to know that I am the first one to fail it so miserably.” Very sad.

Still later in the weekend, someone linked to this post:

Outwardly, everything seemed fine. I was successful as a minister. Everything was going well. There was no sign of anything seriously wrong. But inwardly, I was struggling with this incredible, suffocating weight of despair. It started a few years ago as uncontrollable weeping spells out of nowhere, I could be walking along in a shopping mall, driving down the street, or wherever. All of a sudden, this tsunami of despair would wash over me, sweep me off my feet, knock the wind right out of me, until there is nothing left to do but cry.

This may seem extreme to some, but I bet most pastors can relate to what this pastor writes:

“Failure” is a constant companion. People leave the church and I feel like I’ve failed. Visitors come once or twice and are never seen again and I feel like I’ve failed. I deal often with people who are intent on ruining their lives with drugs or alcohol and when they go right ahead and do just that I feel like I’ve failed. I spend time with people who go on to drift away from the faith and I feel like I’ve failed. Our church is no bigger today than it was 10 years ago and I feel like I’ve failed. I pray for sick people without results but if Benny Hinn comes to the city they’ll be real excited about that because, you know, Benny’s got the anointing and his prayers will be effective. FAIL!

I’ll soon enter my 50th year and I carry with me this low-grade sense of ministerial failure. Don’t know what to do about that. Trying to counter it by a recitation of my “successes” would be even more toxic. It’s part of the package. I’ll just have to trust a Saviour whose life on that fateful Friday looked like a failure and know that His strength is made perfect in weakness.

I’m sure most pastors can relate to what this pastor writes. Sadly, not everyone gets to what he says in his last sentence. But most, I’m sure, can relate to his experience.

What to make of all this?

First, we need to be open about this issue. It’s easy to pretend it’s not an issue, and pastors can be slow to admit it’s an issue for them. It’s probably time for elders or the equivalent to have honest talks with their pastors about how they’re doing with this issue. Discouragement is an occupational hazard for ministers. It doesn’t hurt to put some measures in place to help deal with this issue, such as a sabbatical policy. We could all probably fast from attending conferences with “successful” pastors on stage who have done what nobody in the audience will be able to replicate. If we attend these conferences, we at least should expose the subtle messages that are being communicated to those who feel they don’t measure up.

If you’re a pastor who’s struggling with this, you’re not alone. A friend recently told me “Spurgeon, Luther, Brainerd, Cowper, Piper are just a few of the greater lights that I know of who suffer with ‘ministerial depression.’” One of my fellow pastors in Toronto has been really good at helping other pastors who are experiencing depression, because he’s been through it himself. I hope you’ll find someone you can talk to. Please don’t try to deal with it alone. Those of us who are more discouraged than depressed also need to learn to be open about our struggles.

Second, we also need to have some theological discussions. We could all talk about plurality of leadership and the priesthood of all believers, but our models of ministry often emphasize the single charismatic leader who is expected to save the day. Our models of church and pastoral ministry need to become more biblical. We also need to recognize that when it comes to ministry, nobody is competent. Everybody is inadequate. In ministry, as I heard Tim Keller say in an old sermon, “only the inadequate are adequate.”

Finally, pastors (and I include myself here) really need to avoid justification by performance. We’re not saved by how many people attend or how well we preach, and we certainly are not anyone’s savior. As the quote at the top of this blog reads, “You don’t have anything to prove to us or the world. The work is finished at Calvary, and that work has unlimited meaning and value. Keep your focus there” (Jack Miller). We really need to remind ourselves of this on a regular basis.

Tullian quoted this prayer a few weeks ago:

Lord Jesus, though I’m never tempted to look to any other name for my justification, I am very tempted to look to other names and means for my transformation — worst of all, is when I look to me to be my own savior. But only you, Jesus, are able to save completely those who come to God through you, for you are always living to pray for us and to advocate for us (Heb 7:25). You are my righteousness, holiness and redemption, and that’s why I only boast in you today! (1 Cor. 1:30-31)

So I come to you today, Jesus, right now! Save me more fully from my fear of man, my need to be in control, my ticky-tacky pettiness. Save me from trying to be anybody’s savior. I want to get irritated far less often and to be spontaneous much more often. I want to “light up” more quickly when I hear your name, Jesus, and not be downcast, when I don’t hear my name.

That’s a prayer I need to pray more often.

Any other suggestions?

The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied…. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends are but shadows, but enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. (Jonathan Edwards)

A good book review of Deep Church. “I hope that my fellow Reformed brothers will take the time to read this book and seriously consider the questions it raises and the concerns of our brothers who are emerging/emergent.”

Lots of buzz about Deep Church this week after a 9 Marks review and the author’s response.

Kevin DeYoung: Prayerlessness is unbelief

Ian Vaillancourt on Dead Orthodoxy (based on the Redeemer Church Planting Manual). Ian is right: all pastors and church planters can benefit from this manual.

Top ten things church hoppers say

Mind your etiquette and your manners. Are people trying to tell me something?

Living in 96 square feet

The 2009 Advent Conspiracy promo video is out.

I’ve spent a lot of money buying books and attending conferences so that I could learn effective skills for ministry.

Skills and techniques are important. If you don’t believe me, you probably haven’t suffered under an unskilled pastor. But our emphasis on pastoral skills has to be kept in perspective.

Skills are secondary. Ministry skills are never the main thing. This is my main frustration with a lot of what’s out there. You get the idea that the church’s main problem is methodology. If we just get our methods right, then the church will finally be healthy.

The biggest problem for the church in North America may be that we have made skills and methods the main thing, while assuming or even ignoring the main thing. I love this quote from Tim Keller:

The key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel. A stage of renewal is always the discovery of a new implication or application of the gospel–seeing more of its truth. This is true for either an individual or a church.

We may need better methods, but these won’t turn the church around unless we have a better grasp of the gospel. We can’t assume this.

Bill Easum wrote a book called A Second Resurrection. “what if the metaphors of decline, stagnation, and loss of health just aren t getting to the problem?” he asks. “What if the situation is much worse than what those ways of describing it imply? What if the congregation is spiritually dead?” If a congregation is spiritually dead, no methodology in the world can help.

Skills can be idolatrous. If idolatry is taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing, then maybe the North American church is guilty of idolatry. That’s certainly what Jack Miller thought. North Americans, according to Miller, need to see that “their reliance on themselves, their technology, and their skills was essentially the same as the Ugandans’ reliance on amulets and incantations.”

It’s not that skills are bad. They have their place. But they are secondary things and need to be kept in their place.

The church is thriving where skills are de-emphasized. According to Philip Jenkins, the center of Christianity is moving slowly out of Europe and North America to Latin America, Africa and Asia. By the year 2050, only about one-fifth of the world’s three billion Christians will be non-Hispanic Caucasian.

No matter how you explain this shift, it’s interesting to note that the church is declining in Europe and North America even though our methods are better than ever, while it’s thriving in parts of the world that don’t seem to have paid as much attention to these issues.

Conclusion: I’m not saying that it’s wrong to be pragmatic. I’m just worried that we’re relying too much on ourselves and our skills, and not paying enough attention to the gospel and to what only God can do.

If there’s a skill we need, maybe it’s the skill of remembering that we don’t have what it takes. In Christianity, only the inadequate are adequate. As one person put it:

It is not God’s intention that we should in ourselves be adequate for our tasks, rather He wants that we should be inadequate. If we only accept the tasks which we think are adapted to our powers we are not responding to the call of God. The church is always in a crisis and always will be. There will be difficulties, limitations, insolvable problems, lack of people and money, a menacing outlook, endless misunderstandings and misrepresentations. We are not only to do our work despite these things; they are precisely the conditions requisite for the doing of it.

I’m reading some of Calvin’s Institutes every day. It’s amazing how often I feel like he’s nailed me. For instance:

The poor man yields to the rich, the plebeian to the noble, the servant to the master, the unlearned to the learned, and yet every one inwardly cherishes some idea of his own superiority. Thus each flattering himself, sets up a kind of kingdom in his breast; the arrogant, to satisfy themselves, pass censure on the minds and manners of other men, and when contention arises, the full venom is displayed.

Yes! I see that, and hate that, about myself. This is like a 16th century version of Counterfeit Gods.

And then Calvin writes about our “frenzied desire” to get ahead:

We have a frenzied desire, an infinite eagerness, to pursue wealth and honour, intrigue for power, accumulate riches, and collect all those frivolities which seem conducive to luxury and splendour. On the other hand, we have a remarkable dread, a remarkable hatred of poverty, mean birth, and a humble condition, and feel the strongest desire to guard against them.

Calvin counsels:

The course which Christian men must follow is this: first, they must not long for, or hope for, or think of any kind of prosperity apart from the blessing of God; on it they must cast themselves, and there safely and confidently recline. For, however much the carnal mind may seem sufficient for itself when in the pursuit of honour or wealth, it depends on its own industry and zeal, or is aided by the favour of men, it is certain that all this is nothing, and that neither intellect nor labour will be of the least avail, except in so far as the Lord prospers both. On the contrary, his blessing alone makes a way through all obstacles, and brings every thing to a joyful and favourable issue. Secondly, though without this blessing we may be able to acquire some degree of fame and opulence (as we daily see wicked men loaded with honours and riches), yet since those on whom the curse of God lies do not enjoy the least particle of true happiness, whatever we obtain without his blessing must turn out ill. But surely men ought not to desire what adds to their misery…[We] should always have respect to the Lord, that under his auspices we may be conducted to whatever lot he has provided for us.

I never anticipated that Calvin would be so good at revealing the temptations I face often, specifically a warped sense of entitlement. I’m glad I’m not alone.

It’s a little long, but the Institutes are turning out to be very good devotional reading, although a little bit convicting in parts.

Almost five years ago I made a big purchase: I bought a copy of the Logos Bible Software. “Is the largest electronic library we have ever assembled!” the promo said. It contains nearly 400 titles worth over $8,000.00 in equivalent print editions!” I wasn’t sure what to think, but I got a good deal and decided to take the plunge.

The software was good, and it’s improved with every version. It’s become a major part of my library.

This morning, Logos is releasing Logos Bible Software 4. Bottom line: it’s excellent. I’ve been trying out the beta version for a while. It’s intuitive, flexible, easy to use, and visually engaging. I liked the previous versions, but this is a huge step forward in terms of user interface and in making the capabilities of the software more accessible.

What’s more, you can now access your library on an iPhone using a free new app. I downloaded this yesterday and I’m impressed.

A Mac version of Logos 4 is also on its way. I use the current version which is okay, but nowhere close to what’s being released today. It’s the main reason I use Boot Camp.

I’m old school when it comes to books. I still prefer reading most books on paper. But Logos is superior when it comes to commentaries, reference books, and older books like the B.B. Warfield Collection or the Charles Spurgeon Collection. It’s portable and easy to replace compared to physical books. And you can’t beat the price of the pre-publication deals.

I’m definitely a fan. You should check it out. They have a variety of packages, and upgrade discounts are available for existing customers.

Update: Discount code available here.

C.H. Spurgeon (circa 1857):

Dear friends, the last song in this world, the song of triumph, shall be full of God, and of no one else. Here you praise the instrument, to-day you look on this man and on that, and you say, “Thank God for this minister, and for this man.” To-day you say, “Blessed be God for Luther, who shook the Vatican, and thank God for Whitfield, who stirred up a slumbering church;” but in that day you shall not sing of Luther, nor of Whitfield, nor of any of the mighty ones of God’s hosts; forgotten shall their names be for a season, even as the stars refuse to shine when the sun himself appeareth. The song shall be unto Jehovah, and Jehovah only; we shall not have a word to say for preachers nor bishops, not a syllable to say for good men and true; but the whole song from first to last shall be, “Unto him that loved us, and hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, unto him be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

It’s Reformation Day today.

What missional really means

“You cannot have a thriving church without a core of men who are true followers of Christ.”

The DVD from the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference is out. My copy’s on order.

Collision, a documentary featuring debate and dialogue between renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson, was also released this week.

Chris Brauns: It’s easy to confuse the role of the church and the role of the family.

Mike Wittmer: The emerging conversation is over.

Conferences are like pilgrimages, and some of us should stop going.

A comparative study of user intellect by operating system (HT: Jordon)