Listening and Learning

By Phil LeMaster

When I graduated from Kentucky Christian College more than 30 years ago, I felt well prepared for the demands and vicissitudes of the preaching ministry. I had spent an intensive four years in the classroom discovering biblical truth and how to disseminate it to God”s people. I had also been well schooled in the pastoral responsibilities that are an integral part of the located minister”s work. When I received my degree, I was confident that the learning phase of ministry was basically completed and the future called only for the proper application of the lessons learned. How wrong I was!

I can almost hear the rejoining words of wise readers who are surprised at such naiveté. “Of course,” you say, “the greatest lessons of any vocation or calling are learned in the laboratory of life, not in the classroom.” True, but learning that lesson sometimes takes a lifetime.

Predictably, a number of pastoral faux pas those first few months made it apparent to me that my educational process was incomplete. Although I was learning much from my mistakes, the experience was far too painful to want to continue. It was then that the epiphany (for me!) came that I am convinced saved my ministry. Why not learn from older, more experienced workers in the kingdom?

So began the process of listening to and learning from my capable and seasoned colleagues in ministry. Anytime I had an opportunity to sit in on a seminar, go to a workshop, or spend a few minutes conversing with competent preachers in our brotherhood, I did. And I still do. Oh, the lessons I have learned! Here are the five most helpful ones:

Get up and shave. I have heard Jack Ballard, the capable, sometimes irascible, former minister of the Mount Carmel Christian Church in Georgia, speak only once. In the days before megachurches, his congregation was the largest in our brotherhood with more than 5,000 members. Speaking at a banquet on a Bible college campus, he said something that has helped me tremendously over the years. Ballard quipped, “I believe a minister should do two things every day that he doesn”t want to do.” After a pregnant pause, he said, “He should get up and shave.”

He went on to describe his typical day at Mount Carmel, beginning with trips to the local hospitals long before dawn to pray with church members or attendees who were facing surgery that morning. Just listening to his daily schedule tired me. His point was obvious: you cannot be slothful and be effective in the located ministry.

Taking his message to heart, I have tried to apply the principle the apostle Paul emphasized in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Always say “yes” if you can. Alva Sizemore was one of three preaching brothers who were well-known and beloved for their ministerial efforts in Restoration churches in the last half of the 20th century. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a workshop in the early days of my ministry. At that time, Sizemore was preaching at the Upper Arlington church in Columbus, Ohio. Humble and self-effacing, he spoke so softly I had to listen closely to hear him. But I am glad I did.

He said something that has been invaluable to me in my efforts as a preacher through the years. Discussing the minister”s work in the church, Sizemore said, “When someone asks you to do something, always say “˜yes” if you can.” He went on to explain it is only as the minister models positive servanthood in the local congregation that he can hope to have members who are willing to serve.

I realize there are limitations, but generally I make it a point to say “yes” quickly and without hesitation when I am called upon to help. This “Sizemore Principle” has motivated me to ask others to help the work that must be done for God”s kingdom to advance.

Pray. Like most ministers in our Midwest churches, I have probably heard Wayne Smith, the venerable founding minister of the Southland church in Lexington, Kentucky, speak more often than any other preacher in our movement. Like many of you, I know most of his good jokes by heart””and too many of his bad ones! But beyond the winsome, lovable veneer is a man whose fount of wisdom runs deep and true. The lessons I have learned from him are many, but the one that means the most was received at a college banquet.

Addressing the graduating seniors who would shortly be leaving the halls of academia and beginning their first full-time ministries, he spoke about the importance of prayer. Smith said, “If there is one thing that will keep you in the ministry when all else fails, it is an effective prayer life.”

With his masterful oratorical skill, he emphasized that prayer was the key to any success he had experienced as a preacher. I will never forget his summary statement, “When I don”t know what else to do, I pray.”

How often I have been pressed to follow his advice in my ministerial sojourn!

And how often I have found that the text he used that night, James 5:16, is true, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Go anywhere to help anyone. Palmer Young, retired president of Kentucky Christian University, had spent more than 30 years as a successful minister prior to becoming a Bible college administrator. He was my primary mentor when I accepted the call as senior minister of Central Christian Church in Ironton, Ohio. With a new building indebtedness and a membership of more than 1,200, this congregation was a daunting challenge for a young preacher.

I sat down with Dr. Young before I began at Ironton and listened for several hours to his sage advice about how to start well in a new ministry. One of his statements has become a mantra for me. He suggested that I announce it from the pulpit, preach it in my sermons, and write it in my newsletter column on a regular basis. It was, “I will go anywhere at anytime to help anyone.”

Trying to be true to this promise has resulted in some wonderful, unique, and, sometimes bizarre experiences in my ministerial efforts. I have done everything from changing colostomy bags to officiating at Jewish funerals in order to be true to my word, but the increased opportunities of service have been more than worth it.

Interruptions are opportunities. Ben Merold, senior minister of Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri, has my vote as the most productive preacher in our brotherhood. Every church he has served has experienced exceptional growth. It was my privilege to be a student in a Master of Ministry module he taught a number of years ago at Kentucky Christian University.

It was a week filled with almost constant learning from a master teacher, but one of Merold”s statements stands out above all others. After stressing the importance of trying to maintain a good working schedule, Merold surprised me by adding, “Interruptions are my best opportunities.” Merold explained that God often had used interruptions to break into his sometimes selfish and self-serving daily agenda.

What an important lesson to learn for anyone who dares to preach! The longer I serve, the more I realize Merold is right. I still have my daily schedule, but I am no longer as frustrated when disruptions happen or detours occur. I have found that God”s plans are always better than mine.

And so my educational process continues. I”m still preaching after three decades because I am still listening””listening and learning.

 

 

Phil LeMaster is senior minister with First Church of Christ in Grayson, Kentucky.