By Ken Idleman and Alan Ahlgrim
In the spring of 1984, an historic meeting of 100 leaders from our tribe was convened at a downtown hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. The purpose of that three-day convocation was to address a singular question: “What can we do to get the Restoration Movement moving again?” There was a shared sense among those leaders that we needed a renewal of Holy Spirit inspired momentum in our fellowship.
Two unified action steps came out of that gathering. The first initiative was to double the number of our new church plants by the year 2020. Thus “Double Vision” was launched. The second initiative was to re-envision the growth potential of more of our churches to become megachurches. There was a consensus that our independent, non-denominational, Christ-centered, Bible-based congregations had the spiritual DNA to grow. Two of us who were present for that event were in our mid-thirties [the co-authors of this article]. One was a new church planter [Alan]. The other was a Christian college president [Ken]. We discovered we were the same age, and we were kindred spirits in terms of both our calling and our values. (Coincidently, we also shared the same wedding anniversary!)
In those days we were usually the two youngest guys in the room. Now, in our late seventies . . . well, you get it. The point is that after 40 years, we are still in the harness with sustained passion for serving Christ and his church. Alan has a growing ministry with Covenant Connections. His mission is to create resources and generate a growing number of soul care groups for pastoral leaders to insure mutual friendship, sustained productivity, and personal accountability. Ken is vice-president of leadership development for The Solomon Foundation, coaching pastoral leaders of the organization’s 850 partner churches. He also provides written and video resources for e2: effective elders and serves as a mentor in the new Level Up preaching initiative.
[Ken & Alan] It is a matter of both conscience and commitment for us to finish strong in ministry leadership. And there is much in Scripture related to this sanctified ambition. From Psalm 92:14 where King David declares of the righteous, “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (New International Version), to Paul’s testimony in Philippians 1:22, “As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do” (The Message). Or to say it another way, if you are alive and breathing today, God isn’t finished with you yet. He wants you to stay strong in ministry!
No one is always strong. [Alan] We all take turns feeling strong and we all take turns feeling weak. One of my tough allies in ministry proves the point. Even though his church was large and growing, he was personally reeling. Numerous challenges and criticisms had taken a toll. That’s when I happened to call. At the time I was unaware of his struggle and just checking in. This brother later testified that that call of encouragement was timely. It seemed to him like divine intervention. Maybe it was. After all, God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways. [Ken] I was on the receiving end of timely encouragement a few years ago. I was under assault from the organization Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. As a private citizen I had advocated for one of our elders at Crossroads Christian Church who was running for political office as a state representative. I was threatened with a lawsuit personally and the church’s tax-exempt status was (supposedly) in jeopardy. A brother pastor read about the injustice in the local newspaper and knocked on my door one Saturday morning to pray over me. (It also helped that the following weekend I got up to preach to a standing ovation in all three services!)
Too many Christian leaders are stressed, and some are even reconsidering their roles in the church. [Alan] Recently I heard that a small group of mega church leaders was overheard lamenting their challenges and that each of them voiced their desire to quit. We’ve all seen the alarming statistics. It’s no secret that we need a lot of ordinary people to step up these days by amping up their encouragement of Christian leaders. Maybe that’s you. [Ken] Intentional and strategic ministry partnership has precedent in the New Testament. Jesus chose “twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” He sent out the disciples to minister in pairs. Peter and John fortified each other through their unjust physical persecution and imprisonment. Paul had ministry partners in Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy who perpetually helped keep him strong. So, either find a physical paraclete, or be one, or both!
Everyone needs to be “called up and out” from time to time. [Alan] We are all susceptible to “stinkin’ thinkin’,” the feeling that we are under resourced and under appreciated. While that may be temporarily true on occasion, it’s never perpetually true when we consider the limitless resources of God the Holy Spirit. We all need regular reminders of that. We all need at least one “chief reminding officer” to prompt us to remember our calling. [Ken] I can honestly say that I have read too many missionary biographies to fall into the rut of self-pity. When I heard Isabel Dittamore talk about having all her teeth pulled and being fitted for dentures before going to serve God’s purpose in rural China so she wouldn’t have to return to the United States for dental care, it pretty well cured me of ever thinking I was overworked or underpaid! (Thank you, sister Dittamore!)
Never underestimate the power of calling. [Alan] This is not a simple call of encouragement, as important as that might be both to make and to receive. This is the upward call of God; the unshakable conviction that despite our inadequacies and weaknesses, we have been set apart to be on assignment for him. [Ken] Many times, in the solitude of private meditation, I’ve gone back in my memory to a hot, windy August night (2:00 AM) in 1966, to a Catholic cemetery in rural northern Indiana, in front of a life-sized statue of my crucified Lord, on my knees, to reaffirm the reality of my vertical call to ministry. Dramatic? I suppose so. Subjective? That’s fair. But my zeal for ministry is renewed every time I go there in my mind. So, if I did not have a ministry, I’d have to try and create one!
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus put it like this: “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” (Jude 1:1-2, New International Verson).
[Alan] I’m indebted to Gary Thomas, for his book: When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People. Sooner or later everyone in a leadership role will deal with antagonistic people. They are that way because they are antagonists. That’s just how they roll and how they relate, especially to those in leadership. [Ken] I’m indebted to Bill Hybels for his leadership talk: “Gauges, Gifts, and Playing Games.” He identifies the three kinds of people that exist in our world of local church ministry: replenishers, ciphers, and drainers. I learned early on to maximize my time with replenishers and limit my time with drainers. I still do!
Whenever we feel weak, we gain strength from God through his Word and through his people. Both are needed. We need to meditate on life-giving passages and assimilate them. Meditation has been defined as allowing the truth of the Scriptures to descend from our heads to our hearts. It’s not just a matter of reading God’s promises but applying them. The same is true for opening our hearts to the counsel of those with whom God has called us to partner. Sometimes those words may be instructive or corrective. At other times they may be comforting and encouraging. We gain strength from them all. No leader should risk leading alone. Ministry isolation is a short cut to all the bad “d words”: discouragement, despair, depression, dejection, disappointment, demoralization, and desertion.
So, who are those currently surrounding you and infusing you with strength? We are not talking about friends from long ago, but rather those friends you’ve shared your struggles with just days ago. Such strengthening angels will be able to assure you that you have been called, that you are loved and that you are kept by the grace of God. The best time to start building a soul enriching friendship like this is probably 40 years ago as we [Alan & Ken] did. But the next best time is now! This is the way to cultivate the kind of relationships that will bring you strength for life. The kind of relationships that enable you to know you are not alone. The kind of relationships that make it possible for you to say: “I have no secrets, and it is well with my soul!”
Ken Idleman is vice president of leadership development for The Solomon Foundation, Parker Colorado.
Alan Ahlgrim is administrator for Covenant Connections, Longmont, Colorado.
Pastors across the country are contemplating getting out of ministry. This should not come as a surprise. Ministry is tough. One of the challenges is balancing, if possible, the demands of ministry and being fully present and leading at home.
The debilitating stress that causes so many casualties in ministry can be avoided. Moreover, the stress we feel has more to do with an internal brokenness than external circumstances.
Because of the resurrection, the dark clouds of every sinner’s guilt, shame, and regret part making way for the bright rays of reconciliation, renewal, and restoration to burst through.
Insight into how we might help ministry leaders in the U.S. and abroad remain faithful in their vital vocational roles, ensuring ministry leaders in the church worldwide produce deeply rooted kingdom fruit.
Praise to God! Ken, August 1966 was just before Sept. When we started at Saybrook. Meaningful to me.
Thank you, Alan and Ken, for your years of faithfulness! This was a timely, encouraging article for me!
All leaders – and their church families – need to read this! Let us be called ‘replenishers’ for our church leadership!
The first paragraph and a half of the article made me think the article was about the results of that meeting. My comment is about the results of that meeting and how things related to that meeting have encouraged me.
I was at that 1984 meeting with brotherhood leader, Russ Blowers. He was aware I had been recognized by Dr. Steven Hancock, of the seminary in Cincinnati, as a top relational (not marketing/business) church growth expert.
I was also part of the Double Vision leadership team which had the goal of doubling the number of independent Christian churches by the year 2000. At that time, we had a little over 5000 churches. Our goal was to double that by 2000. (This is a correction from the article.)
We saw Dr. C. Peter Wagner’s statement theat church planting was the most effective evangelism and asked, “What’s the best way to plant a church.” Over the next few years we developed a church planting strategy that often resulted in new churches starting with over 200 people.
By around 1990 I began to see that the way we were planting churches would never result in doubling the number of our churches nor accomplish what I believed God wanted. I remember at our tribes National New Church Conference (NNCC) announcing a Parent Church Network/New Church Incubator event at East 91st Street Christian Church. As part of that announcement I said, “Peter Wagner is wrong and I think he would agree, church planting is not the most effective evangelism, church multiplication is.”
By 2000 the actual result of that 1984 meeting was more large churches, but actually fewer churches than we had in 1984. I wish I had known then what I’ve learned since about growing God’s Kingdom. Our church planting strategy accomplished some good things but over all it was a big failure.
While I don’t remember Russ ever saying something encouraging to me, things he did, like taking me to that 1984 meeting, and later introducing me as the top church growth expert in our brotherhood, were certainly encouraging. I think behind the scenes he was also responsible for my being part of the Double Vision leadership.
More recently I’ve been encouraged by church planter Dave Ferguson turning the NNCC into Exponential with its focus on church multiplication. Since Covid it’s been even more encouraging as Exponential’s focus has begun shifting to learning from where Christianity is growing rapidly by rapidly multiplying small churches.
In the last decade plus I’ve been encouraged by being told that ICOM workshop leader and morning speaker, Mike Bowling, was telling people I was a DMM (Disciple Multiplication Movement) expert. I was also specially honored three times at the annual retreat for church planting leaders. The last time I felt very humble when I received a standing ovation.
Most recently my brother, Charlie Webster, encouraged me, telling the truth saying, “You’re the expert in the room.” I realized that in most cases, even in a room with many experts, I have more over all Kingdom growth expertise than any one else in the room. However, “We’re better together.” The greatest expertise in the room is our combined expertise. I don’t have all the answers.
Most, if not all, of the things God has done thru me were God things, not me things. They were not something I set out to do. They were simply the result of following God’s leading.