9 Branches Every Pastor Should Cultivate

By way of introduction to this blog, here are nine areas of emphasis or ‘branches’ that I plan to help cultivate with my posts.

1. Cultivate the Ministry of the Word

I’m a preacher, therefore I preach. I am always looking for ways to improve my preaching. Great preaching is more than acquiring great skills, but I don’t think it is less. I will be on the lookout for examples of good preaching wherever I can find them.

2. Cultivate a Good Library

I love books. To me books supply an unending source of information as well as inspiration. If there is one thing that I learned in seminary it was the value of a good library. Expect to find much mention of books that I am reading as well as numerous postings of book reviews here at ‘one new branch’.

3. Cultivate a Heart for the Flock

The Apostle Peter said that we pastors are to shepherd God’s flock that is entrusted to our care (1 Peter 5:2). Peter goes on to say that shepherding isn’t a duty, it is a matter of the heart. If your heart is anything like mine then we will need to break up some hard ground first if we are going to see any growth. Watch for posts that may break your heart for the flock.

4. Cultivate Healthy Leadership

Whether you are a solo pastor like me or you are a part of a staff team, the temptation often is to go it alone. Big mistake. Cultivating healthy leadership involves surrounding yourself with healthy leaders. It also involves cultivating your own leadership style. There is a world full of examples out there of both good and bad leaders. I plan write posts that take these examples into consideration.

5. Cultivate Discipleship Opportunities

Pastors serve a unique role in the church. However I am pretty sure that doesn’t excuse us from Jesus’ call to all believers to make disciples. Of course one of the greatest challenges to making disciples is coming to an agreement about what it means to make disciples. I hope that some of my posts will spur on discussion as to what disciple making is to be all about.

6. Cultivate a Strong Family

When ministry begins to deplete my tank often family time refuels me. Yet it seems everyone in full-time Christian work struggles to find that balance between the call to be at home and the call to ministry. I don’t think balance has to be an elusive pursuit; I plan to write posts to help us cultivate that balance.

7. Cultivate Deep Spirituality

We who pastor are always being called upon to give and to serve. The reality is we can not give away that which we do not posses for ourselves. I want my Bible to be more than my preaching text. I want to encourage pastors in their pursuit of spiritual discipline to help us deepen our own walk with Jesus Christ.

8. Cultivate Solid Theology

Paul once wrote to Timothy with a warning that said there will always be people for whom solid theology and doctrine will be unwelcome (2 Timothy 4:3). Little has changed since then. I believe the best pastors also need to be great theologians. Look for posts here that encourage the study and discussion of solid theology.

9. Cultivate Cultural Engagement

It is very easy for churches to become inwardly focused. That same danger can be true of pastors. Our attention can be so captivated by what is happening internally that we can forget about and become irrelevant to a whole world outside of the church. I plan to post on topics related to engaging the culture we live in with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And another makes 10

That’s my list; now it’s your turn. What would you add to round this list up to ten? What other areas do you believe pastors and ministry leaders need to cultivate? I look forward to reading your comments and dialoging with you.

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