Englewood, Ohio, Church Seeks Pastor

Our church is searching for a senior pastor. We are a small church located near Dayton, Ohio and have 40-50 in attendance on Sunday mornings. We used to be a part of the FGBC, but are now an independent church.

We hold to the FGBC Statement of Faith. Our church desires an expository-style preacher to feed and edify the local body. Doctrinally, our church holds to a Reformed understanding of salvation. Also we have a dispensational understanding of God’s program (distinguishing between Israel and the church; pre-tribulational and pre-millennial) for planet earth, and hold to the Brethren distinctives regarding trine immersion (closed position) and three-fold communion.

If you know of someone interested with the possibilities of pastoring such a church, please contact me. My home phone is (937) 237-0646 and my cell phone is (937) 260-0416.

Thank you for your time.

Dan Hensley, Elder and acting Pastor

Englewood Grace Brethren Church

Englewood, Ohio

How Do Pastors Spend Their Time?

from ChristianPost.com:

Most Senior Pastors Work at Least 50-Hour Weeks

By Audrey Barrick|Christian Post Reporter

While the median number of work hours for Protestant pastors is 55 hours. 42 percent work 60 or more hours, LifeWay Research found.

When including bivocational pastors, part-time senior pastors and volunteer pastors, 35 percent work at least 60 hours a week and 30 percent work 50 to 59 hours.

Not surprisingly, much of the time is spent in sermon preparation. Half of those surveyed spend five to 14 hours a week preparing their sermons. Meanwhile, nine percent spend 25 hours or more and 7 percent spend less than five hours on their sermons before preaching.

In comparing evangelical pastors with mainline pastors, 30 percent of evangelical pastors were found to spend 20 or more hours a week in sermon preparation compared to 20 percent of mainline pastors.

If not preparing for their weekend preaching, pastors are typically in meetings, handling e-mail or electronic correspondence, counseling others, or in hospital, home or witnessing visits.

More than 70 percent of pastors spend up to five hours a week in meetings. Only 15 percent are in meetings 10 hours or more a week.

Meanwhile, half of the senior pastors spend two to six hours on e-mail and other electronic correspondence.

And nearly a quarter of the pastors put in six hours or more a week in counseling ministry. The same percentage (24 percent) spends an hour or less counseling others.

Nearly half (48 percent) spend two to five hours a week in visitation.

Despite long work hours, senior pastors make time with their family a priority. Thirty percent say they spend 20 to 29 hours a week with their families and 16 percent report spending 40 or more hours with them.

More than half (52 percent) spend one to six hours in prayer each week and the same percentage spend two to five hours in personal devotions unrelated to sermon preparation. Fourteen percent spend an hour or less in personal devotions.

Meanwhile, 24 percent say they watch television for 10 to 14 hours each week.

Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research, says sermon preparation and prayer are biblical priorities and many pastors have that right, as indicated by survey results. But McConnell suggests that more of the pastors' ministry tasks need to be shared.

"Jesus Christ designed the work of the church to be done by believers together in unity," he commented.

The LifeWay survey was conducted via telephone on 1,002 randomly selected Protestant pastors Oct. 13-29, 2008.

What Does Giving in America Look Like?

Here is some interesting information on giving.

Americans lead the world in charitable contributions, giving $300 billion a year to charities. Sounds like a lot right? But this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the over One Trillion Dollars needed to keep US charities in operation, more than the US government collects in taxes.

The rest comes from their own assets, government support, and foreign investment. This visual guide to giving shows who’s paying and offers some tips on how to pick a charity. We're not sure exactly what the "karma" comment is about, but the comparative information is intriguing.


budget planner – Mint.com

Three Church Rules to Remember

From this week's e-mail update from the Grace Brethren Church of Rittman, Ohio (Bud Olszewski, pastor):

Remember:

The Five Minute Rule – visit with guest for five minutes after church – then see your friends.

The Ten Feet Rule – greet with a smile anyone within ten feet of you.

The Best Seats Rule – sit up toward the front and allow latecomers and those who need to get up to leave, sit in the back rows.

Join in Praying for Debbie Waken

Debbie Waken, wife of Ed Waken, elder at ValleyLife Grace Brethren Church in Peoria, Arizona, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Follow along with the treatment regimen and support the Wakens in prayer by logging onto their blog at:

http://web.me.com/edwaken/Debs_Journey/Debs_Journey/Debs_Journey.html

Report Casts Sobering Look at Christianity in U.S.

Thursday's USA Today reported on the most recent survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. It's results are sobering. Syncretism appears to be on the rise. Devotion to one clear faith is fading. More than a quarter of the respondents who attend religious services say they do so at more than one place occasionally.

A portion of the story appears below. To read the entire article, click here.


More U.S. Christians mix in 'Eastern,' New Age beliefs

Going to church this Sunday? Look around.

The chances are that one in five of the people there find "spiritual energy" in mountains or trees, and one in six believe in the "evil eye," that certain people can cast curses with a look — beliefs your Christian pastor doesn't preach.

In a Catholic church? Chances are that one in five members believe in reincarnation in a way never taught in catechism class — that you'll be reborn in this world again and again.
Elements of Eastern faiths and New Age thinking have been widely adopted by 65% of U.S. adults, including many who call themselves Protestants and Catholics, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released Wednesday...

Among the findings:
•26% of those who attend religious services say they do so at more than one place occasionally, and an additional 9% roam regularly from their home church for services.

•28% of people who attend church at least weekly say they visit multiple churches outside their own tradition.

•59% of less frequent church attendees say they attend worship at multiple places.


Read the complete story here.

Latest AGBM e-newsletter Now Arriving

The newest e-newsletter from AGBM president Joel Richards is now arriving in AGBM mailboxes. Reproduced here is his opening message. If you are not on the list to receive it, contact him at jerichards@sbcglobal.net

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease
- Genesis 8:22


Some of you are more aware than others that the cold and winter have not ceased. But have you thought lately about the fact that the change in the seasons is also a guarantee that God will not destroy the world again with a flood? Judging by the sins of men today He has every reason to flood the world again. However, He is patiently waiting for men and women to come to repentance. If Jesus isn't one's savior He will ultimately be their judge. Keep proclaiming the gospel, especially this Christmas season.