Dale had the privilege of spending time with Jeff Clark on today’s 95Podcast. Jeff stated, “We were often taught that healthy things grow as an indicator of church health. However, eventually, things should move from just focusing on growth to focusing on maturity. Mature things reproduce.”
Today’s podcast is filled with wisdom and practical lessons derived from over 40 years of ministry experience in the rural setting and serving many years on the mission field in the Pacific realm. You’ll enjoy the “golden nuggets of truth” shared by Jeff.
Links to Resources Mentioned or Related
Key Takeaways
1) One of the most significant issues in the rural church setting is the short tenure of most rural pastors. Pastors leaving, after three years, leave the church looking for stability. This often leads to patriarchs/matriarchs in the church that rise out of the need for security in leadership.
2) The goal of every pastor should be to give the ministry away. This is the only way to “increase your effectiveness.”
3) Two simple keys to ministry effectiveness and success are: 1 – Stay long enough to earn the right to lead. 2 – Build relationships out of mutual trust.
4) Jeff says, “If you sit on their couch, they will eventually sit in your pews.”
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