“I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.  I cannot and I will not recant anything…” – Martin Luther

“Scripture is an inexhaustible treasure chest of God-centered, life-changing truth.” – Brandon Smith

“The Bible has the final say.” – Kevin DeYoung

“Scripture is the norm of norms that cannot be normed.” – Martin Luther

“The Bible is not a naked authority.” – Martin Luther

“What is asserted without the Scriptures or proven revelation may be held as an opinion, but need not be believed.” – Martin Luther

“It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to say with full confidence of heart: ‘This trust have I toward God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word of God.” – Martin Luther

“A church with a minimized Word is not a church at all; it’s a train without tracks, a winding mountain road without guardrails.” – Brandon Smith

88% of American households own a Bible – 37% of people read it once a week or more – Barna Group

“Let nobody suppose that he has tasted the Holy Scriptures sufficiently unless he has ruled over the churches with the prophets for a hundred years.” – Martin Luther

“We will never fully exhaust the Word of God.” – Brandon Smith

“I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing…The Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it it.  I did nothing.  The Word did it all.” – Martin Luther

“The gospel is the greatest unity we can offer because it saves anyone and everyone who believes it, bringing believers into the same body of Christ.  It offends, yes, but it also unites.  Like Luther and like the early Christians in Acts, we should be emboldened by the power of God’s Word to take the gospel to our living rooms, our neighborhoods, and the the ends of the earth.  We shouldn’t have dinner with Sally next door to show her how righteous we are, trying to make her more like us.  Rather, we should show her the character of Christ and the truth of God’s Word.” – Brandon Smith

“Scripture alone is the true lord and master of all writing and doctrine on earth.  If that is not granted, what is Scripture good for?  The more we reject it, the moe we become satisfied with men’s books and human teachers.” – martin Luther

“I approve only of those human institutions which are founded upon the authority of God and derived from Scripture.” – John Calvin

“Sola Scriptura is the cornerstone of universal Protestantism; and on it Protestantism stands, or else it falls.” – B.B. Warfield

“The foundation of our religion is the written word, the Scriptures of God.” – Huldrych Zwingli

“The reformation of the sixteenth century was founded upon the authority of the Bible, yet it set the world aflame.” – J. Gresham Machen

“Here then is the difference.  They place the authority of the Church without the word of God; we annex it to the word, and allow it not to be separated from it.” – John Calvin

“Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.” – Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

Matthew Smith is hands down one of the most gifted Student Ministers I have ever worked with.  I will say that I am very thankful for others that I have worked with in the past and am indebted to them in many ways.

1. Able to teach the Bible – This must take place in every student ministry.
2. Able to commit time to students – You can’t qualify yourself as a student minister if you are never with students.  It just doesn’t work.
3. Able to be an adult – As with the children’s minister, this person cannot simply be an older version of the teenagers.
4. Able to train adults – In order for the student ministry to function long after the student minister is gone he must raise up quality leaders and train them to be successful.
5. Able to equip parents – Discipleship begins at home!

I consider it a wonderful blessing to serve alongside one of the most gifted children’s ministers I have ever met.  Jeff Jones is talented in many ways and certainly has these 5 qualities.  I am forever thankful for the impact he has on my children.

1. Able to teach the Bible to Children – This is a non-negotiable.  As a minister of the gospel the Children’s Minister must have this skill set.
2. Able to be creative – Here more than any other area in the church a creative mind must be tapped into in order to gain and keep the attention of children.
3. Able to be an adult – While sometimes acting silly like a kid, and being lots of fun is helpful it is necessary that it is clear who the adult is in the room.
4. Able to train adults – The children’s minister is only one person and will need others around to help.  In order for this to happen best the children’s minister is to train other leaders in this way.
5. Able to equip parents – Finally, a children’s minister is a supplement to what is happening at home.  Therefore, he/she must be one who is equipping parents to better disciple their children.

In my time in the ministry I have been able to serve in this role as well as see some of the best in this role.  I am forever indebted to men like James Edwards, Danny Epps, and Paul Lee for their leadership in this way.

Able to teach the Bible – Some may not include this here but I believe it is a necessary component to those in ministerial positions.

Able to care for the hurting – All too often Senior Adults are hurting, therefore this position must be comfortable in this scenario.

Able to grieve over loss – It is helpful for church members to genuinely sense care and sorrow in others as they mourn over the loss of a loved one.

Able to help others finish well – Senior Adults are not finished.  They need to be pushed outside their comfort zone to continue to make disciples of all nations.

Able to stay aligned with entire church – It is easy to make the Senior Adult Ministry an island off by itself.  But for it to function at its premium it must be deeply rooted in the heart of the church.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  I am so incredibly thankful to serve alongside my Pastor at Park Place Baptist Church.  Keith is a Godly man and honestly is a reflection of these qualifiers.

Able to provide expository preaching – For a church to know God they must know His word

Able to care for the hurting – I know of no one better than Keith Grubbs in this category.  He is tireless in his pursuit of the broken hearted.

Able to celebrate with the rejoicing – One of the most enjoyable parts of the job is to link arms with the congregation during times of celebration.

Able to provide vision – In order to lead a church properly one must have direction from the Lord.

Able to provide expectations – Setting a high standard is necessary for others to rise to the occasion.

As an Associate Pastor, I am not suggesting that I have all of these qualities just right.  However, I am suggesting that I need to grow in these areas as well be able realize that other Associate Pastors ought to be able to do these as well.

Able to teach the Bible – This is a biblical qualification for all that are considered elders of the church and thus should surely be on this list.

Able to support the Lead Pastor – This position is a waste if he cannot support the Leader of the church.  If these two men are in opposition it will be obvious.

Able to lead leaders – In order for the Associate Pastor to lead others his greatest asset will be to lead those that lead others.

Able to implement vision – If the Lead Pastor is the vision caster, than the Associate Pastor is the one who puts that vision into action.

Able to expect excellence – The Associate Pastor must strive to not only provide excellence in his work, but also to expect that out of others work as well.