Wednesday Wrap-up

My first Wednesday Wrap-up is going to be devoted to sharing some really cool sites that I have found to be very helpful in my own ministry. Most of these are well known, but maybe you have not yet found them. I want to share a variety of ministry tools as well. These are not listed in any order of preference or usefulness. 

Leadership/Pastor Tools

There are thousands of great websites, apps, books, and more. Below is just a small sample.

• Bible Gateway - search the Bible in almost any translation or language (also an app for mobile devices)
• Hebrew 4 Christians - for those who did not study biblical languages in seminary
• Pastors.com - Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox with articles by many contributing leaders
• Thomrainer.com - president and CEO of LifeWay, he shares some wonderful insights for churches, pastors, and volunteers (read 11 Things I Learned From Pastors' Wives).
• Edstetzer.com - President of LifeWay Research, he shares great insights based on studies and findings in existing churches and church plants with links to many of these (read Study: Churchgoers Believe in Sharing Faith, Most Never Do)
• Church Leaders - wonderful articles to help you become a better leader as well as thought provoking subjects to help stretch your ministry vision (read Sexy Christianity by Kyle Donn).
• Pro Preacher - their claim is that they are "helping you preach like a pro" but they have some great inspirational and encouraging articles (read The Cry of a Young Preacher by Brandon).
• Transformational Church
• Purpose Driven Church - every church needs to experience the 40 Days of Purpose study by Rick Warren. The information comes from his own studies of the growth model of Dr. Creswell at FBC Dallas and all are biblically based.
• Unfashionable - Tchividjian challenges us to make a difference in the world as Christians by boldly living a life that is different from the world's.
• Visioneering - this book by Andy Stanley is a must for any leader who wants to bring a group of people along on the journey that God has set before them.
• Experiencing God - this study by Henry Blackaby is my all-time favorite for Christians at all levels. Knowing and doing the will of God should be a passion in all Christians.

Worship Tools

• Praise Charts - great site to get charts, scores, and even Finale files for almost every song your church will want to sing. Limited keys unless you purchase the Finale file.
• Music Notes - place to get individuals parts for a song without purchasing the entire orchestration or Finale file.
• Lifeway Worship - perfect site for churches that need a blend of music to fit along with their Baptist Hymnal and the newest contemporary charts. Most songs are available in the best keys for singing with your congregation.
• Planning Center Online - A must for any worship ministry. Design services, assign volunteers, upload charts and project directly to your music stand, and many more great tools for a monthly subscription.
• Vocal Coaching - blog post to help your singers understand the importance of continuing to grow musically
• Unified Worship - end the Worship Wars among your congregation by realizing that God is able to unify your congregation.
• Renewing Worship - the music and worship site for the Baptist Convention of North Carolina. It includes many excellent articles and tools for worship ministries (read this 10 part series on Worship Wars).

Hope that you find some of these helpful. Feel free to share some of your favorites below.

Testimony Tuesday

Since this is the first Testimony Tuesday, I thought I would start by sharing my own testimony.

I was one of those cradle roll children, attending church a week after I was born. We never missed a church event or activity. I knew from an early age that the normal thing to do was accept Jesus and join the church. I had asked my parents several times if I could get baptized. They talked to me about salvation, the pastor at the church talked to me about salvation, and eventually they all agreed that I was too young and was not really ready.

The summer after first grade, my sister, brother, and I attended a Backyard Bible School at a neighbors home in Norfolk, Virginia. During that week the lady that was leading it asked us to raise our hands if we had not yet asked Jesus into our hearts. I raised mine and was ushered into another room with all of those who did the same. She asked us to repeat after her, she prayed a prayer, and then pronounced us all saved. I was so excited that I would finally get to be baptized.

My life continued on pretty much the same as before. I was the typical deacon's kid. I attended Royal Ambassadors, children's church, children's choir, revivals, and everything else the church decided to do. I even wrote and preached a sermon during children's church one Sunday. When we were preparing to move to Maryland, I even cried that some of my friends would die and go to hell because I had not them about Jesus. My parents knew even then that God had a plan for me.

Flash forward a few years to a time when I was now a teen attending a youth camp in Mississippi. The pastor yelling at the front was talking about how we should be able to remember the time we realized that we were not worthy of Jesus and felt Him calling us to get forgiveness. I clearly remembered when I repeated a prayer and was pronounced saved, but I started to realize that I never really understood any of the reasons behind that moment. As a first grader I understood that I did not want to die and go to hell, but I did not understand that I was surrendering my life to the control of someone much more capable than I am to run it. I had wanted Jesus to be my Savior, but had no understanding of making Him Lord. I knew then that my entire "Christian" life was a lie.

Ashamed, embarrassed, and worried about what others would think, when the pastor asked people to come to the altar, I sat in my seat, bowed my head, prayed, and silently cried. One of our chaperones leaned over and asked me if I was alright. I explained that I had just accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I knew that this time was real, because I started to experience spiritual attacks. Satan was not happy that his deception had not worked. My teen years were filled with the normal ups and downs of teens and I often failed to make the right choices, but God was with me always, guiding and directing me.

I accepted God's call to full-time ministry while still in high school. It wasn't until after I finished my college that I started to understand what that entailed. And God continues to fine tune my calling. I have served Him in many roles: preaching, teaching, discipling, administration, youth, children, worship, and more. I just pray that I am able to continue to share His story until my final days.

How about you? Share your testimony with me and I will share it with others here on Tuesdays.  Send me a message to: poolehall @ gmail.com (you have to remove the spaces before and after the @ symbol).

Meet Me Monday

Dr. Randy Von Kanel is the senior pastor of Cayman Islands Baptist Church on Grand Cayman. He and his wife Cindy have served in churches and missions for more than thirty years. They have a son, Landon (in heaven) and a grown daughter Randa.

Randy is a music graduate of William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS, and has his DMIN from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is gifted in both music and preaching/teaching.

Randy was my first mentor in ministry while he was serving as the pastor at Temple Baptist Church in Big Point, Mississippi, when I was a teen. Randy helped me to see the importance of loving God's people and caring for His church. He is as much my father in the ministry as Paul was to Timothy.

Randy and Cindy Von Kanel need our prayers and support as they continue to serve as missionaries  in the Caymans and as the pastor at their church. Check out the video below for more information on Randy. If your church group is interested in helping with the mission needs of the the Caymans, contact Randy via his church or call the International Missions Board of the SBC for more info.

Welcome

This is my new Blog for pastors and church leaders. I made the decision to start a new blog because my old site was too eclectic with posts about family, worship, leadership, bible studies, politics, and more. I will continue to use the old blog, but this new location will be designed more for ministry posts. I have some big plans for this blog and I hope that you will find it useful for your ministries.

While I may not always stick to this format, I mapped out the following goals for this blog:

• Meet Me Monday - I want to share with you some key individuals inside my sphere of ministry. I will attempt to give you some information about them and why they have influenced my ministry. I will also ask you to join me in praying for them, their families, and their ministries.
• Testimony Tuesday - I would like to have a post each Tuesday with a testimony from one of you. How has God made a difference in your life? What is He currently doing? Share His goodness with others so that we can all rejoice in His greatness.
• Weekly Wrap Wednesday - This is where I plan to share what is going on in the world of ministry. Gathering together articles and ideas from ministry leaders, movers and shakers, and sometimes those hidden gems that need to be brought to light.
• Teaser Thursday - Any good story needs to have some sound bites that tease you into wanting more. The story we share on Sundays come from the best collection of books available: God's Word. This is where I plan to give you a little info on what to expect on Sunday.
• Focus Friday - I wanted to have one day where I could focus on any area of ministry: worship, missions, evangelism, discipleship, families, men, women, children, youth, senior adults, fellowship, you name it.

I hope that you will partner with me on this new journey in my own ministry. Share my posts with your friends, family, or church leaders. Comment on posts to help us learn and grow in our own understanding. And send your suggestions, testimonies, and submissions to me at The Poole Hall (poolehall @ gmail.com).