Trent Renner

Posts tagged with: Jesus

Oct 17, 2018 |

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Cut it out!

Have you ever been to someone’s yard and right there in the middle is a sickly tree? Or been in a beautiful town and discover business’s dying? Or in a beautiful town full of Churches that are on death’s edge because they are not seeking and saving the lost? Something needs cut, pruned, compeltely worked over!

My experience is in Church-world. Pruning during stagnation is the most needed Christ-like practice for a church that is stuck in a rut. (A rut and a grave are the same thing…just 6 feet apart.)

Think about it…when is the last time you saw a Church going through 40 days of pruning? We have 40 days of prayer, fasting, evangelism, worship, Bible reading…but I’m not sure I’ve seen a Church have 40 days of pruning, when needed. Jesus is a pruner!

All through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…(the 4 most critical chapters of the bible)…when Jesus saw the crowd, around Him, begin to lose His focus…He pruned the crowd. He went so far, one time, to say to the huge crowd that had misunderstood His Mission,…“If you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you can’t be my disciple.” (John 6:53) The whole crowd, of what had to be more than a thousand people, left Him. There were only the 12 disciples left. That’s pruning!

Jesus pruned the pharisees and religious leaders that only wanted to control the people and keep things the way they had always done it…Jesus called them, “White-Washed Tombs (Matthew 23:17), Blind Guides (Matthew 23:16) Hypocrites (Matthew 23:15), Children of Hell (Matthew 23:15), fools (Matthew 23:17), generation of serpents (Matthew 23:34), and murderers (Matthew 23:34).

So Jesus pruned regularly. To be clear…when pruning, we can never react in anger out of control, or be evil in anyway. We cannot ever justify unholy behavior by saying Jesus did it. He was perfect in His pruning. However we can prune with holiness just like Jesus did. It won’t make you popular, but it will make you like Jesus.

Why don’t more leaders prune when it is desperately obvious it is needed? I can only resort to a Bible verse to explain…

^“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

Pruning results in a vigorous burst of new growth in the future, and pruning is to be used to achieve the full growth that is necessary…especially in the Church. More money thrown at the problem, or stored in the savings account won’t cause the Church to be healthy again. Just letting it continue as is, will not cause the Church to be fruitful again. I can’t think of anything more tragic than a Church that is stuck and dying. Pruning is what is needed. Its not fun. Its not easy, but it’s essential. Pruning, in Church world, will remove the unfruitful and the spiritually dead. The death that is about to overtake the whole “tree,” could be something as simple as the comfortable…but it’s especially the fakers, the slackers, hypocrites, the control mongers, or the powers that exist that actually have been lulled into the sleepy deception of thinking their tree is beautiful. They are the blockers and death dealers.

The “tree” may “bleed” when the removal begins. It may look like…after the pruning…that the tree won’t survive…that is has been ruined. But it’s exactly what it needed…it’ll survive because Jesus will know the motives of the pruning and bless it. It only seems harmful at the cutting, and until it grows again..it’ll be a bit scary. Those being pruned will not be cut quietly. They will gossip and spread false rumors and only verify the reality of the necessity of the pruning in the first place. Prune anyway! And it will leaf out when its God’s time! It will grow into a full grown, strong, thriving life once again. Beautiful! Jesus and any leadership that has the guts and perseverance to do the pruning will reap the rewards and once again see the Church be healthy and productive in the most important fruit production area…seeking and saving the lost.

The Kingdom of Jesus cannot and will not stop at anything that tries to prevent it’s growth. It cannot and should not ever be stunted. Jesus did say about the Church…“I will build my Church and the gates of hades will not prevail!” (MT16:18) So…if the Church is dying…something is seriously wrong. Right!? So, Jesus said it best…with crystal clarity…

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”
John‬ ‭15:1-8‬ ‭

So, courageous people of God…prune away. In Church world, the only thing that is preventing the pruning from happening is leadership. Courageous leadership. I love the local Church so much that I will prune anytime, anywhere, any way. It is what Jesus demands of holy leadership. If I don’t prune…I will stand in front of Jesus someday and be pruned for eternity. I don’t want to go to hell. You don’t either. Prune or Be Pruned!

We are mandated to produce fruit. It is a salvation issue and eternity is in the balance.

Don’t screw with Jesus’s mission. There is no mercy in pruning…Just judgement. The only way to avoid eternal judgement and pruning is to make sure you are producing fruit. The most important fruit in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is seeking and saving the lost. Every single member in the Church must be producing fruit. It is Jesus’s mandate.

When is the last time you personally led somebody into Jesus’s forgiveness?

It is why you were born, and it is your life’s purpose… to be productive in the Kingdom of Jesus.

Last thing…what is the best strategy to begin pruning in a Church that has been in status quo mode…aka…death mode? Cast a vision that leads the Church to get back into the mandates of Jesus. Cast a vision to risk for Jesus in evangelism. The pruning will happen naturally.

Strong Spiritual Leadership rarely has to strategically prune, because a fruitful-risk-taking-vision, cast with holy leadership strength, will naturally and steadily get rid of the wrong people. Yes…I said it…get rid of the wrong people. Hold on…You didn’t think pruning in the Church was about gardening did you? Its about people.

Oct 11, 2018 |

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How to be a Lead Pastor…or not!

Every kid gets asked sooner or later, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember wanting to be an archeologist, a sports doctor, the President of the USA, but I don’t ever recall wanting to be a pastor…but I am and God continually blows my mind in how He works.

So, I never had my sights on the Pastorate. My wife and I met when I was 20, and God used her to tap on my shoulder and give me a nudge towards what has been the most incredibly thrilling, fun, challenging, and heart breaking calling, for what has been 27 years now. As I write this, I’m 48. So its overwhelming to think that I’ve been doing ministry work literally more than 1/2 of my entire life.

In 1991, I began ministry work at a whopping 21 years old. Was I ready? If you’d asked me then, I’d reply the same I would today…”I was born ready.”…but my heart would be experiencing fear and intimidation as I said it. My personality has always allowed me to look confident in the face of anything…but if I could ever show you a video of what is going on inside of me when I say, “I’m born ready,” you’d be surprised. But, I have a gift of pushing through the fear with ease. Even if I don’t know what I’m doing or terrified, I just know things work out. They do for you too. Even the tragic stuff. Even when it all fails. Don’t get me wrong, things can be killer-heart-wrenching. But, as I look back…things are okay. You are too. As I look back to when I was 21 and headed to where God has me now…there is only one guarantee through it all…God is good, no matter what. He really has your best in mind, through anything and everything.

Fast forward 27 years, and I’ve learned countless lessons I’m happy to share with anyone who is in ministry or considering Lead Pastorate Ministry as a full time profession and calling. I won’t share insights from a strategy or operations perspective here. We’d need to meet for some coffee or Dr. Pepper so I can understand your unique circumstances before I’d ever offer some strategy and/or organizational advice.

Instead, I’ll just offer some observations from my insomnia chair this morning, induced from a 10 hour time change from Israel to AZ, as I’ve just returned from leading a group through the Holy Lands.

Here are my suggestions to those who know they are called into full time ministry. It’ll have to be another blog, another time about whether or not you know you are called into ministry. Full time ministry as a calling is something that you Have to do. Its more a haunting than a calling. So, once again…here are my suggestions.

1. Be willing to develop “Elephant Skin.”

Get ready for the two greatest C’s of your life. Critics and Consequences. Its judgement on earth. In the ministry, you think you should be the giver; but in reality you are the receiver. Think of an NFL receiver who has both hands over his head as he received a pass and is now about to receive a hit from the Outside Linebacker as he comes down with the ball. Internal pressure and public hits come with the work—both sometimes appropriate and sometimes completely unfounded. Either way, count on being second guessed all the time. Keep in in mind the two C’s work in unison. They get really abusive when you are down and struggling, too. The two C’s cheat by kicking you when you are down. Just like Jesus, you are a receiver now, and your skin will thicken so you can take it.

This reality makes you no different than Moses, or David, or Nehemiah, and many others of the Bible. You are in good company. The people you have been called to lead, will be Monday morning quarterbacks and couch coaches, and rarely will they come to you directly to offer their wisdom and insight. You’ll hear it from the 3rd or 4th, or 10th person down the telephone game line sharing it in a form that doesn’t even sound like the language you speak. Straight up, in full-time lead pastor ministry work, you are going to receive a pounding. Do it anyway! Its your calling. You were made for it.

The best way to develop Elephant Skin is to continually practice. So, every time you face the two C’s, respond by first using your head, then trusting your gut, and lastly filtering it all through your heart. The order of those body parts is critical. Don’t deviate and you will find yourself someday with amazingly tough hide.

2. They’re out of your league, but you answer to them.

Everybody in full time ministry that is not a lead pastor, thinks your job is pretty easy. They are wrong. I can give you a long list of names to call, of people who came out swinging in the Lead Pastor ring, only to discover in round two they were awakened from a KO wondering what happened as they stare cross-eyed at the stars encircling their head.

So, for one, you’re in a league of your own. It really is outstanding. As you face this reality, you better work hard to make sure your character is at the same level or higher than your ego. As Lead Pastor, it is vital that you realize you’re a member of a team. You ultimately lead that team in strategy and health. You own it. You lead the team. You get the blame. Staff member’s look to you for the direction they will go. You carry the pressure. It’s way heavier than anybody can even guess.

The biggest mistake the KO’d pastors made is that they were fooled, thinking the Lead Pastor is his or her own boss, and operates in a form of monarchism. The fact is, I have more bosses today than ever. A staff person of a Church has one boss. As a Lead Pastor, the Elders ultimately can fire you, and they serve as your boss, so you may have five, seven, or more on the board to report to — and there is also your Lord and God, who often will tell you differently than your board of Elders would like to go. In addition to that, you must answer to your weekly offering realities. The financial pressure alone, is enough to make you want to throw in the white towel. And lastly, you will face the people of your church who act as your master. You will hear things like, “We don’t pay you to do that.” Or, you will hear many “shoulds” that these wanna-be masters will tell you.

It’s a difficult and awesome reality. You are in a league of your own, but you have many masters. I pray you will have the guts to follow the one and only Master…Jesus…At all costs. His final opinion is the only one that truly matters. Love and serve all your masters, but obey only The Master…Jesus.

3. Yep, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins is right.

Get the wrong people off the bus, get the right people on the bus. Get the right people on the bus in the right seats…and hang on! I’ve learned over the past 27 years, that the same results happen whether I pull the band-aid off fast, or slowly peal it back. Fast or slow, is not right or wrong. Each decision you face will need to be made with wisdom as to whether or not is should be fast or slow. Remember, the results ultimately will be the same. Prayerfully choose your speed and be prepared for your skin to become more elephant-like.

There’s a narrow line between showing love and doing what’s right for your team and Church. Straight up, if your gut is telling you something isn’t working, trust it. Don’t waste time—make the change and do it quickly. If I have any regrets, its that I hired too fast and fired too slow, and I allowed my competitive nature to make me think my idea would work with just a little more time, when in reality, it just isn’t working. Make quick decisions, but make sure they are bathed in prayer.

Time and space won’t allow for full disclosure of the different kind of Churches that exist to lead and how that relates to you as a Lead Pastor. Each one is different for a Lead Pastor. There are Church Planting, Church Transitioning into a new Lead Pastor, Church Mergers and Acquisitions, Churches with multiple campuses, and Churches that are dying and need revitalized.

I suppose it really doesn’t matter which one, from the list above, that you are currently leading, because the critical factor in all of them, is your core ministry team and who is on it. In all the different kinds of Churches, Leadership is ultimately what matters. In the Church, the ministry team is the most important team, and the double edged sword of Church world, is that the elders will think they are the most important team. They are not. Your full time pastoral team is the most important team in the Church. They are on the ground every minute of everyday. Your elder team attends Sundays and has a meeting once a month. Getting the elders to recognize this biblical truth is enough to make you want to quit ministry in itself. Seriously.

It’s critical to determine who is effective on any team you have in the Church, and who may not have the appropriate skill set, experience, and personality to take the Church forward with you. Nothing is more important than putting the right people in the right place, at the right time—for them and the Church. Trust me, this is very difficult thing. You and others will be hurt. Do your best to make decisions, trying not to burn bridges. I promise you, your good intentions for what is best for the Church, will be misunderstood, and you will face much pain because of the misunderstandings. Make decisions anyway. Fast or slow. Never forget, Heaven and Hell are in the balance and eternity is at stake with every decision you make.

4. You are who you attract.

“Birds of a feather, flock together.” If you are Church transition-er, taking over for a previous Lead Pastor…then you will face this tough reality like no other Lead Pastor does. Church Planters start with their own hand picked group to start the new Church, or they start with zero people and attract and build with people who have the same DNA. I’ve planted two Churches. I’m now transitioning two existing Churches. Church planting, as challenging as it is, is not near as difficult than Church transitioning from a previous Lead Pastor. I don’t say that to pick a fight. Its just a truth that affects how your day to day life will go as a Lead Pastor. A Church transition-er will have to face two or more years of extreme criticism and people leaving the Church before they can ever start reaching new people who are unsaved. The smaller the town that this happens in, the faster gossip and false information spreads and it is just brutal and a special kind of evil that will work you over.

My point in all this is simply…Your DNA matters and affects who will leave your church and who will stay. You really can’t do anything about it. Just persevere and remember this…every problem your church faces is solved by reaching the lost. (Try me…give me any problem you face in your church in the comments section, and I’ll give you the solution through the filter of reaching the lost.)

A final thought for this point 4. Never forget: Everything you say, every tone in your voice and your body language ,is being observed. Make sure you’re projecting what you mean—all the time, every time. Your DNA matters. You attract who you are. The people in your church who are staying and getting fully committed are just like you. The moral of the story…you need to be real and authentic. God knows anyway. He is the one you are really trying to please. Just be you, and God will bring you people as He builds His Church.

6. Try to have some fun as you face a serious dynamic.

Being a Lead Pastor is exciting; you’ve worked hard, so enjoy it. Get rest. Honor your vacation time. Plan for the future. Lead the Church like you are going to retire tomorrow. Lead your Church by making decisions that will make your successor, successful. Never ever fail to admit when you’re wrong. “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” are the 5 most powerful words in the world. Tell your congregation every Sunday, that you love them, even when you don’t feel it. I remind you, you really do love them. Remember that you cannot know it all, but you can assemble a team that does!

The most challenging dynamic of being a Lead Pastor is being willing to challenge people now with loving truth, so they are not mad at you when Jesus returns and they didn’t make it into Heaven. Live your life, and lead the church, in such a way that nobody can blame you on the day of judgment for their failure to enter the narrow gate. This is a serious dynamic that is tough to balance. High Challenge and High Love. Again, lead in such a way, that nobody will be able to point their finger at you, if they don’t get through that narrow gate.

Have fun, set high expectations and be deliberate. Most of all, remember it’s all about people, and the most important one is Jesus.

I’d love to hear your comments, additions, or disagreements. I have elephant skin, I can handle it. The best part of it, is that we will continue to learn together. That is what a disciple is…A learner.

I love you and want what is best for you. I pray this post challenged you to be your best.

Finally…if you are a Lead Pastor or sensing you want to be one, and you’d like to discuss this further with me. Send me an email. I’d love to start some correspondence with you. [email protected]

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Jul 24, 2018 |

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Got a decision that needs to be made?

I’ve encountered groups of people recently, and not so recent, who customarily, in the face of a decision, freeze.

They say…“We need more time to decide.” or… “We need to slow down.”

If you’ve experienced this too, then you know the heart ache of watching hope and progress get stuck in the mud. It’s tragic.

MOMENTUM BUILDING…

Knowing what is essential to save the life of your organization/family/personal life, etc, or at least reinvigorate it, is not too difficult anymore. Social media, and our small-world of networking, is making it easier to ask for help and find similar situations from which to gain confidence and determine the best course of action.

Getting people to actually make the decision is where the difficulty lies. Why? Because….Decisions are scary and they demand responsibility toward action, causing the fearful’s brain to terrifyingly scream, “It’s better to not decide.”

Fear in action…

Fearful people are also afraid of admitting they are afraid…So…they camouflage their fear under the excuse of needing more time….explaining it away as being responsible and good stewards. In a meeting of fearful people, with no risk taking leadership in the room, fear will win every time. It’s why the org is stuck and rarely ever breaks through the next growth barrier. In all reality, the only growth barrier any organization has, is a lack of courageous and wise leadership.

Fear… lies to its listener. It whispers, “If you have more time, you can move away from the decision. Maybe someone else will make it for you. Maybe it won’t need to be made at all.”

If the fearful have control…the org gets stuck in a rut. The only difference between a rut and a grave, is six feet.

Wisdom lived out…

Wisdom hears fear’s whispering, and will consider the possibility that fear has something worthwhile to contemplate. Wisdom then thanks fear for the concern, and then courageously moves forward, and quickly. Fear can have no control in an organization if that organization wants to be healthy and productive. If decisions can’t be made, due to fearful people controlling the momentum, then a leader must rise and have the courage to replace the fearful, with the faithful. (It’ll require a different post to explain the dangerous process of replacing fearful types with faithful types.)

The reality is, fearful people don’t have it in them to step over the edge of the cliff your org needs to rappel life-savingly down. The fearful will strangle the faith attempt…its just too scary for them. (They can change from being fearful to faithful, but again, that’s another post.)

In the Church-World, where I am thankful to get to lead, the decision making for mission accomplishment, is where God is swiftly moving and leading us. He’s running ahead of us looking back with a big smile, beckoning us to keep up. If we move to slow or not at all…well…the Lord will out pace us, and will move out of sight very soon. He will keep moving, without us, and find a courageous leadership team who can keep the pace with Him. This creates a missed growth opportunity for everyone in the Org, tragically, due to a few fearful types controlling the speed of the whole thing. What a missed opportunity. Fear motivated leadership creates an Org that continually misses out on opportunity for character building, growth, health, and mission accomplishment…and ultimately…victory!

The work of a great leader is to make tough decisions. In the faith world, those decisions need to be made in wisdom and with speed. Decisions in Church world, have the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars leading and backing them. That same creator commanded us to, “GO!” And, my experience has proven that God moves swiftly when it comes to the Great Commission. He’s patient with us personally, but that is different than being slow in accomplishing the great commission and stepping out in faith as the Church.

THE SOLUTION:

Surround yourself with wise, faithful, and holy people who never allow fear to have the final say! Build great team and trust with them. Surround yourself with people who won’t bow and submit to the fake god named fear. Surround yourself instead with people who hunger to fit in the ranks of the greats of biblical history who did astounding things for God and His Kingdom. God is perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear!

You have an adventure that God wants to orchestrate through you…be faithful, not fearful, and get ready for an adventure that will carry rewards into eternity!

Life is short. Decide. Make a decision now. Count the cost, and decide! Make the decision a yes or a no…and either one will have inevitable consequences.

Taking more time to decide yes or no will leave you in the dust, in the form of a rut or grave.

If you have a decision that needs to be made…Decide Now! And get ready for the consequences, and the next decision, and the next, and the next. Faith advancement requires courageous decision after decision after decision..for the rest of your life. What an adventure!

Be wise, and be courageously swift.

Decide.

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Jun 23, 2018 |

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Church and the learning Tower of Pisa

SethGodin.com just wrote a blog asking…”What’s inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa?”

The answer is Nothing. It’s a hollow tube.

One of the most photographed buildings in the world is empty. But people do not care. It is an iconic building and wows people from all over the world.

I love that this is opposite of the reality of the Church. The Church’s building sits empty most of the week…but it’s old news that the Church is not a building.

You are the Church. The bride of Jesus. The body of Christ. Get a couple of people like you together, and God is there with you! Grasp that!

The big question is, why aren’t people wowed by the Church all over the world?

There are negative and positive answers.

We know the negative reasons. Do you know the positive ones? Here’s one to remember…

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” 2 Corinthians 2:15-26

That Scripture asks a very pertinent question in its last verse. Who is adequate for such a task?

The answer: YOU! You are adequate just as you are. Oh, you might have to pick up your cross of sacrifice and live differently than you currently are…but that doesn’t make you inadequate. It just makes you leaning…limping…wounded. But that is what makes you remarkable.

I’m not sure I can trust anyone who doesn’t walk with some sort of limp…or lean. The Bible is loaded with historical records of people that limp and lean. I’m grateful for my wounds that cause me to now limp. Your limp tells a story of victory and conquering. Or it should. If you’ll allow it, that thing, that wound, which caused the scarring that makes you limp, will make you even more remarkable…yes, your leaning can make you incredible. There are millions of beautiful buildings around the world…but the ones that lean…they have looooong lines of curious gazers and photographers.

You are adequate. You are never empty, if you are the Church. You are worthy. You can live your life in such a way that some people will go crazy wanting what you have.

Its not easy. You’ll have to lean into Jesus more than you think is even possible.

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May 3, 2018 |

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What religious symbol is your favorite?

While religious symbols can be important, the church has focused perhaps too much on them instead of the underlying reality they reflect.

The manger is feeding animals again. The cross is vacant. The tomb is empty.

May we befriend and honor the One who is still alive and visited each of those symbols for a very specific purpose…to provide us the opportunity to claim full forgiveness.

Focus on the living Jesus…not the symbols He used. Jesus is alive and He desires to meet with you daily. Jesus desires you to finish the work He started. He is with us always, to the end of the ages. If I can personally help you in growing closer to your Creator, Jesus, please let me know…I will walk with you.

Alive Church Cross Empty Tomb faith God Holy Spirit Jesus Manger Religion vs. Relationship Religious Symbols Tomb Trent Renner

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