Last week I attended the North Carolina Associational Missions Conference at Caraway. It was a great time of fellowship, worship, learning, and praying with my peers from around the state. (Kenny Lamm led worship - we will be blessed to have him lead worship at our SYBA Annual meeting in August!) 

The conference focused on emotionally healthy leadership, led by Dr. Tate Cockrell from Southeastern Seminary. Our pastors and church leaders need to be emotionally healthy to lead emotionally healthy churches. When you fly in an airplane, you are always told to put on your own mask before you help others. Likewise in leadership, we must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

We must practice emotionally healthy leadership as church leaders to be able to minister to our people in healthy ways. How?

1) We need to pursue deep personal devotion. Our devotion to Jesus must be first. We cannot confuse our devotion to Jesus with our devotion to ministry.

2) We need to find joy and identity in Jesus and not in ministry. As pastors and church leaders, it is easy to confuse our identity as Christians with our identity as pastors and leaders. Either we will get our identity from who we are in Jesus, or we will seek to find joy, contentment, and identity in the situations, experiences and relationships in our ministry. Ministry is not designed to give us identity. Paul David Tripp said, “The success of a ministry is always more of a picture of who God is than a statement about who the people are that He is using for His purpose. I had it all wrong. I took credit that I did not deserve for what I could not do; I made it about me, so I didn’t see myself as a man headed for disaster and in deep need of the rescue of God’s grace."

3) We need to set boundaries to protect the important. Satan desires to distract us from the most important things in life. His desire is war against our love for Jesus - and keeping us busy. We need to schedule what is important first. Don’t let urgent activities dominate your life. Your calendar tells the truth about your values and priorities. We also must schedule times to rest, reflect, and enjoy life.

4) We need to be silent and listen well to others. Emotional health begins when we quiet our mouth and mind to mediate on God, His Word, and His Ways. Pastors often feel the pressure to have all the answers, so they grow accustomed to talking much and listening to little. When you stop listening, you stop learning. When you stop learning, you stop growing.  

5) We need to invite and empower others to speak hard truths. A friend will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.  

 

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

Don’t surround yourself with a lot of yes people, but open yourself to wise people to show you things that you cannot see.

If we apply these healthy principles to our lives, we will be able to minister to our spouses, our families, and our churches so much better. And we will not have to worry about burnout. We need to remember that we get out identity from Christ, and not from our ministry!

Blessings!

Rev. Noel Williamson

Executive Director, SYBA

The next SYBA Pastors Lunch is scheduled for May 17 @ 11:30 am at the SYBA offices at 3009 Amity Hill Road, Statesville. No charge.

Great church administrators are vital to our churches and ministries.

We have some awesome Church Administrators in the SYBA, and we would like to bless three of them! Please nominate your church administrative professionals – whether they work 5 or 40 hours per week. The SYBA will be treating three winners to a $50 gift card to the restaurant of their choice to recognize them for their hard work. The deadline for nominations is April 30. Please email Leslie at Lkusek@sybaptist.org or call her at 704-873-4372 ext. 5 to enter them in the drawing.

Trinity Baptist Church is Seeking an Associate Pastor with emphasis on Student

Ministry.

Click here for a complete position description. Questions/ responses - contact Office@TrinityBaptist.com

Be a part of SYBA's Spring Cleaning Basket Ministry!

We hope to give all Food Pantry clients a well filled dish pan or pail full of Spring cleaning supplies.  Pictured here is a sample of possible donations. Please bring these items by April 30.

Donations can be delivered to our Front Street Pantry (1431 Front St Statesville) on Wednesday's 8:30-11 am, or contact MHoover@sybaptist.org to make alternate arrangements.

The Annual Food Roundup is a tremendous blessing to our Children's Homes and it supplies the majority of can goods and staples for BCH homes.

SYBA is serving as a collection point for food cards from national and regional stores (like Walmart, Ingles, Food Lion) and food and supplies from our churches. Donations can be delivered to SYBA Office (3009 Amity Hill Rd Statesville) on Mondays and Thursdays 9am - 4pm, or contact MHoover@sybaptist.org to make alternate arrangements.

Please place all food and supplies in boxes so they are ready to transport. All items must be delivered by May 6.

Click here for a list of items to collect.

Click here for more info and resources to download and use in your churches.

In partnership with the Ukraine Baptist Union and Ukraine Baptist Theological Seminary, Baptists on Mission (BOM) has purchased more than 40 tons of flour and other supplies to feed internally displaced refugees taking shelter in Baptist churches across Ukraine.

Richard Brunson, BOM executive director-treasurer, said a German ministry partner buys the ingredients and works with local bakeries to prepare meals. For millions of Ukrainians forced from their homes and without power, a loaf of bread, jar of sausage paste and baked goods provide a desperately needed meal.

Meals are distributed to different Baptist churches throughout Ukraine.

“Ukraine Baptist Union has 2,500 churches across the country. Many of these churches are being used to house people from their communities,” Brunson said.

A contribution of $2 feeds one person for a day. A $20 gift can feed a refugee for 10 days. All donations go directly toward obtaining food and supplies and distributing them to those in need through local churches across Ukraine.

Click here for more information or to give.

Do you have an event planned that you would like to invite those outside your church to?

Please send Leslie Kusek information at lkusek@sybaptist.org and we will include it in the next newsletter!

With a shared vision for aiding the thousands of boys and girls in the custody of North Carolina's foster care system, Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina have partnered together for EVERY CHILD Foster & Adoption Ministry. We believe the church is the answer for ensuring every child receives the caring home he or she deserves.

Click here for more information.

Guest Speakers:

Todd Unzicker, Executive Director, Treasurer BSCNC

Michael Cloer, Network Mission Strategist, Cape Fear Network of Baptist Churches

Music & Worship led by Christ Roberts, FBBC Professor of Worship Studies

Lunch provided free of charge.

Missions fair begins at 5:30 pm; meeting begins at 6:30 pm.

Guest speaker is Todd Unzicker, Executive Director-Treasurer, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Worship music by Kenny Lamm.

Click here for more info and to register.

The Stand Courageous Men's Conference brings men from coast-to-coast to experience this powerful event. Don't miss out on this life-changing call to biblical masculinity. We invite you to join us and bring your fathers, sons, church group, and friends to join you!

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin is leading this conference with his testimony of serving as the former Commander of the U.S. Army Delta Force during the mission that is depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down, along with Tony Perkins, Charles Flowers, Joaquin Molina, Larry Jackson, and Stu Weber. You will be blessed, encouraged, and equipped with incredible testimonies and resources!

Click here for more info or to register.

Recent studies show that the great majority of churches are either declining or plateaued. Specifically speaking there has been an average net loss of 3,500 churches each year over the last twenty-plus years. Of the remaining churches, 88 to 91 percent of them are dying. Just within the Southern Baptist Convention, 800 to 900 churches die every year.

Lebanon Baptist Church, in conjunction with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Piedmont Baptist Association, is committed to helping churches revitalize and thrive within this current post-pandemic climate.

Join us for a one day church revitalization conference called [RE]VITALIZE, which will point your church to reclaiming God's glory this year. This conference is intended for pastors, deacons, church leaders, associational leaders, and lay members.

Click here for more info and to register.

Baptists on Mission is offering Disaster Relief Training on April 30 @ 8:30 am - 3 pm in Hickory NC.

Click here for more information and to register.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is one of the most effective ministries churches can offer for evangelism, outreach and discipleship of children and their families.

Join us for a virtual teacher and leadership training to make this year’s VBS one of the best ever. Training will feature keynote and breakout sessions covering all aspects of VBS, including how to adapt amid the lingering impact of COVID-19.

Click here for more info and to register.