11 Feb New Director at Camp Cotubic

Dave (left) and Scott Stephens.

Dave Stephens served 25.5 years as director of Camp Cotubic in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Dave, an ordained United Brethren minister and former UB pastor, stepped down in January 2014. Taking his place is son Scott Stephens, who has served the camp many years as Program Director.

This United Brethren camp began in the 1970s when several conferences merged in the new Central Conference and decided to build a brand new camp for their constituents in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. A contest was held to name the camp. “Cotubic” uses the first letter of each word in “Church of the United Brethren in Christ.”

Camp Cotubic, along with the other United Brethren camps (and with our blessing), went independent in 2005 when the conferences were disbanded.

11 Feb How to Pray for Your Pastor

Todd Fetters (right), Director of National Ministries

As a pastor, I regularly informed my congregations of my prayer concerns by using a variety of lists. Eventually, I found a resource by Jim Nicodem, in his book, “Prayer Coach,” that became my favorite. His list accurately reflected the true desire of my heart as a spiritual leader.

These seven petitions work nicely as a weekly prayer guide. I encourage you to use it as you pray for your pastor.

Day 1: That our pastors would be honored, affirmed, encouraged, and respected.
Discouragement is a reality for many pastors and their spouses. The reasons are as varied as the normal stuff of everyday life. Fatigue. Lack of success. Unrealistic expectations. Sin. Unrealized vision. Loss. Financial pressures. Spiritual doubt. Loneliness. Clearly, pastors and their spouses do a good work, but there is always the danger of them growing weary in doing good.

Day 2: That our pastors would be protected from focused attacks of Satan, stay far from sin, and walk in obedience to God’s Word.
Satan is a real threat. Pastors are well aware of their brokenness and how vulnerable they are to satanic temptation. The good ones battle hard to resist temptation, because they know the consequences can extend beyond themselves to those they lead.

Day 3: That God would give our pastors wisdom, patience, perseverance, and grace in facing people-problems, and that those they lead would be loyal, understanding, and supportive.
Relationship is everything. We want our congregations and pastors to truly care for one another, speak well of one another, and have mutual affection one for the other.

Day 4: That our pastors’ marriages and parenting would be God-pleasing and wise.
Congregations struggle when a pastor’s marriage suffers. Divorce can deflate and divide a congregation. Rebellious children can cause frustration and doubt in a pastor’s leadership. We want our clergy couples to love and enjoy each other. We want our pastors’ families to be havens of honor and hope.

Day 5: That our pastors, in preparation for teaching God’s Word, would listen to God’s voice, have their time for study protected, be kept from theological error, personally apply the truth, and be filled with God’s Spirit.
Modeling the Way is as important as preaching the Word. Good pastors regularly connect with God through the Word they study, preach, and apply to themselves. In the process, they desperately pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence and power.

Day 6: That our pastors would consistently practice important disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines are critical for maintaining a connection with the Holy Spirit. Pastors make time to physically, emotionally, and mentally engage the Holy Spirit through prayer, worship, study, confession, solitude, fasting, etc.

Day 7: That our pastors would be zealous for the church and compelling in promoting its mission.
The Kingdom is the pastor’s God-given big picture. They have an inner drive to see the agenda, priorities, and values of God’s Kingdom realized in their own lives, their churches, their communities, and throughout the world. For them, it’s not just about growing a big church. It’s about participating with God as He grows His Kingdom.

These seven prayer requests compose a holistic picture of your pastor’s heart. It reveals the heart attitude through which God seems to work. So, now that you’ve gained a glimpse inside the mind of the pastor, offer to God an informed prayer on your pastor’s behalf, right now. Then, start watching for God to effectively grow His Kingdom.

10 Feb Getting Inside the Mind of a Pastor

Todd Fetters (right), Director of National Ministries

At the national office, we pray regularly for our pastors. We contact pastors ahead of time, letting them know the day when we will pray for them. Because we believe that informed intercession is effective intercession, we ask them to share with us their specific prayer concerns.

In two postings, I will give suggestions to help you pray regularly for your pastor. Today’s post is designed to help you get inside the mind of a pastor. Tomorrow, I will list seven suggestions for getting to the heart of a pastor.

I feel very comfortable taking you inside the mind of a pastor. I’ve been around pastors my entire life. I grew up in a pastor’s home. My two brothers have been pastors. I spent 25 years in pastoral ministry. I’ve helped churches find new pastors. I’ve led clusters for pastors. And now, as National Ministries director, I interact daily with pastors.

Here are four common characteristics I’ve experienced and observed in the good pastors.

1. Humility
The good ones are humbled every time they think of God’s call. They instinctively imitate Saint Paul who said, “How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him” (1 Timothy 1:12). Typically, gratitude pours out of the mouths of men and women who try to fathom why God trusts them with such a tremendous responsibility.

2. Under-Shepherds
The good ones embrace their identities as “under-shepherds” who tend, feed, and care for the Good Shepherd’s flock. They willingly follow Saint Peter’s charge to elders, “Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor” (1 Peter 5:2-4).

3. Enemy Threat
The good ones are bravely aware that a real enemy, Satan, targets them. They take seriously Peter’s admonition, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

4. Desire Prayer
The good ones know the value of having others pray for them. And like Saint Paul who asked without hesitation, “And pray for me, too” (Ephesians 6:19), they ask others for it too.

I’m certain the psyche that I’ve just described applies equally to the entire leadership constituency of the United Brethren Church. But, since my goal here is to help you pray in an informed and effective way for pastors, it gives me the opportunity to speak specifically to what I know for certain goes on in the minds of good pastors.