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Elders often ask about compensation for events: gospel meetings, workshops, and special Sunday services: Homecoming, Friends and Family Day, or lessons on a specified topic. I’ve been reluctant to discuss this. I’ve been blessed financially and in many other ways in my preaching and teaching. I was afraid to discuss money in my early years:…
Left to right in the above picture: Doug and Becky Bost, Gail and Jerrie Barber, Toni and Dennis Ruch New Shepherds Orientation Workshop #19 was a job and a joy. It was a WORKshop. We met for twelve hours Friday and Saturday, October 16, 17.Since both our elders are retired, we met 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m….
I was “trying out.” I had preached and was answering questions after services. A kind, gracious, dignified, older lady asked, “If you come here to be our preacher, how much visiting will you do?” It was a conflicted congregation. An unintentional interim had left a few months before. He followed a loved preacher who had…
“Sign a letter and we’ll never tell who wrote it” I am intrigued by rules (the way we do things — our habits), especially our rules for selecting elders. We find qualities of elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-4). We can observe or ignore the apostles’ principles for selecting leaders for God’s people…
I haven’t been writing for this blog since December 17 last year. I’m planning to start again. One post a month for this blog and one a month for Between Preachers. I plan to continue the fifth Tuesday “Mustard Seeds” from Books. January 6, 2015, was the first post for the New Shepherds Orientation blog….
When I started working with churches between preachers nearly thirteen years ago, several people, said, “You should write a book on interim ministry.” I started the blog Between Preachers in January 2016 which became the book released last week. Between Preachers is now available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon. Order your copy: [su_button…
The good brethren in Shillington, Pennsylvania, invited me to lead my first New Shepherds Orientation Workshop in the northeast. Shillington is a town about seventy miles northwest of Philadelphia. To learn more about the brethren in Shillington: https://www.shillingtonchurch.org/index.php Their preacher, Rick Janelle’s blog: https://www.rickjanelle.com The brethren and their wives were well-prepared and participated in the…
It’s time to select additional elders. What are our rules? Will leaders select leaders or will the group select leaders? Will we encourage legalized gossip during the vetting phase (a later blog post)? Legalized Gossip Should we ask people before we nominate them? It’s important to think, discuss, decide, and communicate our rules. Our rules…
The first New Shepherds Orientation Workshop, November 1, 2, 2013 was initiated when Henry Wilhoit, an elder from Fairlane Church of Christ, Shelbyville, Tennessee called me with a request. “Jerrie, we’ve appointed five elders. Four of them have never served before. Do you think you could prepare something to help us understand the work of…
…April 9-11, 2019, mutual admiration Identification of people in the above photo: from left to right: Jerrie Barber, Gail Barber, Russell Smith, Pam Foster, David Foster, Paul Blocker, Michele Blocker, Steve Burgett, Pam Burgett, Jimmy Thompson, Rebecca Thompson April 9-11 were the dates of the 16th New Shepherds Orientation Workshop. We used great accommodations at…