Writing Contest 2004
Thanks to all who contributed articles for our 2004 Writing Contest. Thanks also to Dr. Lanier Burns & Jeff Lawrence who served as our judges. We had some great articles submitted and it what a challenge for our judges to pick the top three.First Prize ($1000)
"When the Fire Goes Out" by A.F. Michaels, nom-de-plume. 3035 words
- "When I awoke that morning, my mind jumped with practiced ease to the day in front of me. When it did, I new something was very different. All desire to "pastor" was gone from my heart" ... "I had no supervised boundaries - no written guidelines that would prevent my workweek from moving beyond fifty hours to sixty hours or more. No caring, accountable oversight had been provided by the leadership of our church" ... Nearly two years have passed since I sat and wept on that memorable Monday morning. Amazingly, I'm still a pastor ...We restructured under an Executive Pastor ... My shepherding tasks, as a result, have been greatly lessened."
Second Prize ($500)
"Though It Is Still By No Means a Megachurch, It Was Time for an XP" by Dominic Verdell, Executive Pastor of New Life Evangelical Free Church, Watertown South Dakota. 878 words.
- "Though it is still by no means a megachurch, New Life Evangelical Free Church came to the realization that it was limited by the ability of its Senior Pastor to not only develop, but also implement the church's vision for the future. Though Pastor John was exceptionally gifted and had an admirable capacity, the potential that he saw the Lord calling his congregation to would never be reached without a strategic structural change."
Third Prize ($100)
"For Pastors - A Plan, Not a Pipedream: Turning Evangelism From Frustration to Fruition" by Mark A. Brown, Vice-President of the American Tract Society, Garland Texas. 1495 words.
- "Every pastor wants hispeople to share the same vision and dream about the church they're growing, to share the same passion and joy of knowing Christ and of growing in relationship with Him. But only a few parishioners, it seems, really end up growing and becoming more Christ-like. The rest race through books and materials, apply what they've read into temporary action, then wait for the next wave, the next 'big thing.'"
Submitted Articles - alphabetical by author
"I'm Thinking About Giving Up the Church" by Queen Adams, Writer & Praise Team Member, Grace Fellowship, Palmetto Georgia. 1422 words.
- "I vividly recall shaking my head "no" when my father confided in me that he was thinking of relinquishing the pastorate. By this time, I was a Christian and going to church voluntarily, without dad's Sunday-morning greeting "Get up! It's time for church." Dad pastored a small church, so it wasn't like the big church and big choir where he got the big headaches. This was a small church with mostly family and friends. Had dad done what they refer to as 'burned out?'"
"Leadership from the Perspective of the Church Officer Manager" by Cory Amster, nom-de-plume. 755 words.
- "Every week, the church office manager must make sure that all goes well for the pastor. The pastor doesn't always come in on time, nor does he explain why and he most often gives the bulletin information at the last minute, assuring margin for mistakes and miscommunication. But it's okay because it's for the Lord, right? Is this God-inspired or is the leadership lazy?"
- "After the service the pastor says, "That sucked! You made me look like a fool." And I cried and cried and cried."
"For Pastors - A Plan, Not a Pipedream: Turning Evangelism From Frustration to Fruition" by Mark A. Brown, Vice-President of the American Tract Society, Garland Texas. 1495 words.
- "Every pastor wants hispeople to share the same vision and dream about the church they're growing, to share the same passion and joy of knowing Christ and of growing in relationship with Him. But only a few parishioners, it seems, really end up growing and becoming more Christ-like. The rest race through books and materials, apply what they've read into temporary action, then wait for the next wave, the next 'big thing.'"
"The Problems of Church Leadership" by David E. Colvin, Youth Leader at Oak Street Baptist Church, Flora, Illinois. 1275 words.
- "I would typically try to soften the blow of the Word of God. I don't want you to get me wrong, I did care about them. In fact that is why I tried to water down God's Word, so that they would take it in a little easier. I taught with much love, and caring, but I did not teach with boldness."
"Elder Purgatory, My Annual Report" by Alex Dunworthy, nom-de-plum. 876 words.
- "It was always cold in that room. The weather could be snowy, mild or sultry, but the chill on their faces numbed me through and through. My legs ached as the freeze penetrated my marrow and then the questions would begin. "So, it is nice to see you Reverend Associate Minister Dunworthy," the Chairman would begin. "And this year you are ordained and here for your annual report to the Council?"
"Expectations" by Denise Fisher, wife of a former music minister. 1984 words.
- At the heart of all of these foundational issues is the spirit of good communication. A church that is open for discussion without being petty, argumentative, overprotective or gossipy has found a true golden path to spiritual enrichment. Talk to God. Talk to each other. Talk to each other in front of God. Yield to the Master Builder.
"Over Burdened" by Peter Lewis, a musician in Waldorf, Maryland. 989 words.
- "Over BURDENED? Is that not the way of things? Remember the words that came from the one who created the heavens and the earth the one who makes the sun rise in the east and set in the west, the one who created the moon and the stars the one who SAID light be and Light WAS! Yes he said the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few."
"Our Pastor and His Candle" by Rev. Jeremy J. Lile, Associate Pastor at Bethalto Church of God, Alton, Illinois. 917 words.
- "Nevertheless, burning the candle at both ends is exactly what our Senior Pastor had been doing for a long while. He was trying to do so much that even his health started to diminish."
- "What people fail to realize is that with a church of 350 people, the pastor cannot be everywhere at once. So it took a lot of time seeking the lord, praying and fasting in order to get everyone comfortable with the new regime."
"So whose problem is it anyway?" by Dillon Matthew, a nom-de-plume. 1842 words.
- "A year after I had informed the board about my stress and clinical depression, I approached them again saying that nothing had really changed. I had no response. I guess it was considered my problem. But my "problem" became everyone's problem soon after. The day I came back from a vacation I received an e-mail from the pastor questioning every aspect of the worship ministry which I thought was finally developing well. That e-mail was the end for me. Although there are other factors involved, within a week I had resigned and an announcement was made to the church."
"When the Fire Goes Out" by A.F. Michaels, a nom-de-plume. 3035 words
- "When I awoke that morning, my mind jumped with practiced ease to the day in front of me. When it did, I new something was very different. All desire to "pastor" was gone from my heart."
- "I had no supervised boundaries - no written guidelines that would prevent my workweek from moving beyond fifty hours to sixty hours or more. No caring, accountable oversight had been provided by the leadership of our church."
- Nearly two years have passed since I sat and wept on that memorable Monday morning. Amazingly, I'm still a pastor ...We restructured under an Executive Pastor ... My shepherding tasks, as a result, have been greatly lessened."
"The Treatment" by John E. Roberts, nom-de-plume. 1199 words.
- "Cancer, a word that means so much to so many, but in most cases it is very scary, perplexing, and for the most part it rings fear into the very hearts of the ones that it will soon control the life and emotions of."
- "Throughout the time my mother underwent those hard and tough 'chemo' treatments, I began to take a real hard look at what it meant and what this word means to me as a child of a patient, a person, and a pastor."
- The article that John submitted to the Writing Contest is the introduction to his book. You can also read his entire book in Adobe Reader format.
"Though It Is Still By No Means a Megachurch, It Was Time for an XP" by Dominic Verdell, Executive Pastor of New Life Evangelical Free Church, Watertown South Dakota. 878 words.
- "Though it is still by no means a megachurch, New Life Evangelical Free Church came to the realization that it was limited by the ability of its Senior Pastor to not only develop, but also implement the church's vision for the future. Though Pastor John was exceptionally gifted and had an admirable capacity, the potential that he saw the Lord calling his congregation to would never be reached without a strategic structural change."
"Church Will Fail When Humans Run it their Way" by J.A. Watson, Interim Preacher in Baptist Churches in Alberta, Canada. 1118 words.
- "Churches embracing the new world's "Look at me" social structure while they shut out those whom God commanded us to seek out and to hold up above that which we are in order to save the wayward soul."
All articles are used with the author's written permission
