by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
After lastnights VP debate Obama decided he had to change his tactics because of Sarah Palin so this is what he came up with.
This is satire.
Last-night on “Hannity and Colmes” Gianna Jessen shared some of her story.  If Obama was president at her birth she would be dead.  She handles herself well.  Check out the video.  This issue is going to heat up in this election especially with the fact that Sarah Palin’s baby Trig being born with Down Syndrome.  It is estimated that between 80 and 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are murdered.  Watch the video below.
by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
Often as pastors we focus on evangelism and many times when we speak of evangelism we speak of those that are primarily outside the walls of our church. We will often challenge our people to share the gospel with those they work with, their neighbors, etc. However, what about those that are inside our church? What of those that perhaps have even been coming to church since they were children and perhaps have taught Sunday School or even bean a deacon or etc in our church. Is it possible that our churches have lost people in them? Is it possible that we even have people in positions of leadership that are lost?
This became very real to me in college. I attended a revival and a friend and I began to talk to a Sunday School teacher at this revival. During our conversation it became quickly apparent to both of us that this teacher did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ yet they were teaching Sunday School in the church. We took time to share the gospel with them and I wish I could say they accepted Christ right there but I do not know what happened. Later in life it became more and more apparent as I had opportunities to speak in different venues, I began to notice a trend of people coming to Christ who had grown up in the church. One particular time while speaking at a Youth Camp I gave a call for people to come forward and accept Christ and several of the adult leaders came forward. I do not think any of this is related to me or that it is because I am some sort of powerful speaker, in fact I am sure the opposite is true. I do however, think it is because we often make the assumption that those within the church are already saved and sometimes we fail to share the gospel or we fail to be passionate about it within our church.
Let me share some words of Jesus
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23
When I read those words often I weep. I do not weep necessarily for those outside of the walls of the church but I weep for those inside. I weep because when I read them there is one thing that stands out to me. Those that are portrayed in this passage of scripture truly think they are saved. The really believe that they have the right to be in heaven and yet they will be cast out. How many sunday school teachers, deacons, and even pastors will this include?
Think about it break the verses down. In verse 21 we clearly see that profession alone will not get someone into heaven. We can profess all we want. I can profess to be a big mac that does not make me one. My son at times has professed to be a Sasquatch does that make him one? No! Neither does a profession that Jesus Christ is Lord get you an automatic ticket into heaven. Your profession can be as sincere as you want it will not get you a pass. Why? Because profession does not equate to possession. In addition a profession is self centered and we can never stand before a Holy God and proclaim anything great about ourself.
Look at verse 22. The Plea of the person who has merely a profession is “works”. These people are trusting in their works to get to them to heaven. They have gone through their life and maybe even one day said the “sinners prayer” but they are not trusting in Christ they are trusting in what they have done to get them to heaven. They have done many great things seemingly for the kingdom of God, yet they are not allowed into heaven. I can hear the cries ”Lord haven’t we taught in your name, and preached in your name, and seen people converted in your name, look at what we have done in your name.” However, it is all meaningless. How many in our churches today will be proclaiming these very things, how many think they are saved but are simply trusting in all they have done. How many give money, have been baptized, are teachers, etc. but in the end have never placed their faith in Christ.
Look at verse 23. Very plainly Jesus says I never knew you. These have never trusted in Christ as their savior however they still think they are saved. Yet, Jesus has to proclaim “I never knew you”. In addition what they have done is simply evil. They have performed great works ultimately for self, and not for Christ. This should cause us to weep. How many have done good in the eyes of men but will be cast out on this day? Weep for those in the church. Don’t become apathetic, don’t settle for calling the people for commitment to those outside the walls of the church but preach the gospel with passion, as one who is on fire, as one who is preaching their last dying sermon, and know that there maybe those within your church, those that teach, that lead that have done many great things but are lost as they can be. Perhaps we need to reach those inside our walls before we can reach those outside the walls.
You might be wondering what in the world am I talking about. What do I mean. Homiletic is actually the art of preaching. I am always looking at things and reading blogs of different pastors. Part of that is also looking at things that may help pastors as well. I have been a pastor for over 15 years. The other day I was doing some market research for a project I want to start and I ran across a resource that I thought could be helpful for pastors. I know there are times when pastor just do not have the time to get a sermon ready. So rather then snag one from John MaCarthur or Rick Warren and then claim it as you own why not use this Resource. I mean it is discrete and not some recycled sermon that perhaps your church has already heard on the radio and it is nice fresh content plus it has powerpoint included. Sure it may not be a substitute for preparing your own but it could be an awesome resource when you are in a crunch. Why not check out the Free Sermons they offer and go from there. I also wrote about this on this page . Check out the resources below.
Yesterday (4-26) I had the awesome privilege of being a room host at our Regional Teens Involved.  If you are not familiar with Teens Involved it is a competition that is hosted by Word Of Life (if you are not familiar with them then that can be another blog) anyway at this competition teens can compete in 23 different categories.  Yesterday I hosted the instrumental room which was a riot for me because I know very little about music.  What I was so impressed with was the quality of teens that were in this competition. I had the wonderful opportunity to pray with every teen before they performed and to chat with them briefly and wow.  We hear so much bout our teens doing bad things and this and that but these teens wanted to be there.  These teens wanted to give what they had to the Lord.  Specifically I remember one young lady playing her violin and I was nearly moved to tears.  My heart was encouraged being with those teens.
My heart was also encouraged as I had the opportunity to hear two young men preach.  These young men are special to me as I have had the opportunity to be a part of their life and have even lead one of them to Christ.  It was so awesome to hear them clearly lay out the gospel and clearly give a plan of salvation.  It was neat to hear that they had taken my advice.  Though I am saddened to not be their Youth Pastor anymore do to my recent resignation (thats another blog), I am excited to see them live for the Lord.  Both these guys and many others hold a special place in my heart more so then they or anyone else will probably ever know.  Guys if you read this you did an awesome job and I am so proud of you,
Teens are the church of now and into the future and it is a joy to see them serve. Â I would encourage you if you are involved in a church what are you passing on to those that are below you. Â Look for someone to get involved with and pass the things of God on to them.
by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
Often as pastors we focus on evangelism and many times when we speak of evangelism we speak of those that are primarily outside the walls of our church. We will often challenge our people to share the gospel with those they work with, their neighbors, etc. However, what about those that are inside our church? What of those that perhaps have even been coming to church since they were children and perhaps have taught Sunday School or even bean a deacon or etc in our church. Is it possible that our churches have lost people in them? Is it possible that we even have people in positions of leadership that are lost?
This became very real to me in college. I attended a revival and a friend and I began to talk to a Sunday School teacher at this revival. During our conversation it became quickly apparent to both of us that this teacher did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ yet they were teaching Sunday School in the church. We took time to share the gospel with them and I wish I could say they accepted Christ right there but I do not know what happened. Later in life it became more and more apparent as I had opportunities to speak in different venues, I began to notice a trend of people coming to Christ who had grown up in the church. One particular time while speaking at a Youth Camp I gave a call for people to come forward and accept Christ and several of the adult leaders came forward. I do not think any of this is related to me or that it is because I am some sort of powerful speaker, in fact I am sure the opposite is true. I do however, think it is because we often make the assumption that those within the church are already saved and sometimes we fail to share the gospel or we fail to be passionate about it within our church.
Let me share some words of Jesus
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23
When I read those words often I weep. I do not weep necessarily for those outside of the walls of the church but I weep for those inside. I weep because when I read them there is one thing that stands out to me. Those that are portrayed in this passage of scripture truly think they are saved. The really believe that they have the right to be in heaven and yet they will be cast out. How many sunday school teachers, deacons, and even pastors will this include?
Think about it break the verses down. In verse 21 we clearly see that profession alone will not get someone into heaven. We can profess all we want. I can profess to be a big mac that does not make me one. My son at times has professed to be a Sasquatch does that make him one? No! Neither does a profession that Jesus Christ is Lord get you an automatic ticket into heaven. Your profession can be as sincere as you want it will not get you a pass. Why? Because profession does not equate to possession. In addition a profession is self centered and we can never stand before a Holy God and proclaim anything great about ourself.
Look at verse 22. The Plea of the person who has merely a profession is “works”. These people are trusting in their works to get to them to heaven. They have gone through their life and maybe even one day said the “sinners prayer” but they are not trusting in Christ they are trusting in what they have done to get them to heaven. They have done many great things seemingly for the kingdom of God, yet they are not allowed into heaven. I can hear the cries ”Lord haven’t we taught in your name, and preached in your name, and seen people converted in your name, look at what we have done in your name.” However, it is all meaningless. How many in our churches today will be proclaiming these very things, how many think they are saved but are simply trusting in all they have done. How many give money, have been baptized, are teachers, etc. but in the end have never placed their faith in Christ.
Look at verse 23. Very plainly Jesus says I never knew you. These have never trusted in Christ as their savior however they still think they are saved. Yet, Jesus has to proclaim “I never knew you”. In addition what they have done is simply evil. They have performed great works ultimately for self, and not for Christ. This should cause us to weep. How many have done good in the eyes of men but will be cast out on this day? Weep for those in the church. Don’t become apathetic, don’t settle for calling the people for commitment to those outside the walls of the church but preach the gospel with passion, as one who is on fire, as one who is preaching their last dying sermon, and know that there maybe those within your church, those that teach, that lead that have done many great things but are lost as they can be. Perhaps we need to reach those inside our walls before we can reach those outside the walls.
Welcome to part 6 the final part of Who are you to judge?  Remember we are talking about  Matthew 7:1-6.  Today we want to look at the fact that this critical judgmental person is not worthy of the gospel.
 In Matthew 7:6 we read “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”  Christ is very simply stating to us that we should not be foolish and jeopardize ourselves.  When we know that a person is not going to receive us or the instruction of the gospel, we are not to approach them.  To make it simple there are some criticizers ad some people that are so full of criticism that we just should not go to them.  These people will only abuse the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This language that Christ used was very strong. Â There are unbelievers that are so wicked and so nasty that they can be compared to dogs and pigs. Â I have known some of these very people. Â These people are said to be unworthy of the gospel. Â Well who are these people.
- The widely known sinner
- Those that ridicule and are filled with disrespect
- Those that are filled with rage.
- Those that are openly wicked and stand against God.
- Those that are hardened themselves and are filled with judgment and criticism.
- Those that hate and despise
- Those that persecute.
If the question is can they be saved? Â The answer is absolutely. Â for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Romans 10:13)
Anyone that call on the Lord will be saved. Â However, there is a hard reality that must be faced: there are people that have reached such a high level of evil they are very unlikely to turn from their wickedness and to call upon the Lord. Â These people seek to take their words andÂ
wound others, they ridicule, they trample, the tear apart, they scorn, they attack, they are filled with rage, they defy.
These same people take there minds and their hand and their power and they
trample others, they strike other people, they tear others down. the persecute others, they beat them, kill, and even torture them.
Now I am not saying that everyone commits all of these sins, but hey we all know that many people are guilty of some of them.  These sins destroy the reputation and work of a person.  Here is the real tragedy, there are so many so called believers that are caught up in this criticism and judgments of others.  Believer are all to often the very ones that are guilty of taking their word and hands to damage the reputation and work of others.
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4)
Well that’s it. Â If you have read this series I hope maybe something has helped you. Â
by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
Dear Family, Friends and Partners:
Our church, First Baptist church of Macon, Missouri, is participating, in a participating in a Mission trip to Chalchuapa, El Salvador, from september 4-12, 2009. During this week, our team from First Baptist will give up the amenities of home and air conditioning to share the good news of Jesus with the El Salvadoran people. We will be working in partnership with Iglesia Bautista Bethania, a local Baptist church in Chalchuapa.
We as Christians are called up to give out utmost and go to the uttermost. There are many demands that a trip like this brings. In the providence of God He has made us dependent upon Him. It is my hope that you can share in the joy of being used by God by partnering with us on this trip.
Support is the key to participating in the body of Christ. There are many types of way to offer your support. First, I will need your financial support. The cost is $1400 which covers all travel, housing, fees for translators and drivers, van rental, and food.
Additionally, I will need you prayer support. As you pray, please remember those we will be ministering to, the heat we will be working in, and for me to have the boldness to share my faith. God hears and answers the prayers of His people. Financial support is necessary, but without your prayers this trip could be largely ineffective and powerless. That is what it means to be dependent upon the Lord. As far as your donation is concerned, it will be tax deductible, but there is some verbiage which must be specific. If you would like to give a tax dedcutible contribution by check please make your check payable to First Baptist Church Macon, and the memo section on the check should say, “El Salvador 2009″. My name cannot be on the check. Please include a small note with the check letting the church know that the money is for Joshua Monda. Checks can either be sent to me at 18522 Koala Avenue Atlanta MO 63530 or to the church at 302 N Rutherford Macon MO 63552
If it does not matter to you whether or not it is tax deductible then please feel free to use the paypal button at the bottom of this letter and make a donation. Also if you are willing to support me in prayer please comment on this post so I know I have your prayer support.
If you have any questions or need any clarification please feel free to contact me. You Can Donate Below
by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
I have debated on whether or not to that the time to write this. Partially because being a pastor in a smaller church it seems like you are trying to promote yourself or somehow trying to force people to appreciate you as a pastor. However, let me say that right up front that is not the point of me taking the time to write this. In fact I rarely see pastors taking the time to write about this as they have fear of self promotion. With that said there are to my surprise many people who read my blog and not all of them are pastors so I thought if I could somehow help others think about this biblically it could in turn help many of my friends who are pastors. Additionally because I am from a smaller church I am certain that only a select few of my parishioners will read this, and I know that they know me well enough to realize this is not some sort of self promotion.
I primarily wanted to take some time to speak to this first of all because next month (October) is pastor appreciation month and secondly and very frankly I have seen pastors that have gone through pastor appreciation month very much unappreciated. Often I believe this stems from the fact that many churches do not really know how to appreciate their pastor and honestly many pastors do not know how to appreciate their congregation. With that said I do believe that there are those who wonder if it is even Biblical to appreciate the pastor and there are some who believe that the pastor is called to a life of poverty. I would say that with nearly 20 years of ministry I have struggled financially for the majority of those years often wondering how we would survive, and yes at times feeling guilty for being on government assistance while being a pastor. So before I get into the idea of whether or not Pastor Appreciation is Biblical first let me just quickly break down a pastors pay and perhaps some common misunderstandings in relation to it, as I believe this will help in an overall understanding.
Unfortunately when I first started ministry I really did not understand things like pastors taxes, housing allowance, etc. I also believe that the common parishioner does not understand this either. So I thought I would break at least these two thoughts down for those that may not really understand them. First, let’s look at the typical pastors taxes in the simplest way possible. I will not go into all of the variables of this but will give the common circumstances for most pastors. Often when one looks at their church budget and they notice how much the pastor is being paid their first thought may be that is a pretty decent salary. usually the problem with that thought is this. In most church budgets when the pastors salary is published is really does not show the bottom line it is really showing the before tax amount. This tends to be a problem as causes what I believe is a common misunderstanding for people in that they believe the pastor is making more than they really are. So let me show some numbers very quickly. Lets say that the pastors salary is $40,000. Well out of that $40,000 the pastor is required to pay 15.3 percent in taxes because a pastor is considered self-employed and most pastors do not pt out of social security (full time employees pay 7.65 percent). Ok let’s do the math so 40,000 x 15.3% is 6,120 now 40,000 – 6120 brings us to 33,380. This may not seem to bad as a salary but also let’s not forget that at least the pastors I know make sure that they give at least 10 percent of their income in tithe (I believe the national average is 2.5%). So let’s subtract that. So since we tithe on our before tax amount lets multiply 40,000 X 10% which equals 4,000 now subtract that from the 33,380 and we are now at 29,380.
Before I go any further I want to just quickly address housing allowance because again I think there is a misunderstanding that a housing allowance is added to the pastors salary and it is not. If a pastor claims a housing allowance of lets say 15,000 that does not mean the church is adding 15,000 to the pastors salary it really is simply a tax benefit for your pastor and that is all. So to somehow equate the housing allowance with salary is somewhat of a misnomer. Ok now that we have that out-of-the-way. The pastor is not bringing home 29,380 a year. Which is roughly 2,448 a month. So with this in mind and if we used Dave Ramsey’s budgeting guidelines this pastor should spend no more than 856 a month on total housing, 244 on utilities, 367 on groceries, I am not going to put all of the other numbers in If you want to see the worksheet go here it is the same one I use. Fill in the worksheet and it is easy to see why so many pastors struggle. I have always said if they are worried about money than their thoughts are not on ministry. If you are still with me congratulations you either really love your pastor and want to know how to appreciate them or you really want to know if pastor appreciating is Biblical.
Let me just begin with this. A Pastor that knows they are loved will serve your church far longer and in a far greater capacity than a pastor who wonders if he is loved. So let’s just answer the question and then prove the answer. Is Pastor appreciation Biblical? The answer is Yes. Let me share with you three verses from Gods word that shows us this.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, ESV)
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17, ESV)
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:14, ESV)
If well allow these verses to soak in I think we can clearly see that we are to appreciate our pastors. I am not going to exegete these passages as they say a great deal not only to the congregations responsibility to Appreciate their pastor but they have a a lot to say about the labor of the pastor as well. However, let it be clear that scripture plainly tells us to make sure that our pastors are cared for. I have seen many a pastor struggle often times needlessly. Naturally the question comes with how can we show our pastor some appreciation? How can we show him some love?
First you can pray for him. Take time to pray for his family, for his work, for what he is trying to accomplish. You can also submit to his direction, allow him to lead you. Let me just say that the success of your church depends on you loving your pastor. He can either be encouraged or discouraged further more God commands us to take care of them, and honestly nearly every pastor I know deserves it.
Let me share some Ideas that I have found that you could use to appreciate your pastor
For Kids and Teens
Ten Gifts You Can Give Your Pastor
LIfeway Article on Pastor Appreciation
NAMB Resources for Pastor Appreciation
Since becoming a pastor this verse has stuck out in my head. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; (1 Peter 5:2, ESV). Personally I believe there is a very good reason why this is the case. You see, since becoming a pastor it seems that anytime someone calls me or stops into my office they always apologize. I am not really sure why they apologize but this seems to be the case the majority of the time. For whatever reason they seem to think that they are an inconvenience. Honestly, this is somewhat bothersome to me on many levels.
It seems like the modern pastor has come into this mentality that their job is to advance their agenda. I am not quite sure where this comes from or at what point this began to happen. Pastors are busy writing books, perhaps preparing sermons, etc. and have little time for the people. Honestly I somewhat understand this with a Mega Church naturally a pastor can’t have time to see thousands of folks on a daily basis, but I do not understand this in smaller churches. To be clear, for me, a smaller church would be any church under 1000. Seriously, why is it that our people sometimes have to wait weeks to see there pastor or to schedule an appointment weeks in advance. Before you think this is only in Mega churches it is not. I can list churches running under 500 right now where this is the case. I often wonder what it would have been like if this is how Jesus did ministry. If he said “set up an appointment with my secretary”. Seriously, at what point did we stop shepherding and become so snobbish that we can’t have time for the people we are to be leading. Am I so arrogant to think that the only time I shepherd the flock is when I stand in the pulpit? How foolish we are to think this way.
Honestly, my mind can’t help to think of Jesus and the numerous times He is thought of as a Shepherd in scripture. I think of those times when He saw the masses and said they were like sheep without a shepherd. Yet as pastors we want to go in our office and close our door and continue to let our sheep wander. We constantly see Jesus with the people and we see this at all times of the day, morning, noon, and night. Shepherding takes place on a constant basis. Jesus did life with his disciples they hung out all of the time, and from there he did even a little more with three of them. In addition to the disciples he spent a ton of time with people, the masses were constantly pressing in on him. Yes he took time away, but why is it we constantly see Him respond to the needs of people? Because he loved them. Because He was the chief Shepherd. As pastor’s we must love our people enough to shepherd them. We must spend time with them. They should never feel guilty about coming in to see us, and we should never make it so difficult for them to see us. I want to shepherd is such a way that the people I am leading know I love them. I pray this is the case.
Lately I have been given some serious thought as to how churches go about the search for a pastor. Probably because I have been in the search process now for over 3 years. Some churches will announce there opening on the internet, others because they do not want to deal with the hassle will only talk to some seminaries and ask if they have any names, others still will only entertain those that are specifically recommended to them. Honestly I don’t know that one way is better than the other. However my dilemma has stemmed from the qualifications we have come up with when it comes to hiring a pastor.
In my search for a church I have come across a plethora of different qualifications as it relates to a pastor some Biblical others not so Biblical. It has really forced me to think deeper about this issue then I have in the past. Honestly at times I wonder if the pastoral search has become more of a popularity contest or more like “American Idol” than seeking God’s Man. In my journey I have come across some very strange things.
If I were to be very honest I would say this is one of the reason why I have worked so hard to lose weight and get into shape. Sure I have done it because I want to be healthy for my family and I do believe it is pleasing to God. However, when I think deep I would say in the back of my mind there is that part of me that would say, ”looking better would help secure a position”. Somehow when a church sees an overweight out of shape candidate it is not as appealing as seeing a muscular in-shape candidate. These thoughts have frustrated me and I have wondered at times am I just making this up or is this true? What are the Biblical qualifications for a pastor? Has the the church replaced Biblical qualifications with man made standards? Naturally whole books have been written on how to be a pastor and how a church should select a pastor and to be honest I don’t care to get into all of that detail here. However I am forced to look and see what God’s word has to say.
The qualifications for a pastor can be found 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9
According to these pasages of scripture a pastor should be
1. Above Reproach – An accusation of sin won’t stick to him.
2. Husband of One Wife – He must be faithful to his wife.
3. Self-Control – He is the master of himself. He is not out of control or controlled by outside influences.
4. Lives Wisely – He makes good choices.
5. Has a Good Reputation – People at church and in the community think highly of him. He is respected.
6. Hospitable – His home is open to others.
7. He Can Teach – Is able to give insight into the scripture and communicate that to others.
8. Not Addicted to Wine – He does not get drunk or over indulge in Alcohol.
9. Not Violent – He resolves conflict peacefully.
10. Gentle – His manner and words are not abrasive he is not looking to quarrel.
11. Loves Peace – Works towards peace in all circumstances.
12. Does Not Love Money – Is not consumed with possessions or how much money they have.
14. Manages His Home Well – His family and home are in order, not in chaos. His children are polite and respectful. His finances are in order.
15. Not a New Christian – Displays and shows that they are a faithful follower of Christ. There is a “track record’
16. His children must be believers who are not wild or rebellious
17. Not Arrogant – Is humble and put’s others first.
18. Not Quick-Tempered – Not a man who angers quick or easily.
19. A Strong and Steadfast Belief – Believes the gospel and does not waver from it.
Now of course I understand that this is a list of qualifications and does not include the duties of the pastor the chief of which is to Shepherd the flock.
Really here is the problem though. Why have we stepped outside the bounds of scripture when it comes to our search for a pastor?Why have we added qualifications dealing with age, how someone dresses, education, tradition. Why have we replaced the Bible with man made doctrine and theology. We have become anthropocentric as opposed to theocentric in our quest to make sure that we get the “right guy”. We so desperately want to make sure we have the cool guy or the guy that everyone will like many times we have left God out of the equation. sure we may talk a good talk, read some scripture, and even pray that God will supply the right man but unless we rid ourselves of our prejudices and what we like and what we want will God answer?
I have frustrated myself because at times I know I thinking more about the man a church wants me to be then being the man God wants me to be. To be honest after three years of searching and living with my mom at 36 years old with my wife and two kids and another on the way I sometimes ask myself “what in the world am I doing.” Why have I lowered myself to man made standards and traditions, why isn’t following God with all I have enough? I don’t want to be the next “American Idol” Pastor. I want to be me, I want to be the next Pastor that loves the Lord, that is not afraid of the tough conversations, that understand God is in control and He want me to be the man He wants me to be and not the man someone else wants.
Just the random thoughts of a guy still searching.
It has been a long time since I have posted. The primary reason for this has been related to my lack of funds. You see my hosting renewal came up and I did not have the money to renew my hosting. I pulled the trigger a few hours ago and purchased my hosting.
Not much new here in northwest Missouri. The job hunt still continues. I have updated my resume I can’t tell you how many times but I know the best way for your resume to be noticed is for someone else to deliver it. However I still keep plugging away. Some people have asked if I want to be a youth pastor or a senior pastor and right now I am kind of in the either one camp. I have 15 years of experience as a youth pastor and that is something I enjoy doing. So in the right circumstance I would take a youth pastor postion. However most of the churches I have submitted to have been senior pastor postions. All of this to say the search continues. It has been 2 years since I have ministered in a full time capacity and trust me I am ready. But it is God’s timing so i will continue to wait upon the Lord.
by Josh Monda | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
It has been a long time since I have posted. The primary reason for this has been related to my lack of funds. You see my hosting renewal came up and I did not have the money to renew my hosting. I pulled the trigger a few hours ago and purchased my hosting.
Not much new here in northwest Missouri. The job hunt still continues. I have updated my resume I can’t tell you how many times but I know the best way for your resume to be noticed is for someone else to deliver it. However I still keep plugging away. Some people have asked if I want to be a youth pastor or a senior pastor and right now I am kind of in the either one camp. I have 15 years of experience as a youth pastor and that is something I enjoy doing. So in the right circumstance I would take a youth pastor postion. However most of the churches I have submitted to have been senior pastor postions. All of this to say the search continues. It has been 2 years since I have ministered in a full time capacity and trust me I am ready. But it is God’s timing so i will continue to wait upon the Lord.
I have always felt that God has called me to be a Youth Pastor in addition I have always been against those that merely use Youth Ministry to aspire to something better meaning a Sr. Pastor role.  But what if you feel maybe God is calling you to a Sr. Pastor role.  This has entered into my thinking and something I never thought I would think about is dominating my thought process.  I really have never desired to be a Sr. Pastor.  I guess all of the headaches that come with it I would like to avoid.  However there are just as many headaches within Youth Ministry.  I however have always liked dealing with teens and have not necessarily liked dealing with many adults.  However I have to ask myself has God been preparing me for this, preparing me for something different, even something I never dreamed I would do.
I have always said to my wife if I was going to be a Sr. Pastor I don’t want to do it in a small town.  I have just felt the potential for growth is so low.  However over the last few weeks I have begun to see that there are many smaller towns that either do not have a good church or they have a church without a Pastor.  Many people here in MO are forced to drive several miles if they live in a small town in order to find a good church.  In addition I have had several people recently ask me if I would consider being a Sr. Pastor.  I just struggle with decision.  Am I ready?
Sometimes God calls us to do things that we never though were possible.  Sometimes God wants us to think outside of ourselves and to focus on Him.  I am not saying I am call to be a Sr. Pastor but I decided today I should at least be open to the idea.  If you are reading this I would ask that you pray fro direction in my life.
I recently was talking with a pastor and this question was asked of me.  We had talked for quite awhile and he then stopped me and asked me so why do you still want to be a Youth Pastor.  The answer for me was actually simple.  Here was my response.  ”Because God called me to be a Youth Pastor.”Â
In my years of being a Youth Pastor I have seen many use youth ministry as a stepping stone into something bigger. Â Often times they may have what they feel is a good reason for this. Â However, does God call us to use one ministry as a mere stepping stone into another. Â Why do we seem so often to want to climb the career ladder in church? Â Always wanting to move to the bigger or “better” church. Â
I must confess youth ministry is often difficult.  It is hard to juggle everything that we must do in addition in having to deal with church life.  However I believe God allows us to go through things to only make us stronger and more moldable in his hands.
I remember as a college student at Hannibal LaGrange College a professor saying that ministry in lonely.  If I recall correct he said that to be in ministry is to be in some of the loneliest time you will ever know.  When asked why he stated because you feel like you cant have any real friends.  I thought this cant be true but it is.  Why is ministry so lonely?  Does it have to be that way?  Why do pastors and youth pastors feel like they have to shelter themselves from everyone?  Why do we not let people see the real us?
I have been a Youth Pastor for over 14 years and they have been some of the loneliest years of my life.  I have often wondered why?  It seems odd that we have certain criteria that we want followed and we often do not want people to step outside of our box.  Somehow and idea has invaded the church that a pastor can not sin or can do no wrong so Pastors shelter themselves trying to live the perfect life.  I rarely have had anyone that I could just poor my heart out to and tell them what I was feeling and why I was feeling it.  Even at times when I did share struggles or problems I was judged instead of loved. Â
I can’t tell you how many times I would sit at home with my wife and wish we had someone just to hang out with.  Hoping maybe some people would just call us up or that we could just go out to eat with someone or watch a movie with someone.  This happened a few times with some people some more then others.  It is odd that a Pastor can stand in the pulpit and have people hanging on every word but outside of the pulpit no one seems to care.  I have some great friends that accept me for who I am unfortunately they are thousands of miles away some not that far but they all have their own ministries.  The funny thing is loneliest is one of the number one reasons pastors leave.  I do not like the loneliness especially right now with all that is going on.  But I think of those words from my professor “to enter into ministry is to enter into some of the loneliest time ever.”
And as I think of the possibility of getting back into ministry I am forced to ask myself this question. Â ”Do I want to be lonely?”
Wow these last few days have been extremely crazy for me.  It all started yesterday.  My wife said she was having alot more contractions and our baby is at 32 weeks in addition she said she had not felt the baby move for awhile.  So I told her it was better to be safe then sorry and to call the dr.  She took my advice and the dr. sent us to hospital to get it checked out.  This was our 5th trip to the hospital during this pregnancy.  While there the nurse ran some tests and said that her water had broke and she was admitted.  We both thought that id were water had broke then our child would be born that night.  We were obviously wrong. Â
So I spent the night in an uncomfortable chair and got about 3 hours of sleep before coming home showering and heading back to the hospital.  When I got back to the hospital we received good news.  The nurse said that another test was negative and that her water may not have broke so if she got three negatives she would be allowed to come home tonight.  However, you guessed it the next two showed signs that her water may have broke.  Confused?  Me too.  So they decided to keep her.  Not sure how long maybe until the baby is born we do not know. Â
So in the middle of this I received a phone call from a Pastor who had been in contact with me about the possibility of becoming their Youth Pastor.  The kicker is everything with this church at the moment is matching up perfectly.  Well other then it will be 1,000 miles from our family still.  But everything else is perfect it is almost too good.  New building, in a place I have always wanted to live, more of a rural setting, Is this from the Lord?  God please make it known to me. Â
In addition to all this my mom will be here next Friday and I have so much to get done for the move.  The plan is to send everything back to Missouri but my wife may still be in the Hospital?  This is crazy.  If you got some advice give it.
Sorry for the rambling just needed to say something.
