Do This And Prosper/Do This And End Up In Poverty

How can you and your church or organization "prosper"?

This verse offers two requirements:
1) Plan Well
2) Work Hard.

Some Christian leaders wonder if planning is even a spiritually correct thing to do. Yet, we see it all throughout the Bible. The Israelites planned the taking of the Promised Land. Jesus stayed up all night and planned who and how He would call His disciples. Paul planned, throughly, his church planting trips. In fact, there was careful planning evidenced in all of the ways that the early church spread the gospel.

However, they did not plan without asking and considering what God was up to. In each of these cases they planned, but they also consulted with God and whenever someone disregarded God's input or agreement, they got themselves in trouble. So, plan! In fact, as a leadership coach, I'm here to encourage and help you do just that. But pray as well. Determine what God's purpose and will is and be a part of what He is planning. 

WISE PASTORS ARE HEALTHY PASTORS

'Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. . . . For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”' Proverbs 1:23-29,31-33

There is knowledge and there is wisdom and, while related, they are two different things. We live in a world that values knowing stuff--more books, conventions, trainings and educational opportunities than the average pastor can ever take advantage of. But that is not the same as wisdom.
Today there are a lot of smart but foolish pastors. Shepherds who know all about the latest books, techniques, dress codes, catch phrases, and trends but really don't have a lot of wisdom about dealing with people or making good decisions. That is what this blog is all about. 
I have been studying wisdom from the book of Proverbs for nearly 40 years and I pastored churches and congregations for more than 30. I wrote a book called Get Smart on wisdom for your heart, money, mouth, family, and friends and wrote a blog, The Book on Business, that dealt with wisdom for the business leader.
Now that I am in my 60's, I feel a responsibility to pass on what I have learned and what I am learning (and relearning) about pastoring because--it matters! As pastors we face storms, anguish, and distress from time to time. Frankly, it is part of the job. If we learn wisdom, as this passage promises us, we can avoid being destroyed by it--IF we are not complacent. That means learning and integrating wisdom into our lives before the storm hits. Then we can face the tough times "untroubled and at peace" because we know what to do, how to respond (and not to react) and to deal with the problems at hand.
Let's go on an adventure and learn what the wisest man who ever lived--King Solomon of Jerusalem--has to say about this assignment called pastoring, how we can do the best job possible and live to tell the story.