Pastor Ricky Powell

How Do You Measure-Up As A Church Member?

It is a favorite pastime of church members to talk among themselves about what and how the pastor is doing. Pastors are regularly under the microscope of church members. Some people think he preaches too long, others not long enough (O.K., these people are in the minority!). Some people think he visits too much and is never in the office, while others feel he doesn't visit members enough. Some people like the way he leads the church, while others think he is out of his mind! This is a part of ministry. Every pastor learns to deal with it. We can even learn from constructive criticism. But sometimes we pastors would like to turn the microscope on the members and have them examine themselves once in a while. A helpful exercise is to remind them of the church covenant they agreed to when they joined. Perhaps we should read it again and ask ourselves, "Am I living up to my commitment?" Below is the membership covenant we use at FCBC. It is a part of CLASS 101: Discovering Church Membership. How do you measure up?

Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior and been baptized, and being in agreement with Fort Caroline's statements, strategy, and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the Fort Caroline church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following:

"Imagine" Music Video

As we prepare for our "Imagine...a fully devoted life" celebration this Sunday, I thought about this video tribute by Tim Hawkins. He brings a humorous perspective to the song, "Imagine." I promise...you will love it!

Annual Life Group Carnival

I hope you will join us for our annual Life Group carnival this Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is a great time for the children and families of our community. Everyone is welcome and everything is FREE! We will have pony rides, cotton candy, face painting, space walk, blow-up slide, dunking booth and much, much more! We also need more volunteers. Please call the church office at 904-642-2288 to find out where you can serve. Invite your neighbors!

I Want To Hear From You!

I hope to see you in church this Sunday. This is the last sermon and Life Group lesson in our spiritual growth campaign called, “Imagine The Fully Devoted Life.” We have an exciting service planned for you that will draw you closer to the Lord. God has given me a message that He wants you to hear! Remember we begin at 9:00 a.m. for the first worship service and Life Groups. The second service and Life Groups begin at 10:30 a.m. There will also be a survey sheet in your worship folder on Sunday asking your opinion about the Sunday morning schedule. I want to know how you like starting at 9:00 a.m. as opposed to 9:15 a.m. The staff, deacons, and I would like to stay with the current schedule. The extra 15 minutes gives us more time for music and the preaching of the Word in the service and more time for Bible study in the Life Groups.

As “Imagine” comes to a close I would like to hear how God has used this campaign to impact your life. Please take a moment and post a comment here on my blog. Here are a few questions to get you thinking.

• What has God shown you about yourself?
• What was your weakest area of devotion? Testimony? Time? Talents? Treasure? 
• How have you grown closer to the Lord?
• What are you doing now to be more devoted to God that you were not doing before the campaign?
• What was your favorite part of the campaign?

Let me hear from you! Encourage others from your group to come by and post on my blog. (Alright, all you facebook friends...I'm counting on you!)

A Pastor's Priorities (part 5) Love Is More Important Than Ability.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)

It is good for a pastor to learn about time management, hermeneutics, homiletics, church administration, and church growth strategies. These and many other skills are necessary to be effective in ministry. However, a pastor must also learn to love the people God has called him to serve.

Fort Caroline Baptist Church Is In The Top 58 Missions-Giving Churches In Florida

I am so grateful to serve a generous church! Out of over 2,800 churches in the Florida Baptist Convention, FCBC ranks number 58 in missions support through the Cooperative Program (CP) of the Southern Baptist Convention for the year 2008. Our gifts through the CP for last year totaled $116,157! This does not include our many other missions offerings.

Did You Know:

• The Cooperative Program is a mission strategy designed to unite all Florida Baptists and Southern Baptists into a mission team to reach a spiritually lost and needy world with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ?
• That through the CP we help support over 10,000 missionaries here in North America and around the world?
• That FCBC gives 10% of all un-designated money we receive through the CP? (We view this as our congregation's tithe.)
• That working together Southern Baptists saw 955,909 people baptized in 2006?

Thank you for giving to the Lord through your regular budget giving. All praise belongs to Him!

A Pastor's Priorities (part 4) Faithfulness Is More Important Than Competition.

This is the fourth priority that Erwin Lutzer mentions in his book, Pastor to Pastor: Tackling the Problems of Ministry. Every pastor knows the feeling of living in the shadow of a larger church in the area, or of being compared to a famous television preacher. Can you evangelize like Billy Graham, can you smile like Joel Osteen, or can you preach like Rick Warren? The success syndrome can attack any preacher leading him to the point where he measures success in terms of buildings, budgets, and baptisms. The “numbers” have to be growing or we are not successful.

A Pastor's Priorities (part 3) The Family Is More Important Than The Congregation

This is the third of five priorities of a pastor as mentioned by Erwin Lutzer. This one hits home to me. I have a loving wife of 18 years and three precious children. I cannot tell you how often they have had their time with me or our family plans interrupted because of the demands of ministry. Rarely do they complain. They know that my calling is not a 9 to 5 job. They understand when emergencies arise and I am called upon to minister to hurting people. There are times, however, when I must protect my family time. Just a couple of weeks ago is a prime example. I had church activities scheduled for every night of the week, Sunday through Sunday. I would not be home before 9 p.m. each night. I had a decision to make. Most of the activities were required and I could not get out of them. One of them was a fellowship meal with the Senior Adult group. I decided to skip the fellowship and stay home on that night. I knew that the senior adults of our congregation would understand that my children will grow up all too fast and that I don’t want to miss it. They understand that these precious tender years slip by far too quickly. They know that I must not sacrifice my family on the altar of pleasing everyone and attending every meeting. If I allow my family to disintegrate, the church will fire me and get another pastor; but I cannot get another family. When my children are grown I will have plenty of time to attend church fellowships and functions. Until then, I will seek to balance ministry to my family with ministry to my congregation. Thankfully, I pastor a church who cheers me on in being there for my family.

A Pastor's Priorities (part 2)

In yesterday’s post we discussed how prayer is more important than preaching. Today I want to discuss Erwin Lutzer’s second priority for pastors as mentioned in his book, Pastor To Pastor.

Preaching Is More Important Than Administration.

A Pastor’s Priorities

In the book, Pastor to Pastor: Tackling the Problems of Ministry, Erwin Lutzer lists five priorities that should guide pastors as, “they sort out the many options that confront all of us in ministry” (p. 103).  I want to discuss one of these each day this week. If you are a pastor I hope you will be inspired to evaluate your priorities and adjust as necessary. If you are not a pastor I hope you will be inspired to pray for your pastor as he seeks to fulfill his calling.

Lutzer’s List:

1. Praying Is More Important Than Preaching.
2. Preaching Is More Important Than Administration.
3. The Family Is More Important Than the Congregation.
4. Faithfulness Is More Important Than Competition.
5. Love Is More Important Than Ability.