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    The Simple Life: Discipline for Modern Day Clergy
    The Simple Life: Discipline for Modern Day Clergy
    The Simple Life: Discipline for Modern Day Clergy
    Ebook71 pages1 hour

    The Simple Life: Discipline for Modern Day Clergy

    By M.C. Tolbert

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    About this ebook

    THE SIMPLE LIFE is a work of heart created over several years, of one mans self-examination about his commitment to Christian Ministry. Working closely with other clergy for thirty-eight years has given M.C. Tolbert a well versed understanding of the pitfalls for the men and women in ministry and the little foxes that spoil the vine. Richard Fosters book, Celebration of Discipline, has served as a major inspiration for the discipline of this author, which has resulted in the completion of this work. This book is not for the faint-of-heart clergy, but it will serve as an inspiration for those who sincerely wish to structure their ministries after Christ. The authors desire is to see more clergy set free from the addiction and bondage of gaining more.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateAug 9, 2011
    ISBN9781462043590
    The Simple Life: Discipline for Modern Day Clergy
    Author

    M.C. Tolbert

    M.C. TOLBERT is a former pastor, now semi-retired and serving as Bible Teacher in the Wesleyan Church. His ministry was launched in 1971 in the Church of God of Prophecy, where he began a three year lay-ministry in his local church and church district. He also served as traveling evangelist and as pastor in his denomination. In 1987, M.C. organized a Gospel Singing group, The Gospel Partners, serving as lead singer and rhythm guitar player. He began a pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church in 1990, serving until 2009. His itinerancy covered parts of three states, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. While serving as pastor, he also served as Adjunct Professor of Old Testament for Life Christian University. M.C. holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Emory University and a Doctorate of Theology from Southwest Bible College and Seminary. He resides on Lookout Mountain, Georgia with his wife, Anna, dog-Chico, two cats-Sunni and Vicious, and three zebra ?nches-Frank, Fran, and Fred.

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      Book preview

      The Simple Life - M.C. Tolbert

      Contents

      INTRODUCTION

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      CHAPTER

      1

      Defining Simple

      CHAPTER

      2

      The Voice of God

      CHAPTER

      3

      Having Joy in Our Work

      CHAPTER

      4

      Clergy and Wealth

      CHAPTER

      5

      Meeting the World

      CHAPTER

      6

      Having a Heart for Ministry

      CHAPTER

      7

      Being a Servant

      CHAPTER

      8

      Epilogue

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      ENDNOTES

      Bible Reference Key

      INTRODUCTION

      All of us need someone who can mentor us and inspire us to lean forward in our Christian faith. Even clergy need someone to give them encouragement from time to time. I suppose I am seeking to be a preachers’ preacher in this writing. My wish is to encourage clergy so we can keep on keeping on in our work of building the Kingdom of God. Many clergy have shipwrecked on the island of failure and despair in the journey of ministry. Neither seminary nor early experience in the church gives us all the insight we need about doing ministry and how to be most effective in our particular area. Having a coach who seeks to keep us accountable can be very beneficial. I have had several mentors during my years of ministry, and they have been most helpful to me.

      Clergy talk a lot about discipline but often lack it in some important areas of their lives. I am not making judgment calls. I am only giving what I consider words of encouragement, as I reflect on my learning experiences during the years of my public ministry. I realize that clergy will have different responses to specific situations in ministry, but there are some common disciplines we need to pursue. Having effective ministry is most important to clergy, who see themselves as, ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20,HCSB ).

      All too often, clergy allow the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15, KJV) to roam free in their everyday journeys of ministry. Clergy want to know why they are not more productive in God’s work. Taking a close look at some of the pitfalls in ministry can help us cut off some of our defeats. We can also cut down clergy exhaustion and burnout. My desire is to benefit clergy by making some suggestions on how we can manage our ministries more closely.

      In this writing, I cover the following topics: (1) defining simple, (2) the voice of God, (3) having joy in our work, (4) clergy and wealth, (5) meeting the world, (6) having a heart for ministry, and (7) being a servant.

      My prayer is that this writing will be enjoyable reading for you. May it provide strength and inspiration to you on your journey of ministry.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Thanks to my wife, Anna, who lovingly supported me in this writing, showed patience as I referenced and wrote for hours, and prodded me when I got slow. Thanks to so many professors who, through my years of education in religion and theology, inspired me to be all I could be. Thanks to my dear friend, Larry Blann, who proofread my manuscript and encouraged me to publish it.

      CHAPTER

      1

      Defining Simple

      When we hear the word simple as it pertains to our lifestyles, most of us think about the poor, those who live in some underprivileged area of the world, or at least about those who are not fortunate enough to have some of the needed accessories to make life comfortable. There are also those persons who have chosen to live a modest lifestyle in order to keep them from being covetous or what some call too worldly. These are some of the terms we might hear in the Christian societies or church communities around us. As Christians, we have to make choices about our lifestyles and whether they are acceptable to God or need some changes. Clergy are no exception to this type of examination. In fact, we ought to be the leaders in seeking to please God in our lifestyles.

      Throughout my years of public ministry, I have seen many clergy who were committed to living modestly and many others who lived rather lavishly. Some clergy didn’t have a choice about their modest lifestyles, because they had modest income. Others fared better and lived a little more on the upper-class level. At this point, I am not eager to make any speeches about setting limits on clergy income, but I do desire to speak to the need of having a simple life ministry. I believe that living the simple life can cover the whole gamut of clergy life.

      First of all, I want to give some dictionary definitions of simple and then to look at each one separately, applying the concepts to Christian ministry. Next, I will speak of a personal definition of living simply. Four definitions are: (1) having or consisting of only one part, feature, substance; (2) not complicated or involved; (3) pure, unadulterated; (4) of low rank or position (Webster’s New World Dictionary).

      Having or consisting of only one part, feature, substance. Matthew 6:24 (NRSV) says, "No one can serve two masters, Either he will hate the one

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