Well, at least in one case a soul costs about $2000.00. Before you take issue with me theologically, let me explain. I don’t believe we can buy souls (as in the Reformation era Roman Catholic practice of indulgences). I also don’t really believe we could put a price tag on a soul. But follow this story and I think you’ll see what I mean.

It all started with Hurricane Sandy during the fall of 2012. The storm ravaged the Northeast coast taking direct aim at the media center (New York City) of the nation. Few of us will forget the media coverage of the terrible devastation and storm. Some of the earliest responders were Southern Baptists and in particular North Carolina Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief. Our church, Mud Creek Baptist and our Carpenter’s Hands Ministry responded over the Thanksgiving holiday that year. Responders from all over the nation did much good in assisting the Northeast in recovery.

Months passed after our relief work following Hurricane Sandy. Then, out of nowhere, I received a call from a couple whose daughter lived in the Northeast. Our team helped her repair her damaged home. They wanted to make a donation ($2000) toward relief and mission trip efforts, particularly if we were heading back to the Northeast. I told with them that our recovery and relief efforts were no longer needed in that part of the nation, but shared that our Carpenter’s Hands Ministry was heading to Montana later in the year to partner with Central Baptist Church, in Lewistown. They agreed we could use their donation on that mission trip. So we set the money aside.

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Mike Nelson and his leadership in the Carpenter’s Hands Ministry is his willingness to seek the Lord’s direction. He and the leadership team pray and prepare thoughtfully before committing to a project. They also pray through what to do when they arrive. So they took the $2000 donation and assigned it to a special project while in Lewistown. Because the team leader from NC Baptist Men was at Central Baptist overseeing church construction project, Mike Nelson was freed up to build a covered shelter on a walking/running path for the city of Lewistown.

Mike took a man named Robert along with him to help with this project. Robert was a part of Central Baptist Church and had been helping our construction team out while we were in Montana. The construction of this shelter gave Mike others time to talk with Robert. He discovered during their conversations that Robert was unsure of his salvation. After hearing a clear presentation of the gospel, Robert placed his trust in Jesus and was actually baptized at Central Baptist before our team headed home.

So, in Robert’s case his soul was worth at least $2000 (the donation amount which allowed for the special project) and years in the making. Our response and assistance to a daughter following Hurricane Sandy moved the hearts of a couple to make a $2000 donation toward mission. Committing to the project in Lewistown, Montana gave the Carpenter’s Hands Ministry a place to serve. The $2000 donation gave us the opportunity to build a covered shelter as a special project. The special project gave Mike an opportunity to invite Robert along to help. And ultimately, Robert’s assistance with the project resulted in his trusting Christ as his Lord and Savior. So the next time you pray, serve, give, and go remember that there is a sovereign Lord working providentially to bring people to faith in him. Every part and person in Robert’s story was important (including those we didn’t mention specifically like Central Baptist and the North Carolina Baptist Men’s partnership in Montana). Don’t ever underestimate your part in God’s redemptive work. Robert’s salvation story has many participants. Whose salvation are you participating in now?

Below was an original blog I shared @Pastor’sToday with Lifeway.com.

Dr. Mathis has modeled not just the leadership principles I addressed in part one of this series, but also modeled skills and competency in pastoring and preaching. As a Sr. Pastor, Preacher Greg has prepared every one of his associate staff members to lead, preach, and pastor the congregation. In fact, his view is that his associates help him pastor.

He offered these two non-negotiable expectations to us as associate pastors. First, you must be prepared to preach weekly and deliver a word from God to your congregation. Second, you must minister to people in times of crises.

Preacher Greg is not minimizing pastoral ministry merely to preaching and crisis ministry. But he was reminding us that pastoral ministry cannot be effective without preaching the Word faithfully and being available in crises situations. You can either destroy or build your leadership credibility by your readiness to preach and minister in crises situations or by your failure in these areas.

Following are 11 of the preaching and pastoring lessons I’ve learned from my mentor.

1. “Study in the morning.” Preacher Greg models and encourages consistent study habits. He’s often in his study before 6 am and averages 20-25 hours in sermon preparation weekly. He’s been able to preach with consistent passion and effectiveness for more than 30 years at Mud Creek because he’s faithful in his study.
2. Work through preaching series in a number of ways. He’s advocated using preaching through books of the Bible, doctrines important to the Christian faith, and biblical characters. This model seeks to preach the “whole counsel” of Scripture while changing up manner of dealing with biblical themes.
3. Know your best style of preaching. Something unique to Preacher Greg that I’ve learned about communicating is his particular style of preaching. I would categorize him a narrative/expository preacher. He preaches through texts, but does so broadly and with a particular storytelling approach.
4. “You should be able to preach a sermon in 30 minutes.” We have multiple Sunday morning services that require Preacher Greg to preach within a 30 minute timeframe. But his point is well-made. Sermons should not ramble on and on. They should be clear, to the point, and finish with specificity.
5. “Make you laugh to make you listen.” This is one of my favorite Preacher Greg quotes. He often shares a story or even a joke, following it with “I make you laugh to make you listen,” then connects the laughter to the biblical point or concept he was making. He uses humor to help his hearers resonate with biblical truth or soften the blow of an in your face point.
6. Plan your preaching in advance. Preacher Greg studies, prepares, and writes his sermons about six weeks in advance. This practice helps him avoid the last minute panics about not having a sermon. While his approach may not fit everyone’s study rhythm, being prepared in advance is certainly preferable to writing Sunday’s sermon on Saturday night.
7. “When someone calls you at 3 am, they’re not calling to just share information with you.” Related to pastoring, Preacher Greg says the pastor must be available in genuine emergency situations. I’ve watched him ask an associate pastor to preach so he can minister to a wife and three girls whose husband/father just committed suicide. He’s available in emergencies.
8. Be consistent in your care for the congregation. Not only has Preacher Greg led our staff and deacons to be consistent in ministering to the pastoral care and counseling needs of our congregation, but he (even in a church of 4,000 members) calls every family who has experienced a death even if he’s not the minister covering the funeral.
9. Be accessible to people. Preacher Greg has an open door policy with children. They can walk into his study any time. He wants to always be approachable to children so that when they begin having questions about salvation, they will feel comfortable talking to him. This is a truly wise and profitable lesson I’ve seen bear fruit in the children of our church. Also, he makes time to meet/counsel those in our congregation. He doesn’t delegate all of those tasks. He believes it important to remain in touch with people.
10. Be patient and willing to deal with “EGR” people. For us “EGR” stands for extra, grace, required. Every church has them. Every pastor will face them. His admonition is patience and accommodation. While we must not cow to the intimidators and control-minded people, we should generally express patience and accommodation even to those who might be difficult.
11. As a pastor, love and care for people. We all know this truth biblically, but I’ll tell you from my experience that watching someone faithfully love, shepherd, and minister to his congregation (even the difficult people) is a privilege that I relish.

I offered these lessons from leadership, preaching, and pastoring because the wisdom from my mentor has greatly benefited me in these areas. Furthermore, with as much as I’ve learned from my mentor, I have personally committed to mentoring others and pouring into them what I’ve been privileged to receive.