Send an email every Monday morning to both he and his wife and ask them how you can specifically pray for them this week.

Simple.  Doable.  But make no mistake, very meaningful!  How do I know this?  Because 6 months ago (after pastoring my church for 6.5 years) one of our members felt led by God to take this task upon herself to pray for me and my family regularly.  She has been faithful to do so, even while out-of-town.  She sends my wife and I an email every Monday grateful for the previous Lord’s Day, then asks how she can be specifically praying for us both.  Fewer things have made my wife and I feel so cared for and ministered to than this lady’s efforts.

You might be surprised how infrequent the pastor has someone approach him and inquire how they can pray for him.   Though there are many ways you can minister to you pastor, this is one that any church member can do with a little discipline, planning, and consistency.

Therefore, I challenge you to email your pastor this Monday.  Thank him for his labor in the word and the sweet fellowship of the saints the day before he facilitated.  Then ask for specific things from both he and his wife to pray for this next week.  Trust me.   You will bless, encourage, and minister to your pastor and his wife in ways you cannot imagine.

However, when the requests come back to you…make sure you are faithful to pray

From Brian Croft at his Practical Shepherding blog. He has written two books, Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness
and Test, Train, Affirm, and Send Into Ministry: Recovering the Local Church’s Responsibility in the External Call. Both books are in the Ministering the Master’s Way series from Day One Christian Ministries.

During our last week of Re:Train Scott Thomas talked about Thomas Watson and his writings on repentance. I need to read them. In the mean time, here’s six points summarized from Watson that Scott included in a recent blog post on the Acts 29 Blog.

Six Characteristics of True Repentance

• I See My Sin Clearly (Luke 15:17)
• The fruits of repentance show genuine, anguishing sorrow over the offense itself and not just the consequences of it (2 Cor. 7:10)
• Confession of Sin Fully (Deut. 29:18)
• Shame for Sin (Ezra 9:6)
• Hatred of Sin to the Core
• Turning from Sin (Acts 26:20) and Toward Jesus (Acts 20:21)

Every Small Group Pastor needs to know that their Senior Pastor…

1. believes so strongly that small groups are vital to the church’s goal of transformed lives that small groups is included as one of the church’s core values
2. will be her/his advocate to the Finance Team so that there is adequate budget monies for the training and equipping of the small group coaches, leaders, and all other players on the small group team
3. requires every staff member to be in a small group and is encouraging those in the ministry they lead to be in one too
4. is in or leading a small group and talking about it when teaching and preaching
5. will consistently (at least every 30 days) remind those who are attending the worship gathering that it is vital that they join a small group and how to do so

From Rick Howerton