The Week In Review

The Role of the Pastor in Church Administration (Part 4)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

October 11, 2007

  

The ultimate goal of church administration is to do as Lindgren says, "let the church be the church" (p. 60).  The pastor must take the time to determine the goals that must be set to help the church be as she should.  It will call for the pastor to evaluate the programs set before him/her to see if they will help the church reach their goals. A pastor must look at the administrative duties as a means of helping the church to be healthy in her functions.  That means while it is important to have a well thought out worship service and sermon, those are not the only details that require his/her attention.  It is those details that happen behind the scene that ensure what happens in the open arena. 

 

The pastor that studies for hours over his/her sermon does that work behind the scenes.  We see the evidence of it when he/she stands to deliver the word to the listening congregation.  Therefore, the details of making sure individuals are trained is an important administrative duty. "The pastor should have a firsthand acquaintance with the educational program of the local church.  The educational work of the church is and must be largely carried out by laymen" (Lindgren, p. 116).  It is then the pastor's role to ensure that individuals are trained to carry out missions within the mission of God.  The pastor also must be careful to help the church not adopt a "warm body" mentality.  This is when someone comes into the church, instantly they are given work without ever any teaching or training, which often creates more problems than are solved. "A strong word of caution needs to be given here, however, against the popular notion that simply giving everyone a job and putting him to work will make a good churchman and Christian of him" (Lindgren, p. 135). 

 

One of the last points I want to make about administration comes from John Galloway, Jr.  "Imagine how our churches would come alive if we let hospitality define what we do.  Arranging the chairs is not demeaning, grunt work.  It is the host and hostess preparing for the guests.  The church bulletin is not a dull routine.  It is something to help our guests be guided in their worship, to be welcomed into the fellowship, to be invited to feel at home.  Cleaning the building, if necessary painting the walls, mowing the lawn, and adding beauty to the landscaping – all are done to prepare for the party…The Lord has invited quite a number of people to the house of God next Sunday morning.  God has great plans for them on that day.  The Lord has invited a smaller group Tuesday morning to study the Bible and another group on Wednesday evening to discern with is God's will on some organizational matters.  God wants all people to be welcomed, freed to grow, and made to know they belong.  Seen in this light, all the work on details and arrangements is some of the most important, exciting work we can do" (Galloway, pp. 73-74).

 

Each time I read this section from the book, I see the great possibilities not only in the church.  It states to me that whatever you have been called to do is important to God because it adds to the whole.  The pastor that preaches is important, but he is not able to preach the word of God if someone doesn't pay the bills so that there will be electricity. Scripture confirms this understanding, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do
it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:4-8).   Purposeful administration is fulfilled when individuals understand that the work they are doing is needed because it allows God to do in the lives of others what he intends.  Each of us, with the help of the pastor must see we are a vital part of the kingdom work.

 

As we have been discussing administration we also have been touching on the areas of what activities a pastor needs to do to guide the church toward fulfilling her mission.  I will highlight those areas again in this section.  Some of the things already mentioned were, 1) Be a yes person (this helps others to feel free to dream), 2) Set up an organizational model that frees positive people to lead (this moves more people toward stepping into their place and then helping to cut down on the "no's" of those that are overworked), 3) Help the church to be confident to take risks (this helps the church to move forward and see success it would otherwise not obtain), 4) accountability (we are accountable to God to fulfill his mission) and 5)Reforming (this means the church is never satisfied with where it is, but always seeking to allow God to move us further).  These steps were mentioned earlier and were taken from Galloway's book.

 

 Another critical point is that the pastor has to set the priorities of the church.  This will not always be an easy thing, when others often times feel your priorities should be in line with theirs.  However, the pastor must set the tone.  It does not mean that things are not important, but everything cannot be the priority for there is a limit to how much time is available for things to be accomplished.  That means some things, though important cannot take the place of priority.  Another area where a pastor must handle is the area of conflict.  Sometimes conflicts arise because of time or space or other situations.  Two groups need a specific time or place within the church and both cannot have it, so what do we do?  The pastor has to help us in our administrative capabilities, which includes our scheduling to help work these conflicts out so that they do not stop us from moving forward (come back next week for the next installment. If you missed previous installments, you can go to the tri-production blog and look under the "Week In Review" to find the series).    

The Week in Review

The Role of the Pastor in Church Administration (Part 3)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

October 11, 2007

Richard L. Mayhue, one of the contributing authors in the book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, writes, “What is a pastor to be and do? We must look to God’s Word for answers and not to the latest fads or theories that find their source in society rather than in Scripture, or in culture but not in Christ” (p. 11). John McArthur in this same book states this regarding what a pastor is to be and do, “That concept of guarding the truth has largely been lost today. Yet pastors are guardians of the truth, responsible for keeping it pure and handing it on to the next generation…To sum it all up in five categories, Paul commanded Timothy (1) to be faithful in his preaching of biblical truth, (2) to be bold in exposing and refuting error, (3) to be an example of godliness to the flock, (4) to be diligent and work hard in the ministry, and (5) to be willing to suffer hardship and persecution in his service for the Lord” (pp. 19, 26). This tells us that the pastor must show us the way first and foremost by his life and how he follows the Lord. He/she must preach the truth at all times to help address not only the sins in our lives but the errors of belief and actions in the function and administration of the church. He must be an example of those things he teaches through the preached word. The pastor must also be diligent in the work of the ministry. This includes those areas that we might find mundane. He helps us to see how to slay the ego as we see it exampled before us. This is how Jesus taught the disciples. He did not only tell them how to live for him, but he showed them.

This now moves us to the administration of the church and the pastor’s role and the reason for the activities of the church. First, let us give a definition of church administration as given by the author Alvin J. Lindgren in his book, Foundations for Purposeful Church Administration, where he explains, “‘Administer’ is derived from the Latin, administrare, meaning literally, ‘to serve’…Administration, then, is not just activity, but purposeful activity, its purpose being determined in the context of a particular field of endeavor – business, education, church” (p. 22). The key word in this definition is purposeful. This means the pastor has the responsibility to eliminate the one-size fits all approach to programming and resources. The pastor must look anew and afresh at each situation and with prayer set in motion those things that need to be done. That means that he/she cannot simply keep doing something because it worked before, because it might not be for this time. “We have seen, then, that administration properly understood simply provides the means through which a group can fulfill its purpose. If we accept this major premise, then the discovery of the nature and purpose of the church is the necessary starting point for developing a useful concept of church administration…He must know where he is going and why, before he can decide how to get there. If some pastors and congregations have not seen the need for doing their biblical and theological homework before engaging in a project, it is because they have uncritically accepted goals and objectives dictated by a culture foreign to the gospel” (Lindgren, p. 25).

Churches are guilty of doing something simply because it has been done before. We plan our calendars a year in advance but we sometimes are not willing to allow the Spirit to change our plans for His. “Purposeful church administration is the involvement of the church in the discovery of her nature and mission and in moving in a coherent and comprehensive manner toward providing such experiences as will enable the church to utilize all her resources and personnel in the fulfillment of her mission of making known God’s love for all men” (Lindgren, p. 60). (Come back next week for the next installment).

The Week in Review

The Life of a Healthy Church (part 2)

One of the principles given by this writer states “Let’s practice what we preach and put thorns in our laurels” (36). In this principle the authors point out that we tend to rest on our laurels – accomplishments of the past. “By putting thorns in our laurels, we learn not to rest on them. Just because a church has been effective in the past doesn’t mean it will be that way in the present or future” (36). The authors also state, “Talk, talk, talk. It’s easy. It’s cheap. It sometimes fools us into thinking we’ve done what we talk about. It keeps us busy, so busy that we have no time to implement what we’ve discussed” (44).


Another principle that our churches need to look at is principle number six. It states, “Invest the time and money to teach, train and retrain people to develop their skills and to implement quality ministry methods” (40). We tend to take people because they are willing and put them into positions of leadership or responsibility without preparing them for success. We tend to believe the Holy Spirit will help them. While this is true to a point, we are still required to teach how to do the job well. It is the responsibility of those in leadership, for example, to ensure their teachers are equipped to teach. “Churches seem so quick to put people into ministry roles with little or no training, and then we wonder why people aren’t more effective” (40). Scripture addresses this well when it states, “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).


Principle nine states, “Build a team mind-set to avoid departmental barriers” (61). “The goal is to get us thinking and acting like a single team instead of many little teams” (61). Another difficulty we have is some are only concerned about their auxiliary and that can lead to conflict. “Inflexibility is one of the worst human failings” (101). (Come back next week for the next installment).

Words of Encouragement - February 2010

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" - Isaiah 6:5-8

The "A's" in the Assignment.  Acknowledgement. I was watching a program a few days ago and the person mentioned this scripture. I read it and began to meditate on what the message is in these verses. For the month of February, uses these points to help you as you pray and seek God regarding your assignment for the kingdom.

In verse 5, Isaiah makes a declaration after seeing the holiness of the Lord (vs. 1-4). He sees himself against the greatness of God and ackowledges who he is. He says, woe is me, I am ruined. I am unclean and I live among a people that are unclean. Isaiah realized that he could not stand in the presence of the holy God. It is imperative that we do likewise. We must look at ourselves not against each other, but against the backdrop of the holy God. When we do, we too will say as Isaiah did, I am not worthy to stand in your presence. Not me, not anyone. The first step that needs to happen if we are to live out the purpose that God has for us, is we must acknowledge who we are in God. When we acknowledge who we are, it calls for us to humble ourselves because nothing in us or about us can stack up to the beauty and wonder of God.

Atonement. When Isaiah saw himself against the holiness of God he acknowledge his sinful condition. With the acknowledgement of his condition, God sent an answer to change his standing. In verse 6 and 7 it says the angels came and touched his mouth and purged him from his sin. As I read this I also thought how fitting that the "heat" of the coal was applied to his mouth, since it was soon from the mouth of Isaiah that God's words must come. If we are to fulfill the purpose or the assignment God has for our lives, we must be purged from our sins and our mouths must undergo the cleansing fire of God so that what will come forth will be the words of God and not the noise of that busy member, our tongue.

Attuned. After Isaiah was cleansed he says, "he heard the voice of the Lord..." He heard God's calling after he experienced God's cleansing. If we are to be a part of the call of God, we must be first cleansed from our sins so that we can now hear the voice of the Lord. The cleansing helps our once dull ears to now be able to hear and percieve who speaks to our hearts. Our once dull of hearing ears can not receive the voice of God, we can be attuned to his voice alone. Even as believers we still struggle with this one because we hear voices but we are not always attuned to the one voice, God. God helps us to hear, but you and I must make the effort to hear what is being spoken.

Ambassador (appointee). The Lord ask a question, Whom sall I send and who will go for us? He did not tell Isaiah you must go, but he asked him, who could he send. I find this interesting. In other places in scripture we see God telling individuals that he is sending them (Moses for example) or that he has appointed them to do his work (Jeremiah). However, in this instance he ask a question. Why do you think he did it this way? Allow me a moment of speculation. After being in the presence of God and seeing his holiness, do you think you would need much to be willing to go and do for the Lord? I do not think so. I believe, that God first knew Isaiah's heart and that he was ready for the assignment but also God know that he had shown himself to Isaiah and the impact of that would move Isaiah to action. It should be the same for us today. God has an encounter with us so that he can make a lasting impression upon our hearts. When he does, his desired results is that you and I acknowledge who we are and seek his forgiveness. When that is accomplished, he will speak to us and give us the work he has called us to do. He ask us a question, will you be willing to go for me? Will you be willing to be my ambassador, the one I appoint for this task? What will our answer be?

Available. We know Isaiah's answer. He said Here am I, send me. I am available to you, is what his answer is. God saves us for a great purpose. The first is that we be reconciled back into a right relationship with him and then secondly that we make ourselves available to him (yield ourselves) for his purpose.

What are the "A"s in the assignment? We must acknowledge who we are before a holy God, we must then seek the atonement that his Son's blood does for our lives. We then must be attuned to his voice to hear when he calls us to be an ambassador or to be appointed to a special place, person or position. When we recieve the call, we must be willing to make ourselves available to the assigment.

This month of February I challenge you. What assignment does God have for you? Oh, don't say he does not have something for you, because he has something for each of his children. Is it to pray for someone this month? Is it to help someone in need this month? You go and allow your ears to be attuned to the voice of God and hear what he has to tell you. If you like, share how you made yourself available to God this month that it might encourage someone else.

My Prayer: Lord help us this month (and always) to seek to find out what our assignment is from you. What do you want us to do? Help us to no longer look at ourselves against others but against the backdrop of your righteousness and holiness. When we do, we realize we too are like Isaiah a wretch undone. Helps us be about your business. This is our prayer, Amen.

The Week in Review

The Role of the Pastor in Church Administration (Part 2)

Written by Minister Jewel D. Williams

October 11, 2007

This leads us to examining the congregation’s relating and functioning style. In week one’s lecture, it states, “These two things contribute to a church’s duality. Every church as a relating style that stems from its unwritten rules and expectations, as well as an organizational style or functioning style that is more easily identified by espoused values” (Toombs, pp. 7-8). A pastor helps the church to live out both their functioning style alongside of the relating style by trying to help the congregation connect both to the mission of God. In some churches there are by-laws and rules, however everyone may not be aware of what the rules or laws really are. They may be written down, but they are not related to the congregation as a whole. This might be due to the church being comfortable in her past. The church may have become caught in her tradition (like the Brownstone church in a scenario’s from a previous lesson) that she does not remember everyone does not know about the church’s past or importance. This discourages some because you are expected to live up to laws, ways and ideas that you do not know and were never taught. I jokingly call it the “secret minister’s book”.



Some are expected to know how to function in areas of ministry, yet they may not have ever been taught the values of the church, which can discourage them in their walk. Individuals may not have been taught what is expected, but are criticized if you do not match up to the “mysterious standard”. I believe the pastor needs to help the body in this area by making sure that there is full disclosure of the by-laws of the church. I also believe this is one area that the church needs to teach.


I wanted to make sure I was prepared for ministry so I returned to school so that I could be trained in the best way possible for the mission of God. Going forward, I see that in whatever church capacity I function, I must teach those for whom I am responsible. That is the reason I set in motion “Student teachers” for the teenage class I teach. The oldest teenagers are taught how to study the lessons, prepare for class and teach. I allow them to teach the class with my assistance to gain competence instructing in the word. This process of growth and development involves some extra work and risk, however it is critical to the furtherance of the teaching ministry.


John Galloway, Jr. in the book Ministry Loves Company suggest to the reader regarding vision this, “If we cannot grow together to the point where we tilt forward in risk, the Lord can never teach us to walk. What we are saying is that we make a transition from listening to leading, not by drafting a vision statement or a long-range planning report, but by adjusting attitudes and procedures…Churches like families, get rather set in their ways…Our task is to free up the visionaries and then help them focus their vision” (p. 40). This is the biggest hurdle that faces the church today. There are those that do not want to change things or move outside of their comfort zone, even though they see their local church dying. The pastor then has to try and help those with a vision for the church that lines up with the will of God to have the freedom to grow and motivate others to grow. One of the suggestions from this author on how to move individuals forward in a positive way is, “Be yes people ourselves” (Galloway, p. 35).


Many pastors are receptive to hear individual’s ideas regarding the needs of the congregation. I have seen believers get excited because of the support of their pastor regarding the work in the church and due to his “yeses” others have wanted to be involved in the ministry. “Without strong pastoral leadership the reins of a church may well wind up in the few hands of an overworked, though saintly core, who have so much church business on their plates they gag on even the thoughts of something new” (Galloway, p. 37).

Galloway also gives us other criteria on how to function, as a church should. He writes about accountability. The pastor has a major role in helping the church understand whom she is accountable to. As Galloway states it, “To whom or to what are we accountable?” “For whom are we playing the game?” (p. 42). Sometimes believers think they are accountable only to the leader of their organization or to what someone has said, or just to themselves however, the pastor must help the body understand all are first accountable to God and not to holding to their traditions or ways of doing things. “Don’t get me wrong. The will of the congregation cannot be taken lightly. After all, we are a people who believe in collective wisdom…What the ruling board needs to grasp is that, while we take the input of the congregation with great seriousness, perhaps even wondering if the Lord might be speaking to us through the will of the congregation, we are to see ourselves quite differently from politicians who have been elected to represent their constituents…Our task is repeatedly to remind them that we take serious the will of the congregation but are accountable to God” (Galloway, pp. 42-43).


Reforming. Galloway also speaks about being “always reformed, always reforming” (p. 47). This speaks to the church’s ability to continue to grow in holiness of purpose and commitment. “In other words, ministry is a terribly difficult balancing act of getting people enthused about a particular work, but not so narrowly enthused that the work becomes an idol…Remember, folks: Our work is in service to God. It is not itself God” (p. 49). The pastor then has the responsibility to help us understand that we must be willing to change our attitudes and behaviors so that we are doing things for the Lord and not making our traditions, or work a god in itself. The pastor must help us keep a clear vision of how we look at what we do. It is also his responsibility to help us with “self”. “Nowhere do we need to be more intentional in our work of reforming than we do with our own idolatrous worship of our own sinful egos” (Galloway, 52). – Came back next week for the next installment.

Week in Review

The Life of a Healthy Church

Church leadership requires one to dedicate him or herself to the work of God. To minister in a leadership capacity with success, one must understand what they are being called upon to do. Two web sites, www.bible.org and www.biblebb.com try to help the leader understand what they are being called upon to do.


The first web site, www.bible.org writes about leadership development. Kenneth Boa, Th.M.; Ph.D., is the writer of the article, Leadership Development. In his article, he uses Jesus as the example to use as a guide for being a successful leader. Boa explains that Jesus picked his disciples and then for the next three and a half years, he taught them and empowered them for ministry (1). He explains that God did not need man as a part of the plan, but it was God’s purpose to use men from the start.


“First, they were well-trained” (2). When Jesus sent out the seventy-two they were given instructions on what to do and how to handle things if there were not received well. Jesus did not leave anything out of their training. Their training was what had the seventy-two rejoicing when they returned with good news of their success. The devil’s powers were stopped because of God’s power working through them. This is important to know and understand that it is through God’s power that all work is done. When one prepares God’s way, the work can be done.


“Second, they had a clear vision: They were impelled by Jesus’ urgent declaration that ‘The harvest is plentiful’” (2). A great leader must take the responsibility to define a clear picture of the mission. “Leadership is not merely a cognitive grasping of concepts…Leadership, like most things, is more caught than taught” (2).


An important fact mentioned is that Jesus took time to prepare for his mission. “Our Lord developed as a servant leader through personal discipline, through ‘reverent submission’…Jesus never invites us to do something he has not done for us first…He doesn’t ask us to love unlovely people without having first loved us in our unlovely state. He does not ask us to serve others without having first served us” (3).


“God has called us into being and is preparing us for a purpose” (3). God is in fact calling us to a purpose but the process is not guaranteed to be an easy one. “The hardships and struggles we endure during the transformation process will eventually provide us the strength we will need to accomplish the tasks our transformed nature will require” (4).


The last point Boa mentions is mentoring is mandatory. “Leadership development should be an ongoing process in our own lives as well as in the lives of those we seek to prepare. We should have multiple mentoring relationships” (5). These relationships consist of the one being mentored, to also reach out and teacher someone else. In these mentoring relationships, the one being mentored will be able to learn from one-on-one contact and experience. This is what Jesus did for his disciples. He took them with him and showed them how to be great leaders.


Those in leadership must develop spiritual disciplines that allow their life to be seen as an example of holy living, and this is mandatory for exampling to those they are training. J. Hampton Keathley, III in his article, Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader states, “Being a godly example is not an option, it is commanded in Scripture. We need Christian maturity that provides people with real honest-to-God examples of authentic Christ-like living. Effective ministry to others is often equated with such things as dynamic personalities, with talent, giftedness, training, enthusiasm, and with Charisma…Much more is needed. In the Bible, the qualities that lead to effective ministry are found in the elements of spiritual character, in the character of Christ reproduced in us by the ministry of the Spirit” (1-2).


The goal of spiritual disciplines is to be more like Christ. In doing so, the minister (leader) then becomes an example for others to emulate. These disciplines help the minister in personal development, which help their ministry as well as their home life. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This scripture gives the minister/leader a clear understanding of their purpose. One is to follow Christ in all their ways, and then the minister becomes an example for others to see Christ. This is the true purpose for developing one’s self for the mission.


What is discipline? The American Heritage College Dictionary defines it as, “the training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior. It is controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control” (402). The web site, Spirithome.com states, “Spiritual disciplines help to keep our relationship with God in good working order, and even help develop intimacy…Disciplines and practices are tools that are a part of cooperating with the Spirit on the task of remaking us into what God wants us to be” (2). Spiritual disciplines are necessary to sustain a life in ministry.


Having a healthy prayer life is important for all believers, however it is vital for the minister/leader to dedicate time to prayer. The minister’s prayer life needs to cover prayers for themselves as well as for his or her ministry. James E. Rosscup, one of the writers included in the book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically states, “We show we are fools, setting ourselves up for mediocrity, emptiness, and disaster unless we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to prayer” (143). If one is to be successful, the time must be taken to hear from God regarding one’s life and ministry. It is necessary to prepare one’s self by praying for God’s wisdom, guidance, and strength.


God is the one that will strengthen the minister when faced with difficult situations or circumstances. Piper states it this way, “But finally, we must ask how a person comes to be willing to spend time with and be open to the Word of God? The answer seems to be that we must acknowledge our helplessness…This means that the beginning of spiritual leadership must be in the acknowledgement that we are sick who need a physician…And as we read the wonderful promises that are there for those of us who trust the doctor, our faith will grow strong and our hope will become solid” (2).


This leads to another important duty one should do in conjunction with their prayer time, and that is the study of the Bible. It is important to seek God’s answers in the pages of the Bible. One can receive direction for living as well as for how one should pray from the pages of the Bible. John Piper, the author of The Marks of a Spiritual Leader writes, “The hardest part of the missionary career, Mr. Taylor found, is to maintain regular, prayerful Bible study. ‘Satan will always find you something to do,’ he would say, ‘when you ought to be occupied about that, if it is only arranging a window blind’” (3).


How we lead as a church results in what we really look like to the world at large. What a church looks like to a visitor speaks more than we think it does. What the building looks like, tells those that come, how important it is to the congregation. If it has chipping paint, bad bathrooms or poor sound systems, visitors will not come away with a good impression of who we are. Yet, this is not a new idea to keep God’s house in good working order. “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built. Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink; but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:2-6).

The author points out that for any changes to happen, they must come from leadership first. It puts a big responsibility on leadership, but it will not take root unless leadership is one hundred percent for the process (come back next week for the next installment).

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe we are in a new year? It's hard to believe, but we are. Everyone is readjusting to the regular schedule after the holidays. With that, we will return with our regular Words of Encouragement in February.

In case you missed it, we will have a new format. The e-mails that are sent weekly will now only be sent once a month. You will be able to follow the link to the website or blog to see the current lessons. There may be updates during the month, but we will only be sending out the e-mail link once a month.

This cuts down on the amount of e-mails individuals are receiving. Whenever you want to get to the current lesson any of the e-mails will direct you right to the sites.

There are some other changes you may see, but you'll have to come back in February to find out what they are (it's a surprise!). So in the meantime if you haven't had a chance to keep current with the old lessons, go back and read them or even re-read one that helped to encourage you. See you in February!