Stout Monk Society – Pt 1
Tom Wood February 02 2010 - 1 Comment
My good friend John and I were sitting by a nighttime fire in the backyard of his cabin. I had been his guest at a leadership retreat and we were unplugging from the weekend. He is pastor of a solid, missional church that is doing great things in his city. I am jealous for him. He is a rare find…passionate for Christ, his Kingdom, prayer and the city.
He mentioned a quote I had used… I use it a lot in training leaders, elders, pastors and church planters. I stole it from Steve years ago (I have looked it up myself and its legit). It’s the Rule of St. Benedict, from the Benedictine Monastery, 6th Century.
“If any pilgrim monk come from distant parts with wish as a guest to dwell in our monastery and will be content with the customs which he finds in this place, and does not perchance by his lavishness disturb the monastery, but is simply content with what he finds, he shall be received for as long a time as he wishes. If indeed he find fault with anything or expose it reasonably and with humility and charity, the Abbot shall discuss it prudently, lest perchance God has sent him for this very purpose. But if he has been found gossipy or divisive in the time of his sojourn as the guest, not only ought he not be joined in the body of the monastery, but also it shall be said to him honestly that he must depart. If he does not go, let two stout monks, in the name of God, explain the matter to him.”
Then we began to talk seriously about pastor friends who had blown themselves up…abandoned the ministry, their call and sometimes their family. Most were men who had been faithful, godly pastors, caring for a church… most for a long time. Then wham.
We confessed our independence. We are basically loners. Ministry can have that effect on people. (Or is it loners are attracted to ministry?) We repented to God and one another.
Benedict coined the term “stout monk” in reference to men able to guard and protect the community from enemies and intruders. He put them to work on tasks and mission requiring strength, courage and integrity (sure they loved beer too). When necessary, they would go and escort the intruder out. Yet they were called to act in pairs, not in isolation. They were together. They protected one another as well as their community.
Our conversation led to forming the Stout Monk Society. Our objective is to halt the exodus. To raise the fallen. We each invited other men to join us (we have six, but think we will add an Abbott). We need each other’s counsel, prayer and friendship. Though its only annual, it has been great. Rewarding.
We spend a few days together in community (not a real monastery but we share cooking, cleaning and other stuff (for those not reformed I refrain from causing you to stumble, but a pastor said to me once, ‘when I became a Christian I gave up all my vices. When I got reformed I got them all back’).
I will continue this blog later… but let me ask you: Do you long for a Stout Monk Society?
Tom Wood has been a pastor for 25 years. He has planted and pastored two churches and has served as a church planting trainer and coach for the Presbyterian Church in America. He is currently the president of Church Multiplication Ministries, in Atlanta. His mission is starting, strengthening and multiplying grace centered churches and church planting networks, through coaching and consults with church planting pastors, leaders and emerging leaders.
The Music of the Gospel
Tom Wood December 22 2009 - No Comment
I was in an antique store recently (on vacation with my wife ok?) and I saw a little transistor radio. It was AM radio in a black case –kinda looks like an Ice Cream sandwich— it had one ear piece. I remember having that radio. I listened to 45’s on my single record player and LP’s. Cassettes, CD’s. I have always loved music.
One of the greatest inventions in my lifetime has to be the iPod. Music, messages and movies all in one place. The new version even has radio capability. I heard a song on TV and went to iTunes and downloaded it into my library. A while back I downloaded the Brown Sessions, listened to Steve interview Dan Allender, and Mark Driscoll. Amazing technology.
Most of all it’s the music though. Music is a means of grace… (more…)
Preaching Christ
Tom Wood November 11 2009 - 2 Comments
I’m in London as I write this. Tomorrow I meet with about 15 church planting pastors here in the UK. They are a great bunch of men. All of them are making tremendous sacrifice to minister in this Post-Modern, Post-Empire, Post-Everything city. I am going to facilitate a training module on preaching Christ-centered, grace saturated sermons in our post-Christian world. It is one piece of our half-day meeting (we pray together; we do small group peer coaching and problem solving together; we pray more; we laugh and cry; we tell stories of what God’s doing). It’s great. I wish you could have a community like this one. I suspect you’d last longer if you did. One day I will tell you about the Stout Monk’s Society I’m in, but I digress.
I attended two different churches today. Both sang the songs we sing in the USA. (one better than the other but again I digress). I listen to and evaluate about 25 sermons each year and write reviews for (more…)
Pastoral Points
Tom Wood October 07 2009 - 1 Comment
I was sitting in a pub with a bunch of pastors in London. One of the guys told us that in commercial flying, the airlines have come up with a point system for pilots, so they don’t get burned out. He said, for instance, that flying into Heathrow, since it’s so complex, is 500 points. Flying in and out of Atlanta, since it’s the busiest, is 750 points. But flying in and out of smaller places, like Birmingham, AL or Birmingham, UK is only 200 points. After a pilot has logged so many points in a month or week, he has to take a break.
Because we are all pastors, we could apply that to ministry life. Instead of (more…)
Influence, Leadership & Destiny
Tom Wood August 12 2009 - No Comment
Someone said once, that the one thing all leaders have in common is that they have followers. True. But they also have enemies.
A friend recently defined leadership for me this way:
“Leadership is disappointing people at a pace they can tolerate.”
That makes more sense, in a real, down to earth type of church setting. (more…)
Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world.
Tom Wood May 28 2009 - 1 Comment
This morning I woke up early. I had a lot on my mind. But the song playing in my head was the old tune, Wild World, by Cat Stevens.
“Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world
It’s hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it’s a wild world
I’ll always remember you like a child, girlYou know I’ve seen a lot of what the world can do
And it’s breaking my heart in two
Because I never wanna see you a sad girl
Don’t be a bad girlBut if you wanna leave, take good care
I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there’s a lot of bad and beware”
He wrote the song to himself as he was getting ready to leave home and start out on his own career. He had grown up in a religious home (more…)
Grace Notes
Tom Wood May 11 2009 - No Comment
I am new to blogging. So be patient as I try out my fingers…my wings on this adventure.
Every morning when I wake up I have a song playing in my head. It’s different every day. Sometimes it’s a SCC tune “Its all Yours Lord, Yours Lord, Everything is Yours…” or “Anticipation, Anticipation is making me late, is keeping me waiting”. Two mornings ago, out of nowhere, “Love the one you’re with, Love the one you’re with, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit dit dit”. This morning, though, it was an old (1990’s worship tune), “You have been a shelter Lord, to every generation, to ev’ry generation. A sanctuary from the storm, to every generation Lord…” I can’t explain why one tune over another. Perhaps today was because yesterday I was in church holding my new grandson worshiping the Lord!
Now I happen to think that the old guys who told us that the means of grace were “the Word, the Sacrament, Prayer, Church and Holy Spirit”, well…if they had had iTunes, (more…)
