PASTOR BOB AND JEANNE CLAYCAMP
DECEMBER 2011 – LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEAR
This has been an incredible year for sure! All because of the plan of God, steps of faith, and your prayers and support. May the Lord be glorified!
I spent a little time looking over the past 12 months and found that Jeanne and I had been in 37 different cities, in 8 states, within 3 countries, and traveling over 50,000 miles on planes, trains, buses, boats, and automobiles. The goal? Reaching out to senior pastors and their wives and congregations to strength, encourage, and provide perspective in their ministries with special focus on the smaller churches.
THE STRATEGY
How did all this take place? At the first of the year nothing was on the calendar…at all. I began by contacting the churches that were hosting regional pastors and leaders conferences around the country asking if Jeanne and I could set up a ministry table among their vendors. Next I contacted those pastors I already knew in that area and let them know I (we) would be at their conference and available to fill in for them in any way that would be a help to them. I usually scheduled our time to leave open a Sunday morning and a Wednesday night for an opportunity to share.
Then Jeanne and I would pray over the conference opportunity, and if so led, I would register us and then purchase the tickets to fly to that conference. In the mean time we would pray that God would set up His divine appointments so we could minister to whomever He would have us meet.
I also would call or send out an email to those pastors I had connected with in the past, and let them know Jeanne and I would be available to minister to the future needs according to the direction of the Holy Spirit. During the periods of time between Poimen ministry opportunities we would make ourselves available to our home church, Calvary Chapel North Phoenix in whatever way was needed (teaching, leading worship, seminars, etc.)
As we shared our vision with others for reaching out especially to the smaller churches which had limited resources, our support team gradually increased. It seemed that the Lord would regularly put us in front of brethren that had a heart for helping make this vision a reality. Our prayer has been and still is that every weekend would be filled with ministry opportunities, whether near or far.
We share these things to help you understand how our ministry works and to explain some of the strategy the Lord has given us over the past couple of years.
THE MINISTRY
As I look back on 2011, it has been just an awesome picture of the Lord’s providence and power. We have served in so many different capacities in so many places: retreats, conferences, Bible College classes, church services, church evaluations, church stabilizing endeavors, and just sharing the love of Christ in each opportunity. The last three months of this year we have helped one church go through the loss of their senior pastor. We have been stretched in ways we’ve never imagined; yet we have watched the Lord’s faithfulness every step of the way. Praise His name!
Here are the cities in which we have ministered during 2011 by the grace of God:
Arizona: Phoenix, Chandler, Surprise, Prescott, Payson, Maricopa, Lake Havasu, Casa Grande, Tucson, Camp Verde, Holbrook, Springerville, Yuma, Bullhead City, Mesa
California: Murrieta, Palm Desert, Palmdale, Encino, Gardena
Indiana: Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, Hartford City, Lafayette
Maryland: North East
Colorado: Eagle
South Dakota: Rapid City
Oregon: Sheridan
Washington: Mount Terrace, North Bend
Scotland, UK: Inverness, Dunoon, Glasgow
England, UK: Twickenham, York
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2012
As of today we have a few opportunities and requests for our ministry. The first part of February will send us to northern Kentucky. We have a few requests from senior pastors to fill in for us in the states. We also have been presented with opportunities to share our ministry this summer at conferences in Vaija, Hungary; York, England; and Millstatt, Austria. We hope to be contacting pastors we know in those areas to see if we can be of service to them.
We realize that everything could change in an instant. But we are confident that the Lord is the one who arranges our ministry schedule according to His purposes, His timing, and His direction. Jeanne and I are excited about what 2012 holds for us. May He be glorified in everything we do.
PLEASE PRAY FOR US! If you are so led to donate to our ministry, you can do so by one of two ways. See the instructions at the end of this newsletter.
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS
* divine appointments to minister to senior pastors, their wives, and their congregations in the coming year.
* grace, love, strength, and wisdom to minister into those opportunities set before us
* finances to cover the travel expenses (average is $800 – $1000/mo) to be able to offer our ministry to those smaller churches around the country that can’t afford to pay our way to their church. This includes attending the regional pastor’s conferences around the country representing Poimen Ministries and making personal connections with the pastors.
* finances to cover our living expenses each month.
Thank you for joining us in this new and exciting ministry. All support monies go through POIMEN MINISTRIES (see address below) with our names placed separately from the payment.
There is also an online donation PayPal link at the bottom of my Poimen ministry page at: http://poimenministries.com/?page_id=258
Check out our entire schedule on http://www.bobclaycamp.com/html/my_schedule.html
Pastor Bob and Jeanne Claycamp
623.980.3626
POIMEN MINISTRIES, 3285 Ashwood Way, Soquel, CA 95073
Poimen Ministries is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of California’s Franchise Tax Board.
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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 POIMEN NEWSLETTER
The grace of our Lord Jesus has been sufficient for everything He calls us to do. Through the prayers of so many, Jeanne and I have been sustained and strengthened to continue our busy schedule and serve many senior pastors and wives over the last six weeks.
While we were in the United Kingdom during the month of August we sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit to have Jeanne send in her letter of resignation to her part-time employer, an advertising company that was contracted with WalMart stores. She was an event specialist, standing at those kiosks, displaying and distributing samples of different products and foods.
Jeanne’s part in this Poimen ministry is so important. She has a special gift in building close relationships with pastor’s wives in a very short time. She also uses her experience from the part-time job to quickly interact with those that come up to our Poimen table at the different conferences we attend. Now she goes with me wherever I am invited (except men’s retreats).
God is so faithful to come along after such steps of faith and take care of the financial needs. By the way, thank you so much for how you’ve prayed and supported our ministry over this past year. The fruit of what has taken place through Poimen has a definite connection with your intercessions in our behalf.
Here is a summary of the various ministry opportunities that were before us the past six weeks:
TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES AT CHURCHES
Every weekend after we returned from the UK was filled with opportunities to minister to different congregations. We served churches throughout Arizona (Holbrook, Surprise, Phoenix, and Maricopa). We were able to share the word in Indiana (Lafayette, Hartford City, Indianapolis). We even had the opportunity to minister in North Bend, Washington.
PASTOR’S CONFERENCES
During the past six weeks we attended three pastor’s conferences: NW Pastors and Leaders Conference in the Seattle, Washington area; Senior Pastor’s Wives Conference in Murrieta, California (Jeanne); and Mid-West Pastors and Leaders Conference in Hartford City, Indiana. These were tremendous opportunities to interact with pastors and their wives, especially those who are involved with smaller congregations in smaller towns. The connections we made during those conferences will lead to great opportunities for future ministry to those co-laborers in Christ.
MARRIED’S RETREAT
Jeanne and I sometimes are asked to be the featured speakers married’s retreats. We have been married almost 42 years now by the grace and love of God, through repentance and forgiveness one to another over the years. Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Mesa, Arizona asked us to lead their retreat this year. I teach the sessions and I have Jeanne step in during the talk and be the ‘color commentator’ on some of the details of our own journey. This retreat was help up in the Prescott area. It was such a precious time of healing and encouragement.
CHURCH EVALUATIONS (OBSERVATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS)
There are times when a senior pastor asks me to come to his church and be a set of ‘fresh eyes’ to observe and evaluate his ministry, communicate with his staff, board, leadership, and even his wife, and just get an overall idea of how the ministry is flowing. Jeanne and I work together in this. At the end of the extended weekend, I put together a brief evaluation and submit it to the senior pastor. It is up to him to pray over the observations and suggestions and then follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in just what to implement. We served in this way to a church in California and in Indiana.
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS
* divine appointments to minister with senior pastors and their wives in the coming year.
* grace, love, strength, and wisdom to minister into those opportunities set before us
* finances to cover the travel expenses (average is $800 – $1000/mo) to be able to offer our ministry to those smaller churches around the country that can’t afford to pay our way to their church. This includes attending the regional pastor’s conferences around the country representing Poimen Ministries and making personal connections with the pastors.
* finances to cover our living expenses each month.
Thank you for joining us in this new and exciting ministry. All support monies go through POIMEN MINISTRIES (see address below) with our names placed separately from the payment.
There is also an online donation PayPal link at the bottom of my Poimen ministry page at: http://poimenministries.com/?page_id=258
Check out our entire schedule on http://www.bobclaycamp.com/html/my_schedule.html
Pastor Bob and Jeanne Claycamp
623.980.3626
POIMEN MINISTRIES, 3285 Ashwood Way, Soquel, CA 95073
Poimen Ministries is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of California’s Franchise Tax Board.
Last installment (part 1) we looked at the story of Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles. It is a sad example of a kingdom changing from one leader to another– King Solomon to Rehoboam, his son. It can also be a model for transition of leadership in most any organization, including a church. One thing especially difficult is a transition from a founding pastor (or leader), to a younger, much less experienced leader, as in this story. It is very difficult to “fill the shoes” of someone who has established the culture of a church (or organization), and even more difficult to operate under their shadow, when they stay within the organization or church.
So here’s some questions that will hopefully help bring some healthy consideration towards good leadership transition.
- How is your relationship with the Lord? Are you going through a spiritual growth period or a dry spell? Are your devotional times with the Lord somewhat hum-drum or are you experiencing some special times as well?
- Who are you discipling? Are you investing any of your life and walk with the Lord in someone else? How are you transferring any of what the Lord has done in your life to bless others?
- Who are you training up for positions of leadership? Who is able to take your place if you’re called to do something different someday? Will what you are doing outlast or survive your involvement and presence?
- Are you accountable to anyone? Who? Do they know this? Do you make regular time to be held accountable? If not, who can you go to when you need guidance, help, or restoration?
- What vision do you have for ministry now and the future? Do you have a sense of vision for the ministry you’re involved with now? Do you have vision for other ministry beyond what you’re doing now?
That’s a bunch of questions all at one time, but these are not to be answered once and set aside. They are much more useful when looked at and considered from time to time within a given year– maybe 2 or 3 times a year.
Discipleship will naturally produce leaders. It worked well for Jesus, and it still works. It’s just a slow and deliberate process, which is why now is the best time to start doing it! Keep it simple, personal and deliberate. It will spawn some good spiritual growth in both directions (mutually).
In the next installment I’d like to address some questions for younger leaders. But even younger leaders can benefit from the above questions.
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Recently, I was reading through 2 Chronicles. In the midst of genealogies and royal histories, the Lord opened up some thoughts for me. In Chapter 10, the transition of power from Solomon to Rehoboam, his son, is a clear example of how not to do leadership transition. Let’s be honest, for anyone who has gone through a transition of leadership in any field, it can be very tricky and difficult for everyone concerned. When it comes to spiritual leadership, especially pastoral leadership, transition can not only be difficult, but costly. The fallout of a failed or troubled transition affects churches and communities, as well as, the immediate leadership involved (pastors, elders, boards, ministry leaders, etc.). The text is 2 Chr 10:1-19. Part 1 will look at the immediate context of a young leader stepping into the very large shoes of a bigger-than-life leader, namely, Solomon.
After King Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam finds the people of Israel coming with a request. They express how difficult it was for them living under the strong-handed leadership of his father, and the cost it required. They request a lighter burden to bear in exchange for loyalty and continued service. Rehoboam seeks the counsel of his father’s advisors who suggest he grant the people’s request and the people will be faithful and loyal as his servants.
But Rehoboam is not satisfied with their counsel, so he seeks out his own advisors– those who’ve grown up with him, his peers in experience and age. Their counsel is to be even more harsh than his father had been. So, when the people return for the king’s response, they are met with a harsh rebuke. Their response– rebellion! It says that when they realized the king refused to listen to them, they abandoned him, or as others have said, they voted with their feet.
Why did this happen? There could be many answers, but here’s a couple thoughts. For one thing, Rehoboam was no Solomon– he didn’t have nearly the stature, wisdom, nor leadership gifts his father Solomon had. My wife and I have learned over nearly four decades of full-time ministry that one person probably cannot be replaced with just anyone. There is no magical transfer of leadership gifts and capacity. Often, two or three people are needed to take the place of another, for various reasons. Primary leadership (director, pastor, etc.) is certainly not just a “hole” to be filled. It requires more than just a warm body.
Another thing to consider is the simple refusal of Rehoboam to really listen to the people and consider the implications of what they were saying. One thing many younger leaders attempt is trying to bring change too quickly, or trying to lead with the same style of leadership as someone else. Niether is wise. When I prepared to turn over the church I had planted in the late seventies, so I could move overseas with another ministry, one of my prayer requests to the Lord was for a man who who had senior pastoral experience to come take the church. I had seen enough failed and troubled church transitions and saw this as one way of preventing failure. Thankfully, the Lord answered my prayer, and the church saw no downturn in giving or attendance, in fact, there was strong growth within months of the final transition.
In the next installment, I’m going to ask some specific questions related to transition of leadership. General principles can be gained by the examples given in the Bible, but specifics need more consideration. In the meantime, to get started in that direction, what is God showing you through this text passage about leadership in general?
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“Earlier this month it was my distinct pleasure to have Bob Claycamp of Poimen Ministries visit us here at Calvary Chapel of Casa Grande and provide a set of “fresh eyes”. After twenty years of ministry in this community I knew it was time for an overview, perhaps a freshening up and even tightening up in various areas of the ministry. I knew that for me there where some needs within the ministry that had been missed or overlooked simply because I had been so deeply involved in the ministry here for such a long period.
Bob and I spoke of this opportunity several times in the past and to be honest, there was a bit of trepidation on my part to open myself and the ministry up to other eyes. However, as soon as Bob arrived that Thursday morning his heart and attitude demonstrated clearly a Brother who desired to assist and not judge; to make suggestions and not demands. I knew right away that this was a good decision and that the Lord Jesus would be honored in all we would do over the next couple of days.
At first we simply sat and talked about the history of the ministry; how we began and the path the Lord had lead us through the past 20 years. We spoke of issues of the past that were hard, as well as those things which were a delight to experience. I was able to share how the Lord had taken us through some tough decisions and how He miraculously provided in many ways. I shared with him the names of those who were in current ministry leadership positions and their responsibilities. We took time to walk our facility and I shared how the Lord had opened up various ministry opportunities through the years. Bob asked questions that allowed me to ponder and focus on the “how and why” of our whole ministry.
Following his time with me, Bob took the opportunity to talk with our other pastoral staff and a couple of our Elders. Again, he was able to listen to their heart and how they felt called into their present areas of leadership.
By Sunday afternoon Bob emailed me his evaluation of the ministry along with a few suggestions to help us cover some of the areas that were lacking or that he felt could be improved. We have already incorporated a couple of those suggestions and the benefits are apparent. I am looking forward to working with my staff and ministry leaders over the next weeks and months as we discuss and use Bob’s suggestions to help make Calvary Chapel of Casa Grande the best it can be for the Lord Jesus Christ and those He brings into this Fellowship.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Bob Claycamp and Poimen Ministries to you. Whether your ministry is young and just getting off the ground or has been around for decades – the heart, the experience, and the Spirit-lead counsel that he will give is a priceless resource for you and your congregation as you seek the Lord’s leading in ministry.”
In Him because of Him,
H. David Landry, Senior Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Casa Grande
Casa Grande, Arizona
FreeGrace@calvarycg.org
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