Kevin J. Moore - Holy Rebellion: Redefining Excellence in Pastoral Leadership

PRAISE FOR HOLY REBELLION

Kevin Moore has delivered a tremendous resource, teaching us how to reveal Gods love to our church family. Just as Charles Ryries Balancing the Christian Life is essential reading for the growing disciple, so is Kevin Moores Holy Rebellion similarly impactful for the pastor. These biblical truths run deeper than a wholesome formula to love your church; this book is a treatise on how to balance the pastors life.

Bruce McCoy, D.Min.

Southwestern Seminary

President of the Missouri Baptist Convention (20082010)

As Kevins assistant, I have listened to him explain and watched him model the faithful path he endorses in this book. If you are a new pastor like me, you may tend to think of issues before people, to rush ahead of those you lead, or wrongly to pit biblical fidelity against deliberate patience as you earn your peoples trust. If so, you will benefit from this book. May the Lord use Holy Rebellion to inspire you to glorify Him by practicing the loving pastoring I have witnessed from Kevin in person.

Dallas Vandiver

Pastoral Assistant, Lamar Baptist Church, Arlington, TX

Dr. Moores book is written from great insight and experience. It is a must read for every new pastor and one that will be greatly appreciated by those already in ministry positions. You will enjoy the mixture of humor and candor interwoven within the context of the book.

Mike Evans, Th.D.

Former President of the World Baptist Fellowship

Chairman of WBV Mission Agency Board

Co-Founder of Iron Men Ministries

After fifty-six years of ministry, I have read many books and Kevin Moores book, Holy Rebellion , is one of the best dealing with pastoral ministry. His honesty is so refreshing. He goes to the very heart of what Jesus has taught us to be and do.

Johnny Irish

Retired Elder of the United Methodist Church

From the very first page the words connected with my heart. What a testimony of how to love your church. But this book is more than that. It is straightforward, it is insightful, and it is encouraging. Thoughts Ive had about ministry for years but was never able to put into words suddenly seemed to crystalize in my mind, but there was more. Kevin expanded the horizon of my thoughts and probed the depths of my heart, prompting me to ask the difficult question, am I truly loving my church as I should?

Jim Tucker

Pastor, First Baptist Church Everman

Within these pages... you will find the voice of a pastor humorously and humbly exemplifying what it means to shepherd the flock of God among you so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:2, 4).

John B. Mann

Pastor LaJunta Baptist Church

Springtown, TX

Dr. Moore provides superb wisdom for pastors in the first book of its kind I have seen. I wish I had had Dr. Moores wisdom in the early days of my ministry. Pastors, move this book to the top of your reading list.

Waylan Owens, Ph.D.

Dean of the Church and Family Ministries, Southwestern Seminary

Fort Worth, TX

Holy Rebellion is one of the best books I have ever read. The message will encourage and inspire all ministers, from rookies to seasoned veterans. This honest and refreshing read provides relatable examples and practical, scripturally based advice for loving and leading Gods people in all circumstances. Holy Rebellion should be required reading at all seminaries. Churches should require interns to read this book. I was inspired.

Jon Lineberger, Ed.D.

Assistant Vice President, Dallas Baptist University

Author of What God Did with a Mess Like Me

Dr. Kevin Moore knows the pastorate. He knows the great joys, the great struggles, the great successes, and even the mistakes one can make. This book should be the gift for every young pastor about to begin his first jaunt in the pastoral field. From the city to the countryside, from old established churches to new church plants, people want you to love them. And if you love them, they will follow you. Allow Holy Rebellion to inform your thinking on how to love your church, in every situation.

Ryan Jespersen

Director, Urban Missions

Baptist General Convention of Texas

Dallas, TX

HOLY REBELLION:

REDEFINING EXCELLENCE IN PASTORAL MINISTRY

KEVIN J. MOORE, Ph.D.

FOREWORD BY

PAIGE PATTERSON

Collierville, Tennessee

Published by

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HOLY REBELLION:

Redefining Excellence in Pastoral Ministry

Copyright 2014 Innovo Publishing

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. (American Edition Copyright.)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014952081

ISBN 13: 978-1-61314-204-2

Cover Design & Interior Layout: Innovo Publishing, LLC

Printed in the United States of America

U.S. Printing History

First Edition: October 2014

I dedicate this book to the Lord for calling me into pastoral ministry and to Gods people for loving me unconditionally. I will forever be grateful for the powerful training I received at the Southwestern

Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

I also want to dedicate this book to all of the theological institutions that are training and equipping the next generation of Christian

leaders to love Gods people with excellence.

FOREWORD

W ith great sorrow I have watched across the years as some of the most gifted, capable, and even dedicated young pastors have failed miserably in their first pastorate. Worse still, I have watched others fail in every church they served until finally they simply dropped from the ministry. Often I have inquired as to the reason for the failure. Was this young man a poor preacher? No. As a matter of fact, he excelled in preaching. Did he have a moral failure? Oh no. His family life and his integrity seemed to be completely intact. Then what could possibly have gone wrong? Usually the matter is one of some ambiguity at this point. But when all efforts have been exhausted, what usually arises from the discussion is that the young minister failed in his communication of love for the congregation. As a result, he also failed to stimulate the motivation for the work of the Lord as being because the love of Christ constrains us (2 Corinthians 5:14). And as a further result of these failures, he also was unable to create a warm spirit of love, which would become the highway of the affection for all the members of the church. Certainly there are other reasons for this failure, but this is the prevalent expression that I hear.

Furthermore, as I recall my early pastorates, I have a sense that I owe those congregations an apology. I was certainly orthodox in my theology. I was even earnest in my desire to produce a church that would honor God. In every pastorate, I fully intended to be sure that it grew until it encompassed everyone in the community if at all possible. My motives were not in error. However, I consider my early pastorates, to a very large degree, as failures for the simple reason that I failed to promote the virtue of love.