We sat in a Chili’s in south Dallas. Green at “church hunting.” Patty and me with Kimberly not a year old in tow. The “big” preacher offered us lunch. What is a poor student family to do? Eat of course. And we did.

Eventually this initial meeting led to what has been a long term friendship spanning what will be 25 years in 2010. Mentor, friend, confidant, advisor. Over the years these roles have been running in patterns of mutuallity. We learn from each other.

Recently Rick finished a series titled, “Pastors.Churches.You.” He wrote frankly. He described personal experiences with a frankness often reserved for private conversations. Rick’s finale post may be enough to entice you to go read the multi-part series at his blog – aintsobad. (I will see if he can put together a post with links to each of the series in order.) If the following does not get your attention to read, likely no pull-quote could do the job. Here it is,

Pastors are dying. Churches are killing them and so killing themselves. It is a murder-suicide; sudden, violent murder of the pastors and slow, excruciating suicide for the local congregations.

You will have to change all that as you take more personal responsibility for your church and pastor. You, oh, you, oh, man will have to decide to stop the blood letting.

I have suggested some ways to help your pastor with his mental/emotional health. Do not say I do not give specifics. I just do not give the specifics you want. Do what I ask first and then grow from there.

The Series. (I locate the series here. Rick is a great writer. Technology specialist, not so much. As a help to my friend, here is the series he posted on his blog located all on one page.)

1. Save the Pastors. Or: Churches Are Dying Because Pastors Are Dying and You Are The One Killing The Pastors

2. Pastors Are Dying, Churches Are Dying and You are the One Killing Them Both

3. Pastors Are Dying: Churches Are Dying: It’s Your Fault

4. Pastors. Churches. You.

5. Church.

6. Church. Again.

7. Return to: Pastors Are Dying. Churches are Dying. You Are the One Killing Them.

8. Church(es)

9. Church. Church.

10. Churches. Good Thinking.

11. Church(es), Connection(s) and Community

12. Church(es). The Big Church Syndrome and Evangelism as Product Placement

13. Church(es). Is Yours Going to Make It? If not, what will you do along the way to death that makes your life worthwhile?

14. Church(es), Pastor(s) and You. Perhaps the Finale.