Pastor
Church Organizational Structure: Help or Hindrance? (Part 1 in series)
A few years ago, a friend who is a denominational executive sent me a copy of the proposed organizational structure drafted by one of his member churches. He wanted my opinion. After reading the complicated, convoluted, and overly detailed document, I emailed my friend with my conclusion that this was the church structure from Hades.…
Read MoreProtect Your Family Time During the Busy Christmas Season in Ministry
Our 35 years in pastoral ministry (all at one church, in a suburb north of Boston) spanned all our child-rearing and launching years, from the first newborn to the last wedding. Looking back, we are not plagued by regrets that we shortchanged our kids in order to serve our congregation. However, to fact-check that impression,…
Read MoreFind Joy and Stay Connected During Advent as a Pastor’s Family
By Jere & Brenda Vincent, Family Builders Ministry The Advent season is often one of the busiest and most demanding times for ministry families. Between services, events, meetings, and the daily pastoral responsibilities, it’s easy for pastoral families to find themselves physically present yet emotionally or spiritually drained. We know firsthand that in the bustle, it…
Read MoreConflict in Ministry Marriage: Challenging Your Husband with Respect
Letting a fallen sinner lead is always difficult – and sometimes no easier when he’s your husband AND the pastor of your church. It’s often confusing and frustrating for us, as pastors’ wives, to know how to support our husbands when we question a decision he has made. We sometimes struggle to know who is…
Read MoreAlpha as a Way to Build Community
In the two previous installments of this series on Alpha ministry in the local church, I’ve looked at Alpha as an evangelism tool and as a discipleship tool. Now, let’s consider Alpha as a community-building tool. Once a church grows beyond “family size,” in which Sunday morning attendance ranges from 3 to 75, it often…
Read MoreAlpha as a Discipleship Tool
Jesus’ model of discipleship involved both teaching and on-the-job training in ministry. The content of his teaching centered on the meaning of the Kingdom of God; his training of his disciples immersed them in actual ministry to others in His name, with the power and authority of His Kingdom. In my experience, much of the…
Read MoreA Pastor’s Relationship to his Children
“You always put the church ahead of us!” Those were the angry words hurled at our friend by his adult daughter. The young woman had become estranged from both her pastor father and her faith a few years before, and despite repeated attempts by both parents to heal the break, she remains alienated. This pastor…
Read MoreA Pastor’s Relationship with Self
You are on a plane taxiing for takeoff; the flight attendant takes the microphone and makes the familiar announcement: “In the unlikely event the plane suddenly loses cabin pressure, oxygen masks will automatically deploy from the panel overhead.” She then demonstrates how to place the mask over the face. She concludes by emphasizing that adults…
Read MoreA Pastor’s Relationship with God: How Is Your Soul?
The conversation would always begin with the same question; “How is your soul?” After we exchanged greetings and placed our order, Bob would zero in with that simple question, “How is your soul?” With gentleness and genuine concern, he pinned me to the wall. Even though I knew the question was coming, there was no…
Read MoreA Pastor’s Relationship with the Church
We typically describe a pastor’s relationship to his people in leadership terms, such as shepherd or overseer, and rightly so, but leadership authority Ronald A. Heifetz offers us a new description. He claims that leading institutional change is a process of “disappointing people at a rate they can absorb.” This is a profound observation. In…
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