Pastor
Conflict in the Church – Part 1: Minimizing Conflict
Conflict reared its ugly head during my tenth year as pastor of a mainline Congregational church. Prior to my arrival a decade earlier, the church been in steep decline for 30 years, and when I arrived, it was functioning more like a country club. The message from the pulpit was increasingly theologically liberal. Because this…
Read MoreA Choice
Logan Saunders is not a New Englander by birth. It is a choice. Originally from Virginia, he and his wife Lindsay were curious about serving up north. After graduating from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, they decided to spend a year at NETS (New England Training and Sending Center for Church Planting and Revitalization) in Vermont…
Read MoreA Different Outcome
Overseed coaches Mark Warren and Matt Furr are also lead pastors of two New Hampshire churches. Mark noted “Matt and I have been coaching pastors for three years. We are hopeful about impact but are waiting to see what God will do. Revitalization is hard and a long haul. It can beat-up pastors so much…
Read MoreAsking Questions Before Accepting a Call: Look Before You Leap
As I coach pastors around New England, I hear many stories about their naiveté during the interview process and what they learned the hard way, only after accepting a call. I can relate because I myself accepted a call too quickly, to the church I served briefly in retirement. I failed to ask about unhealed…
Read MoreMilk a Lot of Cows, But Churn Your Own Butter: Avoiding Plagiarism
A few months ago I worshipped at the church of a talented young pastor whom I had been coaching. His sermon was good, surprisingly good. While I was chatting with him after the service, another parishioner we both knew well joined us and told him how much she enjoyed his message. She then remarked, with…
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