Pastors, we believe that you are great for many reasons. Start with your abiding desire to make a difference in the world. Think of the size of this Pastoral army – more than 350,000 strong in the United States alone. Think of the incredible amount of good that Pastors accomplish every day. Your faithfulness, sacrifice, … [Read more…]
Now days, Pastors are often well trained, skilled in their work, and professionally credentialed. In such an environment, it is easy for Pastors to allow ministry to become overly professionalized and spiritually undernourished. A balance is needed between call and competency, between professionalism and character. Even the most highly trained Pastor must remain close to … [Read more…]
Look for a moment over the shoulders of the disciples as Jesus shows them how to be a Pastor. What do you see? Of course, a contemporary Pastor may never be able to give sight to the blind, raise someone like Lazarus from the dead, or heal someone like the crippled man who had been … [Read more…]
Everyone gains when a Pastor revitalizes his dreams. The Pastor gains. His family gains. His church gains. The community gains. Start by taking Jesus’ “everything” into your beat-up hopes. Dust off your unused opportunities with the life-giving words “All things are possible with God.” Then ask God to help you see your assignment as He … [Read more…]
Adequate spiritual self-care is a little-understood secret of a flourishing ministry. To adequately care for his own spiritual fitness, a Pastor must buck busy schedules, priority pressures, unreasonable expectations and secular values. It must be done. Like everyone else, Pastors should desire the best possible life: a Christ-directed living centered on our Lord’s teachings, energized … [Read more…]
Playing the Pastoral perfection game usually leads to a miserably shallow ministry. Without intending to do so, many Pastors create a fantasy of who they are, what their church can be, and how important they are to the congregation. As a result, they take up permanent residency in their mind on Main Street in Make … [Read more…]
Jesus, the Pastor. That title sounds strange when we hear it or say it for the first time, like an overstated stretch of the imagination. After more careful scrutiny, however, it seems clear that many expressions of Pastoral ministry started with Jesus; something He said, something He did, or something He challenged His disciples to … [Read more…]
This tricky task of identifying and correcting weakness pays off with self-understanding and professional growth. Such an effort blasts an inflated ego and helps a Pastor see ministry through the eyes of those who live life at the front lines of contemporary life. Without such self-understanding it is incredibly easy for an ego-driven Pastor to … [Read more…]
Think of the possibilities. Preaching exposes you to the great truths of scripture and gives you the opportunity to be shaped by what you discover even as you preach it to others. Pastoral care gives you the opportunity to see God coming alongside of people in crises and helps you believe God will care for … [Read more…]
Efficient delegation is an important element of contemporary ministry; hands-on ministry is decreasing. Without question, a congregation is healthier spiritually when a Pastor shares ministry with church members. This useful trend means that empowering the laity increases their spiritual development, and more work gets done. However, all ministry cannot be delegated to others. No Pastor … [Read more…]