Pastoral
Pastor’s (sad) humor
The pastor said to Mr. Smith, one of his long-time parishioners, “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for attending our church. I wish I had twenty parishioners like you.” “Gosh, it’s nice to hear that, Pastor, but I’m kind of surprised,” admitted Smith. “You know that I complain about every sermon and hardly ever give any money.” […]
Clergy Burnout
Taking a Break From the Lord’s Work By PAUL VITELLO Published: August 1, 2010 The findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants […]
Gay clergy?
Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church, written by Jack Rogers, a Presbyterian pastor and former PCUSA moderator, who has been quoted as saying he agrees with the conservatives in his denomination on nearly everything except this issue. by Rev. Peter M. Wallace Posted: July 20, 2010 Gay Clergy: God’s Spirit at Work? My friend […]
ABOUT CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
Leadership is about: . Presence not power . Stature not status . Character not charm An effective leader is one who is more concerned about: . Relationships than outcomes . Patience than progress . Grace than guilt Inspiring leadership requires: . Internal security . A freedom from having to prove anything to anybody . An […]
TRUSTING OR DRIVEN: IT’S A TOUGH CALL!
Pastoral leadership is becoming more difficult by the day. To receive a call from God to be a sheep dog for His flock – or at least a small part of it- is one thing; to fulfil that role half well is another. The sheer weight of the task is often deeply burdensome; the inherent […]
LAZY LEADERSHIP?
Effective pastoral leadership can be demonstrated in as many ways as there are pastors who respond to the divine call to serve a congregation. But there is one -congregational perception which is extremely hard to put to rest without a great deal of hard work on the part of the pastor: it is the suspicion […]
PASTORAL CARE AND PRAYER – A VITAL INTERSECTION
Too often we see the parts of ministry rather than the whole. There’s a big difference between the assembly line putting the whole car together and the spare parts shop where you can buy single items. You can drive the car but a wheel bearing on its own won’t get you far. The spare parts […]
Pastors: Is It Time To Back Off?
How many of your great ideas have crashed and burned lately? Have any ministry wheels fallen off at high speed? What do you do with the disappointment, or the frustration, or the anxiety which accrues at a marvellous rate of knots when things don’t quite work out as you planned? Mind you, any pastor who […]
COUNTRY CLUB TO MISSION BASE: THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF THE PASTOR
Whichever way we look at it, all the talk about church growth is not being matched by actual on the ground growth in many places. It’s a paradox really. Never have there been so many books, tapes, videos and conferences all focussing energetically on the most effective ways to grow the church. This is the […]
KEEPING THOSE CONFIDENCES
From time to time difficult moments arise for pastors because they know too much rather than too little. The trusted pastor will be the listener to many conversations where personal secrets, disappointments, failures and traumas are shared by the needy, the lonely and hurting. These confidences are often unveiled as part of a desperate search […]
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