When someone is considering stepping up into spiritual leadership at our church we have them read three books. These books are required for interns considering ministry or ordination and for those becoming elders. If you’re thinking about ministry as a vocation then I would strongly encourage you to read each one. Ideally read them with someone in ministry to hone your sense of call and your understanding of the vocation of ministry. A Book For The Pastor’s Soul Under the... Read more
Long-term ministries have great potential for churches and pastors. I’m passionate about them and want to help pastors stay in it to win it, but every long-term ministry starts as a short-term ministry. The old guy was once the new guy! Charles Spurgeon said, “Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.” I think this is good advice! My original plan for BGCC was 5... Read more
“God has a specific will for my life” is a teaching that has wreaked havoc on countless Christians! It has left believers paralyzed, afraid to make a single decision without a divine sign from heaven. It has led others to quit after failing in what they thought was God’s will. It has even led some to walk away from a God who they think led them down a path to heartache, bankruptcy, and brokenness. More Isn’t Better When these broken... Read more
Pastors who have long tenures generally have good friendships with other clergy members in their community. Lifeway Research found this as one of their top ten traits of a healthy long-term pastor. If you’re in ministry then you know it can be a lonely place! You know you need other pastor friends, whether you have them or not. I’ve got a great church and amazing leaders, but there is something unique about the pastoral role. You get paid to do... Read more
If you think you know what you’re talking about, then there’s a good chance you don’t. Cornell University psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger devised a series of tests to assess individuals skills and knowledge. They then asked the participants to rank themselves on how they thought they performed. Those who scored in the bottom 25% of these tests ranked themselves as scoring around 62%. In other words, those who knew the least thought they knew the most. You can read... Read more
We are being sorted into silos – thought silos. In the past your entire community read one or two newspapers and heard the same stories. They watched the same few broadcast channels and got the same news. Today we all have our own news feeds customized by algorithms to what engages us most. (Watch The Social Dilemma for an eye-opening peek behind the digital sorter that is grouping us without our knowledge.) We See What We Want To See If... Read more
Why should we talk about hot button issues? Didn’t Jesus just preach the gospel? He preached that the kingdom of God was at hand (Matthew 4:17). He warned how his kingdom would upset the powers at work (Luke 19:23-30)! He called Herod a fox (an insult in Luke 13:32), the Pharisees snakes (Matthew 12:32), he told Pilate he only had borrowed power (John 19:11). He pronounced woe on the wealthy (Luke 6:24). He declared the temple was an empty shell... Read more
St. Benedict is considered the father of monasticism in the west and his rule for life is still used in monastic communities today – 1,500 years after he wrote it! There are three primary rules Benedictine communities hold tightly. One is the vow of conversion (or fidelity) to the monastic way of life, which doesn’t apply to those outside the cloister. The other two are quite fitting for all in ministry today. These two rules are the vows of obedience... Read more
It breaks my heart when I see other pastor’s kids grow up resenting the church. In some of these situations I’ve had a front row seat and have learned some lessons from these failures. I’ve also seen the mantle of ministry passed down from one generation to the next and have learned lessons from these successes. Jenny and I want our children to love the church as much as we do when they grow up. This one goal has guided... Read more
Long-term ministers make friends with other pastors in their area. I was told this is a statistically common trait of clergy with longevity, but I had already discovered my need for this type of friendship. Local ministry friends have been a great encouragement to me. I’m now on my second generation of friends as I’ve been here long enough to see churches have 2 or 3 pastors rotate in and out. Some of these pastors have to leave because their... Read more
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