Perhaps it’s been long enough now — long enough for many of us to begin moving forward after the surprising presidential election results. What’s your spiritual process been so far? Those serving as pastors had to be ready to preach…
Why I want to run from children’s ministry but am still called to serve
I taught my first children’s Sunday school class at the age of 16. I was responsible for teaching all children under the age of 12 for the summer. I was given no curriculum or direction. However, I felt called to…
Calling Donald Trump a ‘good businessman’ illustrates the problem of bowing down to ‘business’
Driving down the road last week, I (Mark) heard a radio journalist interview Hispanic immigrant voters (legal ones, for all you who worry about this) about how they’ll vote in this fall’s presidential election. One made the case that he…
What your pastor can’t tell you but really wants you to know
Your pastor wants you to know, but just can’t tell you. Your pastor knows too much transparency can be vocationally dangerous, depending on the level of honesty allowed in your church. At the same time, if you knew these things,…
We are all interims eventually
Last December my wife, Lori, and I officially joined Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill, S.C., after attending worship for several months. I particularly was grateful for the music and worship leadership of a new colleague (and now friend), Suzanne…
The church faces a three-dimensional decision
Three cultural-biblical issues intertwine today to hold the Christian church in knots of conflict. Part of that conflict concerns whether the three cords are cut from the same cloth or not. These strands are race, gender and sexuality. From a…
It wasn’t your imagination: New study proves divisions created in churches by COVID
A new study exposes the stress and pain clergy endured during the COVID-19 pandemic as divisions over public health restrictions transformed many churches into culture-war battlefields. “Polarization decreased the middle ground, diminished trust in pastoral decision-making and created a general…
How does a pastor survive a 59% vote of confidence?
Life moved on, and somehow I missed that two weeks ago the deacons of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., finally took a vote of confidence in Pastor Steven Smith. According to published reports, 59% of those voting supported…
Watermelon seeds and lessons in church growth
Growing up in Texas, summers were hot and unbearable. But there was one soul-refreshing snack my family enjoyed on hot Texas summer days — refrigerated watermelon. It was almost a revival experience we indulged in to beat the heat. Ironically,…