Recently, I participated in a wonderful gathering of diverse ministers and laypersons who were called together to discuss economic challenges facing future ministers. The conversation was both broad and deep, for each person brought unique experience and perspective to the…
Bivocational ministry is a thing of great beauty
You can call it bivocational ministry, two or dual career ministry, tentmaking, conjoint ministry, multi-focused ministry, or something else. Yet, when referring to the commitment of a majority of people in Christian ministry one or more of these titles fit….
Bad information for a young pastor
Higher Calling, Lower Wages: The Vanishing of the Middle-Class Clergy
As full-time pastors become a thing of the past, more and more seminary grads are taking on secular jobs to supplement their incomes. Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways Subscribe…
Beware the calling
– Reflections from a spouse for ministers who support their communities during a season of funerals and tragedies Clergy, beware the calling and tread carefully before you enter into its wake. Beware the calling for it is disguised in nobility,…
20 confessions of a minister’s wife
Being married to a minister was not something I had on my to-do list. I just happened to fall in love with a guy who also carried the title, “Reverend.” According to my mother, I used to kiss the TV…
Are you really as progressive a Christian as your congregation?
Progressive Christian congregations I encounter are very proud of being progressive. Almost too proud. They are glad they are not like other congregations who are less liberated. They almost sound Pharisaical. When I have a strategic leadership coaching relationship with…
How to bring dignity to firing church staff
Firing staff is never a pleasant experience. No one (except maybe Donald Trump on television) looks forward to telling a person that they now have to find another job. Firing people in an organization or church is often met with…
One millennial’s response to the recent Pew Research findings
My name is Seth Vopat, I am a husband and father of two boys, who happens to work in ministry as well. At age 33, I belong to the millennial generation which continues to make headline news. I continue to…
A rare, sacred and necessary gift
By Jason Edwards A few Christmases ago while celebrating with family in my childhood home, I got the distinct feeling that I had entered sacred space. To some extent, I almost always feel like that on these visits. Usually it…
Do churches allow space for us to interact with God?
There is no lack of information in a Christian land; something else is lacking, and this is something which the one man cannot directly communicate to the other. Soren Kierkegaard Our job as pastors is to create space for people…
How pastors should act during election season
Recently a certain candidate for the office of president announced her campaign and plans to attain our nation’s highest office. Immediately after her announcement via social media there was a flurry of responses and reactions. Naturally, being a minister, I…