Ouch! The question itself raises a variety of emotions; and not all good ones. I posted this question on Facebook to see what responses I would receive. The origin of this question was somewhat different than how it was posed….
Bivocational ministry is a thing of great beauty
Jack was the bivocational pastor of the church I attended in Pennsylvania when that church licensed me to ministry as a step towards my ordination. Dale was the bivocational national leader for bivocational ministries among Baptists. Glenn was the bivocational…
The hidden cost to teens of adult mistakes
In the last 3 days I have had conversations about 5 different instances where a youth minister or key volunteer made a poor choice and it cost them their jobs, and consequently, their relationships with most of the teens with…
Why I am so passionate about starting new congregations
Note: In a recent post I talked about the role of women in ministry regarding church planting. In this new post, I focus on my personal passion for starting new congregations that is foundational to urging a generation of women…
Let’s play: morph your church into a museum
The long-range goal of many congregations is to turn their church into a museum. It is not intentional. It is unintentional. It is just that actions taken year after year migrates them away from thriving as a missional movement to…
Absolutely there is life after burnout for pastors
Would you be willing to tell your story of Christian ministry after burnout as a pastor or staff minister? Recently I wrote a post entitled Is There Life After Burnout for Pastors? According to the number of hits this story…
Megachurch trends we small churches must face
The appeal of the megachurch is undeniable: big building, large worship setting, youth and children’s programs, and a semi-celebrity pastor. Yet many smaller churches have not learned from their large counter parts. There are some things megachurches are doing well…
Experiencing koinonia — cross culturally
This could probably be two posts in the least, maybe three. But I will limit it. You see, I have experienced “koinonia.” I realize that is a thoroughly “religious” word. I realize it doesn’t mean much to many people outside…
What if a generation of women in ministry planted new congregations?
It is hard to believe it has been more than 35 years since I was ready to leave seminary in Louisville, KY for what I thought would be my first full-time church pastorate. Although I had grown up in Baltimore…