No doubt Americans faced a bevy of mental health and relationship challenges before the COVID-19 pandemic. But the coronavirus, mounting political drama and escalating racial tensions have dragged the quality of well-being and relationships even lower for lay people and…
Rethink church staff evaluations during a pandemic
Many churches designate autumn as the best season to do staff evaluations. How is this important task even possible during a pandemic? I believe unprecedented times demand a different process. As a vocational minister for three churches over a period…
Atlanta church turns Fellowship Hall into COVID-safe learning center for children
It took Smoke Rise Baptist Church’s Rebecca Caswell-Speight less than two weeks to organize and open a space for more than two dozen public school children to participate in virtual learning while their parents are at work. Among other tasks,…
Drinking our way through the pandemic and out of temperance
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the ways in which Americans relate to alcohol, and it might be threatening the legacy of America’s temperance movement. A recent report from NPR noted that alcohol sales have increased dramatically since the start of…
Church leaders, please don’t waste your transition crisis
What would you say is the best gift a transitional pastor can give a congregation? Most traditional interim training programs land heavily on the idea that the primary task of a church in transition is dealing with grief. Thus, much…
‘Yes, and’: A response to stories of pastoral angst in the present moment
How many articles and blog posts have come across your computer screen recently describing the angst of pastoral leaders? It seems nearly every author, blogger, denominational minister, coach, consultant and anyone else who serves alongside pastors and church staff persons…
I’m a stay-at-home dad who’s learning the power of relationships
I’m a stay-at-home dad for five kids under the age of 10. One of the most common responses to my recent piece about how John MacArthur doesn’t love his neighbor has been people attacking me for being a stay-at-home dad. Who…
Summer youth ministry was definitely different but still happened
Summer usually is a high-water mark in youth ministries — a time of long hours but tremendous growth. Summer allows youth ministers to spend more time with students, going on lunch outings or to the movies, and traveling for hours…
Children’s minister has taken a long journey close to home
As the crow flies, Kasey Eller hasn’t wandered too far from her roots in Little Rock, Ark. “I actually teach at the same middle school I went to, so I haven’t gone very far,” she explained. But Eller, 39, has…