In a recent article in The Christian Century, Phyllis Tickle recounted what many of us have believed over the years: “The old saw is that after they married and had children, people would come back to organized faith. It is…
The hardest job in the world
A pastor has one of the hardest jobs in the world. When I was a pastor, I was not willing to say that sentence. It seemed self-serving and whiny. I heard other people say how hard a pastor’s work is,…
Don’t suck
By Amy Butler Asked recently if I had any advice for young women considering pastoral ministry, I responded with an answer that perfectly illustrates why I should never speak without a manuscript: “Don’t suck.” What I meant to say, of…
Worship style surprises
“If we put up screens in worship, I’m quitting Wilshire!” Guess the age of the person who said this at a recent gathering at our church. If you surmised this must be the stubborn opposition of an older adult, you…
Silencing women unintentionally
There is a thin line between defending women in ministry and objectifying women in ministry. Women have a long history of objectification, that unfortunately isn’t history. There are some days when I come home and I think through the day…
Buyer’s remorse for pastor search committees
Members of pastor search committees often experience buyer’s remorse. Buyer’s remorse is when a person or a family has made a large purchase, a house or a car, for example, and then they begin to second-guess their decision. Regret sets…
Congregations need sabbatical and jubilee
Congregations need a hopeful learning season that will help them see the same things they have seen for many years in a different way. This gives them insight into what it will take to continually transform congregational life. Likely this…
They want their next pastor to do what?
Beyond the ability to be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, what else do congregations want from their next senior or solo pastor? At the request…
Does your pastor need a doctorate?
I just heard a story about another medium-sized church in a small town where a personnel committee desired above all that their next pastor have the title “Dr.” in front of his name. And I found myself thinking, “How uneducated.”…