After Easter worship several years ago, I spoke briefly with a pastor standing alone near the back of the sanctuary while the congregation drifted toward fellowship hour. Children were running through the hallways. People were laughing, hugging and talking about…
Here’s what I hear when you say you’re a ‘purple’ church
A fair number of churches these days are proud of being called “purple” churches, meaning they welcome and celebrate both Republicans and Democrats among their members. That may have been fine in 1990 but means something entirely different today. Now,…
Nothing’s fine: The truth your pastor won’t tell you
How long does it take to tell a lie? The same amount of time it takes to tell the truth. Is there really a difference if you tell it right? If you smile, wave or nod with assurance? If you…
Whiny ministers becoming tour guides
Alchemists, lamplighters, town criers, pinsetters, phrenologists, travel agents, switchboard operators and video store clerks have given up on finding their jobs listed in the classifieds. Some jobs disappear, but most jobs just change. Journalists have to learn to manipulate social…
Letter to my mother, my pastor
Dear Momma, Every March the church pauses to name Baptist Women in Ministry Month. Churches host panels, women write articles, women fill pulpits and deliver sermons about the long road women have walked just to stand behind a pulpit as…
An appeal to the laity
I appreciate Braxton Wade’s BNG piece, “When the Church Confuses Vocation with Calling” and his challenge for churches to open themselves to the Spirit’s unveiling of a pastor who comes clothed in skin or gender not usually recognized as conveying…
Understanding therapeutic support for pastors and church leaders
Pastoral ministry is not confined to a schedule or a single day of the week; it is carried quietly and consistently across the rhythms of everyday life. It shows up in phone calls answered late at night, hospital rooms entered…
We have not been called to be evangelical assimilators
For 21 years of my professional life, I spent my time trying to assimilate into the white evangelical church. As I look back at all those years, I can remember not being enough. I was just enough to get hired…
When the church confuses vocation with calling
Across several denominations, pastors are leaving congregations at accelerated rates, citing burnout, conflict and misalignment between their sense of calling and the realities of congregational life. Much of that conversation has focused on workload, compensation and leadership fatigue — all…
What your pastor says this Sunday matters very much
I’m not usually one to say, “If your pastor doesn’t say X about Y this Sunday, then you should leave your church.” I usually encourage talking with your pastor, helping your pastor and fellow layfolks see the perspective you’re bringing…
AI is coming for your pastor and your trust
In this new year, an unexpected presence will slip into many church sanctuaries, quietly and almost politely: A line in the sermon that began as a chatbot prompt. A prayer drafted by an AI tool because the volunteer who normally…
12 things a pastor should not say Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is one of my favorite services of the year. As a pastor, I’ve had a few more verbal gaffes than I care to admit. It’s a busy season for everyone, including church staff. For some, in addition to…