“You should go on sabbatical more often,” said Marijane on her way out of church last Sunday. She noticed what others had too. I was preaching with more energy, like back when I was first called to Northside six years…
Dear Pastor Search Committee
Dear Pastor Search Committee, I appreciate the time and effort you are devoting to this process. Your church has entrusted you with an exciting and daunting task, to find your next pastor. Most churches will only host a few pastor…
Your idea of goodness may not be kindness
Many years ago, two deacons from a church I served as pastor asked if they could take me to lunch. Was this an act of kindness? An act of thanks for my hard work? There’s always a reason for lunch….
It wasn’t your imagination: New study proves divisions created in churches by COVID
A new study exposes the stress and pain clergy endured during the COVID-19 pandemic as divisions over public health restrictions transformed many churches into culture-war battlefields. “Polarization decreased the middle ground, diminished trust in pastoral decision-making and created a general…
Searching for Grace: First Sunday
This is the second of a five-part fictional story set in the early 1990s about Paul Graham and his congregation, Grace United Church of Christ. In Part 1, Paul made the difficult but necessary decision to leave the Southern Baptist…
How does a pastor survive a 59% vote of confidence?
Life moved on, and somehow I missed that two weeks ago the deacons of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., finally took a vote of confidence in Pastor Steven Smith. According to published reports, 59% of those voting supported…
Memoirs: To write or not to write
I wonder why some people write memoirs and some do not. Recently I have been considering the possibility of writing a memoir. You are likely thinking, “Why would he even consider writing a memoir?” That is a fair question. As…
How to find your way home: Confessions of a workaholic
My wife clocked out of her state job for the last time recently. She is now officially retired. It’s good timing, as she’s needed to help her mother care for her father, who is in hospice care. Recently, my wife…
The 1 percent church
Last week, I shared my story about serving as a megachurch pastor. This week, I’d like to tell you about my experience leading a small-membership rural church. The two pastorates could not be more different. Most of my 40-year ministerial…