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…
When activists need to be silent
To everything there is a season, Ecclesiastes says, including a time to be silent and a time to speak. That’s sage advice in our present moment, as recent conversations with two friends illustrate. I’m one of the lucky ones who…
How the church broke my calling
Editor’s note: In rare cases, BNG will publish opinion pieces and withhold the identity of the author. This is one such case, for reasons that will become obvious to anyone reading what follows. The author is a real person, a…
A call to servant leadership in a nation that has forgotten its people
A historic government shutdown is taking a toll on Americans in a myriad of ways. Perhaps among the cruelest is the federal government’s refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP, which more than 42 million Americans…
How I found hope for today in a coffee shop
I had just left my corporate job — no backup plan, no security blanket, no savings plan that made sense on paper. Just a tug in my spirit I couldn’t ignore any longer. I was tired of running from God’s…
ICE, Gaza and the threat of stupid Jesus
“They killed the boy.” That was the explanation a Bible professor once gave me for why Jesus wasn’t a good model of leadership. The Christian scholar had been describing how, many years before, a subordinate had proposed holding a pastor’s…
Processing a sabbatical reveals life as a mosaic, not a puzzle
It’s been months since my sabbatical ended, and I am still processing. Because of holidays, inclement weather and other hiccups, I didn’t give my official sabbatical report to our church for quite a while. The extra time to process was…
Are you liberal or conservative?
These two words may be the most politically charged words in the English language. One of the problems is we have let politics, instead of the dictionary, define these words. The primary way to communicate is by the use of…
What advice would my grandfather give a pastor today?
My grandfather Stigall was a walking quote. A man who, by intention or by divine gift, could lay down a zinger with little effort. His thoughts and expressions came out in eruptions. Held in for as long as he could,…
Pastoral workaholism: The struggle is real
Let me give pastors some advice: Run away as fast as possible from anyone trying to convince you that burning out or upholding unhealthy expectations (your own or from others) is a rite of passage. It is not. I agree…