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…
Unwrapping the church
By Amy Butler Let’s be honest: at the start of my pastorate I had no idea what I was doing. Combined with my glaring inexperience, that first year of pastoral ministry also carried a heavy weight of congregational expectation: “Finally…
The worst new church member speech ever
By Amy Butler Once during a new member class, I started making the chair of deacons nervous. She pulled me aside and said: “Pastor, don’t you think you should tone it down a little? I mean, it’s good to explain…
Government shutdown comes to church
By Amy Butler Little did I know last year when I planned this month’s sermon series on the cost of prophecy — the story of Jeremiah — that we’d be living at such an intersection of despair and hope. But…
Church in the checkout line
By Amy Butler As the median age in my home is currently 16, I was the only one awake last Saturday morning at 7:00. I decided to make the most of the time and go grocery shopping. Grocery shopping at…
The shocking un-truth about church budgets
By Amy Butler This is, hands down, the least favorite time of year for pastors everywhere: church budget planning season. Nobody likes budget planning, from the tedious work it entails to the way in which money necessarily informs the work…
Singing for community
By Amy Butler My city must be one of the easiest cities in which to meet people. With all the power that gets thrown around here, networking events and happy hours are a regular part of life in this town….
On-the-job training
By Amy Butler Every minister knows there could be massive tomes written on the topic, “Things I Never Learned in Seminary.” This is not because seminary faculties try to trick us by leaving some of the essentials out of the…
On-the-job training
By Amy Butler Every minister knows there could be massive tomes written on the topic, “Things I Never Learned in Seminary.” This is not because seminary faculties try to trick us by leaving some of the essentials out of the…