Shortly after his ordination, a home visit unexpectedly throws a new pastor in the deep end.
ministry
What two drastically different messages from parishioners taught me
Shaping a place where people can become more like Christ
Scot McKnight looks to Paul to define the pastoral task.
How American hostility toward Muslims has shaped my pastoral vocation
How Sacred Stones Ministries is bringing new ministry models to birth
Congregations aren’t paradise. They’re communities in which we constantly hurt each other’s feelings.
When illness undoes us
Deanna Thompson's book about cancer takes us where we don't want to go but must.
How spiritual practices can foster creativity
The most useful essays in this new collection are the ones that tell stories from parish ministry.
What soldiers come home to
Can Christians display a life together that’s as compelling as war?
In a recent interview, someone asked me, “What did you write in Tribal Church that you regret? Is there anything that you would change?” The question reminded me of the fact that we’re always predicting and observing things that may not prove to be true a few years later. Here are three myths that I often hear about ministry that I question.
Victims in collars
Lloyd Rediger's "clergy killer" premise is, in some senses, indisputable. Yet put so baldly, the kvetch seems odd.
"I feel like a Hospice nurse," I sighed as I set down my bags. I had so many funerals in my small congregation that I had little time for anything other than caring for the dying.
I get jealous. I try not to, but I hope that I’ve also begun to recognize and constructively use the emotion. Here are some dos and don’ts that I practice to make sure that the little green monster doesn’t take over my life.
Church leaders are already strapped with not enough hours in the day. And now we’re supposed to be engaging in social media too? How do we manage it all?