Faithfulness is Still the Goal
For years, I have heard other pastors, seminary professors, and popular conference speakers encourage pastors to pursue ministry faithfulness over “success.” This encouragement is needed because of the dangers of chasing arbitrary successes over trusting that our faithfulness is enough.
Escaping the Burden of Pastoral Work
Pastor, do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Do you toss and turn at night, restless over lagging attendance, non-existent baptisms, and deficient offerings? Do you stress and worry, half-present at the family dinner table because your mind is still at the office or the last deacon meeting?
The Pastor and Social Media
Social media is one of the greatest blessings of our time. It serves as a marketplace of ideas that allows a platform for Gospel advancement. But if we’re honest, social media can also be a platform that brings out the absolute worst in people. Such is the world we live in. And as pastors, such is the world we minister in.
3 Ways Your ‘Church Hurt’ Isn’t Being Wasted
A few days ago, I read a story about the baptism of King Aengus by Saint Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. I’m not a history buff, so I couldn’t tell you a thing about King Aengus, though it did make me hungry for a steak. I know a little more about Saint Patrick, but this article won’t be a history lesson about either one of these men.
Learning to Embrace our Weakness
Several years ago, I was going through a particularly painful season of ministry. Everything came to a head one Sunday morning. As soon as I finished preaching, I walked into a side room beside the stage, and I sat in the dark for twenty minutes. While sitting there, a few thoughts began to run through my mind.
The Pastor and Exercise
As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming an exercise scientist and nutritionist. When I was nineteen, I had one year of college under my belt and was on my way to earning a couple of degrees in these fields with hopes of one day opening my own practice to help others build healthy bodies.
Pastor, Your Church Needs You to Take a Vacation
There are two types of sleep: BC and AD. Before Children and After Death. God does not take naps, but you might need one. Far too many pastors do not get a proper cycle of rest. In the fourth commandment, God set up a pattern of work and rest. This pattern goes back to the creation account in which God rested on the seventh day.
Battling Anxiety and Depression in Pastoral Ministry (Part 2)
Some of the greatest heroes of the faith battled anxiety and depression. Paul once said he was so burdened beyond his strength that he despaired of life itself, feeling he had received the sentence of death (2 Corinthians 1:8-9a). Likewise, David once prayed, “I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me” (Psalm 69:2).
Battling Anxiety and Depression in Pastoral Ministry (Part 1)
I have been in pastoral ministry for nearly ten years. This ministry has its highs and lows. In the highs, we are tempted toward anxiety. In the lows, we are lured toward depression.
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