'pastor' Tagged Posts
How to Survive Enduring Uncertainty and Transition
Rashad Clemons was in the middle of a major transition when the pandemic struck. He’d recently moved back to the east coast with his family to become the new pastor of Reality Church Boston. The plan was to do a one-year handoff, in which he would be the pastor-in-residence and slowly receive responsibilities and leadership as the planting-pastor transitioned out. When the pandemic hit in the middle of this year, the plan had to change. Rashad remembers that he and…
Pastor Jonathan Romig Pastoral Transition Announcement – 3/27/22 Church Service
Pastor Jonathan Romig shares some big transition news with the church family and Andy Bradshaw shares our plan for going forward.
Can Whole-Life Discipleship Prevent Pastoral Burnout?
In a time when he was struggling personally, someone came up to Drew Thurman after his sermon and said, “I just wish I had your faith.” He says, “I was dying inside, but they equated the fact that I was on a platform, with theological training, presenting the Word in a way that stirred them with a certain spiritual status.” It became a paradigm he knew he had to shake, but not only because he wanted to embrace a vision…
“God Is Here”: How to Provide Pastoral Encouragement for the Frontlines (Alison Gerber)
Each Sunday, Alison Gerber remembers that many people are coming to her church extremely tired. It’s one of the challenges of life on the frontline in her New England context, where productivity is put on a pedestal. It’s also a reality that points to the need for encouragement from the church community for everyday faithfulness. With this in mind, one of the ways that she encourages her congregation for their everyday Kingdom work is an awareness of people’s time. “I…
The Problem with Elevating Pastoral Ministry Above Other Ministries – “What Ministry Might That Be?”
Several years ago I was sitting in the pew on Sunday morning at historic All Souls Church in central London listening to John Stott preach. To illustrate a point, he recounted a conversation with a friend of his. Apparently John’s friend had shared with him some news about a mutual acquaintance, explaining that this person had recently gone into “the ministry.” John then replied, “What ministry might that be?” John’s friend was confused by the question, particularly from such an…
The Book of Pastoral Rule by Gregory the Great Overview/Review
Pope Gregory the 1st (540-604 AD), also known as Gregory the Great, wrote a book on vocational ministry called The Book of Pastoral Rule. A fellow Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min) student and myself created the following overview as a handout for our class. We hope you will find it helpful as you study his guide for yourself. I personally read this Kindle edition for this assignment (see quotes below). I hear there are other versions with simpler English. I’ve attached…