'pastors' Tagged Posts

'pastors' Tagged Posts

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…