Two weeks ago, in a post called, Models of Board Member Ministry, I wrote about the endless variations in expectations and assumptions among incoming board (council, consistory, session, elders, deacons) members. Working through my post – as a group exercise – can be a helpful way to movefrom board confusion, disunity and dysfunction to clarity, […]
Models of Board Member Ministry
Almost every church has some variety of leadership team which meets regularly (or occasionally) to make decisions and help and/or hinder the work of the congregation’s professional staff. These groups are variously called: the board, the elders, the deacons, the consistory, the session or the council. The degree of authority which they wield varies greatly. […]
Internships: An Old Practice Getting A New Look
I’m excited to see a growing interest in the practice of churches employing interns: recent college or seminary graduates – or even their own budding “home grown” church members – to short-term opportunities to serve and grow. In my childhood in a Lutheran church, we typically had an intern on staff: a young man, right […]
When The News Is Terrible
Back in 2022, I wrote some posts which touched on one of my favorite Old Testament prophets, the sensitive, justice-loving, heartsick, singer-songwriter (I think), Habakkuk. (He mentions his stringed instruments in chapter three, verse nineteen.) The writer of the fifth to the last book in our Old Testament was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and a […]
Crazy Love: The Family Affection God Is Looking For In Churches
There’s something a little crazy about family love. My wife Donna and I listen to podcasts about missing people. No matter how far apart the family members were living when the individual disappeared, no matter how many difficulties they had had in getting along during their formative years, no matter how many family challenges they […]
Seven Reasons To Not Publicly Criticize Your Pastor
Here’s something that never ceases to amaze me. Church members sit in their favorite spot in the worship service on Sunday morning. They pray, praise, sing, listen and, through the words of hymns, creeds, prayers and covenants, they commit themselves anew to following Jesus and loving the brethren. The service ends, there’s a ten-minute break, […]
Even More Of The Devil’s Plans For Your Church
“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” I Timothy 3:6,7 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]
Three More Of The Devil’s Plans For Your Church
“He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” I Timothy 3:6,7 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I […]
Three Of The Devil’s Plans For Your Church
“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” II Corinthians 2:10-11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take […]
Welcome Home! Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024, Part Two
I hope you like the “horror” genre, because I have an assimilation horror story for you: A pastor friend of mine was visiting a congregation which was joyfully celebrating the ordination of the young man who was about to become his associate pastor. During the service, the pastor announced that there would be a potluck […]
Welcome Home! Meeting The Assimilation Challenges of 2024
“People aren’t looking for a friendly church, they’re looking for friends in church.” Anonymous Most evangelical churches today sincerely desire to be friendly. Most evangelical churches today believe that they already are friendly. Most, in fact, believe that theirs is the “friendliest church in town,” and, of course, as a statistical reality, most have to […]
A Christmas Story
Christmas of 1978 was turning out to be a tough one. My dad had died suddenly in April. My wife Donna had been “found to be with child” in September; bad news at first, but we got over it quickly, suspecting, in fact, that Donna was “with” 2 children, not just one. As fall fell, […]
The Menu From The Pastor Café, Part Two
“You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you’ll find, you get what you need.” The Rolling Stones Last week I began describing a tool that I developed a number of years ago to help pastoral search committees come to grips with what I term, “pastoral humanity,” or “pastoral limitations.” No […]
The Menu From The Pastor Café
Note: A number of years ago I wrote the Parable of the Headhunter (republished on this blog on November 29, 2023) to help congregational pastor search committees to have realistic expectations as they look for their next solo or senior pastor. The response to the “…Headhunter” was good, but I found that many church members […]
Consider A New Year’s “Physical” For Your Church
Nobody likes getting a physical, but most of the adults I know get one every year anyway. We know that it’s the wise thing to do. Problems are spotted earlier, rather than later, and the healthy habits that some patient physicians take the time to teach us improve and even extend our lives. Churches can […]
The Secret Of Church Life Is Fruit-bearing
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains [abides] in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you […]
The Parable Of The Christmas Lutefisk
Author’s note: Lutefisk (loo– ta – fisk, literally, “lye fish”) is a version of codfish that involves soaking the fish in a lye solution, followed by baking. The end result is a piece of fish that is white, almost translucent, jelled, wiggly, has a strong flavor and an even stronger scent. Most people – including […]
The Year in Review of the Pastor’s Ministry
Brian’s note: My friend, Dr. Randy M. Keeley, creator of my favorite church health evaluation, the Ministry Mapping Survey, has created this great tool for the oftentimes difficult task of pastoral performance reviews. It looks like it should lead to some great, in-depth discussions. You’ll find Dr. Keeley’s bio at www.randywkeeley@weebly.com Dr. Keeley’s email address […]
Can A Church Have The Culture Of A Christian Camp?
The short answer is, no, I’m afraid it can’t. But let me explain. A few weeks ago I was privileged to speak on the subject of church culture. Preparing and presenting this material was just the kind of challenge I enjoy – but I wasn’t expecting that my presentation would have a surprise ending: As […]
Please, Ask For Help, Early
“There’s no cure for stupidity.” I don’t know who said it first, but a lot of people have said it since. There are even some takeoffs on the original observation: “There’s no vaccine for stupidity.” “Stupidity is terminal.” “You can’t fix stupid.” “Stupidity is the only universal, capital crime.” I think you get the idea. […]
Three Misunderstood Truths About Servant Leadership
One of the least understood concepts in the Christian world is that of “servant leadership.” While the term isn’t used in the Bible, the concept certainly is, and it’s very important. The context for the following passage was the “power play” by brothers James and John to secure the top spots in Jesus’ Kingdom cabinet. […]
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