The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Six: Obsessed With Joy
I can just hear the questions: “Six posts about joy and you’re not done yet?” No, I’m not, actually. “Are pastors really that miserable that they need all this?” If ...
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Five: Climbing Onward Toward Joy
I’m writing a series of posts about the pastor’s joy challenge; the fact that joy is anything but automatic for pastors: it is something to be sought after, cultivated and ...
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Four: Clawing Your Way To Joy
I’m writing a series of posts about pastors and joy because pastors struggle with experiencing the very joy which they constantly proclaim as being a blessed by-product of the Christian ...
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Three: The Place To Begin In The Pursuit Of Joy
Some of you know that I’m writing a series of posts on the pastor’s joy challenge. As surprising as it is to many good people, it’s actually very challenging for ...
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Two: 14 Reasons Why Pastoral Joy Is A Challenge
I realize that folks who haven’t served as vocational pastors of churches might be surprised by the titles (and the contents) of these posts I’m writing. “Pastors having trouble with ...
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part One: Why Your Joy Is So Important
The images are unforgettable: Let’s start with Karl Malden, playing the formidable Reverend Ford in the 1960 film, Pollyanna. As our 11-year old, innocent, orphaned, heroine1 cowers in terror in ...
Ten Ways An Interim Pastor Can Jumpstart The Revitalization Process
Before we can consider the role of the interim pastor in church revitalization, I think I would do well to clarify who these guys are that I’m talking about. Broadly ...
The Heart Of A Great Revitalizer
My post today is a book review, sort of, but please don’t change the channel too quickly. If you are part of a church which needs revitalization, this post will ...
When Majoring On The Majors Becomes A Major Problem
I’m a big believer in majoring on the majors. For a local church, majoring on the majors means loving God and people and faithful obedience to the Bible while we’re ...
The Pastors Who Should Pursue Church Revitalization In A Cohort
I’m just now (June, 2026) wrapping up a one-year revitalization cohort with four great pastors from three states. It has been a joy. I have learned a lot from these ...
Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church? (Conclusion)
I would guess that most pastors have believed, at one time or another, that they have been sentenced to serve as the pastor of a “bad church.” The problem is ...
Why Did A Good God Send Me To Pastor A Bad Church? (Part Three)
Back in the 1990’s, I attended the same big, wonderful pastor’s conference year after year. I often showed up at the conference in tough shape physically, for it was always ...
