Last week I wrote about “new pastor revivals,” those wonderful seasons of new enthusiasm and excitement that follow the installation of a new parson in an old parsonage. I mentioned that while it’s not usually a “revival” in the historic sense of a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit among a group of Christians, it’s […]
A Great Opportunity For Older Pastors
Many pastors in their fifties and sixties are facing a similar scenario: They sense that they are nearing the end of their current pastorates and they are highly uncertain regarding the future. They know that most congregations don’t want pastors who are over sixty, and, in fact, many don’t want pastors who are over fifty. […]
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 pursuing our one God-given mission of making disciples. For a denomination, majoring on the majors probably means helping its churches to be what I just […]
Models of Board Member Ministry – Brian’s Notes
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, […]
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 help you. Studying Brian Croft’s, Biblical Church Revitalization (Solutions For Dying And Divided Churches), will likely help you greatly. I’m going to give you some […]
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 her pew, the Right Reverend begins his sermon by thundering that “DEATH COMES UNEXPECTEDLY!” As the story unfolds, the amazing Pollyanna manages to transform some […]
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 joy? Really? I thought they were the most joyful people on earth.” And maybe we should be. But – for the most part – we’re […]
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 many solo or senior pastors to be consistently – or even mostly – joyful. You might call this a “dirty little secret” of pastoral life. […]
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 life. This, of course, becomes one more hindrance to their joy as they feel ashamed by their lack of it and hypocritical for expecting it […]
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 “mastered” (sort of) over time. The last thing I want to imply is that the pastor’s joy challenge is a result of his own neglect, […]
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 they’re not miserable, it’s because they’re already practicing some or much of what I’m sharing here (it isn’t new). “Can’t you think of anything else […]
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Seven: Taking Charge Of Your Heart
I have to tell you about a sub-theme, running through an otherwise excellent book, which dampened my own joy as I turned the pages. The former pastor-author stated a few times that he worked so hard, with such passion, at loving and leading his people, because he believed that God was going to hold him […]
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Eight: Diving Deep Into Jesus’ Joy
I strongly believe in every suggestion I’ve shared in this series of eight posts on the subject of the pastor’s joy. Every one of them has been helpful to me and I imagine that none of them have been original with me for, “If it’s true it’s not new and if it’s new it’s not […]
The Pastor’s Joy Challenge – Part Nine: Rapid-Fire Suggestions That Might Change Your Life
Sometimes it’s the short quip, quote or piece of advice that changes your life. I can think of a number of them which have blessed me beyond words. Here are a few samples: Chuck Swindoll’s wonderful list of things he’d learned that he couldn’t control. It was one of the most relaxingthings I ever read. […]
The Problem Of Being Too “Nice”
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:15 It doesn’t seem like it should be a problem to be too “nice.” I mean, nice is, well, nice, isn’t it? Not always, no. Having been raised […]
Beyond The Boardroom: Other Ways In Which We’re Too Nice In Church
My parents wanted me to be nice in church. My mother taught Sunday School for many years and for one of those years she was stuck with me as a student and I was stuck with her as a teacher. We fully agreed that she didn’t think I was a nice student and I didn’t […]
Five More Ways We’re Too “Nice” In Church
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:15 I won’t continue this series of posts forever. I don’t want to be responsible for any church completely forsaking “niceness.” In fact, I’m really big on the […]
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