This month, I celebrated 43 years in full-time ministry. It’s hard to believe I’ve been at this work that long—maybe because most of the years have been great joys. Here are some things I would do differently, though,
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Last month, my church hosted an event called “Together for the Nations” put on by the International Mission Board (IMB). The purpose of this event was to introduce churches to the work of the IMB and encourage them to consider ways to join these mission efforts around the world. Several topics were addressed at this event, but the one from which I gleaned the most was about mobilizing God’s people for mission work.
Adobe Stock Photo. Do not publish.
I want church leaders to think about times when church really is fun – and to long for that to happen in their own congregations.
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I’m not what you would consider a man of the outdoors, but I did my fair share of fishing during my teen years.
The 20th century political anarchist Edward Abbey loved the desert and once observed, “What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.” Abbey was not the only person who discovered intimacy in the solitude of the desert. The same could be said for some of the most influential people of prayer mentioned in Scripture. God originally created man in a garden, but He frequently recreates them in a desert.
I have tried really hard to like golf, but I prefer hobbies that do not tempt me to say or do things I will regret later. One thing I do like about golf is the mulligan—a do-over stroke that doesn’t count. They make those terrible shots disappear into thin air.
For many pastors, it’s difficult to not take it personally when people leave their church. But according to a recent Lifeway Research study, most churchgoers aren’t leaving a church because they have a personal complaint against the pastor. During the research screening process, it was determined only 53% of U.S. regular churchgoers say they have attended more than one church as an adult. Among these, most say their church change was impacted by a residential move (60%). Still, 40% of church changes were driven by something other than a residential move.
Whether you fast one day, one week, one month, or longer, the goal of fasting is to disconnect from worldly distractions and prayerfully seek God. During your fast, indulge deeply in the reading of Scripture and longer seasons of private prayer. In addition, any opportunity to join with other believers in heartfelt praise, worship, and singing to the Lord will strengthen you spiritually.
If my life could be marked by copies of Scripture, it would look something like this:
Have you ever noticed that when you watch a movie or television show and a nightclub is part of the scene, there seems to be two different types of security strategies?
As a pastor, I always looked forward to Vacation Bible School. It was a great opportunity to interact with the children and adults in our church, reach families in our community, and share the Gospel. It was one of my favorite weeks of the year! That being said, there are some good reasons not to do Vacation Bible School. Here are just a few:
Think of a man named Sam, who has benefited from seven years of Bible preaching. When he first came to church, he was a mess. Now he is an entirely different person. You have seen complete transformation in his life. This kind of life change is every preacher’s goal. Sam tells others about Jesus, votes his values, and labors in the community to push back darkness. And he does these mighty works in the name of Jesus.
The baseball legend Yogi Berra offered humorous and seemingly contradictory advice when he said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” All of us come to proverbial “forks in the road” when the choices we should make or the directions we should take are not immediately obvious.
I have been in pastoral ministry for more than 30 years and have seen many ministers burn out, quit when they shouldn’t or even disqualify themselves because they never learned how to deal with the inevitable stress that comes with ministry. Serving the local church, or any type of ministry, can become a grind if you don’t adopt some strategies to deal with stress.
