Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
There is a lot about the church that I get discouraged about and it would be normal to question why I would want to be a part of it. I have seen Christian leaders fall, not just into sin but into abuse. And not “slimy” leaders that you might suspect were up to no good, … Read More “2 Reasons I’m Still in the Church” »
Today is the last day of a month off that I have taken from my church. After a year and a half of pandemic ministry, this is something that I have needed. I believe that this time has done for me what I needed. It as time for me to regain my balance. The first … Read More “Good News: Going Back” »
In general, 2020 was a difficult year. It has affected many people’s physical health, mental health, financial stability and relationships. I would never want to downplay that. But I still think that 2020 was the best year for the Church. Without ignoring the difficulties of the year, here is why I think this: Many congregations … Read More “Why 2020 Was the Best Year For the Church” »
I recently did a Twitter poll concerning the openness of Christians toward people in committed same-sex relationships having full access to all levels of leadership in the church. Here are the results: I realize that the number of respondents severely limits the accuracy of the data. However, based on many of the conversations that I … Read More “The Biggest Challenge Currently Facing the Church” »
I’m in the process of working on some resources to help churches become more disability friendly. By that I mean more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities. But it should be asked why churches should even bother attempting to become disability friendly. It’s a lot of investment without a lot of obvious return (at … Read More “Why Should Your Church Be Disability Friendly?” »
A number of people have used nautical images for the Church. The starting point is usually that the Church is not a cruise ship, meaning it is not designed for the comfort of its passengers. The contrast is either with a battleship or a rescue ship, with the focus on action and making a difference. … Read More “What Kind of Ship is the Church?” »
I am hearing from a number of pastors who are very eager to reopen their churches. Some are already allowed and some whose governments are not allowing it are petitioning to be able to reopen as soon as possible. But I am not in a hurry to reopen my church. It is not that I … Read More “Why I Am Not in a Hurry to Reopen My Church” »
As I am writing this, there are many concerned about the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But if you read this in a year or two, there will likely be a different virus causing a panic. Check out this resource for how many disease outbreaks happen each year. How do we respond as a church? … Read More “Being the Church During a Disease Outbreak” »
Our kids are still figuring out where they are at with faith. We are happy to give them space to find out what they believe. My Good News is that not only were the three of them at church on Sunday, they were all involved. Emma handed out bulletins, Justus did the sound and Faith … Read More “Good News: Kids and Church” »
I have been a pastor for over twenty years. I enjoy it and I’m thankful that this is my career. However, there is a truth about being a pastor that I just can’t shake. When I look at the sanctuary on a Sunday morning and see more people than expected, I feel on top of … Read More “The Painful Truth About Being a Pastor” »
The past week I have visited the community that I grew up in. There are no high rises in this area of town. In fact the highest features are church steeples. Both times I was there, I looked around and could see church steeples rising above the other buildings, reminding the community of their presence. … Read More “What Are the New Steeples?” »
I have had people in my congregation make comments like, “This ministry was done thirty years ago and worked, filling the church, we should go back and do that.” The problem with that thinking is that both the community and the church have changed. Simply duplicating a past ministry or worship style or whatever will … Read More “How Should Churches Look at Past Ministry?” »
I recently mentioned that we had a great service at our church this past Sunday. One of the things that made it a good service was a family that was visiting. This family happened to have two children with autism. They gave me the heads up before the service, although I had already recognized the … Read More “The Sounds of Autism” »
Yesterday, we had a town hall meeting at our church. This was to look at, among other things, ways we do outreach and ways we welcome. Numerous topics came up and one of them was disabilities. Although I’m an advocate for people with disabilities, I wasn’t the one who brought it up. A lady in … Read More “What Churches Need to Know About People With Disabilities” »
I am committed to welcoming people with disabilities, both physical and developmental, into the church. But there is a danger that we romanticize what this looks like. Sure I can share some beautiful stories but that is not all that there is. I would like to speak specifically about those with developmental disabilities. I was … Read More “The Reality of Welcoming People With Developmental Disabilities” »
I am writing this on the last day of 2018. It is a natural point to look back on the year and reflect on what has happened over the last twelve months. Family This has been an eventful year for our family. After renting for the last couple of years, we once again began homeowners. … Read More “The Year in Review” »
I have had the role of a pastor, on and off, for over twenty years. It is an important part of my identity and I’m thankful to be able to serve in this way. As part of my reflections as I approach fifty, here are five things I have learned about being a pastor. Invest … Read More “Top Five Things I Have Learned As a Pastor” »
I had a number of options to talk about for my weekly Good News post. I could have did it on a Roger Hodgson concert I attended with a couple of my cousins. I could have done it on encouraging things happening at our church. But I decided to write on Good News that I … Read More “Good News: Logan at Church” »
During my time as a pastor, I have often encountered people who resist change. They are not the majority but they are a vocal minority. Why do people resist change? While there are people in churches who are nasty and who want to sabotage the efforts of leadership, I have not really encountered that. Even … Read More “3 Major Reasons People Resist Change” »
I have been doing some informal research into how many people with autism are in churches. I had a very interesting comment that I think reflects common thinking on autism. One pastor responded by saying, “We don’t have many children in our church.” The funny thing is that I never mentioned children in my question. … Read More “People With Autism Become Adults” »
When people find out that I’m interested in disabilities, I often get asked what we do at our church for disability ministry. Like myself, people are always look for ideas. So when I get asked what we do for disability ministry, this is what I tell them. Church. Yeah, that’s it. It is not because … Read More “What Our Church Does For Disability Ministry” »
This is not about when pastors mess up by having an affair, developing an addiction or being financially dishonest. I’m talking about the regular mistakes that pastors make on a regular basis. They are common mistakes, but when not dealt with properly, they can cause major problems. I messed up on Sunday at church. The … Read More “When Pastors Mess Up” »
There are many concerns about short-term missions trips. Some argue that they are more harm than good. Many of the concerns are quite valid. But I will argue that such experiences are good when done right. I understand the concerns. They include sending rich westerners to build something that takes away much needed work from … Read More “Should Churches Participate in Short-Term Mission Trips?” »
As a pastor, I try not to use the b-word. Which b-word? Busy. This is a change for me. Years ago, when people would ask how I was doing, I would always respond with “busy.” Then I heard some other pastors push back on the idea of talking about being busy. Why have I stopped … Read More “Pastors and the B-Word” »
In the church I grew up in, there were instructions in the bulletin about making noise in the sanctuary. It was expected that people would come to worship in silence, to prepare themselves and not disturb others. If you wanted to talk in the minutes leading up to the service, you were to go to … Read More “The Sound of Coming into Worship” »
How should churches respond to Mother’s Day in terms of the worship service? Some churches have a specific Mother’s Day sermon each year. Some give gifts to all the moms and really design the entire service around it. I have a few thoughts on this. First, I feel no pressure to preach a Mother’s Day … Read More “Churches and Mother’s Day” »
My Sundays usually follow a regular pattern. The morning is spent at church, likely followed by a nap and then an evening swimming with the kids. The only thing hat happened today was the nap. Here is southern Ontario we had an ice storm. Many of the churches in our area cancelled their services and … Read More “Good News: Not a Typical Sunday” »
One of the best ways to build a long lasting and effective ministry is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness. It is easy to focus on the things that are wrong or frustrating. Being thankful takes work and it doesn’t come about by accident. One of the things that I do is to blog weekly … Read More “31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Embrace Thankfulness” »
I’m told that Christian job sites have biggest spikes of pastor resumes on Mondays. That is, it is most likely on the day after a Sunday service that a pastor is looking for a new position. The reason for this is that pastors put too much emphasis on what takes place Sunday mornings. Of course … Read More “31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: No Major Decisions on Mondays” »
I have already talked about the importance for pastors to grow in their relationship with God in a previous post. Related to that but still distinct is the importance of worship. How are they different? When we seek to grow in our relationship with God, we are looking to receive something in terms of a … Read More “31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Take Time to Worship” »
I am not the best pastor in the world nor do I have all the answers. But I have been pastoring for over twenty years and have been able to serve in a variety of contexts. More than that, I’m still learning and know that I have a lot of room to grow. For the … Read More “31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Remember Your Call” »
My observation of churches is that there is an increase in awareness and compassion about autism. The media has really brought autism to the forefront and a variety of advocacy groups have promoted autism awareness. Many people in our churches are related to or at least know someone with autism. When a Family comes into … Read More “The Autism Opportunity Easily Missed by Churches” »
You may or may not know that I used to be the associate editor for Faith Today magazine. Although I have moved on to other endeavours, I’m still very excited about the magazine. I sometimes even get an article published in it myself. This month, I had an article published, titled “How to Become a … Read More “How to Become a Disability-Friendly Church” »
There was a time not long ago when it was trendy fir churches to develop vision/mission statements. We don’t hear as much about it now, perhaps because most churches have now adopted one and so it is less a topic of conversation. These statements are good but the danger is that it is officially adopted … Read More “A Challenge For Pastors in the New Year” »
There is a trend for churches to change their names. Sometimes it is to find something a bit more trendy or hip (e.g. Explosion Church) but more often it is to just remove the denominational affiliation from their name. Listen to this episode of Revitalize and Replant for an interesting discussion on name changes. The … Read More “Should Churches Remove The Denomination From Their Name?” »
I have had numerous titles during my ministry career. I have been pastor, reverend, padre, chaplain, captain and hopefully soon, doctor. But what titles, if any, should a pastor use? In my first ministry placement as a seminary student, I worked as a youth pastor. My senior pastor told me that he wanted the youth … Read More “Pastors and Titles” »
Our son Justus has been trying to figure out his own way when it comes to faith. We have purposely not pushed him. We don’t want to pressure him to be a certain way just because he’s the pastor’s son. Some might disagree with us, but we have not even made him come to church. … Read More “Good News: Take Me to Church” »
When you think about an accessible church, what do you think of? Perhaps the installation of an elevator or a wheelchair ramp. Maybe hearing assisting devices or specially designed washrooms. Those are good but there is another way to make your church accessible and it will not cost you much, if anything. Have you ever … Read More “A Simple Way to Make Your Church More Accessible” »
“The devil doesn’t take a day off and so neither should the pastor.” Have you ever heard that one? But then again, perhaps Satan is not the best model for healthy leadership. At the same time, I want to affirm that pastors don’t need a day off. What pastors need is a Sabbath. What is … Read More “Pastors Don’t Need a Day Off” »
The first thing you need to know is that there is a difference between a Facebook page and a Facebook group. The basic difference is that on a page, only the admin can post but everyone can post in a group. More on this in a future post. Some people also see it as being … Read More “5 Things You Can Do With a Church Facebook Page” »
The first book that I ever wrote was co-written with Stanley Porter. It was called Unmasking the Pagan Christ and it was written in response the the Jesus Myth, the theory that Jesus never existed and that the Jesus of the Gospels was based on pagan myths. I’m thankful for Stan, not just for the … Read More “The Jesus Myth and How Scholars Almost Failed the Church” »
This is a guest post by Joseph Mulak. Joseph blogs at Walking in the Faith, “The purpose of this site is to help Christians live out their faith while living in an increasingly secular society.” In this post, Joseph speaks to a topic that is close to my heart and that is mental health and … Read More “Welcoming People with Mental Health Issues Into the Church” »
One of my passions is to help churches be welcoming and safe places for families with disabilities. I come at this both as a pastor and as a father of two children with autism. My impression is that churches feel as if becoming disability-friendly is a difficult goal. The truth is that there are some … Read More “5 Ways Churches Can Help Support Families With Disabilities” »
One of the things that I have noticed about contemporary Christian ministry is there is disagreement over the purpose and aim of Sunday worship services. The two options for the focus are: Christians who are part of that Christian community. Non-Christians who will hopefully visit the church, either as an invited guest or their own … Read More “Who Should Sunday Worship Services Be Aimed At?” »
Christians are divided on the role of Christian apologetics and its usefulness. While some are convinced of the importance of apologetics, others see it as a distraction from “real” ministry. I see apologetics as having a number of roles, including both evangelism and discipleship. But there is an image that I see in the Old … Read More “A Biblical Image For How Apologetics Helps Build the Church” »
There are those within the church who are critical of Christian apologetics who point out its limitations. They will argue that presenting an apologetic for Christianity will not result in the person becoming a Christian. It is argued that people become followers of Jesus only by the calling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore apologetic arguments … Read More “Apologetics Will Not Make Anyone a Christian” »
Between my time as the pastor of Woodford Baptist Church/First Baptist Church Meaford and my current church of Queen Street Baptist Church, I had an opportunity to wrestle with my calling. During that time, I was teaching an almost full load of courses, between Emmanuel Bible College and Tyndale University College. I thought about my … Read More “On Being a Pastor and Teacher” »
I was preparing for an upcoming sermon and came across an interesting passage. He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get … Read More “What Does Jesus Want Our Churches to Look Like?” »
I don’t think that there is any one answer to how long a sermon series should be. At the same time, there are some good decisions we can make to help our messages be most effective. Part of our consideration should be how the content informs the length of the series. For example, I love … Read More “How Long Should a Sermon Series Be?” »
As I write this, it is the beginning of September. As a pastor of a church, in many ways this is the beginning of the ministry year. After a couple of months of a relaxed schedule, things are just starting again. As the ministry year starts, I’m reminded of how I need to intentionally remain … Read More “6 Steps I Take Toward Healthy Ministry” »
I’m increasingly hearing calls for pastors to step back from pastoral care. Experts in church growth are claiming that one of the most important things to do to grow a church is for the pastor to cease involvement in pastoral care. It has been observed that pastoral care is one of the limiting factors for … Read More “Should Pastors Be Involved in Pastoral Care?” »
When I was studying at seminary, we were told that the greatest temptations for a pastor were sex and money. I have no doubt that many pastors have stumbled in these areas. However, this has not been my experience. That is not to say that I don’t experience temptations. There are some unhealthy habits that … Read More “My Four Greatest Temptations as a Pastor” »
Is there a difference between preaching and teaching? There certainly is overlap. There are some larger churches that have a position called teaching pastor. What is meant by that is that this pastor is released from other duties and can focus on the preparing and preaching of sermons. In this way, teaching and preaching are … Read More “What’s the Difference Between Teaching and Preaching?” »
One of the most successful and influential pastors in Canada is Carey Nieuhof. His influence goes far beyond Canada. Carey has been successful both in church revitalization and church planting. He has much for all Christian leaders to learn from. Having said that, I don’t always agree with him. Nothing I say is an attack … Read More “How Contemporary Does Worship Have to Be?” »
When it comes to Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, different churches have different responses. Some churches make a big deal about these days. They will have mothers or fathers stand up, the might give special gifts. There could be special music relevant to mothers or fathers and the sermon might be focused on this theme. … Read More “Should Churches Acknowledge Father’s Day and Mother’s Day?” »
I have listened to a number of podcasts and read some books that have argued for increased diversity within the church. I am all for this. One of the things that I love about Queen Street Baptist Church is our diversity. In a recent service, approximately two-thirds of the congregation indicated they were born outside … Read More “How Diverse Do You Want Your Church to Be?” »
I love being a pastor. It is one of the most fulfilling things I have done. But it is easy to lose focus. I need to remind myself of some important truths on a regular basis. While I need to do my best, it is God that brings the success. My family is my most … Read More “5 Things I Need to Remind Myself as a Pastor” »
Today may have been one of the most amazing mornings at church in my life. I shared a couple of weeks ago about how we brought our son with autism to church for the first time. This weekend we had Logan and Abby for a day visit from their group home. Logan requested that he … Read More “Good News: First Communion” »
My primary role in ministry is as a pastor of a local congregation. Why then do I choose to teach apologetics at my church? Is this just a case of me pushing my interests on my church? There are many different things that I could teach at my church and apologetics is by no means … Read More “Why I Teach Apologetics at My Church” »
The CDC has said that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. In Canada, the numbers are about 1 in 94. Those are some pretty significant numbers. My question to you is: Do you have people with autism in your church? I don’t mean just children, but people in general. If you do not … Read More “Do You Have People With Autism in Your Church?” »
I am no expert at gardening. In fact this is my first year of even attempting to grow vegetables. In the past, we enjoyed the flowers that previous people planted but even then never weeded or cared for the plants in any way. This year, I felt like growing a garden, particularly vegetables (and a … Read More “What Gardening Has Taught Me About Church Ministry” »
What does a pastor do? There are different types of pastors (solo, lead, associate, youth, executive) and so there are different responsibilities. But I can share what my priorities are in my role as the lead pastor of Queen Street Baptist Church. This is not to say that these are all my duties but rather … Read More “My 4 Priorities as a Pastor” »
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month. But why should the church care about autism awareness? Shouldn’t we just leave autism awareness to secular social programs? I would like to suggest that the church needs to be interested in autism awareness from both a biblical and practical perspective. Biblical … Read More “Why Should the Church Care About Autism Awareness?” »
Although things have changed, there are still people who place pastors on pedestals. There is nothing wrong with respecting pastors. Pastors study a lot and work hard to help in the spiritual development of their congregations. But sometimes people forget that pastors are just regular folk. Unrealistic expectations can lead to a painful fall from … Read More “5 Things You Need to Know About Pastors” »
I love being a pastor and I’m so thankful that the opportunity to return to pastoral ministry came after a three year break. I appreciate the work of my colleagues in ministry and I am very aware how easy it is to go off track. Here are seven questions that I and other pastors need … Read More “7 Questions Pastors Need to Regularly Ask” »
The CDC has reported that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. Your church needs decide if you want to include or exclude people with autism. Most churches take the steps to be accessible for physical disabilities with elevators and wheelchair ramps. What about those with disabilities such as autism? Here are some practical … Read More “Tips to Becoming an Autism-Friendly Church” »
While pastoral ministry is a very rewarding career, it can easily lead to burnout. Back in 2010, The New York Times published an article on pastoral burnout. The findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at … Read More “5 Ways For Pastors to Avoid Burnout” »
I believe that of all the books that I have written, one of the most important is How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly. It covers a topic that is very close to my heart. There was a good response to the first edition but I felt that there was more that I could share. So … Read More “The New Edition of How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly!” »
I encounter a lot of objections to Christianity. While I have read many posts by atheists, the most difficult to my faith are posts by people who label themselves Christians. There are Christians who are embarrassing and there are Christians who are harmful. I’m not prideful enough to assume that I have always provided a … Read More “Don’t Be That Christian!” »
People with disabilities are too often the target for bullying. Those who have communication or cognitive challenges are particularly vulnerable as they may have difficulty reporting the bullying. Ideally, the church would be a safe place away from bullying for people of all abilities. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. People feel … Read More “Bullying Also Happens in the Church” »
I believe that apologetics is important and not just for those interested in apologetics. Apologetics is especially important for pastors, whether they like it or not. The fact is that there is a steady stream of anti-Christian apologetics hitting our people and ignoring Christian apologetics is not going to stop that. While I’m not suggesting … Read More “7 Ways Pastors Can Begin to Integrate Apologetics into Their Ministry” »
I think that there has been some improvement in the church’s willingness to embrace and minister to people with autism and their families. But often the people with autism that the church has in mind are those on the severe end of the spectrum. What about those with mild autism? These are the people who … Read More “The Church and People With Mild Autism” »
I was not raised as a Baptist, but I feel very much at home within a Baptist church. However, when people find out that I’m a Baptist, I sometime encounter some stereotypical judgments about what that means. Just because you find out someone is a Baptist, does not mean that you know what they believe. … Read More “4 Myths About Baptists” »
My good news for this week has to do with a decision my son and I have made. I am very sensitive about trying to force my children to go to church. There definitely is a long tradition of pastor’s kids that have rebelled against church. I want church to be something they will enjoy … Read More “Good News: Rhythm Section” »
I almost called this post, “Should Pastors Blog?” but I chose not to because it suggests there is a yes or no answer. The truth is that some pastors should not blog. Perhaps they are not very good at blogging or they may have the skill but they hate doing it. I would never suggest … Read More “5 Good Reasons for Pastors to Blog” »
Why You Need a Website I’m amazed at how many churches still do not have a website. Perhaps there are some who do not know how to create one or who think it costs a lot of money. But there may be some who think there is no reason for one. When a visitor comes … Read More “Your Church Needs a Website!” »
Children with autism are known for making noise in church. Sometimes they say what some adults want to say. One Sunday, our son said with a fairly loud voice during the service, “Just kill me now!” In case you are wondering, I wasn’t preaching at the time. You need to realize that parents are very … Read More “5 Things To Do When a Child With Autism Makes Noise in Church” »
There are some large churches that have very organized and well staffed disability ministries. They have a sizeable budget and may have a specific pastor or other staff member overseeing it. These are the ministries that we often hear about. But what if you are at church like mine? We are a small church with … Read More “What If Your Church Can’t Start a Disability Ministry?” »
Although the financial year for a church might start in January, the ministry year really starts in September. As I write this, September is just a couple of days away. Pastors should not just walk into the new ministry year blindly. Here are five questions that pastors should ask at the beginning of the ministry … Read More “5 Questions Pastors Should Ask at the Beginning of the Ministry Year” »
I continue to hear from Christian leaders that there is no need for apologetics. People are looking for community and experience and are not impacted by intellectual arguments. Apologetics belonged a modernistic vision of the church but people today do not benefit from it. Is it true that there is no longer a need for … Read More “Research That Demonstrates the Need For Apologetics” »
What?! Am I out of my mind? Pastors and other church leaders have been working hard for decades to get congregations to move from an inward to an outward focus. We have finally made some progress and now I’m saying that it is time to go back to the old ways? I’m not suggesting that … Read More “Churches Need More of an Inward Focus” »
I really enjoying being the pastor of a local congregation. It is a fulfilling and stretching career. But how did I get to this point? What led me to pastoral ministry? This post is about how I first went into ministry. For the story of how I returned to ministry after a three year break, … Read More “How I Was Called Into Pastoral Ministry” »
Being the pastor of a church can be a rewarding experiencing. However, much of that depends on the nature of the congregation. Individuals within a church have the power to make or break the experience of the pastor. Assuming that the congregation wants the pastor to be effective in ministry, here are five ways that … Read More “5 Ways a Church Can Support Their Pastor” »
Perhaps you are considering attending seminary and getting a theological degree. But what degree should you pursue? I would like to put forth the case for getting a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree. The MDiv is the standard degree for many denominations for ordained pastoral ministry. The MDiv offers a blend of academic and ministry … Read More “Why You Should Get a Master of Divinity Degree” »
I have heard from a number of people who have been frustrated when their church leadership does not seem interested in apologetics. You have read the books and have been to the conferences and you know how powerful apologetics can be. But when you talk to your pastor, there seems to be no interest. What … Read More “How to Talk to Your Pastor About Apologetics” »
I recently wrote a blog post called Don’t Be That Apologist, where I gave some examples of apologists (without names) that are bad examples. I thought I would do the same thing for pastors. As a pastor, I have made plenty of mistakes and have witnessed mistakes by other pastors. Unfortunately there are lots of bad … Read More “Don’t Be That Pastor” »
The unfortunate reality is that not all pastors finish well. We hear about the pastors of megachurches who have moral failures but it happens in small churches all the time. The key is not to wait until the pastor is in burnout or is dealing with the consequences of bad choices. Like every other area … Read More “4 Questions Pastors Need to Ask” »
This is a heartbreaking time that we live in. We live in a world where we can watch a black man killed by a police officer live on the internet. We live in a world where people respond to injustice by killing innocent police officers who are only trying to protect. We live in a … Read More “Terrorism, Race Riots and the World We Live In” »
My heart is breaking as I watch the events that are currently taking place in the United States around race relations. The killing of both black men and white police officers is so wrong. It feels as if society is falling apart. I must confess that this is so strange for me to see as … Read More “Race Relations and the Church” »
I was speaking with one of our deacons this morning about the importance of prayer. We were saying that even if a person is not able to volunteer for a ministry, they can always pray. Prayer is one of the most important things that we do as a church. So how does prayer fit with … Read More “How to Pray for Families With Autism” »
There is an increasing amount of awareness and resources about ministering to children with autism. Of this, I’m grateful. In fact I hope that this blog and my book are contributing to this. In many cases, it is not difficult for churches to have a heart for children with autism. They can be pretty cute … Read More “Autistic Children Grow Up” »
My goal for this blog and my book of the same name is to help churches become more autism-friendly. When I write, I alternate between wearing my pastor hat and my autism dad hat. This post will be written with my dad hat. If I was looking for a church (which I’m not since I’m … Read More “What I Would Look For in an Autism-Friendly Church” »
Being an associate pastor can be a very rewarding ministry in a local church. One of the advantages of being an associate pastor is that you often have a more focused ministry portfolio than a solo pastor who has to do everything. I was a youth pastor for four years and an associate pastor for … Read More “5 Tips for Associate Pastors” »
This blog is aimed at helping churches support families who have autism. I know that one of the things that church members like to do is pass on resources. That is fine, as long as the family gives you permission. However, I want to give you a warning that people outside of the autism community … Read More “What You Need to Know About Autism Speaks” »
I first had the role of a pastor in 1996 and have been ordained since 2001. I have been a youth pastor, associate pastor and solo pastor. I have been in traditional and contemporary churches, rural and downtown churches. Of course there have been some challenging times but overall I enjoy my career as a … Read More “5 Things That I Love About Being a Pastor” »
I once talked to a pastor who said that they expected pastors to work 50 hours a week. Their reasoning was that they expect each church member to volunteer ten hours a week plus a full-time job is forty hours a week. Between the pastor’s paid and volunteer time, it should be 50 hours. I … Read More “How Many Hours Should a Pastor Work?” »
I recently had the privilege of baptizing my daughter. For context, I’m a Baptist pastor and so we baptize believers as opposed to infants. While Emma is our first to be baptized, she is the fourth of our five children. Our two oldest children have autism and are on the severe end of the spectrum. … Read More “Autism, Theology and Baptism” »
My understanding of baptism has evolved quite a bit over the years. Obviously moving from my Anglican upbringing to my current Baptist pastoral ministry required some change. However, even that change has been complex. When I first left the Anglican church, I completely rejected infant baptism as having any spiritual significance. All it it was … Read More “Thoughts on Baptism” »
I grew up in the Anglican church and one of the parts of the service was the “passing of the peace.” It was a time during the service where you could turn to people around you, shake their hand and say, “May the peace of Christ be with you.” Some of the Baptist churches I have … Read More “Should Churches Have a Greeting Time?” »
