Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
I am coming close to the end of my pastoral ministry. In less than two weeks, I will no longer be a pastor. I will be a full-time military chaplain. Many pastors who go into chaplaincy plan to return to pastoral ministry when they are done. That is not my intention. I do not know … Read More “The Part of Pastoral Ministry I Want to Continue” »
I want to begin by saying that I have had a positive experience as a pastor. Many of my friends have had at least one negative church to deal with but I have been blessed with great congregations. I would also like to say that I do not regret becoming a pastor. It is a … Read More “5 Things That Are Hard About Being a Pastor” »
Congregations have expectations of pastors. That is normal and should be expected. In some cases, there is a very specific job description such as with a youth pastor, an executive pastor, an outreach pastor, and so on. But what about the pastor of a small church who does not have a staff of pastors? I … Read More “What is the Pastor’s Job?” »
Pastors in small churches are usually generalists. For example, in addition to my regular pastoral duties, I also put together the bulletin and the PowerPoint slides for Sunday. Pastors in larger church can often specialize in certain areas. We find pastors of youth, seniors, children, music, and so on. We also see executive pastors teaching … Read More “What is Your Sweet Spot as a Pastor?” »
This statement might surprise you. You are well aware that your pastor takes one or two days off plus a month or more of holidays each year. This is true. Pastors do get days and weeks to not be involved in the regular activities of the church. But pastors don’t get time off. What I … Read More “Pastors Don’t Get Time Off” »
In addition to teaching the Bible and praying with people, many pastors provide care for their congregation that falls broadly under the umbrella of mental health. This does not mean that pastors are counsellors (see this post) but that pastors spend a lot of time listening to the troubles and suffering of those in their … Read More “Pastors Need Self-Care” »
When I say that I am reflecting on the past, do not interpret that as thinking about retirement. I am still a ways off from that. But for some reason I have been thinking about my experience as a pastor. I was hired by my first church, Queensway Baptist Church, as a youth pastor back … Read More “Good News: Reflecting on My Career as a Pastor” »
Pastors are communicators, whether or not they are the preaching/teaching pastor. No matter what pastoral role they might have within the church leadership, communication is key. But what should pastors be communicating to their congregations? Here are five things. Biblical Truth. When people think of pastors, they often think of preachers. That is part of … Read More “5 Things Pastors Need to Communicate to Their Congregation” »
The church is living in a different time. We will always need pastors but these days require a very specific set of values. I say values rather than skill set, because I’m not convince these things can be taught in a class. Leading Like Jesus. There have been some great leadership books over the years … Read More “4 Essential Qualities For Pastors in This Season of the Church” »
In most job descriptions for pastoral positions, at least for mid to small sized congregations, there will likely be some reference to visitation as a key role. But why do pastors “visit”? Some pastors try to avoid visitation. They may see their role as being primarily about preaching/teaching, leadership, and outreach development. Visiting members of … Read More “Six Purposes of Visitation in Pastoral Ministry” »
When my friends describe what I do, some will call me a pastor and some will call me a preacher. Both are correct in my case but the two words are not synonyms. I know this from experience. My first role as a pastor was as a youth pastor. I got a few preaching opportunities … Read More “What is the Difference Between a Pastor and a Preacher?” »
Most of the conversation about pastoring during our current pandemic has revolved around technology. Pastors have rushed to learn how to livestream, to record YouTube videos, to setup online giving and to lead Zoom meetings. There are going to be some pastors that are totally in their element. They have thrived on technology and finally … Read More “How to Pastor During a Pandemic Apart From Technology” »
No this is not an announcement that I’m quitting ministry or resigning from my church. This is a reflection about a decision I made just over six years ago. I resigned from the churches I was pastoring without another church to go to and no real intention of returning to pastoral ministry. Three and half … Read More “5 Reasons I’m Glad I Quit Pastoral Ministry” »
Pastoral ministry is one of the most rewarding careers and yet it has its share of difficulties. As long as we allow people in churches, pastoral ministry will be messy. However, if we are not careful, there are certain stresses and conflicts that can shipwreck our ministry. That is why Charles Stone wrote 5 Ministry … Read More “5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them – Review” »
If you spoke to me three or four years ago about my career goals, being a pastor would not have been high on the list. Despite spending a long time in school training to be a pastor and having been a pastor five churches, I thought my time as a pastor was done. It is … Read More “Good News: Thankful to Be Back in Pastoral Ministry” »
As 2016 comes to an end, I celebrate one year back in pastoral ministry. I started in ministry when I began in seminary in 1996 and began my first paid position in 1998. I pastored at a number of churches and then resigned my last church in 2012. During that time, I did not know … Read More “Thoughts on My First Year Back in Ministry” »
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” »
A guest book review by Deane Proctor, pastor of Queensway Baptist Church of Crazy Busy. Like most Christian leaders, the number of books in my “to read” pile is getting out of hand. Too little time, too many books! Thankfully included in that pile was Kevin DeYoung’s small book, Crazy Busy: A (mercifully) short book about a … Read More “Crazy Busy” »
