Serving as a pastor brings many joys as well as headaches and hurts. One of the biggest hurts comes when others disapprove of us. Neuroscientists have discovered that a disapproving look from a person physically hurts. A disapproving facial expression stirs up the flight-fight part of our brain and heightens anxiety, even more than an angry
Disapproval in the Church: What a Pastor can Do Read More »
In this short post I suggest 24 words that define a leader’s job. Vision casting Problem solving Giving feedback Rewarding staff Influencing others Recruiting leaders Developing people Developing systems Communicating well Delegating workload Relationship building Establishing priorities What would you add to this list? What’s your strongest area? What needs more attention? Related post: 3
24 Words that Define a Leader’s Job Read More »
Several years ago I attended an old fashioned Gospel sing at a church near our home. It was out of my comfort zone because the last 30 plus years I’ve served in churches that primarily used contemporary worship music in their services. Yet, from toddler age through college I attended churches that primarily used hymns. When
Hymns in a Contemporary Church: Bury them or Resurrect them? Read More »
Every week in North America, pastors preach upwards of 400,000 sermons. That excludes Bible studies taught by hundreds of thousands of Sunday school teachers and small group leaders. I’ve delivered in excess of 1,500 sermons and bible studies myself. But what difference have they made in people’s lives? Do they mostly fall flat? I suppose I
Are your Sermons Falling Flat? Is this Why? Read More »
Being a pastor is a high calling, yet pastors often face loneliness and discouragement. Surprisingly, some surveys reveal that up to 80% of pastors face regular discouragement in ministry. If that statistic even remotely reflects reality, then your pastor probably needs your encouragement. Yet, it seems so rare. The influential writer Henry Nouwen even wrote
Six Ways to Encourage your Pastor Read More »
