pastoral ministry

"God Knows I Love You"

August 19, 2023

The voice on the other end of the phone sounded hollow and unhappy as he expressed to me his fatigue in the ministry: "I imagine I feel about my congregation how Jonah felt about Nineveh.”

pastors

Remember your Leaders

March 17, 2023

On 4 March our congregation lost the man who had pastored the church for 35 years before me. I want to share the main points of the two messages I preached the day after his death.

pastoral ministry

A Band of Brothers

February 16, 2023

Faithfulness in the ministry requires pastors to bear the cross of impartiality — to cherish the relationships necessary for the work but to lean in no man’s direction.

pastoral ministry

Rethinking Pastoral Ministry Post-Covid

April 12, 2022

There is something special and powerful about being with someone in-person. These opportunities do not need to be lost by pastors and elders, or regular members. We need to have the touch of a sympathetic hug. We need to be able to wipe away the tears. We need to feel the reverberations of a laugh.

pastoral ministry

Brokenness & Usefulness

April 17, 2021

A number of things of late have prompted me to write this piece - the latest was meeting a friend who I hadn't seen for some time, to whom I had to offer

pastoral ministry

What Does a Pastor Do?

April 01, 2021

“What does a pastor do?” Unsurprisingly, it’s a question I get a lot from people inside and outside of the church. Sometimes it’s asked with a note of interested inquisitiveness, and other times with a hint of jaded cynicism.

3GT

3GT Episode 200: Showing Some Love for Shepherds

October 13, 2020

As the parishioner points out, some may be making people aware of other topics this month. But October is Pastor Appreciation Month. So he explores the subject of gratitude for pastors with the

pastoral ministry

Managing Expectations

September 25, 2020

Rumor has it William Shakespeare once said: “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” I don’t actually know if he said it, but things always sound better when you slap a reputable

Study

Personal Thoughts on a Pastor's Study

September 27, 2019

Of course, there’s many challenges that come with pastoral study. But one of the greatest is — as Warfield pointed out — letting our studies occupy not only our minds but our hearts. A pastor studies not, first and foremost, for his congregation but for himself.

pastoral ministry

Reflecting on One Year of Pastoral Ministry

June 25, 2019

“When God asks us to do anything … we need to know that there is a God in heaven and that He is a God who is mighty active upon the earth.” These were

Abuse

Hurtful Sheep and Bullied Shepherds

May 04, 2017

The final "Amen" was given and my friend descended the pulpit and took his usual place at the back door. As people filed by shaking his hand one particular member of the congregation

Christ

Paul's Agony

May 17, 2013

Christian conversation about pastoral ministry often includes the expression “a pastor’s heart,” but what does that expression actually mean? Though Scripture may not use the exact phrase in question, it absolutely answers