Someone recently asked me about my calling to ministry and whether I had any advice for people thinking about seminary. Here's what I told them with a few additional thoughts. When I Wanted to Be Famous I'm one of those really fortunate people in that I
Ministry
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There's nothing quite like emailing your church bookkeeper and saying, "Hey, pay me less." You'd think writing an email instructing someone to reduce your would feel dramatic, maybe even noble. It doesn't. It feels like admitting defeat. Like the financial version of
After a decade and a half of pastoral ministry, I've gained a few insights worth sharing. Some came easily; others I learned the hard way. In no particular order, here are fifteen lessons from fifteen years of ministry:
If I genuinely believe that God stands with the oppressed and marginalized (which Scripture repeatedly affirms), and if I believe that the marginalized should be centered in leadership (which liberation theology compellingly argues), then what am I even doing here?
The two ministries I have been involved with the longest are Bible teaching and worship. I had my baptism by the Holy Spirit moment in sixth grade and immediately started a Bible study in my middle school. My first lesson was on the faith of the midwives in Exodus 1.
I was recently reminded of a sermon illustration that gets shared by preachers of a particular sort. It goes something like this: Sheep are known to be stupid and wander off. A shepherd's job is to go and find the sheep and bring it back to fold. Over
This is my first week back from sabbatical! After twelve full weeks away from the responsibilities of pastoring a church, I am back in my home office, triaging email, arranging meetings, and altogether getting settled back in. I've only had one other sabbatical, but—from conversations with other
Does Bible college and seminary create scholars but not pastors?