The Unintended Consequences of the Modern Church
It’s a good season to reexamine the effectiveness of the modern church. Our commitment, as RENEW.org leaders, is to continually go back to Scripture, to restore and prioritize what it teaches. We face a challenge because in the last fifty years, as church leaders have sought more effectiveness in our churches, we have come to […]
Pastoral Burnout: Beating Burnout Before it Begins
Being a minister is hard. Being a lead minister in 2024, post-COVID in the United States, is harder than ever. Barna Research Group’s 2022 research revealed that 41% of lead ministers have thought about quitting.[1] When they did a follow-up survey in 2023, they saw an encouraging trend with only 33% giving serious consideration to quitting.[2] […]
The Ministry of Shutting Up
It was excruciating, frustrating, even cringe-worthy. I was in a place of business, as a customer, talking with an employee about their services. Except… I wasn’t really talking at all. She was looking at me, but it was a completely one-sided conversation. I couldn’t get a word in. In her defense, she seemed to have […]
Theology in the Wild: Why Theology Matters in the Messiness of Ministry
(What follows is the manuscript of a talk that I gave at the 2023 Spire Conference for church leaders in Nashville, TN.) Those who put together this conference asked me to speak on the topic “Theology in the Wild.” I should confess that the very first question that came to mind was that if you […]
Your Ministry Will End Someday. Have You Thought Much About How?
You should really consider leaving ministry. Before you change the date and turn in your pre-written resignation letter to the board of your church, let me clarify. Wherever you are in your ministry journey, from rookie intern to sage veteran, you should consider how you want to conclude your ministry. Because someday it will end. […]
Why Care About the Rural Church? A Q&A with Tyler VanWey
Editor’s Note: Why care about the rural church? While it’s easy to focus on growing urban and suburban churches because of their population density, it also becomes easier to forget about the importance of churches in rural areas. To help me better understand the rural church and its strategic importance, I reached out to Tyler […]
3 Healthy Ways to Handle Ministry Pressure
Serving in ministry full-time, part-time, or even as a volunteer can be a daunting task. Constantly developing sermon series, teaching materials, leading or participating in staff meetings, board meetings, small group meetings (well, you get the idea). Not to mention dealing with numerous issues within the church. The litany of problems laid at your feet […]
Christian Education: Discipline as Discipleship
I am writing this at the beginning of August, with teachers and school leaders across the world gearing up for back-to-school craziness. It’s a bizarre mixture of excitement and trepidation, kind of like the momentary pause at the top of a roller coaster. You can see the loop-the-loop coming, and there is nothing you can […]
