Pastoral Burnout: Why Community Matters and How to Find It
Author’s note: This is my fourth article dealing with pastoral burnout. Recent Barna research revealed that 33% of ministers had given serious thought to quitting.[1] My own research for a graduate studies project showed 63% of those surveyed had given or were giving serious thought to quitting the ministry. Previous articles provide an overview to […]
Renew University Now Enrolling!
The wait is over, and Renew University’s Certificate in Theology program is now enrolling! The program is designed with you in mind, featuring great courses taught with excellence by teachers who have both advanced degrees and ministry experience. If you are a Bible teacher, ministry leader, elder, minister or pastor, or simply a believer who […]
Leading from the Subway: The Importance of Knowing Whom You Lead
Faced with one of the most daunting decisions to make, Winston Churchill found himself in a dilemma. One decision would plunge the United Kingdom into world war. The other choice would place the people of the United Kingdom under the mercy of a ruthless dictator. Those within his own government were torn. One party wanted […]
Roots and Renewal: Why History Matters
Over the greater part of a decade, I served as a missionary in Central Europe, where the currents of history run deep. If you have ever traveled through that part of the world, you will have noticed something remarkable: though secularism has asserted its dominance, Christianity’s imprint remains unmistakable. It lingers not only in the […]
Who Was Miriam in the Bible?
Miriam was one of the three siblings whom God appointed to rescue the Israelite nation from bondage in Egypt. A little background will help us understand Miriam’s place in time and her contribution to the history of ancient Israel. This people group descended from Abraham (approx. 2000 B.C.), to whom God had promised land in […]
God Does Not Give Us a Spirit of Fear
A meaningful conversation is like lightning. You never know when it is going to strike. On the way back from Dairy Queen, I had a conversation that changed the course of my life. “What do you want to do with your life?” Martin asked. Martin was the camp director at the camp I was helping […]
Ten Common Characteristics of a Healthy Church Regardless of Size or Location
Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting hundreds of churches across the country. Recently, I’ve highlighted several exceptional examples on my website. While there are many more I could have named, these congregations serve as reminders of what it means to be a healthy church. Below are ten characteristics these churches […]
Internships 101: Tips from a Veteran Intern
It is no secret that fewer people are going into local church ministry now than they were twenty or thirty years ago, and there is a whole slew of reasons that contribute to this. As Jesus himself noted, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37b). In the same way that there […]
