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Pray for your pastors and church staff. Give them encouragement. Encourage them to be healthy. We i In a recent blog post, I wrote about the Great Resignation and the impact on the church. In that post, I noted that I would be writing more about the pastor and church staff shortage in a future post. Welcome to that post! Many research organizations that study church trends are predicting a significant shortage of pastors in Read more…

On an unusually warm winter day in Columbus, Nebraska, I found myself before an art display at Pawnee Park called the “Quincentenary Belltower.” It was dedicated in 1992 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the “new world.” The belltower housed ten bells within an “aesthetically pleasing structure” that went out horizontally from a center flag. On the wall that shielded the bells, a map of the historic journey from Europe to Read more…

In 2021, the United States experienced what has come to be known as the great resignation; a voluntary mass exodus from the workforce. There are many reasons for this exodus, most of which we will not cite or debate here, instead examining the great resignation through the lens of the church. The church was not at all exempt from the great resignation and while we have probably seen the peak of the great resignation in Read more…

“What does health look like?” a church leader asked me the other day while I was sipping a chai tea latte at a local coffee shop across the table from him.  We were reflecting together on the past year; a year that has been quite trying for our faith community. “I know it’s not the yeast of dissension and division on the rise all around us,” I replied, “but I do know spreading the yeast of Read more…

While lying in front of the fireplace with my eyes closed, I sensed our dog, Lizzy, near me.  Opening my eyes, we were nose to nose, and she licked my face.  “Gross, Lizzy,” I said as she laid down next to me with her head in my lap.  She had just wanted to draw near to me, so despite her dog breath, I received her nearness. Do I approach God with Lizzy-like delight?  While I’m not fond of full Read more…

Ministry, much like other important things (such as discipleship), may be complex to live out, but it is very easy to understand. As I reflect back on almost 25 years in ministry of some kind, I am able to see some simple themes as it relates to the act of ministry in any capacity. Essentially, doing ministry boils down to three things: giving people permission, translating and pointing.  Giving People Permission If there is one Read more…

I am often surprised at how often people, including myself, believe we can read the minds of other people. At one point in my first year as a pastor, a very disgruntled older gentleman was talking to me about everything he did not like. At the peak of our conversation, he brought up the Bible study hour. He began saying, “I don’t like the Bible study, because…” I was growing weary at this point, and Read more…

“We should turn back,” I said to my mentor on a hike in the foothills the other day as we approached a sheet of ice covering the trail.   “Nah, we’re fine.  Let’s go just a bit longer,” she replied.  Then a few steps later she slid skating on the trail that dropped down quite a steep incline to the right.  “Ok, ya, let’s turn back.”  She linked arms with me, we pivoted together, and walked the two miles to Read more…