As a mentor to younger pastors, I've had the privilege of watching many of them accept their first pastorate. Some have spent a significant amount of time on the front end acquiring as much information and advice as possible to be successful in their first year. Others have jumped directly into the "deep end of... Continue Reading →
I grew up believing that only women and children pray. That is, real men did not pray, except for the perfunctory prayer before the Thanksgiving or Christmas meals. Although I knew very little about prayer, without any prompting, I would pray to God each night before falling asleep. One prayer, however, stands out above the... Continue Reading →
People love to argue! If you were trapped in the bubble of either legal or theological education, you would be convinced that people LOVE to debate about anything and everything. I never realized how much and how long people will quarrel over the most minute details, irrelevant laws, or obscure doctrines. Arguing over minutia may... Continue Reading →
I'll spare you a trip through the pseudo-mystical phase wherein the preacher "gets alone" with God and through "divine revelation" receives his next sermon! It is frustrating to hear pastors say, "God gave me this message," or "God laid this message on my heart." Typically, that means (loosely translated), "I am just winging it" and/or... Continue Reading →
Somewhere between the “churched” and “unchurched” classifications is a neglected and overlooked group.[1] In some communities, the largest group of people that the church will engage with the gospel is made up of persons who, in the past, attended, joined, or were active in churches. Yet, for some reason, they are no longer connected to... Continue Reading →
Over the past three years, I've been asked a variety of questions about law school and how it relates to pastoral ministry. Most of these questions, however, revolve around two issues. First, people want to know HOW someone can be both a lawyer and a pastor. For many people, this is a moral question. That... Continue Reading →
Thoughts on Research for Sermons At this point in ministry, I have preached approximately 2,500+ sermons. This number doesn't include Sunday School lessons, Mid-week Bible studies, and college lectures. Moreover, I have lost count of the times I've preached at other churches as a guest speaker. In short, I've had a lot of opportunities to... Continue Reading →
If I could turn back time (an old 80s song just popped into my head), I would have a lot to tell the younger me. Although there are some clear advantages to being a young man, those strengths cannot compare to the wisdom that one acquires throughout life. One of the downsides to being young... Continue Reading →
What is Poimenology? On the one hand, it is a word that I made up by adding the Koine Greek word for pastor (ποιμήν or ποιμένα, lit. shepherd) to the scientific phrase "ology," which means "the study of" a field or discipline. Conversely, I believe that as a field of study pastoral ministry has been erroneously... Continue Reading →
