Jul 7, 2022 | Burnout, discouragement, Exhaustion, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Quitting
Monday morning . . . The sworn enemy of pastors. It’s said that many pastors quit every Monday morning, only to re-up sometime later in the week. On Monday morning, Sunday gets replayed in our head. The good and the not-so-good. “Thank you, Lord for Your felt...
Feb 22, 2022 | Calling, discouragement, Health, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Podcast, Small Churches
Today Jim and John continue their conversation with Karl Vaters. Karl pastors a vibrant church in California. His heart is to help pastors of small churches find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small...
Dec 7, 2021 | Disappointment, discouragement, Doubt, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Podcast
“God, why am I going through this incredibly difficult time while those who don’t love you are living the good life?” Has some version of that thought ever crossed your mind, or some version of those words ever crossed your lips? The truth is, God is good . . . but...
Dec 2, 2021 | Burnout, Calling, Difficult people, discouragement, Leadership, Longevity, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Quitting
Pastors are on the move. In its most recent study, Barna discovered 38% of pastors have seriously considered quitting full-time ministry this year. This percentage is up 9 full points (from 29%) since Barna asked church leaders this same question at the beginning of...
Nov 23, 2021 | Calling, discouragement, Ministry Leader, Pastor, People Leaving, Podcast
Some of the worst days in a pastor’s life is when people they care about decide to leave—but those don’t have to be their worst days. When people leave the church we lead, it can feel like it’s our fault. And usually, it really hurts. In today’s episode, Jim &...
Nov 18, 2021 | Confusion, Disappointment, discouragement, Doubt, Grief, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Pastor, Resilience
God is good . . . but we’re not exempt. This thought has been running through my mind all week. Our interim pastor taught on Psalm 73 this past Sunday. The psalm tells the story of Asaph; a psalm writer, worship leader, and lover of God. In Psalm 73, Asaph revealed a...