Feb 22, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Rest, Stress, Trust, Uncategorized, Workaholism
I am fed up. According to an extensive Barna research study of 14,000 U.S. lead pastors, published in January 2017, 37% of lead pastors are at medium to high risk of burnout. 43% are at medium to high relational risk with their spouses. A whopping 66% say they have...
Feb 15, 2018 | Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Fear, friendship, Leadership, Loneliness, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Pastor's Spouse, Relationships, Uncategorized
Several months ago, Laura and I taught at a church in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For those of you who are not Michiganders, our state’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas are connected by the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge. If you don’t like bridges,...
Feb 8, 2018 | Calling, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Productivity, Success, Uncategorized, Work
Assignment. A critical word for a leader. 2 Chronicles 23:6 says: “… all the other men are to guard what the Lord has assigned to them. The game Trivial Pursuit, created in 1979, is a board game in which winning is determined by a player’s ability to answer...
Jan 11, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Emotional Health, Fatigue, friendship, Leadership, Loneliness, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, Pastor's Spouse, People Leaving, People-pleasing, Relationships, Rest, Stress, Uncategorized
In last week’s blog we looked at 5 Common Stressors Pastors Face: Difficulty separating from work Wear and tear of spiritual warfare Societal dysfunction Raising/maintaining church budget Sensitivity Today I’d like to offer some practical ways pastors can address...
Jan 4, 2018 | Burnout, Calling, Career, Depression, discouragement, Emotional Health, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, People Leaving, Stress, Uncategorized
It’s 2018! Every New Year’s Day for me brings with it a sense of a fresh start, rekindled hope, and renewed faith. I think most pastors anticipate the new year with optimism, and hold the sincere belief that the year ahead will be even better than the one they’ve just...
Dec 21, 2017 | Calling, Difficult people, discouragement, Fear, Leadership, Ministry Leader, Missionary, Pastor, People Leaving, Quitting, Uncategorized
I have exciting news to share with you—our newest book—Putting the Good in Goodbye: A Healthy Conversation About the Comings & Goings of Church People—is due out in January 2018! I coauthored the book with my friend and colleague Jim Wiegand, and decided to salt...
