Barna research has released a new study on the leading causes of pastoral burn out and the increased numbers of pastors who want to quit vocational ministry. Pastoral tenure, according to the report, ebbs and flows primarily around self care and their personal spiritual formation practices. I’m not sure this is anything ground breaking, but…
Category: Pastoral Ministry
Pastors and Plagiarism
The digital age has made information accessible to the masses. This advent has also revealed a subsequent issue in America’s pulpits: plagiarism. The Oxford Dictionary defines plagiarism as “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.” The practice of plagiarism in the pulpit is definitely not new,…
Churches Are Still Recovering
A new study from Lifeway Research reports that while Churches continue to open their doors for in person worship, one in four attendees has yet to return. You can view the report HERE.
Barna Report on Pastoral Credibility
Barna Research has published a new report on the credibility of pastors in America. Much of the erosion, as you will read, is due to the mishandling of power and authority that comes with the office and will only be remedied by reimagining what pastoral authority in congregational life looks like.
Racial Diversity in U.S. Congregations
Here’s an interesting article on the lack of racial diversity in American congregations. While racial diversity is still desired by the vast majority of pastors, it is by and large aspirational given they do not know how to achieve this goal. According to the study, a congregation is racially diverse when the predominant ethnicity is…
U.S. Pastor’s Identify Their Greatest Needs
Lifeway Research has compiled a survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors in order to list and rank what they cite is their greatest needs. I don’t believe there are any eye-popping surprises here, but I encourage you to take three minutes and take a look. If you’re a layperson, you might discover ways to be helpful…
Why I Use a “Paper” Planner
I was introduced to Daytimer in the mid-eighties and for two and one half decades it served as my primary planning tool. My Daytimer was always as close to me as my cell phone is today, serving as my trusted companion to help me review prior days and upcoming tasks. Even with the incorporation of…
Why Church Leaders Can’t “Wait and See”
Tony Morgan of the Unstuck Group published an article at the end of 2021 titled, Church Leaders, We Can’t Afford to Wait and See. It is a must read for every Pastor, staff member, deacon or board member. If you aren’t currently holding a position in church leadership, I recommend that you share this with…
Remembering Those We Lost
Like many, I lost a loved one during COVID. My mother died in a skilled nursing center in January, and due to the pandemic she died alone, unattended by her family due to the restrictions that were in place at her skilled nursing center. Instead of having a funeral to honor her life, seven of…
Modern Day Prophets
I was an early adopter to Twitter and still use it on a daily basis. For the last several weeks, my feed has been occupied by modern day prophets who are elbowing their way into the evangelical conscience, pounding the keyboard about problems in the American church in 140 characters or less. There are three…
