A young pastor was new at his congregation and preparing for the service when an elder approached him. “I’ve been taking a poll,” the elder informed him. “It’s about the new guy. Word is he’s not as good as the old guy, but he’s not bad.” The elder then left...
Rev. Samuel Powell of Trinity Lutheran Church, knew there could be tornadoes the evening of Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Although it was the eighth anniversary of a devastating tornado in Joplin, most people in the community were more concerned about flooding. As a chaplain for the fire department, he had...
As a pastor, you go where you’re needed—counseling a couple on the brink of divorce, the side of a hospital bed or presiding over an unexpected funeral. But there’s another place you’re needed. And if you’re being completely honest with yourself, you might be avoiding it. Pastors need to take...
Preaching is one of the most visible tasks of being a pastor. It’s easy to envision your pastor in his office, Bible open and pen sliding across his notebook, getting that sermon just right before sharing it Sunday morning. But being a pastor comes with many day-in-and-day-out challenges that are...
It’s not easy to juggle a church work career, family obligations, and unexpected life events. That means if finances are a source of stress, you’re hardly alone. Most people learn how to manage their personal finance through old-fashioned life experience. It’s deceptively easy to slip into bad habits or to...
Church worker care begins from a place of shared weakness. It begins as we are found vulnerable together in Christ. Paul expressed this shared need to the Corinthians: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts...
by Rev. Dr. Paul Winningham, Missouri District Church Worker Care Team The things you do day after day tend to become routine. And with routine comes the temptation to treat these things lightly. Light treatment can easily become casual, which can morph into disregard, descending into contempt and cynicism. All...
by Pastor Marty Hasz, Eisleben Lutheran Church What’s the one most difficult outcome for a pastor to achieve in the congregation? Agreeing on the color of the new sanctuary carpet? Sort of, yes. Even small decisions can be influenced with that agony of broken or strained relationships. Outstanding sermons and...
by Rev. Dale R. Kuhn, LCSW Assertion: it is possible to love the work we do AND to be overwhelmed by the stress that it brings to us. That’s not easy for many church workers to admit. An experienced mid-career pastor left my office with the words: “I think of...
By Francis Lieb, Church Worker Care Team As you enter the Advent/Christmas Season, what are you thinking about? Chances are that most professional church workers are thinking about all the deadlines and demands of this season. We think about the extra time it takes to get ready for special services,...