Tag: Pastoral Care

Ministry

Unlocking Your Heart For A New Place Of Ministry

Chris

When was the last time you moved in ministry? Five years? A year? A month? We as ministers are not immune to the seasonal changes in life that move us from one place of service to another.

Statistically, a pastor’s tenure is 3 years (Parsonage.org). At times the circumstances of change are the realization of years of preparation or the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, while others can be difficult personally and emotionally. Unfortunately, we are able to tell fewer stories of celebration than we can of hurt.

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Ministry

Leading with Care

Chris

We are in the midst of our first Christmas season in a new pastorate. This week my wife spent an extra day or two buying and arranging decorations for the church. Last night we had our midweek Bible study, and many were glad to see the sanctuary looking so nice.

While I appreciated their joy at the decorations, a comment was relayed that broke my pastoral heart. My wife was told that the church hadn’t looked so beautiful in many years. During one of the decorating days, we heard ladies in the church say that it was so refreshing to have a pastor and wife who cared about how the church looked, because the people were so used to doing it on their own.

Leadership means many things to many people. We lead through vision-casting, administration, calendar setting, ministry creation and development, staff and leadership meetings, facilitation of seminars and workshops, or even assigning a book to read as a team. I know a pastor in his early seventies who told a group of fellow pastors, “I still don’t know what leadership is.”

How many of us think to lead by caring?

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