During my early ministry years I was privileged to serve under two lead pastors. These were most positive experiences for me and I learned a great deal from these godly men. I’m glad to say that I enjoyed close personal relationships with them as well. In teaching me about ministry, my pastors were willing to answer […]
At Journey Pastoral Coaching we focus first on the minister, second on the ministry; first on being and then on doing. Being leads to doing. Therefore, as we give our attention to building the minister, we naturally build the ministry, and we do so for a lifetime of healthy and effective ministry. This is pastoral coaching. Still, many are confused by […]
In our most recent blog post we presented the results of a Journey survey in which we asked young ministers to identify the “magic wand” changes they would make in the church if they had the power to do so, the changes they see as most necessary and significant. In that post (October 15, 2018) […]
In a recent issue of a denominational bi-monthly publication for ministers, leaders cited two “killer” statistics within that denomination: Today, in 2018, the average age of an ordained minister is 60 years of age; In the year 2000, the average age of an ordained minister was 55 years of age. Clear evidence that the pulpit is […]
“TELL US THE STORY . . . “ As a former missionary, pastor, and now pastoral coach, I have been told countless times, “tell us more of those incredible stories of your life in ministry, and especially, from your life as a missionary.” Here’s one of those stories. Actually it’s two stories: one of life […]
Study after study confirms that ministers deal daily with higher than normal levels of stress. Many studies and statistics are available, but consider just the following seven statistics: 90% of pastors (all ages) said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry; 75% of […]
Over the past year, my email inbox has included far too many articles with headlines like these: Epidemic: Another Pastor Burned Out and Quit Last Sunday Pastoral Stress and Burnout Why Pastors Walk Away The Secret Pain of Pastors I could go on and on. We can debate the numbers, but it’s not the numbers […]
“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” II Timothy 2.2 Pastoring is passed down. From one life to another, pastoring is passed down. To be sure, pastoring is a calling. It is Jesus, the Head and Good Shepherd […]
I was privileged to formally study for the ministry in two schools: a Bible College and a seminary. Both of these schools gave me a quality education for life in ministry, specifically, pastoral ministry. Given the opportunity to go back and attend or not attend each one, I most certainly would choose to do so […]
THE FAILURE TO THRIVE In their book, “Among Friends,” James Hinkle and Tim Woodroof cite a 1945 study conducted by social scientist, René Spitz. The study tracked the development of 88 healthy children (1 to 2 ½ years of age) who had recently been separated from their families and institutionalized in a group home. When […]
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