I am a pastoral coach. I have the joy of pastoring young pastors every day, all day, pastors of all kinds: lead pastors, church planters, staff pastors, missionary pastors, and even pastors of pastors. I love what I am called to do with my life because I love pastors, and I love and greatly respect […]
When I left pastoral ministry to become a missionary, a few pastoral colleagues told me I’d “left the ministry.” Their thinking was that pastoring is “real” ministry, while missions is less than ministry. It’s difficult to believe people can think like this, but some do. But even my denomination unknowingly reinforces this idea. For decades […]
So the pulpit search committee has contacted you, Pastor, and wants to sit down for a formal interview. How do you do to prepare for the meeting? Every pastoral candidate is prepared to answer questions, but are you prepared to ask them? Neglecting this critical aspect of the interview process is a recipe for disaster. […]
This is the second of a two-part October series. October is Pastor Appreciation Month, so it seems fitting to celebrate all of the quality ministers who make up this coaching community and make it what it is: the mutual investment ministry that is Journey Pastoral Coaching. Journey Pastoral Coaching is a missional community. We are […]
“If we preach the whole counsel of God, we shall be accused of extremism, not only by the world but also by a professing Church that cannot endure sound doctrine.” Vance Havner Christian doctrine, the propositional teaching of Scripture, is under attack. Many in the Church today are teaching that doctrine is less rather than more […]
“Many pastors confide to me that they are merely surviving. They feel incompetent to do what they are expected to do week after week. . . For many, the thought of thriving in ministry is a distant, unachievable dream. And yet, I know the Lord has called every pastor and ministry leader to experience the […]
There are those who regard mentoring as only personal or ministry development. Others see it as a hand-holding exercise. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was not of either camp. He saw mentorship as much more. Personal and ministry related? Of course. Developmental? Absolutely. But more importantly, He saw mentoring as global in its reach, eternal […]
NOTE: This is an edited version of an article first published March 15, 2019. It’s a part of our Summer Sabbatical Series at journeypastoralcoaching.com. One of my favorite movies is the 2001 classic, “Cast Away,” starring Tom Hanks. Who wouldn’t love a movie where the best friend (or pastoral coach) is a volleyball named Wilson, […]
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 these children entered a group […]
INTRODUCTION Two years ago, and again last year, Journey Pastoral Coaching published an article entitled, “The World Will End in 23 Years (The Church World).” In that piece, I cited statistics on the graying of the American pulpit. How gray are we going? This gray: “By the time your son or daughter, born today, graduates from college, […]
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