Josiah Smith, an Associate Lead Pastor, discusses the critical link between worldview and mental health, emphasizing the prevalence of anxiety and depression among Americans. He argues that a biblical worldview can significantly mitigate these issues, encouraging individuals to seek God’s kingdom for a fulfilling purpose and meaningful life.
A church leader, a great friend, told me today of churches closing in his city. Sadness and lament poured from his heart. He is grieving for the church in his area, aching for his fellow believers and church leaders. Key phrases he shared with me: “The apostasy grows day by day.” “What we see around […]
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE HEALTHY OF LIFE IN VOCATIONAL MINISTRY “The life of the minister is the life of his ministry.” Albert Martin We recently sat down with small groups of young ministers from across America and talked life in vocational ministry. Our discussion focused on three subjects: 1. What are the best […]
I read the news today; oh boy About another church that failed the grade. And yes, the news was rather sad I found no reason there to laugh. My home church closed. Even as I type these words, I can’t believe it. And yet, I know it’s true. After 48 years of ministry, the church […]
In September, we invited Journey members and non-Journey members, vocational ministers (credential holders) and all Christians (non-credential holders) to participate in a survey on preaching in the Evangelical church in America today. The survey focused on two general areas: 1. FOCUS ONE: Sermon subjects – the emphasized and the overlooked; 2. FOCUS TWO: How frequently […]
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, […]
This article is the second in a two-part series focused on the ministry of the church in 2020 and 2021, as seen through the eyes of U40 ministers (ministers under 40 years of age). In our previous article, we reported the result of a survey in which we asked U40s to tell us how the church least […]
Journey Pastoral Coaching surveyed U40 ministers (ministers under 40 years of age) on the health of the American evangelical church and its pastors. In a two-part study, we asked them to reflect on the health of the Church in 2020 and then project ahead on the health of the Church in 2021. You can click […]
During December, Journey asked pastors, their spouses, and ministers who work directly with pastors to reflect and project: reflect on the health and strength of the church and pastors in 2020; project the health and strength of each in 2021. We asked respondents to consider the American Evangelical church as a whole rather than their […]
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