“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.” (The unnaturally aged Bilbo Baggins says this on his eleventy-first birthday in The Fellowship of the Ring.)
Can you relate?
I’ve felt it, and I’m not even a pastor. So what do you do about it?
There’s the spiritual aspect of relying on God and his power instead of our own—undeniably, that’s where we should all start. But there’s another action we can take . . . (more…)
We were in the middle of a care group gathering at church. People would share some of their deepest struggles, and then, inevitably, a leader in training would derail the conversation with unhelpful questions.
It’s not uncommon. We often tap people for leadership who show deep spiritual growth before we’ve noticed they need to grow in how to care for others. For many people, it’s not that they don’t have the potential to be strong leaders in your church—it’s that they aren’t ready yet. They need vetting and training. [Read more…]
We all know what our churches were like before COVID-19 and how the pandemic has forced change. What can a pastor take away from all that’s happened—and where is the Church heading next? [Read more…]