A major contribution to the loneliness experienced by a pastor is a strong feeling of guilt associated with the tension…

Psalm 111 is an excellent framework for celebrating the ministries of a church. The example below identifies particular people who…

Liturgy is the work of the people lifted up in praise to God. Occasionally it is good to lift up…

In some ways, the better pastor you are, the more you may feel a sense of loneliness. The problem is…

A pastor’s sense of loneliness

A List of Family Fun We all know that we should spend more time with our families. We may feel…

Family thanksgiving When asked, it is fairly easy to come up with a list of ways in which being a…

God’s Call for Family Fun We often speak of God’s call as a reference to an individual. Would their be…

Family Obesity Clergy families have not escaped the challenge of obesity that is plaguing our nation. Some denominational studies suggest…

Reasonable and unreasonable Expectations A next step is to try to come up with a mutually agreed upon list of…

Pressure of Expectations Next let us look at the pressures of expectations. Sometimes we live in conformity with, and sometimes…

The Pressure of Call in Marriage It is not unusual for a pastor to sense God’s call after s/he is…

Now you are ready for a family discussion. Depending on the ages of your children, you may want to make…

Family Finances One of the pressures in discussion about finances between a husband and a wife is the issue of…

Spiritual Help for Family Stress There is ample medical evidence that stress takes its toll on our physical bodies. Stress,…

Evaluation of Family Health All of us have families in some form or other and an important part of our…

Along with the increasingly disturbing statistics about the decline of clergy physical health, comes the unpleasant reality that the clergy…

On October 2, 2012 at 2 p.m. EST and repeat at 8 pm EST, I will be leading a webinar…

Presbytery Pastoral Care Network 13th Annual National Gathering Staying Afloat on Stormy Seas: Caring for Clergy in Trying Times October…

The Session could derive some real benefit and encouragement by doing a random poll of the membership around certain open-ended…