From family therapy, I learned that problems can either bond or divide a couple. If, for example, long hours at…

Yesterday, you clarified some of your projections of what each of you expect of each other as a spouse within…

A major pressure on clergy families are the expectations, real and perceived. Expectations of others can be difficult to respond…

I once heard a Catholic priest say that the church considered the family our domestic church. I’ve always loved that…

Several lessons in experiencing and expressing appreciation are: It is best if it is specific and not general. It is…

Most clergy are committed to their calling and recognize that it is going to include long hours and modest salary…

Yesterday, I raised the issue of the impact of under-appreciation in the ministry. I think it began as an idea…

If you are looking for reasons that people drop out of the ministry, high on your list should be feeling…

Since we are facing some rather shocking statistics on the decline of clergy health, it is important that judicatories, in…

Yesterday I mentioned near the end of the piece including your congregation in your care for your physical health. Today,…

Some more ideas about how to find exercise in and around your daily activities. 11. There are some great workout…

We need to be intentional about getting some exercise and look for ways to do it in and around our…

Sometimes we overlook the obvious. Among the many reasons that we are examining about the early drop-out of clergy is…

The church statistics are overwhelming that the drop out of clergy in the first five years is increasing exponentially. It…

An Examination of Loneliness A major challenge for good pastors is how to handle the loneliness inherent in the pastorate.…

Once we have acknowledged the challenge of loneliness in the pastorate, we need to identify some additional steps in coping…

As a basis for this reflection, let me tie together two separate passages. The first is from Genesis 2:18, “Then…

What most members and society do not recognize with respect to the role of clergy is the sheer loneliness that…

Another category of expectations that is often overlooked is that of the public’s expectation for congregations. While many in our…

If you want to identify some of the key factors in clergy dropping out, there are probably few areas that…