Recently I have talked with several people who are anticipating retirement in the near future. It has caused me to…

A colleague of mine has recently written a piece for the internet service, The Immediate Word, about how we respond…

I have often been struck with how hungry we are as clergy for someone to ask us about our ministry.…

Yesterday I suggested that a Presbytery or judicatory should identify and celebrate the ministry of their pastors that extends beyond…

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, most pastors understand their call to ministry as extending beyond just the activities of…

John Wesley is quoted as saying, “The world is my parish.” Most of us, when we sense a call by…

With the release of the Shriver Report, we are again engaged in a discussion about the effect of women in…

In a recent article I co-wrote for Presbyterian Outlook, (Vol 191 No. 28, August 17, 2009), I tried to imagine…

Presbytery, or any denominational judicatory, needs to strategize about how to offer support to a pastor’s family. I’m certainly thinking…

Let me identify some theological assump[tions undergirding this idea. First I believe that the church is the Body of Christ.…

I was recently at a church service while the pastor was away. During the service they announced that during the…

There has been a lot of talk lately about the need for creative leadership in the church. Recognizing that in…

This past weekend I had a wonderful experience that created an idea about how congregations can affirm God’s call to…

The single pastor or educator should invite another colleague or two or three to share in the conversational game. It…

Now for the couple whose children have already departed from the home. Below are 29 questions that you should place…

Below are a set of questions for a ministerial couple who do not have children. If you have not read…

Below are 27 questions that you should place on individual 3 x 5 cards and shuffle them so that there…

When was the last time that you had a fairly indepth conversation about your experience of ministry? If you have…

I want to build on yesterday’s discussion about how a church behaves when expectations of leaders are not met. First,…

I recently talked to a pastor about a negative termination experience at a church. It recalled for me several times…