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Pain in Pastoring
There are plenty of painful aspects in pastoring such as carrying the confessed struggles of folks in your church (and community) who turn to you for some word of strength and comfort. Sometimes...
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Reading for Preaching (Long’s Brief Review)
“With wit, wisdom, and a fresh supply of his own compelling prose, Cornelius Plantinga invites us into the whitewater adventure of good reading. He speaks directly to preachers, to those who bear the...
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Teaching the Stories of the Bible
Recently a pastor friend pointed me to a resource on teaching Bible stories written by eminent OT scholar at Wheaton College – John Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) and his wife Kim (long-time Sunday...
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Pastoral Skills That Can’t Be Taught in Seminary
I’ve been meditating on just what sort of skills pastors need (and I don’t pretend to be any kind of expert in this). What came to mind were certain pastoral skills that can’t be taught in seminary,...
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Do We Need Celebrity Preachers
“It’s time we get back to praising the ordinary folks, dignifying those who serve unseen, to honor those who quietly worship Jesus.” READ MORE As pastors its time we get back to serving…the time for...
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Am I Still A Pastor?
Just over two weeks ago, I made the move from full-time pastoral ministry to full-time professorial ministry. Does that mean I am no longer a pastor? One issue that seems fairly common is that (at...
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Preaching Without Notes
Luke Geraty does it again! He delivers on a topic hotly discussed among pastors (okay, maybe not so hotly discussed, but maybe it should be): how to deliver a sermon without notes. My personal sense...
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Master of Arts (Missional Leadership)
Something new is coming! A Graduate School at Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, ND). That’s right…TBC will be adding a Graduate School beginning Fall 2014. The initial degree being offered is a Master...
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Church and Academy (and the Gulf between Them)
Dr. Jennifer Bashaw (of East Texas Baptist University) recently blogged about the chasm separating Church from Academy (its a good read). She notes three camps that do not help this divide (and this...
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What I've Learned about Student Formation & Service to the Church
Reblogged from Faith Improvised: Expectations differ from institution to institution about the involvement of faculty in the formation of students and in service to the church and community. This was...
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Training Pastors
Next semester I have the opportunity to teach the Senior Seminar course for ministerial students. This is a capstone course where students critically reflect on their time at Trinity (chapel services,...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Introduction
I am posting a series of self-reflective thoughts by a pastor friend of mine, Dann Pageler, who has pastored for many years in the rural Midwest of the U.S. We have had many conversations about...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Pressures and Realities (Pt.2)
Here is part 2 of “Reflections of a Rural Pastor” where Dann notes the many pressures and realities of rural ministry (read Pt.1 HERE): There is always more to be done (see also point #12 “Juggling all...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Non-negotiable Realities (Pt.3)
Here is part 3 of Dann’s “Reflections of a Rural Pastor” (see Part 1 and Part 2): People need to know that they are loved and appreciated Visitation: Personal visits are so valuable! In November of...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Additional Observations (Pt.4)
Here is part 4 of Dann’s “Reflections of a Rural Pastor” (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3): Hobbies and Interests I have started to notice that people in ministry who’ve stuck with it for the long haul have...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Presently on the Journey (Pt.5)
The following is part 5 of Dann’s “Reflections of a Rural Pastor” (see the previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4): What do I know for certain as it relates to the call of God? God has given me...
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Reflections of a Rural Pastor – Fears and Apprehensions (Pt.6)
Here is the final post of Dann’s “Reflections of a Rural Pastor” (to read the previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5): The BURDEN Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is...
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Pastoral Leadership Through Prayer
The following is a portion of a post by Dr. Kevin Bauder on the manner in which a pastor exercises leadership through prayer. The role of pastor has been recast during the past generation. Some...
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“How Many Go To Your Church?” and non-thinking questions
I am known to have told my students on occasion, “There are no stupid questions….just stupid people asking questions” (said with a wry wink in my eye). While this is a silly way to rephrase the old...
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Celebrating the Wins
My District Superintendent often asks us what wins we are celebrating because we want to celebrate them together. I personally love his language (and perspective). I know some pastors who seem to only...
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