Some people have too much time on their hands.  Here is a phone call of a church visitor who didn’t like a certain member of the praise team.  (Mistake #1:  leaving your criticism on the church answering machine) Original Church Complaint Voice Mail Now, here’s the “dance re-mix” of the complaint (Mistake #2:  having someone on your staff with too much time on their hands) Dance Remix...

The “Bigger Church, Bigger Impact” conference wrapped on Friday, leaving participants feeling drained and dejected. “I came here thinking my church was doing all right. Now I see we’re so dinky and dumb, it’s not even funny,” says pastor Steve Irvine of Reno, Nev., who went to his hotel room and cried after each session. Several faith-filled conference speakers shared how they grew their churches to tens of thousands of members with various ministry techniques. In the foyer afterward, many participants wore tight grins. Some broke down on the spot. After paying $400...

10. Average time between sending in application and receiving rejection notice: 5-7 minutes. 9. On eight different job search websites there’s a picture of you with the caption “Don’t bother applying.” 8. You keep getting responses rejecting you for the position but encouraging you to apply for “Pastor of Folding Bulletins.” 7. Every opening you see needs a minimum of 25 years experience at a church of at least 10,000 members. 6. You find out that the “salary package + health benefits” for your “perfect job” consist of “Love Offerings” and some Band-Aids. 5. The search committee...

This is from Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” from Galatians Chapter 6.  If you’re feeling tired, weary, or ready to give up this Monday morning, this word is for you! “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others.  Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.  Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life...

Scott Williams is a former pastor who now looks back at his professional career differently.  He’s posting a series called “I Was Wrong”… today’s subject is the work load that he had while he was a pastor… see what you think… ministers love to brag about how overworked they are. it has been difficult for me to start this blog inasmuch as, of all the confessions i have made in this series, this one hits the closest to home. i have been grossly negligent in this area. for 20 years of ministry i have used this crutch to excuse all manner of laziness, poor...

There is an epidemic occurring right under the nose of church middle judicatories and no one seems to notice. Young pastors (less than five years in the ministry) are leaving in droves. The Lilly Foundation has poured millions of dollars into “Sustaining Pastoral Ministry” initiatives and it’s too soon to tell whether or not their approach is working. Aside from the obvious reasons pastors leave the ministry (sexual impropriety, financial mismanagement, and marital dissolution) here are the top ten reasons why young pastors call it quits: 1. The discontinuity between what they imagined ministry...

Do you anticipate a problem-free week? ‘Huh’, you say?  ‘I work in a church!’ All jobs have their high points and low points.  And church work is no exception.  There is no doubt that you will very soon (if it hasn’t happened already this morning!) encounter some obstacle that will be a real thorn in your side this week. Maybe it was a something someone said on a comment card yesterday.  Maybe it’s a conflict with another staff member or church leader.  Perhaps it’s just the stress of day-to-day ministry that really gets to you this week. American scholar,...

From the Christian Post: A new study has found that Christian adults primarily believe integrity, not “passion for God,” is the most important quality in a leader. The study, conducted by Ventura, Calif.-based Barna Group, found that 64 percent of Christians believe integrity to be one of the most important leadership qualities, while other important traits include authenticity (40 percent), discipline (38 percent) and “passion for God” (31 percent). Among evangelicals, however, the percentage of those who believe passion for God is an important leadership quality is...

1.  Embezzlement (the stat here says that 1 in 3 churches is embezzled each year).  That sounds high to me, but it is a cause for major concern. 2.  Fundraising shortfalls.  What do you do when there’s not enough money.  Many sleepless nights are caused by this all over the country. 3.  Sexual Allegations/Discriminations/Staff members gone bad.  How do you protect your church from bad situations in hiring? This post has some solutions for you. Go there… then get some sleep. Todd PS – What keeps YOU up at...

Just in case you were wondering about any of these three things today… Ray has the definitive answer on each from his ‘ask Ray Comfort forum: “Ray, why did God give me an appendix? Why are my wind and food pipes too close together to avoid choking easily? Why do women have to go through such severe childbirth in order for our pelvis’ to be shaped in such a way we can walk upright?” – Patricia B. The appendix is said to be vestigial. But it’s not. Duke University released an article, “Appendix Isn’t Useless at All: It’s a Safe House for Bacteria,” by Duke Medicine News and...