Ministry in Chapters

Ministry is done in chapters, and wise is the minister who knows his page number.

Dry Rot and Worms in the Church

An English vicar with his mind on decaying buildings announced one day that the offertory about to be taken would be devoted in its entirety to the extermination ...

Breakdown

One proud, surly, lordly word, one needless contention, one covetous action may cut the throat of many a sermon, and blast the fruit of all that you have ...

The Ripening of Mr. Simeon

I don't think I have yet mentioned one of my great heroes, Charles Simeon. Charles Simeon was the senior pastor, or vicar, as we call it in the Episcopal ...

The Value of a Penny

Steve Sjogren is the pastor of a Vineyard in Cincinnati, Ohio. One Monday morning he was feeling particularly discouraged and announced to his wife Janie, ...

The Dangers of Stress

The pressures of the ministry eat at the heart muscle of any man, or the stomach lining, or the arteries, all of which compose the miracle that is the ...

Wrong Role Model

A minister friend of mine was concerned when two of his three sons began to stutter. He made an appointment for them to see a speech therapist (who was ...

A Pastor is Critiqued

Quoted from Pastoral Life magazine: One Sunday morning a pastor got up in the pulpit and apologized for the Band-aid on his face. He said "I was ...

Vulnerability vs. Spiritual Exhibitionism

On the one hand, no minister can keep his own experience of life hidden from those he wants to help. Nor should he want to keep it hidden. While a doctor ...

Walking Sermon

As our pastor's sermon stretched on, my daughter grew impatient and started to talk.

"Shh," I whispered. "I want to hear the sermon." ...