Lesson #3
Erika and I are sharing “Ten lessons in ten years” with the 55+ group at our church tomorrow.

Erika and I are sharing “Ten lessons in ten years” with the 55+ group at our church tomorrow.

My annual staff review/evaluation is coming up on Tuesday. In past years, I’ve answered a questionnaire about how well I was doing according to my ministry (job) description. Things are different this year. Since we’re in a transition as a church, our interim lead pastor has asked us to answer questions like, “What’s your primary…

One of the most important seasons in the life of a church takes place during pastoral transition. Roger Nicholson’s helpful book, Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim Ministry provides and excellent overview of the important tasks congregations should implement on their way from pastoral departure to calling a new leader. Here’s a summary of…

It’s been awhile. I’ve been neglectful lately. I’m sorry. I spent last week speaking in evening chapels at Mishewah family camp. It’s one of our denominational camps near Pembroke, Ontario. My family was there with a handful of others from HMC, a whole lot of people from other parts of the province, and countless blood-thristy…

I’m becoming more and more convinced that 21st century pastoral leadership doesn’t require titles, offices, positions, buildings or pay cheques. It does demand personal investment in people, authenticity, and a willingness to boldly and humbly challenge the religious status quo.

A couple of weeks ago I announced that I was going to start praying for change. What I didn’t say was that I invited the rest of our staff team to join with me. And since my invitation, we’ve met three times. We spend 1/2 hour talking openly about the transition and 1/2 hour praying…
Today’s verses are packed with ideas and commands that are highly applicable to people in our culture. I’ve heard that divorce rates are no different in the Christian community than they are in society at large. Additionally, sexuality is the hottest commodity on today’s market. The message is everywhere: old or young, if you’re not…