Church Planting
Fruitful Discipleship in the Local Church : EK Strawser
As pastors and ministry leaders, how can we truly know that we are effectively developing mature disciples? In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by the Reverend Dr. Eun Strawser, co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o non-denominational missional communities, which are multiplying across the island of O‘ahu in…
Read MoreIt’s Not About Me
I admit it. I confess that the Lord regularly teaches me the same lesson over and over again. And, for some unexplainable reason, so often, I still don’t get it!! What lesson did the Lord again remind me of this time? Simply this. God graciously uses PastorServe. God kindly uses me. But – God doesn’t…
Read MoreResilient Ministry – Part 2
Last month I recounted highlights from my conversation with Bob Burns, a St. Louis pastor, longtime friend and co-author of the new book – “Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving.” I found the book to be an affirmation of what we have done for the last fourteen years at PastorServe. A…
Read MoreResilient Ministry – Part 1
What does it take to sustain lifelong pastoral excellence? Why do people leave ministry when they feel called to ministry for a lifetime? Last month, I was privileged to sit down with Bob Burns, a longtime friend who serves as the Associate Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. Bob and his team (co-authors…
Read MoreDo Not Allow Antagonists to Set the Church Agenda
I recently had the opportunity to lead an all day pastors gathering where I was asked to speak on ‘Ten Practices of Highly Effective Pastoral Leaders’. Quite a weighty topic! Who can choose only ten practices? It would be easier to list 50! While I debated what to include in the top ten – one…
Read MoreDo You Have A Rhythm of Reading?
“What are you reading?” That’s an important question. A question that we church leaders ought to ask ourselves, and our ministry leaders, on a regular basis. Not in a guilt-inducing, burden-imparting sort of way, rather in a way that communicates the significance of this life-giving discipline. A rhythm of reading is critical for every pastor.…
Read MoreThe Rhythm of Life
Rhythm – procedure marked by the regular recurrence of particular elements, phases, etc. If you were to review the activities of the most recent week in your life, what patterns would emerge? For me, I see moments of intentionality like teaching prep, strategic planning, reflection, enjoying community with others and prayer (not nearly enough). Though,…
Read MoreFighting for Joy on the Battleground of Discouragement
When was the last time you experienced real joy in your ministry? Deep, abiding joy–in spite of the busy schedule, the naysayers, the workload, the unexpected, the stress, the lack of appreciation, the sermon that bombed…again…? You get the idea. Whether you’ve been in ministry for a brief time or many years, you know there…
Read MoreConnected, But With Who?
I was sitting at the kitchen table recently doing some research on my laptop. My 20 year old daughter was at the other end answering emails on hers. Other than the sound of fingers on the keyboards, there was complete silence as we kept pecking away. Forty-five minutes later, my daughter broke the silence: “Wow! …
Read MoreWhat Is Behind My Anger?
Ephesians 4:26 | Be angry and do not sin. Anger is complicated. The Bible both commands it and gives STRONG warnings concerning it (Ephesians 4:26, 31; Proverbs 19:19; Proverbs 22:24; Ecclesiastes 7:9 to cite just a few). Anger is love expressed when fueling protection of the powerless, the voiceless, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Anger…
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