Articles to Help pastors thrive in the trenches of pastoral ministry.

Sean Corser Sean Corser

When Church Revitalization Doesn’t Go to Plan: Learning from the Stories We Don’t Often Share

By Dan Steel

Sometimes, despite our best hopes, our most prayerful plans, our track-record and our wholehearted efforts, the church we came to love and to serve doesn’t grow. The vision doesn’t take root. The resistance is stronger than we ever expected. The momentum never builds. Or the cost – financial, relational, emotional, spiritual - proves greater than we anticipated. And we quietly step back, or are asked to step down, often without much of a chance to process what just happened. And we leave feeling bruised and broken.

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Sean Corser Sean Corser

So you have “Elders” but want Elders?

By Matt Walker

Transitioning from elders-in-principle to elders-in-practice will be a long, slow, and unexpected process for a new pastor. However, qualified elders functioning as genuine shepherds is a joy-filled, God-honoring, Christ-exalting, church-strengthening endeavor, making the transition process worth the perseverance.

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Sean Corser Sean Corser

Don't Quit

By Jon Hawkins

I would have been willing to just jump in a car with the family and leave all our possessions behind. That’s how done I was. Don’t quit.

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What should a pastor do in his first few years at a church?

A pastor needs to be trained not to be reactionary regarding the dysfunction and turmoil he finds, but to have a clear plan on how his time should be spent during his first few years, regardless of what problems he inherits. The best approach for a pastor, especially when entering a dysfunctional, dying congregation is to simply be a pastor to those people.

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