Some occupations provide clear objectives. Automakers assemble automobiles. Builders build buildings. Chefs cook cuisine. But, what does a pastor produce?
Of Pastors and Presidents
What if churches elected pastors the way parties nominate presidents?
Ode to Youth Pastors
Originally posted on http://www.markbatterson.com/, Thursday, November 17th 2011. Mark serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C. and is also member of the strategic faculty at Anderson University in South Carolina. Here’s my ode to youth pastors! And this isn’t really a tribute from a pastor. It’s a tribute from a dad. I didn’t fully appreciate the role you play in … Read More
Cowboys & Aliens: Coming to a Church Near You
[gravatar email=”rneal@andersonuniversity.edu” size=”100″ title=”Ryan Neal” alt=”Ryan Neal” class=”user-picture” align=”right”]I am surrounded by cowboys. So are you. I see aliens. So can you. Well, I can’t guarantee that cowboys and aliens are in your midst, but I’d say the odds are pretty high. More specifically, I predict you have both cowboys and aliens involved in your ministry, at every level. Let … Read More
Meet My Friends, the Puritans
Middle school was a crisis time for me. Bespeckled with Coke-bottle frames and sporting braces and a bowl-haircut, I was the poster-child for the socially awkward. What I longed for as a shy, self-conscious seventh grader was the proverbial “friend who sticks closer than a brother”—an encourager and advocate, someone who could speak comfort and counsel to my preteen circumstances … Read More
The Pastor’s Best Tool: The Church
What does every pastor need? Surely dozens of answers might be offered. A nice facility? Or, perhaps, a growing community surrounding the church that would provide a field ripe for harvest might head the list. I suppose every pastor might desire an expanding budget to allow for additional staff or upgraded technology. Each of these is legitimate. But I think … Read More