Ministry in the Middle

As I write this post today, I am working from home.  The weather here is brutally cold, and all of the nearby schools are closed.  So, too, is our church office -- along with many others, I assume from several who have posted on social media that they are closed today. This hasn't greatly affected my workday.  Expecting the poor weather, I had not planned on making visits today and I had no appointments scheduled.  Instead, I've been on the computer and the phone, planning for upcoming services, coordinating details with other church staff people, catching up on email, and working on Sunday's sermon. The truth is, I can do much of my work as a pastor from anywhere, especially if I have a phone, internet connection, and computer/tablet/smartphone.  And, throughout my ministry, I have often done more than half of my work outside of the church building.  Personally, given the long and unpredictable hours of ministry, including the reality that most congr...

The current political climate has encouraged me to reflect upon how employers treat employees.  Certainly capitalism makes labor a commodity: the pressures of the market try to get the most labor for the cheapest cost.  Still, I believe that there are ethical considerations for how laborers should be treated.  This is particularly true when the church is involved.  We need to value the people who are serving as employees, not just the labor we want them to provide for our ministry.  Jesus would expect nothing less, as demonstrated by his teaching and example, which celebrated the value of each person. With such an outlook, the church should be one of the greatest places to work.  Unfortunately, many people do not have that experience.  There can be a number of complaints, including low pay, long hours, and sometimes unreasonable expectations (if the expectations are even explicitly stated). While the most obvious paid employees of the church are ...

I've spent part of this week preparing for our congregation's first board meeting of the new year.  Often, this process takes more time and more communication than I remember from year to year. Our congregation has a good tradition of official and unofficial term limits, so that most positions have new people in them every few years.  In general, I support this practice.  On one level, I want to prevent anyone from ever becoming so entrenched in a single church leadership role -- whether by personal desire or popular acclaim -- that they cannot do anything else and no one else can assume that role.  On another level, I think that these term limits are a way of practicing sabbath.  Not only do we allow people to rest from certain responsibilities every so often -- even if they are quite gifted at them -- but we also celebrate that God has blessed the congregation with multiple people who can assume responsibilities in ways that bless others and enrich our share...