Ministry in the Middle

A remarkable thing happened to me a few days ago: I had several good ideas and insights that related to my ministry in various ways.  Not one, but two clear ideas for future sermon series.  An insight about some personal study I've been doing on race and the church.  And, if it's not too strong of a word, an epiphany about the challenges of church finance in this climate. Each of these insights and ideas seemed to be of a higher caliber than most of my day-to-day work.  And it was noteworthy that there were so many good ideas on a single day, which only happens a few times a year. As a pastor, I frequently find my self focused on two basic types of work.  One, I fulfill the basic weekly and monthly duties of my job, as related to worship planning and execution, writing and preparing items for the newsletters and bulletins, dealing with regular administrative work, and seeing to ongoing pastoral care.  Second, I "put out fires" and respond to the work th...

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 ...

It's that time of year again.  The final few days when people can enjoy doing (and eating) what they want before they make big changes starting on January 1.  (Or January 2, because January 1, you know, is a holiday.) Over the years, I have made my own resolutions too.  So I won't judge anyone else for setting goals.  And I've known people whose New Year's resolutions have inspired great and meaningful changes in their lives.  People who have given up smoking.  People who have given up toxic relationships.  People who have continued a new exercise routine far beyond January. I'm delighted when we can celebrate such accomplishments.  Deep down, I'm a Calvinist, with a pretty strong conception of human sin.  I know we are all broken and need plenty of "fixing up."  Each approaching new year can serve as a secular Ash Wednesday, reminding us of our mortality, and encouraging us to atone for our mistakes and try to get our acts together....