The Top 30 Rules for Pastors

I compiled this list some years ago, to remind myself of what is important in how to be a pastor and lead a church. The order is more or less random. 1.    Worship until the joy comes 2.    Surround yourself with prayer...

Is This the Beginning of Revival?

Last night I was blessed to be at a unique gathering. It’s early, but it’s exciting. It has all the signs of the beginning of revival. Four years ago I retired from 34 years of pastoring in Maryland, most of that in the Baltimore-Washington region. Paula and I moved...

How to Leave a Church

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 Perhaps you serve in a tradition like mine, where a bishop moves pastors from church to church, matching needs with gifts. In other traditions, local...

The Pastor’s Personal Life

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Much to the surprise of some church folks, pastors are people, too. We have personal lives that are not necessarily all bound up in the church. You have personal time,...