A pastor friend forwarded this to me at an opportune time: the day after I had responded to someone's challenge with acerbic sarcasm. It happened at a board meeting, and I knew I had gone too far the moment I loosed my tongue. It became more obvious when that board member left the meeting in … [Read more...]
40 Days of Blogging: Rules and Vocational Discernment
From OrthoAnalytika, by Fr. Anthony Perkins (15 November 2014) With thanks to Fr. John Peck (Preacher's Institute) for setting up the 40 day challenge. I have been the Director of Vocations for the UOC-USA for about a year and a half now. It has been a real blessing to help men and women … [Read more...]
People Want Loving, Active, Joyful, and Evangelical Leadership
A couple of months ago, Pew Research announced a finding that surprised me: 49% of Americans want preachers to speak about "political issues." This was roughly the same percentage that do NOT want them to do so. I have not looked closely at the data, but I am willing to bet that people who go to … [Read more...]
Living in the Rectory – some pros and cons
As a new priest, the first piece of advice many experienced priests have given me is to buy my own house. We live in the rectory and, while it does bring challenges, we have found it to be rewarding for the parish, my family, and my ministry. From the stories I have gathered, it seems that when … [Read more...]
When Fire Strikes: some lessons learned
Two years ago, during the pre-dawn hours of the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, the parish of St. Michael in Woonsocket (UOC-USA) suffered from a terrible fire. It got up into the rafters and destroyed the roof. It was only due to the bravery and proficiency of the firefighters that it was kept … [Read more...]
Autopsy of a Burned-Out Pastor: 13 Lessons
Another short gem from Thom Rainer, this one based on his "autopsies" of pastors whose ministries - and persons - were rendered "mission incapable" by their inability to cope with the cumulative pressures of parish life. Please note that only two of the factors: serving dysfunctional parishes and … [Read more...]
The One-Term Curse (and how to avoid it)
In this essay, Thom Rainer describes a parish phenomenon that is all too common among pastors: the three year tenure. I grew up in a tradition - Methodism - that had institutionalized a four year rotational schedule for its ministers. While short tenures have some benefits, they do not allow for … [Read more...]
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