I really love the Christmas season. The colors, lights, the songs, the traditions, the memories, the crazy schedule and even Santa Claus! All joking aside, there is perhaps no other time when people’s hearts are soft toward the good news of comfort and joy like they are at Christmas. It raises the stakes a bit…
Category: Ministry
Keeping Christmas Merry
Four Expectations to Share with Your Spouse for the Christmas Season Guest Blogger: Rodney Wilson Hustle and bustle are alive and well in the 21st century and the holidays seem all too happy to contribute to that fast pace. The craziness is not necessarily a bad thing. My wife loves it. Selma is no Black…
Alcohol and the Holidays
Next to “Merry Christmas!”, “Cheers!” may be the most spoken expression during the Season. So many people look for reasons to drink and the holidays is just one more. Isn’t it funny that when we hear the word “drink”, we automatically assume it’s the consumption of some kind of alcoholic beverage? Maybe that reveals how much…
5 Reasons I’m Thankful for the Church
During this Thanksgiving time, I am reminded how much we as pastors should be thankful for our church. Sometimes in our desire to “succeed in ministry,” we forget to be truly grateful! It’s too easy to be envious about what God is doing somewhere else, while forgetting God’s blessings in our own life and ministry….
When People Leave:
The Private Pain of the Small Church Pastor by Pastor Karl Vaters All of us have felt the pain and disappointment of someone leaving our church. It’s hard on everyone. It’s hard to leave and it’s hard being left. A while back I read a blog about this very issue written by Pastor Karl Vaters….
Ministry Years (The Latter Years)
By Randy and Linda Myers We have been in a series of blogs entitled “Ministry Years.” The last few weeks we have looked at some of the challenges pastors face during different seasons of ministry (You can read the previous blogs here http://bit.ly/2dPxgXI). LET’S TALK… The last years of ministry is when the pastor asks,…
Ministry Years (The Middle Years – Part Two)
By Randy and Linda Myers We are in a series of blogs entitled Ministry Years. Last week we shared two of four challenges we faced during the middle years of ministry: conflict and burnout. These years can be a time of evaluation. Hurts may run deep so we ask, “Do I want to keep doing…
Ministry Years (The Middle Years, Part One)
By Randy & Linda Myers Ministry is a privilege. To think that God would use people like me for His Kingdom and in His church is something I never get used it. And some of us get to do ministry as a vocation. We actually get paid to do it. But ministry also has its…
Ministry Years (The Early Years)
By Randy & Linda Myers The next four blogs we will talk about some of the issues pastors and their families deal with during the course of ministry. We broke it down to the early years, middle years (in two parts), and legacy years. It ranges from finances, conflicts, friendships to leaving well. So, here…
Why You Need a Coach
As we work to build healthy local churches, one of the priorities of the Pacific Conference is developing leaders. As part of that area of focus, we’ve begun a program of Coaching for our pastors. I’ve personally been coached, both in the past and at present. (I wrote about it here.) I’ve found that it…
Problem People or People with Problems?
I don’t like labels and generalities, but here I go. Shortly into the ministry I began experiencing people problems. I admit that as a young pastor I was sometimes brash, bold and not always sensitive. However, while most people were willing to work through a problem, a few certain people seemed to resist everything and…
You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
Superintendent Randy’s taking a well-deserved rest this week after a busy month of leading our Annual Conference meetings and promoting and attending the Leadership Summit Simulcast. So this week, for the first time, and the last time, I, Carl Duhrkoop, will be filling in for him and writing “Coffee with Randy.” So sit back, pour…
Coffee with Randall 