It’s easy to get weighed down by the day-to-day tasks of ministry. I’ve seen dozens of us work early and late hours, make ministry happen, and neglect ourselves and our families. Meanwhile, our ministry work is barely appreciated and very much expected; people are quicker to criticize than applaud. After a few weeks of this,…
The importance of prioritizing spiritual direction Confession: my role as a professional Christian replaces my personal Christian practice more times than I would like. As a ministry leader, I lead worship, marry, bury, baptize, lead bible studies, teach Sunday school, facilitate retreats, and lead mission trips . . . professionally. Sometimes it’s easy to confuse…
So many pastors get caught in the week-to-week grind, frantically finding themselves at the end of a week trying to conjure something to say for Sunday. Early in my ministry I found myself in this place. I thought crafting a message would be energizing. Even fun. But each week the urgent overshadowed the important and…
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From a friend of Ministry Architects, Pastor Kevin Allen, guest blogger If the goal in Family Ministry is to help parents train up children who, as adults, are making disciples on their own, it may feel at times that it’s just wishful thinking and hopeful praying. It can definitely seem overwhelming when a parent is…
Love it or loathe it, since its launch in 2020, ‘Ted Lasso’ has gained a global following. The award-winning Apple TV+ series follows the story of a college football coach from Kansas City who travels across the pond and manages a fictional English Premiere League soccer team, AFC Richmond. Ted’s unique leadership style has led…
Full disclosure: I think leaders and pastors fall into the trap of focusing more of their time on building ministries than making disciples. It is not that leaders and pastors don’t think discipleship is essential, but the reality is that discipleship does not pay the bills. The commitment to discipleship is time and energy-intensive, ultimately taking time and energy away from the ministries we are paid to oversee. As a result, discipleship takes a back seat to most everything else.
The church in North America is shrinking and we blame the next generation, “nobody wants to go to church anymore.” We did it with Gen X. We did it with the Millennials. We’re doing it with Gen Z. However, I don’t think blaming the next generation of young adults for not connecting with what connects to us is going to right the ship.