Words of Wisdom from Pastors with Tenure (Part 2)
A 2011 Lifeway Research poll found that the average tenure for pastors in a local church is 3.6 years. Some have suggested that the number may be higher. Nevertheless, pastors who stay at a given church for ten, twenty, thirty, or more years are a rare occurrence. Yet the pastors that we tend to admire the most are those who have stayed at and labored in a single local church for an extended period of time. Furthermore, some...
Words of Wisdom from Pastors with Tenure (Part 1)
A 2011 Lifeway Research poll found that the average tenure for pastors in a local church is 3.6 years. Some have suggested that the number may be higher. Nevertheless, pastors who stay at a given church for ten, twenty, thirty, or more years are a rare occurrence. Yet the pastors that we tend to admire the most are those who have stayed at and labored in a single local church for an extended period of time. Furthermore, some...
When Ministry and Seminary Collide
I never intended to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. It was an avenue that was made available to me by the grace of God, which I began pursuing in January of 2015. One course in particular that transformed my thinking was the Ethics of Wealth and Poverty with Dr. David Jones in the fall of 2015. In this class, I realized the necessity of bridging classroom studies with my personal life and public ministry. It was sobering to think...
The Legacy of Mary Ann Welch
In 2012, Free Will Baptist Bible College (FWBBC) was renamed Welch College in honor of Rev. John L Welch and his wife Mary Ann. A pastor of Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee, Bro. Welch played a key role in the formation of the National Association of Free Will Baptists as well as in the founding of FWBBC. His contributions to our denomination are indeed profound. Long before the college received a new name, though, the FWBBC...
Laura Belle Barnard: A Light to the Nations
One could make the case that the two things you don’t want to be in the Lord’s work is single or the first of something, such as the pioneer in a new field of work, study, or ministry. As I’ve written elsewhere, unmarried people face a unique set of challenges in ministry employment and even in meaningful church membership in many churches. Those reasons need not be recited here. However, being both single and the first is no small...
The Shack: A Pastoral Reflection
I have a confession to make: I saw The Shack. I had not planned to, but I did. I write with some trepidation for I know the potential reaction from some believers. Reaction ranging from unease to outright hostility can be glimpsed among many conservative Christians toward William Paul Young’s 2007 bestselling novel. Such sentiments have resurfaced in light of the film’s release on March 3. I’ve also observed a significant (and...
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