Why do you do what you do? If you're like the many pastors, church leaders, and staff I've talked to, you aren't in this for the security, the paycheck, or the prestige. Not primarily, anyway. Of course, like anyone, you might struggle with that fact quite a bit. Maybe a little recognition would be nice. Maybe a pay bump would help you justify this whole thing to your family.
But no, you do this because you love it. You're passionate about soul care, about leading others to love God more, to embrace the gospel, and to find a home in their church. That love, that passion, that desire to see others grow in the likeness of Christ and in their love for his people is what defines you. In other words, it's your calling. That calling is what ties the pastor to the lay elder, the full-time youth pastor to the bi-vocational church planter.
This passion is the driving force behind Christianity Today's new special section, coming in March. We're calling it The Local Church. It will be a place where you will feel understood, inspired by the stories of others like you, filled with joy at the reality that you are a part of a bigger story: God at work in the local church.
We'll talk about what matters to you as local church leaders, but we won't seek to tell you exactly what that means for your ministry. Through a podcast, a refreshing and reinvigorating web experience, and a community focus, you'll feel connected to the universal church in a way that puts the local church experience up front and understands the pressures and struggles of church leaders.
And that's just online. CT will be deepening its commitment to local church leaders in its print pages, and later in 2016, we'll be offering CT subscribers a special issue devoted completely to local church leadership.
For pastors and church leaders, there's never been a better time to be a subscriber of Christianity Today. For more information about what's ahead,visit christianitytoday.com/localchurch/.
Stay in the Conversation,
Richard Clark Managing EditorChristianity Today, Online
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