“Consider this,” he said. “Do you realize that being an evangelical pastor in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood, many of your neighbors already think that you are a cult leader…”

Wow. I was blown away. Ten years as a pastor in our community living in the same home. No. I had never thought that. Come to think of it… that might explain some of my neighbors reluctant conversations and nervous greetings throughout the years.

Me? A cult leader? I am far from that. Really, I am a nice guy.

What a hurdle to overcome!

The MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region is a key point of transit for refugees from Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria. Neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan have absorbed the vast majority of Syrian refugees.

How do Arab citizens view this crisis? And how do different actors leverage the refugee issue?

What strikes fear into the hearts of pastors? Failure? Disapproval? Unbelief? A botched sermon? Even as they look to “the Great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20) to strengthen their labors in leading their flock, pastors still battle “ministry fears” every week.

In this new roundtable, TGC Council members Danny Akin (president of Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina), Bill Kynes (senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, Virginia), and Miguel Núñez (senior pastor of International Baptist Church in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) open up about their fears. Kynes talks about what he calls “fears of the flesh” and what it would mean to lose his sense of conviction in the Christian faith. Núñez relates Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians to his own fears—that his own church would misunderstand him, abandon the gospel, or not grow in unity. Akin shares about his fear of following the unfaithfulness of others he’s known personally.

Watch this seven-minute video to be encouraged as you lay your fears at the foot of the cross and strive to finish well.