Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions.
Learning to Love the Church
When I became a pastor I didn’t like much about the complexities of community in general and of a holy community in particular.
The Ministry of Small Talk
What we talk about while we’re preparing the way for Jesus to join the conversation.
Pastor in the Present Tense
Your place and essential identity.
Having Ears, Do You Not Hear?
Ancient practices help us stop merely studying the Bible, and start listening to it.
Out of Context: Eugene Peterson
Theology in community.
Eugene Peterson Discusses His Book “Tell It Slant”
On the importance of paying attention to language
Letters to the Church
What Jesus might write to churches today
To the Suburban Church of North America
A open letter to this expression of American Christianity.
The Subversive Shepherd
Why and how to return to the hard work of making saints.
Haphazardly Intent
Pastoring in the 20th century requires two things: one, to be a pastor, and two, to run a church. They aren’t the same thing.
Reforming Spiritual Health Care
Rediscover the pastoral work of the cure of souls.
Trinity: The Name
Implications for Christian life from our baptism in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Pastor’s Sabbath
If we do not regularly quit work for one day a week, we take ourselves far too seriously.
Spiritual Healthcare Reform
Rediscovering our pastoral vocation and the Cure of Souls.
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW
Seven leaders identify ministry’s most strategic points.
A Pastor’s Quarrel with God
In ministry, you sometimes find yourself questioning God’s grand scheme.
STUMBLING ACROSS THE SUPERNATURAL
How one pastor found himself doing heaven’s work in the humdrum.
THE JONAH SYNDROME
When misdirected zeal replaces holy ambition, we embark on a long obedience in the wrong direction.
How I Recovered My Passion for God
An unlikely mentor helped Eugene Peterson rediscover the heart of ministry.
The Subversive Pastor
Our mission, to undermine the kingdom of self and establish the kingdom of God, is a covert operation.
GROWTH: AN ACT OF THE WILL?
Does spiritual development depend on my effort? A reflection on the interplay of God’s will and ours.
DESERT & HARVEST
The bounty of a sabbatical goes beyond mere time away.
MASTERING CEREMONIES
Public occasions put pastors center stage–where, ironically, they can’t be seen.
Lashed to the Mast
With so many voices wooing us away, it’s not easy to cling to our essential task.
THE INGLORIOUS WORK OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
How practical is it to guide Christians one at a time?
Portrait of a Shriveled Saint
Seeing myself “keine Gnade,” without grace, haunts me.
Practicing & Malpracticing the Presence of God
Five pastors completely bungled George Fox’s search for spiritual direction, but their mistakes point out the essentials of pastoral care.
Curing Souls: the Forgotten Art
In the bustle of running a church, something essential has been overlooked.
On Finding a Spiritual Director
A seasoned pastor seeks a guide to the interior regions of faith.
Beware The Prayer Simplifiers
Church leaders can’t diminish the complexities of prayer; they can only be companions to those engaged in its difficulty.
