Articles for tag: Pastoral Care

January 22, 2017

Christian Standard

6 Secrets Leaders Share

By Alan Ahlgrim Every person can relate to being at the end of his or her rope””especially leaders! But realizing that secrets like these are common to many can lead to solutions and calm. Secrets””everyone has them. I”ve been close to a group of business entrepreneurs for years. We used to gather every week for lunch, now we connect every few months and it”s always a grand reunion. Recently, as we finished our sandwiches in a business conference room, I interrupted the chatter by reading a passage from Matthew 5. When I asked what stood out the most in this teaching

May 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Trading Places: Learning from a Unique Staff Transition

By Brian Jennings Dave Dunson and Brian Jennings didn”t exactly exchange places on their church staff. But Dunson gave up the senior ministry to move to another staff ministry position while Jennings moved from youth ministry to become the lead minister. Here”s why and how it happened. Highland Park Christian Church has been ministering to people in the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for almost 60 years. In 2004, we first began talking about a future staff transition. Everything about our situation felt unique; we weren”t planning on anyone leaving or retiring. Dave Dunson came to the church as senior minister

April 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Can You Let Your Preacher Change?

By Jim Tune Is it OK for your preacher to change? It”s understood that with growth comes change. And most if not all churches expect their leaders to grow. Christians expect their preacher will become more saturated by, and competent in, the handling of Scripture. Time in study should lead to greater depth and maturity. Shepherding a flock should, over time, lead to stronger skills in conflict resolution, mediation, and reconciliation. Your preacher will attend conferences and read books and will embrace new ideas and fresh vision. For the most part, this kind of growth and the changes that accompany

January 14, 2016

Michael C. Mack

10 Things You Can Do for Your Senior Minister This Week

By Michael C. Mack 1. Pray for him daily. 2. Encourage him with notes, tweets, or in person (but not right before the service begins). 3. Help him focus on sermon prep by limiting interruptions during the week or giving him announcements shortly before he preaches. 4. Take on pastoral care responsibilities. A class or group should be the front line of pastoral care. 5. Be a minister. You are part of the priesthood of all believers, a minister of reconciliation, an important part of the body of Christ. 6. Treat him as a person and as an individual. Remember

October 20, 2015

Christian Standard

When the Leader Fails

By Alan Ahlgrim Integrity failures come in all shapes and sizes, and usually at the most inconvenient times, in the most surprising ways, and from the most unexpected directions. Based on my experience and what I”ve learned from others, here”s my advice for a church coping with a leader”s failure. Over the course of my ministry, here”s just a sample of what I”ve been faced with and forced to lead through. “¢ Confronting the chairman of the elders with his adultery with another visible church member. “¢ Navigating the confession of molestation, as a highly respected leader simultaneously admitted his sin

August 10, 2015

Christian Standard

7 Things Singles Want Their Pastors to Know

By Jennifer Johnson “¢ Please acknowledge that our culture is couple-focused.  Many people still believe you”re incomplete””and you must be unhappy””if you”re not married. While many of us would like to be married, the fact that we aren”t doesn”t define who we are. We live in a culture that idealizes romantic love and feels sorry for those not in a relationship, but the church should have a richer perspective on each individual”s value in the body of Christ. It”s not your fault that our culture trends this way, but don”t let the church inadvertently reinforce it. “¢ We don”t mind

July 9, 2015

Christian Standard

Unpaid but Accountable

By Jennifer Johnson Since its launch in September 2011, Mission Church in Ventura, CA, has grown from a small team of three families to more than 700 people and a large staff. But only six of those staff members are paid. The volunteer culture began with the launch of the church, when several members of the core team agreed to lead without receiving pay. “We have 16 people in our staff meetings, but only a few of them are paid by Mission,” says Jodi Hickerson, herself one of the volunteers. (She serves as programming director and preaches regularly.) “We have

May 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Tables of Grace

By Jim Tune God has a thing for tables, and many of us can understand why. The Scriptures are full of stories of people meeting around tables and of relationships being formed and strengthened in that space. We resonate with these experiences. In my own life, the best moments with family have taken place around the kitchen table, visiting or enjoying a meal. The table is a place where we can be fully present with one another and develop deeper community. The psalmist connected God with the table in a familiar passage: “You prepare a table before me in the

April 16, 2015

Christian Standard

19 Ways to Recognize a Hero

By Jennifer Johnson Real heroes don”t wear capes. They can”t fly or leap tall buildings or breathe underwater. Real heroes wear khakis and polo shirts. The younger ones wear jeans and untucked Diesel button-downs with pockets on both pecs. On good days they wear waders in a baptistery. Heroes answer the phone at midnight and change back into the jeans before driving across town to sit with a grieving family. Heroes still get up early the next morning to have breakfast with their kids. Heroes are strong enough to unite opinionated volunteers and gentle enough to dedicate new babies. Heroes

April 13, 2015

Christian Standard

What Is Hospice?

By Karen Diefendorf The first modern hospice began in England in 1967. It was introduced in the United States by its British founder, who came to Yale University in 1974 to speak about its benefits at a medical symposium. In 1982, Congress included a provision to create a Medicare hospice benefit. Here is some basic information: Hospice . . . “¢ is not a place, but a concept of care; “¢ can be given anywhere . . . home, nursing home, assisted living, hospital, hospice house, etc.; “¢ is for those with a terminal illness that no longer responds to

April 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Preaching from the Bible and the Heart

By Jim Tune Many debate the level of vulnerability preachers should exercise from the pulpit. If you share too much, you risk sounding self-absorbed. If you never share any personal stories, you may appear inauthentic or aloof. My experience is that most audiences embrace people who are willing to share their story, particularly those parts that reveal the preacher as an imperfect person, with whom others can identify. To be clear, I”m not suggesting this as an “approach” to preaching. Nor should it be considered a public speaking “method.” If vulnerability in the pulpit is contrived, a perceptive congregation will

February 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Sex Offenders in the Church

By J. Robert Ross The minister at my church recently refused to allow Sam (not his real name), a convicted sex offender in my treatment program, to attend services at our church. I understood his fear, but I cannot agree with his decision to turn Sam away. I suspect his reaction, and the reaction of many others, is motivated by anxiety rooted in several misconceptions about sex offenders, their offenses, and their victims. A common misconception, aided and abetted by the media, puts all offenders in the same boat. Anyone convicted of a sex offense is automatically labeled a “sexual

January 28, 2015

Christian Standard

An Inconvenient Truth?

By Jim Tune I”ve heard the axiom “Love everyone, but move with the movers!” shared by speakers at leadership conferences. There”s truth in this counsel. I”ve had to encourage people to find another church when they became obtusely stuck on some element of vision or direction. At some point, I”ve had to weigh the value of giving disproportionate amounts of energy to people who refuse to change or compromise. So yeah, there”s some wisdom in moving with the movers. That said, I”m not entirely comfortable with this approach. Sometimes in order to truly love someone like Jesus did, you just

January 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Faithful and True

By Mark R. Laaser If you were Satan and wanted to bring down the church””all churches and all denominations””what would you do? Attack leadership, of course. Thanks to the Internet, Satan now has that technology, and he is using it. I call addiction to Internet pornography among pastors the tsunami that is threatening to engulf the church. I am an ordained pastor who struggled with sexual addiction, and by the grace of God, found freedom in March 1987 when I went to an inpatient treatment program. Thanks to the intervention of the Holy Spirit and the best clinical resources available at

December 26, 2014

Michael C. Mack

A Greeting Card Ministry with a Potentially Lifesaving Twist

By Michael C. Mack Imagine the feeling of receiving a handwritten envelope and greeting card in the mail for a significant event. Many churches have greeting card ministries that send cards for special occasions as a way of expressing the church”s care for people, acknowledging God”s love for them, and providing an opportunity to plant seeds of truth along with a personal message. Max Hickerson, who retired several years ago after more than 60 years of ministry, has added a simple yet effective ministry especially for church leaders: he sends wedding anniversary cards. “I have done it for many years

July 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Their Prison, My Freedom

By Dick Alexander (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I was in the middle of a long period of what seemed like relentless attack from people in a church I served, when a friend advised me my critics were not the enemy, but prisoners of the enemy. It set me free””free from we-they polarization. Free from choosing sides. Free to see them with compassion. The harshest critics were prisoners. In general, they didn”t enjoy life. They were prisoners of bitterness, anger, and unresolved past hurts. His advice, the best advice I”ve received, set me free

September 21, 2013

Christian Standard

30 Years, 50 Elders, 2 Lessons

By Jon Walker   Which of these two lessons, if fully learned, could most help the elders at your church do their job more effectively and bring the greatest glory to God? Lesson 1: The RATS Formula One of the first elders I worked with said the life of a church is full of change, which is challenging because change changes things, and changing things can cause people to feel like they”re losing something, and when people lose something they grieve, and grief is not a widely celebrated emotion. That is why a congregation may look askance at change, even

August 31, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with Mike and Kari MacKenzie

  Drs. Mike and Kari MacKenzie of Marble, Colorado, are the directors of Marble Retreat Center (www.marbleretreat.org) specializing in “pastor care” through intensive counseling for Christian leaders. By Paul Boatman   What is “pastor care”? Mike: Pastor care is ministry that focuses on the spiritual, mental, emotional, and relational healthiness of Christian leaders. The ministry of Marble Retreat is to help bring healing, hope, and restoration to those in vocational Christian ministry.   What led you to this ministry? Mike: We each had some influences before we were a couple. I was first sensitized by seeing some of my brother”s

May 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Growing in the Cape

By Kent E. Fillinger A mother church and a legacy church provided a great foundation for the birth of Crosspoint Christian Church in Cape Coral, Florida, in January 2006. Jeff Swearingen, lead pastor at Crosspoint, was on staff at First Christian Church in Fort Myers when discussions about a church plant started. He initially resisted the idea of planting a church, but God eventually changed his mind. About 150 people from First Christian committed to help birth Crosspoint. The church also benefited financially from a local Christian church that closed, sold its property, and then invested a significant amount into

August 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Learning to Trust

By Mike MacKenzie Jeff is not unlike many ministers we see. He has been in ministry for 25 years and has been reasonably successful. He accepted his current senior pastor position eight years ago knowing it was going to be a challenge. The congregation”s former senior pastor, who was also the founding pastor, had left under a cloud of suspicion. The church”s building program was hanging in limbo after a church split had seen half the members leave. And the finances were messy. But Jeff figured, with his experience, he had a responsibility to do what he could when he

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