Several years ago, the New York Times observed that “members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life...
Pastors have a monumental calling. Acts 20:28 instructs, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Whether you’re...
In this excerpt adapted from the course Church Leadership and Strategy for the Care of Souls, by Harold L. Senkbeil and Dr. Lucas Woodford, Senkbeil explores the two stages of pastoral burnout—what he calls “pastoral depletion syndrome”—and how to...
The bivocational pastor is one of the most unique, gifted, and selfless individuals in the Church. That’s because they serve churches that can’t compensate them with full-time pay (or they choose to stay in another job to save the church money)...
People talk about adjusting to the “new normal” caused by coronavirus like it’s all bad—and maybe it is. It’s hard to tell at this point. But there’s also good. Bibles are flying off shelves and trending in Google searches. People are aware of their...
Over the years I’ve developed, in good Lutheran fashion, ten theses on spiritual cure, the care of souls. Spiritual care comes from God My first thesis is this: All spiritual care is provided by God the Holy Trinity through his word in spoken and...