In our particular cultural moment, have you noticed a longing for values or traits that may seem absent in public life? Warren Bennis famously…
Tag: Pastoral Care
The Cost of Preaching Pastorally & Prophetically
If we are guided by Scripture, the content of our preaching will always have aspects of the pastoral and the prophetic.
Visits through the Distance: Pastoral Presence
Before this pandemic, there were pastors who felt the call to preach but not the call to reach. Visits to members can feel intimidating.
Priscilla Hammond ~ How to Communicate Change in Church Policy during Chaotic Times
If you are you struggling to make decisions about policy and how to communicate those decisions to your church during this chaotic time, you are not alone. In this new normal of remote church, much consumes our day-to-day activities. It is difficult to plan and communicate future steps.
Wesleyan Accent ~ Soul Posture for the Socially Distanced
“The thwarting of strategy is an invitation for God to do a deeper work of character.”
Wesleyan Accent ~ Practical Coronavirus Communication for Congregations
Given that local relationships will drive much of the local response, the following examples help address a couple of immediate needs faced by clergy and congregational members: church Coronavirus communication and communicating with vulnerable populations with proactive hospitality.
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ Remembering Church History: Pastoral Care during Outbreaks
It may seem counter-intuitive to consider church history in any discussion of outbreak, pandemic, or plague; we live in an era of hazmat suits, microbiology, and gallons of gelatinous hand sanitizer. But while our approach to disease containment and pathology is far different than you would find in rural Germany in the 1500’s, there is profound wisdom and perspective in reflecting on the posture of faith communities in our past.
Priscilla Hammond ~ What Change Models Look like in Your Congregation
If you have been a leader for very long, you have heard the question, "Why do we need to change?” In 1967, British Prime…
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ Consolation and Desolation: Old Wisdom for Tired Protestants
Simply put, “For Ignatius, the ebb and flow of consolation and desolation is the normal path of the Christian life.” There will be times of consolation – when there is a sense of noticeable, personally experienced growth or blossoming, when God’s presence seems close and the means of grace seem easy and quick at hand. There will also be times of desolation – similar to the “dark night of the soul” – when, whether from wrongdoing, or attacks of the enemy, or times of struggle or challenge, God’s presence seems distant or even simply absent, when our growth seems stalled or the habits that sustain us feel unusually heavy.
Aaron Perry ~ A Grief in Birth
I am now learning to grieve. And my Dad isn’t here to teach me. C.S. Lewis noted after the death of his wife that he didn’t know grief felt so much like fear. The fear I have is that I won’t grieve – or that I won’t grieve well. I have had my tears, but what is grief supposed to look like? How will I know I’ve grieved?