Handling That Sticky Situation
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“What is Moses to do? What would you do? How should this dilemma be handled? Consider logic? Go on past decisions? ‘Phone a friend’?” - P&D
Pastors, don’t tie your reputation to a political leader
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“even if they don’t misbehave…if we become more associated with them than we are with the gospel, we dilute, if not destroy, our witness” - Michael Brown
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You might be an angry pastor if …
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“You always shake your fist when you preach. You blame everything on actors and politicians. You rant on social media about, well, everything. You assume I’m writing this to someone else.” - The Baptist Paper
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A Biblical Plan for Pastoral Succession, Part 2
Read Part 1.
Practical Advice
It’s one thing to put some verses together and present a pastoral succession plan. It’s another thing to carry out this plan. The following distills many authors’ advice on pastoral succession, addressed here to key individuals and groups.
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A Biblical Plan for Pastoral Succession, Part 1
Every pastor is an interim pastor. Every pastor eventually resigns, retires, or dies. What is your church’s plan to find your next pastor?
Scripture lays the foundation for an ideal pastoral succession plan: the outgoing pastor trains men for ministry, prepares his church for his departure, and, with the church’s approval, appoints one of these men as his successor. If a pastor does not prepare his church for his departure, the church will likely struggle after he leaves. The Bible suggests a better way.
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Barna Research: Pastors rate themselves lower in all areas of wellbeing since 2015
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“Citing data collected for their Resilient Pastor research from 2015 to 2022… showed pastors suffered significant declines in all areas of well-being when asked to rank how they felt as excellent, good, average, below average, poor or don’t know.” - CPost
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Pastor: Help Your Congregation Navigate Gay Pride Month
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“For starters, don’t take love for granted. That’s easy to do when fear dominates us. Therefore, remind your members that loving God and loving our neighbor should animate everything we say and do this month.” - 9 Marks
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“During the past two centuries, things have changed. Christians today don’t look primarily to pastors as their most important intellectual guides.”
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Why the Church Needs Pastor-Theologians - TGC
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Scott Sauls, author and Nashville pastor, placed on indefinite leave of absence
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“In a video message to the congregation, Sauls apologized for an unhealthy leadership style that harmed the people who worked for him and the church.” - RNS
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How Sensible Pastors React to Harsh Public Criticism
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“One pastor had a group of people circulate a petition to get him fired. They tried to get signatures in the foyer as members walked into church for Sunday services. Another pastor experienced the creation of a Facebook page dedicated to criticizing every aspect of his preaching and leadership.” - Church Answers
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