“By the time he sits down to prepare, much of his emotional and mental energy has already been spent elsewhere. Then his phone buzzes. ‘Pastor, when you get a chance …’” - Lifeway
“Walk into almost any church and you will find one person who absorbs more criticism than anyone else, answers to expectations no one wrote down, and is not allowed to defend herself. She holds no title. She drew no salary for the role. She never stood for a vote.
“I will never forget the phone call from the chairman of the search committee informing me that the church had overwhelmingly voted to call me as their next senior pastor….
“Most pastors are already using AI in ministry—only 13 percent say they don’t use it at all…. Still, nearly three-quarters of pastors (71%) describe feeling cautious about AI, and 40 percent say they feel conflicted” - Barna Research
“I am sorry you suffer from depression, for I know how heavy an affliction it is. Get to the seaside as soon as you can, and I will find you £5 towards the expense. The Lord bless you!—Yours heartily, C. H. Spurgeon.” - 9 Marks
“I’ve met church members who are hard on themselves. Like radar that mistakes birds for bombers, their consciences hold them in a state of emergency. They live under the threat of God’s judgment. They apologize a lot. Some are hard on others, too. Like air traffic controllers with defective equipment, they cry danger when there is none. They accuse a lot.” - 9 Marks
“At least seven times in the pastoral epistles, Paul directly charges Timothy and Titus to ‘avoid’ and to ‘have nothing to do with’ ideas and people who pose a threat to their flock.” - Baptist Press
“Emotional strain among pastors has reached its lowest point in a decade—inadequacy, exhaustion, and energy have all improved….Yet vocational satisfaction tells a different story: the share of pastors who are ‘very satisfied’ with their vocation has fallen from 72 percent in 2015 to 52 percent in 2026.” - Barna Research
“At its heart, preaching is not a technical task to be optimized but a Spirit-led calling to shepherd people with Biblical truth. That conviction framed a recent Bridge Fellowship gathering of pastors in Grand Rapids, where the pastors spoke honestly about AI and its place (if any) in sermon preparation and presentation.” - GARBC
“This article aims to define strategy as it pertains to the church and to encourage pastors to embrace strategic thinking as a vital step toward fulfilling their mission. While I don’t delve into the specifics of developing a strategy here, I believe understanding its importance is a powerful first step.” - CPPL
