Pastoral Ministry

“Run the simulation on a [pastor/elder] candidate: Would the most natural commendation, relative this particular man, be … ‘He’s able to teach—if you put a gun to his head?’ Or would it be … ‘He’s the kind of man who will hardly stop teaching—even if you put a gun to his head.’” - 9 Marks

“National research by the Barna Group indicates that pastors are discouraged, with 43 percent of pastors saying that they have given serious consideration to leaving vocational ministry.” - RNS

“…some reasons pastors don’t pray. We’re “fixers” by nature….We’ve had no role model prayer warriors….We’re afraid to tell anyone when we struggle with prayer….We have so much to do” - Chuck Lawless

“Baptists do believe that humanly speaking, you are certainly free to believe whatever you wish. However, you do not have the right to believe, or disbelieve, anything you choose and still call yourself a Southern Baptist.” - Richard Land

“Make an official handwritten record of all the junk you’ve suffered and put up with in this church….Name names. Use bold print, underline, and add exclamation points. Then, take this official document, this masterpiece, and shred it. Then burn the shredding.” - David Brumbelow

“The PCA takes up the case of a church leader who responded to sexual harassment claims with a defamation lawsuit against his accusers.” - C.Today

“Earley wrote the book after he had to make some difficult decisions to get his chaotic and too busy life in balance. From that experience, he adopted four daily habits and four weekly ones that have changed his life.” - Chuck Lawless

“…their prevailing worldview is best described as Syncretism, the blending of ideas and applications from a variety of holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences. More than six out of 10 pastors (62%) have a predominantly syncretistic worldview.” - CRC

“After a few years of pastoral ministry, I realized I didn’t fit the mold of a typical church planter, much less an urban one. Rural ministry, on the other hand, suits me just fine. What do I love so much about ministry in a small place?” - TGC

Final release from Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study: “Pastors often deal with churchgoers with strong opinions, but they’re much more concerned about the people in their congregations who don’t seem to care much at all.” - C.Index