I keep having conversations with leaders who have either transitioned out of their vocational ministry roles or who are considering doing so. One of the themes that comes up repeatedly in these conversations is the vocabulary with which we describe these kinds of changes.
We describe any move away from vocational pastoral ministry as a “walking away” from the church and unfaithfulness to a particular calling. Without realizing it, we pump shame into the atmosphere of those trying to continue to minister when, for one reason or another, it’s time for them to make a transition.
I wrote a post about this subject and wanted to pass it along as a way of encouraging those who have made a change or who are considering doing so.
Read: When You’re Ready to Transition Out of Vocational Pastoral Ministry
Feel free to read it and/or pass it along to others who might need it.
Also, this coming Sunday on the liturgical calendar is Pentecost Sunday, which is an opportunity to celebrate the empowering of the church by the Holy Spirit for the task of sharing the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. I hope your weekend is filled with hope and energy!
Keep on growing!
Brandon
This Week’s Big Sermon Ideas
Receiving the Spirit Jesus Promised
A sermon idea based on John 20:19-23.
When Jesus’ followers, by faith, actively choose to receive the empowering Holy Spirit, the whole world gets turned upside down and God’s forever family grows!
Read and Share the Full Article »
When God Pours Out His Power
A sermon based on Acts 2:1-21.
God has thrown his arms wide open to invite, receive, and enlarge his forever family. When we celebrate Pentecost, we’re celebrating the day that God demonstrated this desire by empowering his church to proclaim the good news of Jesus to all people by the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. And the church is forever different because of this empowerment!
Read and Share the Full Article »
Creative Sermon Series Ideas from MinistryPass
My favorite resource for sermon series and message ideas, complete series graphics, and video bumpers (but NOT full notes) to get you started is MinistryPass! Each week, I’ll feature a series I would recommend checking out for the upcoming season of the church year. This week:
From the Description:
This sermon series centers on Pentecost season. The day of Pentecost commemorates the defining moment in the history of the church when the apostles were filled with or baptized in the Spirit, in direct fulfillment of Jesus’s promise to his followers before he ascended into heaven. This event enabled the disciples to effectively carry out the Great Commission in the world. This series on Pentecost will emphasize the fact that we have been set free from the power of sin and are called to live new lives in Christ through the Spirit.
Check Out This Sermon Series »
Links for Leaders
- POST: Jemar Tisby writes about progress on the racial justice front three years after the murder of George Floyd, a pivotal moment for many in leadership in the church.
- RESEARCH: Marissa Postell Sullivan shares data from LifeWay Research about how Most Churchgoers Say They Want to Serve, Fewer Actually Do.
- ARTICLE: Pastor Rick Warren shares advice about handling conflict in Seven Biblical Steps to Resolving Conflict.
- PODCAST/ARTICLE: NPR’s All Things Considered recently featured a conversation about America’s loneliness epidemic and what we can do about it.
If you have a resource relevant to pastors and church leaders that you’d like for me to include, feel free to message me. I can’t always promise inclusion but I’ll definitely take a look.
The Latest from Walk Humble
Walk Humble is where I host an ongoing conversation about life, faith, and relationships among people brave enough to admit they don’t have life all figured out yet. Here’s the latest if you’re interested…
Choose the Relationship Over Being Right
You can be the most correct person and the most lonely person on the planet. Or you can value relationships more than being right. Your call, but walk humbly as you choose.
Miss an Issue? Read The Reflectionary Archives!
About the Cover Art: Pentecost, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
