We continue the “Ten Best Ways to Ruin Your Church Staff” to avoid for those pastoral leaders who want to keep and develop quality staff ministry colleagues, (For those pastors who want to get rid of troubling church staff, then this is the way to do it!). Today, no. 3: Divide and Conquer.
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We continue the “Ten Best Ways to Ruin Your Church Staff” to avoid for those pastoral leaders who want to keep and develop quality staff ministry colleagues, (For those pastors who want to get rid of troubling church staff, then this is the way to do it!). Today, no. 2: Micromanage and Overfunction.
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For those pastoral leaders who want to keep and develop quality staff ministry colleagues, here are the ten most common ways that pastors ruin church staff—and how to avoid them. (For those pastors who want to get rid of troubling church staff, then this is the way to do it!). Today, no. 1: Demand perfection and conformity.
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Today was Orientation for the entering students at the seminary. A great bunch of folks. I was intrigued by the diversity in the group, including the span in ages and life experiences. The group served to confirm the reality that the term “non-traditional student” hardly means anything in theological education any more. God is at work calling people from all walks and stages of life for the Kingdom. And it is humbling to witness that people are responding. And more humbling still, the realization that for some of us, the calling is to prepare those who’ve answered the higher calling.
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For more information visit the Baptist Theological Seminary website.
I’m revisiting some of the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Few have written better on the matter of community. I came across his thoughts on speaking the truth in love in community that I find timely. I’ll confess I remain perpetually puzzled at people’s inability to be frank with each other. I spent too many of my formative years growing up in New York City, where they didn’t mince words and more conversations than not tended to be delivered with an in-your-face attitude. I find Bonhoeffer’s words worth considering.
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Scottish mystic Henry Scougal (1650-1678), author of the spiritual classic The Life God in the Soul of Man included the following prayer in that work:
“Good God! What a mighty felicity this is to which we are called! How graciously hast thou joined our duty and happiness together, and prescribed that for our work the performance whereof is a great reward!”
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