This week has been yet another rather interesting one. Given my track record, it appears “interesting” has become the norm for me. There were some compelling points addressed by Willimon in his assessment of the “The Pastor as Counselor.” I was moved by one particular statement in regards to the professional loneliness often felt by the pastor, or preacher in my case. It indicated it was a “painful irony…that the minister…finds himself on the periphery, often pleading in vain for admission.”(Page 161) This statement echoed in my mind, because I often find myself succumbing to the clinches of loneliness. Feeling as if my ministerial journey is a very lonely one; one in which few could understand. But then I am reminded of the bigger picture …show more content…
But as I mentioned earlier, this is just a short lived reflection and it soon passes. I know; however, that it’s still there, lying dormant waiting to resurface at any given moment. How does this relate to my ministry? Well, in many different facets. I am doing my practicum at one church, but I am still amenable to my home church. We had our last Quarterly Conference for the Conference year and it has been almost two months since I had the opportunity to actually see most of the members who were present. I found myself being overwhelmed and accosted with words of “It’s so good to see you.” “I have been missing you!” and other such statements of kind regard. After hearing these words over and over I finally began to respond with, “Well, I’m just a phone call away.” “You could have called.” Then it dawned on me once more, just how superficial these words can be. There is no substance. After making my comments, I guess a few began to feel bad, because I was then meet with words of, “I have tried to call.” Well to just make a side note, in this day and age with all the advancements of technology; it is essentially impossible to not notice a missed call…and I can assure you, there have been no …show more content…
It was unexpected, of course, and I felt ill equipped with dealing with a crisis situation. But I thank God for the overwhelming sense of calm. Before being able to properly assess the situation, I had my phone in hand dialing 911. As the operator spoke, I uttered we need medical assistance. As I spoke these words, I looked down and the pastor was seemingly experiencing an epileptic episode. The ushers and others were racing to the pulpit. I asked some of them to step back, because if I didn’t know anything else, I knew he needed air. As the people began to scatter I heard cries of “he’s having a heart attack!” “Oh, Lord, I think he’s dying!” As the chaos began to ensue amongst the members, I felt almost helpless. I couldn’t say much to the people, because I was now on the phone with the dispatcher who was asking me a barrage of questions, in which I didn’t know the answer to. I glanced up to notice the pastor was beginning to regain consciousness and I looked to the other preacher standing in the pulpit and asked her to sing a selection to usher in the overwhelming peace of the “Holy Spirit.” As she sang “There’s a sweet spirit in this place “some of the members began to surround the alter; some kneeling, others standing, praying for God to intercede in this situation. I mention this because this marks the 3rd medical incident to occur at this church. On the
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
While comparing her time, theology and spiritual practice we realize she lived during the time of immense change, similarly we are living on the edge of a challenged modernity. Her spiritual direction allows us to recognize and develop further abilities in our pastoral ministries of caring for one another as participants within the corporate communities as well as within the mission fields.
What I appreciate most about this book is that people from all occupations can relate to Cordeiro’s story. Even volunteers, wives, and mothers, can experience burnout easily. While I am not a pastor and have never reached a crisis like Cordeiro, I have certainly had warning signs in my life that required attention. After years of working in the nursing field, I became a stay-at-home mom for the first time. Something I never
explain in my paper what the Baptist believe in, the meaning of their beliefs, and how
...style, names, words but the way to church renewal in world-wide discipleship. What is really needed in this secular society and church is a “discovering again of Jesus,” explaining it as “a thicker Jesus.” Therefore, one last insight the book taught me was to think about discipleship interactively. It is not a passive but an active message. It is by going into the flied of spiritual battle that true discipleship follow the ways of Jesus. It is not a commitment one but of many who shares and advocate for the same rights and duties to exercise what was recommended by their Leader. What the book implies as the main theme is that discipleship must be active and incarnational meaning that all believers should feel anxious to support the cause of Jesus in a world that although dead in their sins is safe under the divine umbrella of the power of incarnational discipleship.
The time restrictions that women face today in balancing both a profession and a personal life, poses as an adversity within the church ministries that are self-limiting to distinct audiences and times. For this purpose, women encounter obstacles when attempting to exercise one’s faith consistently, in gaining spiritual stability or support. Women feel a personal dissociation with their spirituality because they are only able to attend church or a ministry a few times a month. Therefore, the friendships and connections made slowly fade due to lack of consistency in being present. Furthermore, church ministry times transpire early or late within the day, coordinators assume women have open schedules all day, not taking into consideration the busy agendas that each person may have. Excluding full time stay at home mothers, who have flexibility with time, single mothers wo...
The theological issue or topic for further discussion that the work raise is how to get Christian to move from just passively listening to the word to living out the word / applying it to their daily lives. The next issue raised by the work is what are the best ways pastors can encourage their parishioners to read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate on the Word daily. Lastly, I question whether pastors should be encouraged to change their delivery of their sermons from lecture [list of points] to storytelling?
As I consider the various lessons that I have comprehended in this course further advances my calling to be an observer for the Lord. I acknowledge that an unadulterated life focused in a steady love of the Lord and a reliable sharing of my constant faith is important to satisfy the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. I have understood that my reverential life, the act of sharing my faith and administering to the lost has melted away and is conflicting.
Biblical Counseling is making a strong impact in today's churches and community. Counseling is seen as one of the most productive ways of helping a
It is important for a pastor to know the nature of the situation that he is preaching. Different events, like funerals and weddings, call for a different style of preaching. After this, McDill talks about having an effective presentation. The writer of the book thinks this is best done when a speaker preaches without notes. Right before finishing the book the author deals with the design of the sermon, this is the process of shaping a sermon to fit its purpose.
Overall, this book helped me become more aware of my weaknesses with my preaching style and also gave me tools to strengthen them. The examples are very basic and practical and helped highlight key skills and situations that a preacher can experience when doing a sermon. This book added more knowledge to me and gave me new insights that I can use as a tool when I go back with my ministry as a youth worker.
Young, D. S. (1999). Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Sheperds By the Living Springs. Scottdale: Herald Press.
The shepherd and sheep relationship is the best illustration for the relationship between pastor and parishioners. When Jesus asked Simon Peter does he love him three times and said to him “Feed my sheep”, the shepherd and flock relationship has been set. Since Jesus is our good shepherd (Jn. 10:11a), he laid out a good example for us to follow - to lay down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11b) Thus, the wellness of both in and out of the parishioners should always be the concern in the pastors’ hearts. Soul care for the people is essential. Christian friendship is the foundation of Christian soul care. Pastoral ministry including preaching, teaching, and worship forms the broad context of pastoral counseling. Pastoral care is within pastoral ministry but broader than pastoral counseling. God’s love is the source and motivation. Within the pastoral care, there are spiritual direction and pastoral
It is important for me to remember when preparing a sermon, that it is not about the preacher, but through preaching, God the Holy Spirit does the work of giving God’s
“Everyone – pastors, laypeople, conference ministers, the whole congregation” must feel the presence of God in their life. If you do not have the sense that God is active in your life, it will be very difficult to share that with others. The second key Reese addresses is that all people “must be focused, minds engaged and open to see patterns, details, opportunities, changes and miracles.” People then must know what their roles are. People will have different gifts to share, however, “all faith, all reality, all love and any real movement comes from