Category: Ministry
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Pastors, Congregants, Friends, and the Complex Dynamics of It All
Pastoral relationships can be difficult to navigate, and friendships within their congregation of service are even more difficult.
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The Unexpected Truth About Moving On
Lately, I have been thinking about what it means to step out of chapters that once shaped us so deeply. All of us carry seasons that helped form who we are, seasons that were good to us and good for us. Jobs, friendships, communities, routines, even former versions of ourselves…
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On Fostering the Leadership of Young Leaders
The real secret is to be the church. It is to not stand in the way of anyone serving in leadership due to age. It’s to recognize the value in a variety of opinions and to try to give space for authenticity in conversation and idea sharing as much as…
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On Ordination for Vocational Ministry
August 2024 will mark the ninth anniversary of my ordination to ministry by Oakmont Baptist Church in Greenville, North Carolina. As I reflect on that special moment, I can’t but help wonder what ordination looks for the church moving forward. Since long before the birth of the Christian Church, ordination…
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A Call for Christians to Kindness in Our Divided World
A letter to my fellow Christians: In a divided world, choose kindness and grace.
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On Ministers, Friendships, and Stepping Out of the Shadows
“I don’t go to church but, if I did, yours would be the one that I would visit.” This is a phrase I’ve been honored to hear many times over the years that I’ve served as a senior pastor. Even more that hearing it, every person who has said it…
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On the Ministry of Funeral Homes
Most people hope to have no contact with a funeral home until they absolutely have to. Many times such occasions mean someone has died or, worse, you have died. The only exceptions to this rule are those. . .
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On Preaching
If you’d asked me twenty years ago if I’d one day stand in front of people week after week and deliver a public ‘speech,’ I would have looked at you like you had four eyes. You see, I was never one who desired the stage. I knew I was called…
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On Burying Friends
Since January 2020, I have now officiated twenty-three funerals of congregants. When I officiated my first in January 2021, I remember being worried because…
