When I became a pastor several years ago, I quickly realized that the dropout rate among pastors was high. Statistics vary, but in my own experience I have known several pastors who left the ministry for one reason or another. We lament over this, but we sometimes forget there are also pastors who have persevered for decades in ministry. My friend and mentor Dave Lewis … Continue reading Celebrating 70 years in Ministry – Pastor Dave Lewis
Last fall I started corresponding with a Romanian pastor by the name of Catalin Croitor. He is pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Suceava, Romania, and also provides leadership to 83 churches in their regional district. Even before the war in Ukraine, pastor Catalin was a busy man, but that has only intensified since February, when the war began. Located not far from the … Continue reading On the Frontlines of Ministry in Ukraine
I will never forget a conversation I had with one of my seminary professors shortly before I graduated. I had already accepted a call to serve as pastor of a small rural church in Ohio and was eager to hear what he (a former pastor) had to say. I asked him, “what advice he would give to me, a young pastor, just starting off in … Continue reading Preach the Word and Love the People
Shepherd the Flock 