All posts tagged: ministry

Five Ways to Care for Your Pastor During Holy Week

March 29, 2015
by birch & raven
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'Tis the Season / Ministerial Madness

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week for those of us in the (non-Orthodox) Christian world. Today we remember Jesus’ pageantry as he rode into Jerusalem, and from here we re-tell the stories of a last meal and new commandment, betrayal, denial, and commitment, as we journey to the cross, the tomb, and Easter. It is a holy week indeed. It is also a generally extremely busy and often stressful week for pastors, […]

The Imminent Death of My Church (And the Hope of Resurrection)

November 16, 2014
by birch & raven
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A Church is More Than a Building / Ministerial Madness / Wrestling with Angels

We had a tough meeting today. It was another meeting full of stress and dreary reports about the state of our finances. This time, though, was the worst so far. We have one year to live. If our pledges stay where they are, and our expenses keep rising, we will be broke in one year. We have reached the bottom. We can see the potential imminent death of our church as we know it. And yet, […]