The Calling Of A Part Time Pastor

FROM THE FORWARD: The Calling of a Part-Time Pastor is written for all leaders of small churches. This guidebook is a gateway into fully understanding the trials and joys of working together to lead your small church to fulfill your calling in Jesus Christ. The insights you will discover on these pages will help you make the best decisions as you seek to call a part-time pastor to your church. So valuable is the guidance you will receive in this book that I urge your leaders to read it before looking for a minister, while the search is being conducted, and once again when the task is complete. If you use this book as a guide, you will find help in making the future ministry of your church the very best it can be. This book is also for ministers considering a call to a small church. Here you will be reminded of what you already know-- that your ministry matters-- and that small churches matter in the kingdom of God. This book will resonate with what is in your heart and mind about Jesus Christ. The Calling of a Part-Time Pastor will elevate you in your calling, reminding you that your service and your church is holy and indispensable, and will serve as a valuable guide to effective and faithful part-time or bivocational ministry.

Time to challenge your current thinking about ministry! Probe your assumptions about congregational well-being. Address your assumptions. Open the possibility of unleashing a significant new wave of Christian mission. Find new, fulfilling opportunities. In our time of specialization, it is of little wonder that we have left the trained and skilled professionals in charge of our churches and ministries. But did you know that full-time ministry is a relatively recent phenomenon? It’s Real Ministry: How Part-Time and Bi-Vocational Clergy Are Challenging and Empowering the Church reveals the richness that has existed and can exist again in part-time and bi-vocational ministry. It breathes hope and richness into what are often seen as depressed or impoverished communities of faith. And it offers insight into where congregations and clergy need to make choices and adaptations. Anchored in the findings of the largest survey of part-time, bi-vocational clergy that has been undertaken in a mainline Canadian denomination, It’s Real Ministry begins to address the current issue of declining congregational attendance, delves into the meaning that part-time and bi-vocational ministries might have for local communities of faith, and discusses new ways of imagining leadership. While the data is specific to the United Church of Canada, this study offers points of reflection for many denominations in Canada and beyond, offering positive insight and a starting point for clergy and laity to rethink of what they consider as age-old traditions.

Words for the Journey, originally published in 2003, is an original collection of letters written by Copenhaver and Robinson to their teenagers on a wide variety of topics: God, church, Bible, vocation, relationships, difficult matters, faith, doubt, prayer, sex, abortion, race, and homosexuality.

This book is about my journey into Christ-centeredness, a personal journey that still goes on daily for me and will continue to do so throughout my life. It presents a beginning and a foundation for the journey into Christ-centeredness that each of us can undertake as we grow in Jesus for ourselves. As such, the book gives you some starters and pointers for your own journey into Christ-centeredness. It is my deepest desire that nothing should prevent my readers from seeing Jesus for themselves and having a real and lasting encounter with him that leads to a life of Christ-centeredness.

This book is a guide through the problems and possibilities of interim ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) It is full of biblical and theological insight as well as practical wisdom.

David Powlison Examines the Unique Role of the Pastor as Counselor A pastor inhabits multiple roles—teacher, preacher, youth leader, and counselor. Yet many church leaders feel unprepared to counsel church members who are struggling with difficult, multifaceted problems. David Powlison reminds pastors of their unique role as the shepherds of God's people, equipping them to apply biblical wisdom to the thoughts, values, moods, expectations, and decisions of those under their care.

“The church has needed this book for a long time.” — Russell Moore If you are considering the ministry, there are two mistakes to avoid. The first is taking up a calling that isn’t yours. The second is neglecting one that is. Discerning Your Call to Ministry will help you know the difference. A tool for seminary students, pastors-in-training, and even current pastors, it serves to confirm or prompt deep thought about the calling to ministry through 10 probing questions, including: Do you desire the ministry? Does your church affirm your calling? Do you love the people of God? Are you willing to surrender? Pastoral dropout rates are high, and seminary admission rates are declining—signs that many of us don’t quite know what we’re signing ourselves up for. Author Jason Allen, a former pastor and the president of North America’s fastest growing seminary, gives readers a better picture of the calling. Presenting a series of diagnostic questions informed by Scripture, church history, and his own experience, he helps those seeking ordination or ministry positions make confident decisions about their service to God, one way or the other.