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Ministering to people with mental health issues

By its very nature, ministry is people-intensive work. Some of the people we encounter, occasionally or regularly, will be dealing with significant mental health issues. Sometimes we will encounter these individuals in our own homes, and sometimes they will be us! Since most pastors are not professional counsellors, it might be helpful to know a few things about some of the common or stressful mental health conditions you may find yourself dealing with. Read more

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Parenting with a biblical world view

As a pastor’s kid (PK), hitting my teenage years meant learning to live a dual life: my Christian life, which was pleasing to my parents and my church, and my high school life, which was pleasing to me. My greatest goal was, “May the two never meet.” Of course, neither life – one of hypocrisy and one of blatant sin – was pleasing to God. I did, however, emerge out of those troubling years and went on to follow Jesus Christ as Lord, become a pastor and eventually raise four PKs who live out a Biblical, Christian world view. I determined early on that, if at all possible, I would not repeat history with my kids. Read more

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Boundaries in marriage

Pastor Peter Scazzero, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, shares a powerful mantra: “As goes the leader’s marriage, so goes the church.” That is at once both awe-inspiring and immensely frightening. Read more

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Ten top symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality

Jay, one of our church members, recently shared with me: “I was a Christian for 22 years. But instead of being a 22-year-old Christian, I was a one-year old Christian 22 times! I just kept doing the same things over and over and over again.” Read more

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12 steps church leaders can take to help domestic abuse victims

U.S.-based domestic abuse counsellor Lynette J. Hoy answers the following question: What specific steps can church leaders take to help domestic abuse victims? Read more

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H.B. London Jr. on life, ministry and family

In an exclusive, candid interview with Focus on the Family Canada, H.B. London Jr. shares the wisdom he’s gained from more than 50 years in the ministry and 20 years as the “pastor to pastors” at Focus on the Family in the U.S. We had the privilege of spending a few days with London on the eve of his retirement. In this candid discussion, he shares how the ministry has changed over the decades, important life lessons he’s learned, and his top five tips for answering God’s call in your life. Read more

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Pastor Joe’s no good, so sad, very bad day

Pastor Joe sat listlessly in his office all morning, grateful for his administrative assistant who had agreed to hold all of his calls and give him privacy for the sermon preparation. As he glanced at the clock, he realized that he had done little but stare off into space for the past three hours. He felt drained, discouraged, numb and exhausted, even though he had not spent any energy at all. The thought of having to preach on Sunday made him feel almost panicky and he wanted nothing more than to run away and hide. Read more

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Lessons that help sustain ministry

We often work with ministry people who, over time, have lost the excitement of ministry. Often, unresolved hurts or exhaustion drove them to the point of losing hope that the Lord is actually interested in their lives. We’ve experienced some of those hurtful things, too. Here are some of the lessons we have learned from almost 30 years of marriage and ministry. Read more

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When the pastor has a prodigal

I heard someone jokingly say that there’s a great likelihood that the child of a teacher will become a dropout, the child of a police officer will become a delinquent, and the child of a pastor will become an atheist. But is that really true? Read more

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Ministry blues?

As a pastor, do you experience weekly periods of “down” moods following Sunday’s high energy tasks or after a season of intense ministry?

It has been suggested that depression is high among pastors. I don’t have reliable statistics that prove that one way or the other, but I do know that pastors are subject to many factors that can make them very vulnerable to mood disorders. Read more