By G. Jeffrey MacDonald From Faith and Leadership Editor’s note: Research for this story was funded by The BTS Center, a Maine-based think tank focused on 21st-century faith communities. It included visits to nearly two dozen vital mainline congregations that have...
From Alban By Israel Galindo During my years in parish ministry I offered spiritual direction for clergy in the area. In the span of two years, four pastors came to me with what seemed to be the same symptoms. Each felt a sense of restlessness, malaise, and vague...
From Christianity Today By Karl Vaters It never gets easier. No matter how many times you hear about it. And we’re hearing about it a lot more lately. In epidemic numbers. Another pastor announced to his stunned congregation that he couldn’t do it anymore....
From Leadership Journal By Heidi Hall Reports of clergy attrition are often exaggerated, but pastors still face daunting challenges. Gordon Atkinson’s decision to leave the ministry didn’t come as an epiphany, nor was it a knee-jerk reaction to a...
From Leadership Journal By Gordon MacDonald Marathon runners speak of “hitting the wall,” a moment in a race when the body appears to have exhausted all of its energy and pleads to quit. I borrow this phrase when I recall a life-altering experience I had...
