Spiritual Leadership
He was just a young man when he started preaching, and newspapers soon called him the marvel of our age. Over the course of his life, he preached more than 18,000 times. His sermons were dramatic: he cried, he danced, he even screamed to make his points. The largest churches could not hold the crowds […]
The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Harold L. Senkbeil Lexham Press, 2019 290 pages (hardback), $21.99 After nearly three and a half decades of parish ministry and two dozen more teaching and as the executive director for spiritual care for DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel, Harold Senkbeil, trusted […]
According to recent stats, religious affiliation is on the wane and autonomy is on the rise. Of course, these things are proportionally related, for as people increasingly adopt the dogma that above us is only sky, they begin to see themselves (either individually or collectively) as the ultimate source of authority. In such a world, […]
Authority is a dirty word in our current cultural moment, and perhaps even something of a joke. One need only think of that great American icon Eric Cartman1 and his constant injunction of “respect mah authoriteh!” to recognize the depths to which this concept has sunk in the public regard. I had a friend in […]
“The Pastor’s Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry” by R. Kent Hughes and Douglas Sean O’Donnell
From counseling parishioners and visiting the sick to leading worship services and preaching sermons, pastors must become specialists in a variety of ministry duties. While seminaries can help with some of the training necessary to prepare these pastors, there’s only so much they can do. What then can a young pastor do to learn some […]
Rev. Harold Senkbeil is a member of the board of directors and executive director of Doxology: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel, as well as the author of numerous books including Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness and Sanctification: Christ in Action. Tell us about the work you do at Doxology. After […]
The sign that something was wrong in Julie's life was all over the side of our toilet. Julie had been watching our kids that evening. I took her home and was met by my wife at the front door: "I think Julie has an eating disorder." She knew the signs, and Julie wasn't very careful […]
"Ministry with Persons with Mental Illness and their Families" Edited by Robert H. Albers, William H. Meller, and Steven D. Thurber
In this scholarly textbook, eighteen authors collaborate in an effort "to develop an integrated and interrelated approach that honors the work of the specialists in psychiatry, psychology, and theology" (5). Even though the overall tone leans toward the clinical (with no shortage of medical, scientific, and public health terminology), most of the authors are to […]
In this issue we consider pastoral ministry in relation to the evangelical quest for "The Next Big Thing." Inevitably, that thing’whatever it turns out to be’is based on youth culture and the modern fascination with celebrity. According to our opening interview with Professor Thomas Bergler, it may be that the evangelical church itself created the […]
Evangelicals are paying more attention to the church now than they did in the twentieth century. Much of this comes as more and more Christians tire of pragmatism and historically unprecedented "seeker" strategies in the church. It is a sign of health that a number of books now line Christian bookstores on the doctrine of […]
I love what Charles Spurgeon said about John Calvin. He very sincerely agreed with his theology but he wouldn't follow the man himself. He believed Calvin pointed people to the gospel of Jesus Christ, so he grew from his teaching and preached the doctrines of grace to his church, but he didn't desire to be […]
September 2003 marked a turning point in the development of Western civilization. It was the month that Adbusters magazine started accepting orders for the Black Spot Sneaker, its own signature brand of ‘subversive’ running shoes. After that day, no rational person could possibly believe that there is a tension between ‘mainstream’ and ‘alternative’ culture. After […]
Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park, London, was once a bustling public space for soapbox speeches. Today, there are rarely more than fifteen or twenty people gathered in that corner of the park at any one time, mostly cranks and unsuspecting tourists. Television and Internet have changed the public square tradition as every city's "Speaker's Corner" […]
Pastor as Ultimate Need-Meeter:The pastor is a sensitive therapist/social worker, understanding the congregation's needs and meeting these needs in extraordinary ways. Even the best versions of this model need to beware: only Christ is truly heroic and able to do for people what they really need done. Pastor as Entrepreneur: The church exists to support […]
There prevails within visible Christendom today a remarkable indifference toward the public ministry. Some congregations intentionally go years without a called pastor, simply because they find it cheaper to line up weekly pulpit supply. Fewer and fewer Christian parents encourage their sons to consider entering the ministry, a fact reflected in the declining rates of […]
