Pastoral Ministry

And in This I Rejoice

joeladeney Church Life, Jesus, Pastoral Ministry, The Gospel

I spent most of this week with Christians I disagree with. It was great. The annual gathering of our denomination took place over the last few days, and as the new pastor of our church, I got to attend for the first time. I say "got to attend," not "had to attend." Because it really … Continue reading And in This I Rejoice

Not a Prophet, Priest, or King (Part 2)

joeladeney Church Life, Jesus, Old Testament, Pastoral Ministry

In my last post, I cautioned against using the biblical titles of Prophet, Priest, and King to describe the role of a pastor. My goal is not to quibble over terminology; I know most pastors who use those terms intend them to express the genuine pastoral tasks of teaching, caring, and leading. But I am … Continue reading Not a Prophet, Priest, or King (Part 2)

Not a Prophet, Priest, or King

joeladeney Church Life, Pastoral Ministry, The Bible

There’s a lot of confusion out there about what it means to be a pastor. Pile up two thousand years of church history and add our distinctively American love for religious experimentation, and you will wind up with a vast array of different models, theories, and paradigms for pastoral ministry. Because I’ve only been a … Continue reading Not a Prophet, Priest, or King

The Tie that Binds

joeladeney Church Life, Family, Pastoral Ministry, Thanksgiving

This week, my family celebrated our last Thanksgiving here in Illinois. A few weeks ago, I accepted a call to pastor a church in New Hampshire. We'll be moving the first weekend in December, and I'll be in the pulpit in January. I can't begin to say how excited and grateful I am for this … Continue reading The Tie that Binds

12 Guiding Principles of Pastoral Ministry

joeladeney Pastoral Ministry

In my last post, I described the "what" of pastoral ministry. This time around, I want to address the "how." How does one faithfully fulfill the calling to shepherd God's people with the gospel of Christ? But first, one word about why this matters. I don't usually write about being a pastor. That is because … Continue reading 12 Guiding Principles of Pastoral Ministry

A Philosophy of Pastoral Ministry

joeladeney Pastoral Ministry

I feel called by God to serve him in pastoral ministry. So, over the past several years, I've spent a lot of time learning about and reflecting on the natural and purpose of ministry within the local church. Based on Scripture and guided by the helpful insights of those who've gone before me, here is … Continue reading A Philosophy of Pastoral Ministry