10 Habits for Effective Ministry: A Guide for Life-Giving PastorsStudies reveal that many pastors are stressed out, discouraged, and tempted to leave the ministry. Giving practical advice and often drawing on examples from his own experience, Lowell O. Erdahl offers support and wise counsel for new and experienced clergy alike. Erdahl shows that to provide life-giving ministries, pastors must develop ten key habits, including: bonding with their people, having something to say and saying it well, becoming lifelong learners, picking their battles wisely and fighting them fairly, exercising gift-evoking leadership, and respecting boundaries. |
Contents
| 12 | |
| 26 | |
LifeGiving Pastors Exercise GiftEvoking Leadership | 38 |
LifeGiving Pastors Are Lifelong Learners | 50 |
LifeGiving Pastors Have Something to Say and Say It Well | 61 |
LifeGiving Pastors Are Good Stewards of Time | 75 |
LifeGiving Pastors Pick Their Battles Wisely and Fight Them Fairly | 87 |
LifeGiving Pastors Are Prophetic as Well as Pastoral | 103 |
LifeGiving Pastors Respect Boundaries | 121 |
LifeGiving Pastors Grow in the Grace of God | 139 |
Notes | 157 |
Common terms and phrases
affirm Alcoholics Anonymous apostle Paul asked believe beware Bible biblical bishop blessed bonding boundary violation called Christian clergy compassion competence concerning confess conflict congregation controversial issues convictions Corinthians counseling create Emotions Anonymous enable encourage evoke example experience faith feel follow forgiveness gifts give God's gospel hope human invite involved Jesus Christ leaders leadership life-giving ministry Life-Giving Pastors lifelong listeners live Lord Luther Luther Seminary Lutheran Church marriage meet mercy Minneapolis never ourselves parish ministry pastor and parishioner person perspective pray prayer preacher preaching pro-lifers problems prophetic ministry received relationships remember reminds response seminary sermon sexual misconduct share significant sins someone sometimes speak spiritual Spiritual Abuse Stanley Jones Suggestion surrender talk tell thank theological things thought told trust trying Twelve Step programs understanding vision Walter Brueggemann Walter Wink Whiston wisdom wise witness wonder words worship wrong
Popular passages
Page 121 - Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Page 102 - And the eye cannot say to the hand, ' I have no need of thee ' ; nor again the head to the feet,
Page 76 - The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.
Page 151 - Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Page 79 - ... as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Page 16 - You are accepted. You are accepted. Accepted by that which is greater than you, the name of which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted!
Page 92 - Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Page 26 - I THANK my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now...