Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
It’s been two months since I left the pastorate. The transition has been more emotional than I anticipated. Please don’t misunderstand; I’m confident that I made the right decision to accept the new ministry position at Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Even so, I find myself suffering grief. After thirty-eight years of pastoring the transition has taught me a few things.
Continue reading “Reflections on the Pastorate from the Outside”
Serving as a pastor is all I ever wanted to do. I’ve been doing this since 1980. Now, whether or not I’ve been a good pastor is for others to judge. I must admit that when I judge myself I get discouraged. I’ve never succeeded in building a mega-church and I’m not in demand as a camp-meeting/conference speaker. By the contemporary standards of Pentecostal ministry, I’m about average. But, according to my colleagues and supervisors, I’ve never fit the pastoral model. Since I was a young man I’ve had to defend my call.
Continue reading “I am a Pastor. Really, I am!”
This is a compilation of New Testament scriptures that exhort us to faithful Christian ministry. I have used this as a charge for Ministerial Internship Program graduation exercises, and I offered it as the benediction at our 2014 graduation at Pentecostal Theological Seminary.
Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves… Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:16; 28:19).
Continue reading “The Minister’s Charge”
Throughout life and ministry we meet many people. One of the things I have learned through the years is that it is amazing how certain people continue to cross our paths. My first pastorate was in Attapulgus, Georgia, a small town just north of Tallahassee, Florida. We served there just less than two years. But in those two years we met people that remain a part of our lives today. When we left Attapulgus, it never occurred to me that we would return over twenty years later as their district bishop. In that capacity, I was responsible for guiding them through a pastoral appointment process. The families of that small church continue to be a significant part of our lives.
Continue reading “Pastoral Bonds are Never Broken”
