I have had the joy of serving as an interim pastor in fourteen churches. Each church is different, but each has certain common needs during the interim period. I’ve learned five important lessons to help me be a good interim pastor.
In May of 2024, I followed the Lord’s leading to a very interesting church setting in need of a pastor. To the surprise of many, I took a position at a church in a town of 1,500 people that was averaging only 20 in attendance on Sunday mornings. Though warned this would likely be a tough ministry position, the Lord’s leading was abundantly clear!
Since Valentine’s Day occurs in February, I thought it would be beneficial to focus on love, and what better way to do that than to listen to what the Apostle Paul says about it in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.
C.S. Lewis once said that the prayer preceding all prayers is “May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to.” In the following poem, entitled “Prayer,” Lewis peeks into what prayer looks like.
At the age of 4, I was confident of two things. I wanted to be a mom, and I wanted to be a teacher. My favorite pastime was lining up all my dolls and playing school. Little did I know God was equipping me and placing a calling upon my life. As I grew older, I served in any children’s or nursery class needing help. This continued through my high school and college years. I loved children and knew that the Lord had placed the desire to teach within my heart.
On July 12th, 2017, I gave my life to Christ. I had spent so much time never being serious about a relationship with God, but I was ready to be genuine. That same night I looked up at the stars and told God that whatever He wanted me to do with my life, I would do it.
Because God gave the gift of Jesus and the gift of salvation through Jesus, this Christmas the search for the giver is easy.
God has been doing an incredible work in our young adults and families ministry these past two years. I am grateful to continue to be allowed to be a part of it by helping lead and shepherd those that the Lord has entrusted into my care.
Just like the cornucopia is full at the Thanksgiving season, so God’s cornucopia of blessings to us is full — and we should give Him thanks for who He is and what He has done.
Many people consider Philippians to be their favorite book in the New Testament. And why not! It is the epistle of joy! Perhaps more than any other book in the New Testament the words “joy” and “rejoice” occur. Interesting that Paul would write about such an attitude given his circumstances—when he wrote Philippians, he was in jail!
Pastors are prone to suffer, and that suffering comes in many ways. There are attacks from without and attacks from within. Sometimes, we get caught up in the thought that if we are faithful, nothing will ail us. This is just not true. As the hymn, "Just as I Am," says, "fightings within and fears without."
Immanuel Baptist Church has returned to the first century in our approach to reaching the world for Christ. More than 20 years ago, we began to examine the methodologies of the early expansion of the Kingdom of our Lord and found that His primary tool was local churches.
A few years ago, an extensive survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute discovered that 85% of college freshman say their goal is getting rich. That’s a 43% increase over what the typical college freshman thought 50 years ago.
Unless you are a BBQ connoisseur who has visited Ms. Helen’s BBQ, you have likely never been to Brownsville, TN. Brownsville is a rural, tight-knit community of just around 10,000 in the greater area. Yet, there are currents of change that will soon electrify this small town.
Have you ever given God the scraps of your life? Malachi 1:6-14 tells us that is exactly what some of God’s people did to him. In fact, the people were guilty of two great sins: they despised God’s name and they defiled his altar.
This statement, “God is light,” has been interpreted in different ways. First, it could be a description of the visible manifestation of God’s glory. Second, some have seen in this statement a reference to God’s self-revelation to man. Light enables us to see. Though these first two options are true, contextually this does not seem to be what John has in mind.
Every serious Christian desires to know and do the will of God. Paul says in Ephesians 5: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
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