What is a pastor (cont’d)?
I’m on something of an intellectual journey to understand the essence of ordained ministry (the presbyterate and deaconate). I’m doing this for a couple of reasons. The first is that, by nature, I’m an...
View ArticleWhat is real influence?
It’s been a slow week here at jeffgissing.com. My family is in San Diego enjoying some vacation time and celebrating the wedding of my brother-in-law. It has been a fun week–Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo,...
View ArticleWho is my neighbor?
On Saturday I experienced a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. After spending the morning doing various things to serve our downtown community, members of our church went out and invited everyone they...
View ArticleHow to train key leaders as disciples and leaders
Last week I joined staff and area directors from sixteen campuses, along with our executive coaches, for training in ministry building. It was the best training of my ministry career. One of the things...
View ArticleThe dangerous work of ministry
The way I was going about doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in me. -Anonymous Pastor I love pastors. Really. Yes, I know that in our current moment it is more hip to be cynical of...
View ArticleAre there really two marriages? (Part Two)
In his brief anthology of blog posts entitled, There are Two Marriages: A Manifesto on Marriage (2011), Tony Jones argues that the church ought to seek the strict separation of what he calls “legal...
View ArticleFive things I learned at Global Leadership Summit
Leadership development isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. The art of leading has to be practiced, but it also has to be developed and deepened through training and education. When we neglect training,...
View ArticleUsing social media in ministry
I’m periodically asked about using social media in ministry. I’m no expert: I know more than a lot, but less than some. I recently came across a really helpful resource for using social media in the...
View ArticleFive ways to respond to disappointment
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray...
View ArticleMaking a life or making a living?
Imagine sitting down with a financial planner and in addition to totaling your bank accounts and mapping your investments, you also mapped your significant relationships and explored your relationship...
View ArticleSome counsel in challenging times
O Gracious Father, we humbly beseech Thee for Thy Holy Catholic Church, that Thou wouldst be pleased to fill it with all truth and in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error,...
View ArticleRecovering the beautiful simplicity of church
Let’s make our faith communities beautiful again using the unsexy, ordinary tools that have always worked: truth, confession, humility and prayer. They are surely not fancy, but they save and heal. Jen...
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