15 Factors Contributing to the Pastoral Shortage Problem
by W. Jackson Watts This past March I published an article entitled “Reexamining the Pastoral Shortage Problem.” If social media and WordPress metrics are any indication, it struck a nerve. I view this as an affirmation that most readers agree that there is a shortage in available pastors,…
Younger Pastors, Denominationalism, and Our Persistent Misunderstanding of Young People
by Matthew Pinson (this post originally appeared at matthewpinson.com). Recently Lifeway Research conducted a study on pastors’ views on the value of Protestant denominations and the future of denominations. This study is discussed in an article from Lifeway entitled “Pastors Value Denominations Now, Not as Sure About the…
Revisiting Tom Brady and the Pastorate
W. Jackson Watts In February 2019 I published a three-part article entitled “What Preachers Can Learn from Tom Brady.” I posted this on the occasion of quarterback Tom Brady winning his sixth Super Bowl title, an unparalleled achievement in professional football. Since then, Brady departed from the team…
Reexamining the Pastoral Shortage Problem
W. Jackson Watts In recent years Free Will Baptist leaders on the state and national levels have highlighted the need for more pastors. Their urgency is understandable. According to one article by Executive Secretary Eddie Moody, 124 Free Will Baptist churches presently need pastors. [1] That number is…
On C.S. Lewis and Denominational Survival
Matthew Pinson (This post originally appeared at matthewpinson.com) I recently read an address C. S. Lewis gave to a group of Anglican priests and youth leaders in 1945. It reminded me of what many of us in the Free Will Baptist Church have been thinking lately: Falling all…