 Elders, family and church leaders lift a prayer of affirmation on Mike Miller (with staff), installed as Lead Pastor of Living Hope Church, Elk Grove Village, IL, April 2024. by Michael Edgar Myers Founding Artistic Director Growing up where and when I did, we did not have pastors in our church.
We did, but we didn’t. Whereas “pastor” is a commonplace term today, in my youth its synonyms were wide-ranging with historical cultural importance (to be outlined at another time). We had “preachers” and “parsons,” “ministers” and “reverends” – especially Ministers and Revs – but, yes, we had us no pastors. We had us no “pastors” to pray. Yet, to borrow from Romeo’s adoration of Juliet (a Shakespearean connection we’ll occasionally adapt), “pastor” by any other name can still be a rose in a community. Or a thorn. These are among the thoughts that percolated over our prayer and coffee conversations during Pastor Appreciation Month. The occasion allowed us as Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries to reflect on clergy who have influenced our lives as we embark upon our 30th year of service.
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As the stay-at-home orders extend around the U.S. as a result of COVID-19 quarantines, and Christ-following churches adapt how Services of Worship are conducted, among the adjustments to be made are rites commanded by Scripture, notably, baptism and The Lord's Supper.
While the procedures connected with the above may be familiar to you, in the online community, these days pastors will encounter many variables in the process: 
What happens when the hardened heart in a marriage is the pastor's? (Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash)
Balancing church and family responsibilities is a reason Paul cautioned wannabe pastors in Corinth about getting married. Depending on the source you’re reading, there are varying views about divorce rates among couples who profess themselves to be Christ-followers. The rates are either growing at the same rate as non-believers, greater than that rate, declining from that rate, or were never as high. |
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