Mark Dance

Dear pastor, You might have an anger problem that, very often, can lead you to becoming a problem. Finishing the following sentence will help you know whether this post addresses you:

The pressure of sermon planning never lets up for pastors. Some weeks have more margin than others, and some texts are more fun to preach than others, yet Sunday is coming regardless. According to a 2012 Lifeway Research study, close to 7 in 10 Southern Baptist pastors spend at least eight hours a week on sermon preparation, with 21% saying they spend more than 15 hours.

One Christmas, my wife, Janet, had a necklace made from a broken piece of my grandmother’s china. These necklaces were made by broken women in a local women’s shelter that our church supported financially. Their jewelry is a wonderful reminder of how God can bring beauty into brokenness. These necklaces remind us of history’s first Christmas gift.

Pastors and social media are sometimes a dangerous duo. I am obviously not opposed to social media, as many of you would not even see this article without it. It can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family, as well as to inspire, inform, and equip your people.

The privilege of knowing Leonard Ravenhill when I was a teenager was nothing less than a sovereign surprise. Ravenhill was a British evangelist and writer whose statements on prayer and revival frequently pop up in sermons and on social media. God crossed our paths during the most impressionable years of my life. 

“As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit” (Luke 8:14).

Everyone in ministry will eventually be on both sides of a pastor or ministry leader search process and will need to know best (and worst) practices. Many search team mistakes are inevitable, yet most are avoidable. I’ve learned these lessons the hard way.

There is rarely a more vulnerable time in the life and ministry of pastors than when they’re being considered for a church position. Although mistakes in ministry are a given, some are more costly and avoidable than others. Here are four common pastor candidate mistakes to avoid so you can be prepared for that next pastor search team. This list is not exhaustive, but hopefully it will be helpful. 

Thankfully, pastors don’t have award shows and trophy cases like actors and athletes. But we are not immune from the distractions that come with applause.

Columnist and pastor Mark Dance says he learned to take a weekly day of rest the hard way -- by living life so fast that at one point he became clinically depressed.