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Continue reading →: A New Way to Study the Bible“Have you ever led a Bible study?” I was surprised at the question, asked just after our morning worship had ended. I’d led many Bible studies in my former church as part of adult Sunday school and in home groups. My new congregation had a well established practice of bi-weekly…
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Continue reading →: Developing a Personal Vision for MinistryWhen I accepted a call to serve as an interim pastor, my vision for ministry—to the extent that I had any vision at all—was simply to fill in where and as needed. After all, the search committee was already in conversation with a serious pastoral candidate. My role was simply…
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Continue reading →: When God Feels AbsentToday, I’m glad to share an article written by Jean Neely, who is part of my writers guild and will release a new book this June: Christ in the Abyss: Cultivating Deep Faith Amid Depression and Despair. I’m looking forward to reading her book for the vision of grace and…
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Continue reading →: Enlarging My Gratitude ListDo you have a daily spiritual practice that both refreshes and supports your life and ministry? That helps you bring your life and ministry to God in prayerful reflection? For me, it’s keeping a daily gratitude list. Some of the psalms might have started as gratitude lists too. Like the…
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Continue reading →: Jesus, the Enneagram, and Me RevisitedFor years, I’ve heard about the Enneagram, but had never taken the test myself. Some describe it as a personality test or a tool for self-discovery. Some recommend it as a helpful resource to foster emotional health for pastors, missionaries, and other Christian workers. Some say it lacks biblical grounding,…
When You Work for the Church
Hello,
I’m April Yamasaki
Welcome to When You Work for the Church. I’ve been a church volunteer and a full-time pastor. I’ve led small groups and served on denominational committees. When I resigned from pastoral ministry to focus on my writing, I knew that I wanted to be—needed to be—grounded in a local congregation. I love the church!
But I also know that churches and church organizations have not always lived up to their calling, have brought harm instead of healing. So I started this website to share resources for doing ministry better, and pray that together we might serve more faithfully and effectively.
For a healthy rhythm of work and rest, I’d love to send you my ebook.
When You Work for the Church 