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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,…
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Continue reading →: I Talk to God: Children’s StoryWhen our Sunday school curriculum arrived with wooden figures painted in bright colours, I decided to use them for a Sunday morning children’s story about my week as a pastor. Using the figures in our worship service would also allow the whole congregation to see them. I’ve told a number…
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 