Working for the church or other Christian organization often means working on Sundays. That might be most obvious for pastors responsible for Sunday morning worship, but that’s also the case for many others as well. Think of denominational staff and those involved in parachurch ministries who travel to speak at different churches on Sunday mornings.…
“Anybody can put together a policy manual,” says Director of Staff Services Lee Scott. “What’s more important is knowing who your staff are, what they love, and what they need.” Lee Scott had no experience in human resources prior to being hired by the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). “I’m a farm kid from western PA,”…
Although May as Mental Health Awareness Month is now over, the impact of mental illness on life and ministry continues, so today I’m sharing another mental health story on video followed by an interview. Is it possible to survive and thrive after burnout? How do you have a panic attack and still keep your job?…
In this video, Amelia Kent shares her personal journey with mental illness, and graciously agreed to talk with me further about mental health on the job. An edited version of our conversation follows the video. Amelia, thank you for sharing your personal journey with mental illness, and for your willingness to talk with me more…
Two weeks ago I published Healthy Ministry and the Pastor with Mental Illness, which included an excerpt from Delight in Disorder and an interview with author Tony Roberts on his experience as a pastor living with bipolar disorder. In the next few weeks, I plan to share two more interviews on mental health in the workplace, and today…
When Tony Roberts first published Delight in Disorder: Ministry, Madness, Mission, I was immediately intrigued by the title and subtitle. In the context of church life, I understood ministry and mission. I even understood mental health and mental illness–but madness? Sandwiched between ministry and mission, the frank term made me want to learn more. I eagerly read…
When United Airlines had a paying customer forcibly removed from a flight so one of its own crew members could fly in his place, the news and accompanying video went viral. How could a 69-year-old doctor returning from vacation end up bloodied and being dragged off the aircraft? Why did the airline wait until all…
How to Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say In this YouTube video, musician Micah Tyler offers a light-hearted take on church-speak, or what some call Christianese: Every field has its own jargon that may not be easily understood by others. Some may appear as abbreviations like http (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or…
When I first accepted the call to serve as an interim pastor, I had no specific pastoral training or experience. I was a writer and college instructor, had the equivalent of a master’s degree in theological studies, some practical experience as a speaker and worship leader–but mainly I had lots of questions. One of my…
Before I entered pastoral ministry, I was a political science major, an office worker, a grad student in theology, a lay church leader and worship committee member, a published writer, a journal keeper, a poet, a proof reader for an engineering firm, a college instructor, the wife of a law student turned professor, a daughter,…
“It may be legal, but the ethics stink!” I winced at my friend’s comment about a Christian organization’s poor employment practices, but I knew he was right. That’s why I read and blogged about Richard Kyte’s Ethical Business—because ethical decision-making doesn’t happen automatically even for those who claim to be Christian. In an age of “alternate…
In The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I list a number of difficult employer/employee situations in church and Christian organizations and ask, “Why do churches and other Christian organizations seem to handle employee relationships so poorly? Or is it that Christian employees have unreasonable expectations of their employers? Why do apparently good, well-meaning, Christian people…
