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Continue reading →: Effective Leadership and Spiritual PracticeLast week, I spent a wonderful morning with a group of new pastors and chaplains as part of the Transitioning into Ministry program of Mennonite Church Canada. A life-time ago, when I started as a new pastor, this kind of group orientation and integration did not exist. But I understand…
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Continue reading →: Are You Ready to be a Spiritual Formation Mentor?Mentor: an experienced and trusted adviserSpiritual Formation: growing a deeper connection with God and becoming more Christ-like Whether you’re familiar with these terms or not, if you work for the church in any way whether employed or as a volunteer, if you’re a parent or grandparent or older sibling, you…
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Continue reading →: Hope Beyond Our Sorrows: For Those Who GrieveYou may have already seen the cover of my new book (releasing this June 2025) on my author blog, but I wanted to share it here as well especially for those who work for the church. Hope Beyond Our Sorrows is about learning to live with life-changing loss—whether that loss…
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Continue reading →: The Positive Power of Saying NoWhen Asian American Women on Leadership invited me to write an article on self-control, I said yes. How ironic, since self-control is so much about saying no, and I haven’t been saying no enough lately. But writing this article gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life and ministry,…
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Continue reading →: Radical Roots for TodayRadical Roots by Gareth Brandt celebrates the 500th anniversary of Anabaptist origins, but you don’t have to be Anabaptist or a history nerd to appreciate this collection of paintings, stories, and poems. Gareth is a gifted storyteller, preacher, painter, and poet—the only one I know who can put my…
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 