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Continue reading →: Want to Teach? Be Open to QuestionsWhen I was called to serve as an interim pastor, I had a Master of Christian Studies degree, some experience preaching, teaching, and being involved in congregational life, but no particular pastoral experience. The church’s senior pastor had left abruptly the year before, and the church had been searching for…
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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,…
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 