What does it look like for a church to care for a young widow and her...
Last week, I wrote about the most difficult funeral I have ever preach which was for a dear friend and faithful deacon in our church who was killed in a car accident 2 weeks ago. Yet, in the midst of...
View ArticleWhat is the update on the young widow in your church?
I am grateful for all those who have been following the recent events in our church and have been praying for the family who suddenly lost their husband and father. For more details on these...
View ArticleHow do you help a 5-year-old grieve over the sudden loss of her daddy?
There is no pastoral handbook for this one. Yet, when my dear friend and deacon in my church was killed in a car crash 3 months ago, his wife and 2 young children were left shocked and full of...
View ArticleHow does a pastor encourage the elderly, while teaching the younger in his...
As churches revitalize and do so with younger people, one of the ramifications of this is the alienation of the older members. As a younger pastor is brought in to pastor, more folks his age possibly...
View ArticleWhat is a helpful practice to grow in gratefulness for your spouse?
As a pastor, I have found a common link that surrounds the need for marriage counseling, often times revolves around this simple problem: Too much focus on the small, petty, annoyances that come with...
View ArticleHow do you encourage a widow whose husband has been gone for many years?
The best way to care for a widow of many years, is not to forget the loss they felt a long time ago is still real today. The pain never goes away. They may learn better how to live alone, keep...
View ArticleIn what ways can the younger compromise with the older in the local church?
For the multi-generational church to exist, both young and old must compromise with one another. Older must understand where the younger are coming from and younger need to understand the older. For...
View ArticleHow does a pastor shepherd widows and widowers who desire cohabitation?
This is a question I am getting more and more because of the increase of pastors facing this situation in their churches. This is especially common among the elderly who meet someone, desire to get...
View ArticleHow do you care for a congregation one year after the sudden death of a...
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the sudden death of a dear friend and faithful deacon in our church, Stacy Ellison. Some of you might remember the whirlwind we experienced through this...
View ArticleHow can a child minister to an elderly widow?
My 11-year-old daughter has a very special relationship with an elderly widow in our congregation. I was very encouraged by her effort this past week to care for this lady in our church who endured a...
View ArticleShould a pastor include his children in his pastoral work?
On a previous post, we talked about how a pastor helps his children appreciate his work, not resent it. This post explained how a pastor should help his children see how important his work is to God....
View ArticleWhy should a pastor take his children to visit the elderly in his church?
Two years ago, I buried our beloved 106 year old widow, Ms. Tillie Roberts. There are many lessons I learned from shepherding this woman for 8 years, but I was reminded of another when I conducted the...
View ArticleWhat is a unique and helpful ministry for stay at home moms in the church?
There are so many different kinds of people in the local church who provide a helpful service for the pastors to care for elderly widows, but I have found a specific group that shows to be especially...
View ArticleHow do you train stay at home moms to minister to elderly widows?
Last week, we considered what is a unique and helpful ministry for stay at home moms, particularly in the area of caring for elderly widows. As a needed follow-up, here are 5 practical ways we train...
View ArticleHow can your church care for widows and singles as Thanksgiving approaches?
The best way to care for those in our church who may be alone on Thanksgiving is to invite them to your family gathering, or find others in your church who would be willing to take them in. This takes...
View ArticleHow does a pastor shepherd elderly church members?
It can baffle our minds as we set care for someone who has lost their soul mate, especially when the person enjoyed that companionship for over fifty years. This is truly a great challenge, but one...
View ArticleWhat are some ways to serve widows during the holidays?
As we all know, the holidays can be a time of joy for some and sadness for others. A group in the church who almost always experience sorrow during this time of year are those who have lost their...
View ArticleCan you give an example of your one month shepherding prayer guide?
Last week, I posted about a system on how to regularly shepherd everyone in your church, then followed that up with how to do so in a larger church. At the request of many of you, you asked for an...
View ArticleWhat are the 2 painful anniversaries a widow faces each year?
A widow is a unique lady who, now that her husband is gone, not only has this once very special day (wedding day)transformed into a very painful day, but has also added another anniversary to her...
View ArticleShould a pastor use and iPad, iPhone, or printed copy of the Bible to...
It is safe to say the Reformers never had to tackle this question. However, it is certainly one we face now and has important implications to the fruitfulness of a pastor’s ministry today. As this...
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