February 2, 2022
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Do Not Worry About Synod
As the agenda for Synod 2022 grows, don’t forget that the discernment and decision-making of your local church is just as important.
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February 1, 2022
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Have You Listened Enough To Make That Decision?
With significant decisions taking place on issues like the Human Sexuality Report and the Canada/US relationship, are your chief decision-makers listening well enough to God and others?
January 12, 2022
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What Is Article 17 and Why Is It So Common?
Learn more about how best to discern, avert or facilitate a pastor’s release from call.
January 10, 2022
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Clergy Mental Health Crisis: Is Your Church Ready? A Guide to Leaves of Absence and Short-term Disability (Canada Edition)
More pastors than ever are requesting leaves of absence as they navigate trauma, loss and mental health challenges. How can your council prepare?
January 10, 2022
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Clergy Mental Health Crisis: Is Your Church Ready? A Guide to Leaves of Absence and Short-term Disability (US Edition)
More pastors than ever are requesting leaves of absence as they navigate trauma, loss and mental health challenges. How can your council prepare?
November 8, 2021
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Just Decide Already! Can’t We Just Vote and Move On?
With the complex and consequential decisions Synod 2022 will face, wise leaders must manage the polarity of ensuring good process and arriving at good outcomes.
January 26, 2021
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Why Your Church Needs to Talk About the Human Sexuality Report (and How to Start)
Sermons and statements are insufficient to shape Christian faithfulness in the area of human sexuality. We need to study, talk, pray, and discern together.
January 12, 2021
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The State of Mentoring in the CRCNA
A summary of key learnings from the 2020 survey of newly-ordained ministers' experiences being mentored.
December 22, 2020
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It's Rough Out There: Considering Your Pastor's Mental Health in COVID
The stress of ministry during COVID is leading good pastors to consider leaving ministry altogether. They're burned out and exhausted. Here's how your council could help.
November 19, 2020
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Human Sexuality Report: Better Process for Better Conversations
When we have hard conversations, it's easy to get stuck. Good process can help keep groups focused on moving forward with the important stuff.
November 17, 2020
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Why Your Pastor Hates Pandemics (Are You Really Leaving the Church Over Masks?)
Making a difference in people’s lives is a big part of what motivates CRC pastors. What happens when a pandemic strikes and you begin to suspect you haven’t made much of a difference after all?
November 2, 2020
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Human Sexuality Report: Challenging Conversations Toolkit
I have strong beliefs about many of the issues addressed in the study report. I assume you do, too. What can it look like, practically, to live into Paul’s instructions to a church divided this way?
October 26, 2020
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Pastors, How to Interview Your Next Church
The calling process can be lengthy for pastors. Yet, after many interviews and meetings, some pastors realize most of what they know of the church comes from just a handful of members. That’s not enough.
October 20, 2020
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Why CRC Pastors Struggle in Pandemics (There's No Time to Form a Study Committee)
Swiftly changing pandemic circumstances forced many CRC pastors into a pace of decision-making that stretched them out of their comfort zone. Here’s why that might be and what you might do about it.
October 13, 2020
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Pastor Support Group in the Age of COVID
Since early in the days of COVID-19, a group of pastors in Classis BC Southeast has met every other week over Zoom to trouble-shoot challenges and encourage creativity in faithful ministry.
October 5, 2020
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Pastors, Here's How the CRCNA Can Help You Find Your Next Call
This article for pastors highlights how the denomination can help them discern their call and connect with ministry opportunities.
September 20, 2020
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Search Committees, How the CRCNA Can Help You Find Your Next Pastor
Here is a summary of the three main ways the CRCNA supports search committees.
September 15, 2020
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Alcohol, Addiction and the CRC Pastor
A conversation with an active Christian Reformed minister about addiction, grace, and how the pressure of life and leadership in COVID makes this the "perfect" time for a problem to come up.
July 8, 2020
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Your Lament Sermon Was Great, A Therapy Session Might Be Even Better
Dear Pastor, in this moment of widespread loss and grief, could an hour of you talking honestly with your therapist help your congregation more than an hour of you refining your sermon on lament?
June 15, 2020
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Dear Pastor, If You've Got Everyone Else, Who's Got You?
A pastor and a professor encourage ministry leaders to embrace the grief work they may be tempted to neglect. They explain why good grief will help you, your congregation and your theology.
June 14, 2020
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8 Things for Church Leaders to Consider as Things Re-open
Here are some things church leaders may want to consider in the new season of partially-gathered church.
June 12, 2020
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Leadership and COVID-19: Resources for Pastors and Councils of Partially-Gathered Churches
As regions across the US and Canada begin reopening, what leadership challenges are pastors and councils engaging?
June 8, 2020
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COVID and Council: A Simple Tool for Better Group Conversations
How a 20-minute group activity can build trust, clarify issues, and unlock creativity.
May 20, 2020
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COVID and Council: The Conversation You’re Dreading Is the Opportunity the World Is Waiting For
On May 20, Pastor Church Resources convened a panel not about the logistics of reopening but about the practices and postures that help congregations engage challenging conversations in hopeful ways.
May 17, 2020
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Second Wave (of Grief)
Grief work that is neglected has a tendency to resurface in harmful ways. How can Christians leverage the resources of our faith to grieve the ambiguous and real losses that have accompanied COVID-19?