Earlier this month, Christianity Today published "What It's Like When Your Wife is 'Christian Famous'" with brief profiles of the husbands of four well-known women in ministry. When I shared the article on Twitter I added, "I appreciate these glimpses but husbands supporting wives in ministry isn't only for those who are famous. I'm grateful … Continue reading When Your Wife’s the Preacher
As my conviction grew to complete my pastoral ministry with my congregation, my questions grew too. While I felt more and more certain of the Spirit's leading to shift from my pastoral ministry to focus on my writing, I wasn't at all sure how that would work. As members, would my husband and I continue … Continue reading Who Would Be My People?
I have just four more days as lead pastor of my church where I have served for over twenty-five years. I've already preached my last sermon. I've already been blessed by many prayers, cards, hugs, gifts, fun surprises, and beautiful words. These last few days are actually vacation days for me, but they and the … Continue reading Saying Goodbye With Hello Just Around the Corner
This summer as I've been reviewing my website and related links, I've discovered that an earlier article on my call to pastoral ministry is unfortunately no longer available. I had originally shared my story as part of a series on women in ministry, and called my article, An Accidental Pastor. Now that link goes to a … Continue reading How God Called Me into Pastoral Ministry
As of last Easter Sunday, I've now been pastoring in my congregation for 23 years! I didn't mention that in my Easter sermon since I wanted every precious minute to focus on the resurrection of Jesus, but as I've been catching my breath during this post-Easter week, I marked my anniversary in ministry by re-reading … Continue reading 13 Best Practices for a Healthy and Happy Sabbatical
last updated October 7, 2019 I'm grateful for the positive response to My 22 Best Practices in 22 Years of Pastoral Ministry, but I'm also very aware that those “best practices” represent just one slice of a much larger picture. After all, thriving in ministry doesn't depend solely on what any one pastor does or … Continue reading 22 Time-Tested Ways to Love Your Pastor
When I first accepted my congregation's call to pastoral ministry, a friend from another church said, "I don't know whether to say congratulations or condolences." He was familiar with the stress that can come with any ministry and knew that my congregation's previous pastor had a difficult leave-taking. "I'm worried for you," he said. He … Continue reading My 22 best practices in 22 years of pastoral ministry
April Yamasaki 