My annual round-up special starts today!

Pastors, you rock.

You really do. As unbelievable as it sounds, I think 2021 has been an even harder year to be in ministry than 2021. There has been so much more ambiguity. Some people are vaccinated yet others are not, whether by choice or circumstances such as age. What does that mean for what we can safely do? There has been more unpredictability. The Covid numbers were good in many places in May and June, then Delta brought us to our knees starting in late July. Statistics have improved in some locations since then, but many experts predict upticks as the weather turns colder. How will that impact Advent and Christmas observances? There has been more fatigue. Yours, for sure. But your church folks are also weary of hearing about Covid, living with Covid, and changing precautions at Covid’s whims. How will you persist in keeping people safe, and where will needed rest come from? There has been grief. Some of the people we had hoped to see back in the pews by now are not and might not ever be. The shape of the church we’ve known and loved is being fundamentally altered. What will it ultimately look like?

Despite all these trials and more, you have hung in there. Thank you for your faithfulness and hard work! AND, make sure you have the support you need as you continue to lead through ongoing challenge. Every December I offer a “round up” special: I will round the amount left in your professional expense line item up to the next session value. My intent has always been to keep you from leaving any of your hard-earned benefits on the table and to encourage you to invest in your leadership growth for the coming year. I can’t imagine a better time to hit both of these marks. While it’s important to steward your church’s money well in these uncertain times, it’s also essential to use your available resources to prepare to pastor in a rapidly-changing world. Coaching is a great way to do that, because it

• is done remotely,

• takes place at your pace and on your schedule,

• is geared toward reframing your situation in helpful ways,

• helps you make positive steps forward, and

• can be completely customized to your goals, leadership style, and context.

If you are looking to make progress in such areas as

• finding a good oscillation between caring for others and caring for yourself,

• developing and grounding yourself in your pastoral identity when others are projecting their anxieties about the state of the world on you,

• searching for a new call and/or leaving your current one,

• helping your church members engage well among themselves when some are in person, others are online, and a few have disappeared into the ether,

• addressing conflict that has been exacerbated by the troubles of the past 18 months,

• dreaming about what is now possible that wasn’t before change was thrust upon us,

coaching can help.

The round-up special is valid in December only. Contact me or schedule a free exploratory call by December 30 to take advantage of this offer.