Category: Ministry

10 Apps for Ministry Leaders

Posted adminPosted in Digital Ministry, Ministry

As a parish pastor I have a lot going on every single day of the week.  In order to keep my life and my ministry in order I need help.  That’s why I rely on digital tools to stay on top of appointments, meetings and to do lists. I was able to take my digital tools to a whole new level in 2006 when I got my first smartphone (the Palm Treo 650).  It had an astounding 24mb memory and a .3 megapixel camera.  I was in heaven.  I never felt more productive and I knew this was the wave to the future. The best part for me was the integration of my phone and my calendar, no longer did I have to carry two devices (a phone and Palm Pilot) around; everything was integrated into one device. Eventually this lead to the iPhone (I got my first in 2008) as I transitioned out of seminary and I took on my first position as a pastor and I have remained an Apple Fanboy ever since. Over the years I have tested many, many, many apps.  There have been some that I have used almost everyday since I downloaded them and others that I have deleted after only a few days of testing. I would like to share with you 10 apps that I currently use that have enabled me to succeed in ministry and to stay (somewhat) organized. Fantastical –  This is my calendar app.  This is integrated into my […]

Announcing My New Call

Posted adminPosted in Leadership, Ministry

I am excited to announce my new call to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Kensington, CT.  Below is the letter I sent to the people of Faith Lutheran Church Gardner, MA.  My last Sunday at Faith will be on June 24th.  I am thankful and grateful for the support I have received from the people of Faith and I am looking forward to new adventures in Kensington.

One Word for 2015

Posted admin3 CommentsPosted in Health, Leadership, Ministry

For the past few years I have adopted three words to help lead and guide me throughout the year.  This has been a practice of Chris Brogan since 2006 and I adapted it for myself.  I have had some success with this type of focus.  I think it did help me in creating an internal drive to accomplish what I need to accomplish.  However it was also overwhelming. Here are the words that I used in the past 2011 –  Acceleration, Mindfulness, and Learning 2012 – Simplify, Share and Balance 2013-  Transform, Practice, and Completion 2014 – Create, Compete, Complete

Announcing My New Call

Posted admin3 CommentsPosted in Leadership, Ministry

I am excited to announce that I have accepted a new call to Faith Lutheran Church in Gardner, MA. Below is the letter I sent to the people of St. Mark’s. I am thankful for everyone’s support during this time of transition. Many thanks to Pastor Keith Anderson for help with the letter. January 22, 2014 Dear Friends of St. Mark’s, It is with both joy and sadness that I write to you. The joy I greet you with is the news that I have accepted a new call to serve as pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Gardner, MA. The sadness is that in order to pursue this new call I will resign as your pastor. My last Sunday will be March 2nd. I want to let you know that this has been a difficult decision to make. You are wonderful people. My family has come to know and love both the community of Baldwinsville as well as the community of St. Mark’s. Together, over the course of the last six years, St. Mark’s has accomplished quite a bit. We’ve watched our youth program blossom and grow by creating opportunities for our youth to be engaged with ministries beyond the walls of our church, we have seen growth in our community dinners and expanded that ministry by delivering to homebound people, we celebrated our 60th anniversary, we have done necessary improvements and upgrades to our church building, we have created a memorial garden, we have grown to recognize the […]

My 3 Words for 2013

Posted admin1 CommentPosted in Community, Ministry

For the last two years I have picked three words that guide my actions, the way I live.  Instead of picking out one or two tasks for the year, I have words encapsulate ideas, visions, hopes, dreams and then I work the rest of the year to make them specific ideas.  Chris Brogan has inspired this practice.  I still have some work to fully master this concept but each year it gets easier and better. As Chris says “The big story is that which we want to believe about our life and our goals and our plan. The vision is how you lay that out into something you can do. Goals are a way of knowing that you’re headed in the direction of your vision and your story. Plans and milestones are what make up goals, and if this doesn’t land on the calendar, you don’t have anything. The three words are a shorthand representation of your bigger story. It’s kind of like how an icon isn’t the software program. It’s just a way for you to mentally access all the work you’re doing.” I have done this for the last 2 years and here were my words 2011 —  Acceleration, Mindfulness, and Learning 2012 — Simplify, Share and Balance My words for 2013

2012 3 words

My 3 Words for 2012

Posted admin2 CommentsPosted in Family, Health, Leadership, Ministry, miscellaneous

After reading Chris Brogan’s post last year on three words replacing the traditional New Year’s Resolutions I was hooked.  I picked Acceleration, Mindfulness, and Learning as my three words.  I feel like they served me well throughout the year. This year I have three words which are going to take my life and my family to the next level.  Over the next three days I want to share them with you and more about what they are going to mean for me this year.  I totally agree with Chris when he says “Resolutions are often too vague, or too directed towards one goal. It might be “quit smoking” or “lose 20 pounds” or “get hired.” These are all fine aspirations, but I challenge you to dig deeper, to find three words that could be used as lighthouses to guide you through stormy seas, that can be used as flags on the battlefield of your challenges, words that will bolster you and give you a direction that goes beyond the goals you might attach as a result of these words.”   So I have dug deep and I have prayed about and pondered what my three words will be for 2012.  I will also take some action steps to properly executing and keeping focus on my words.  I hope to have month-long goals but some might be longer and others shorter. My 3 Words for 2012 are: