Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

As many of you know, I have been serving in some capacity in a church for over a decade now.  I love the church.  I'm an advocate of "church renewal," which we good Methodists talk a lot about.  Not only do I think church renewal is needed, I believe it can happen.  I think it begins with education, specifically a robust theological education.  So, as you read this, know that I love the church.  If you don't keep that in mind, you'll certainly misread me. I have served in the children/youth pastor role, sr. pastor role, assistant pastor role, worship leader role and Bible study and Sunday school teacher role.  I've sat in board meetings and voted, I've led mission trips, I've planned events...I've worn many hats and assumed many roles in the church.  I love the church!  In spite of the many times I've been burnt, mistreated and criticized, I still love the church.  In spite of the fact that my wife was once mugged during a chur...

I am encouraged by this!

Check out this youth ministry tool I created; I think it's pretty cool (click the icon below to download it). It can be used as both an online website/webpage or it can be put on a disk, usb drive, etc. and given to the teens in your ministry so that they can distribute it to their friends. It's a tech savvy way to spread the word about your YM and get in-touch with teens in your area. If you're a youth minister and you'd like me to personalize one of these for your youth group/ministry, leave a comment or email me. I am willing to do this at a very low price. (If it didn't take time to do these things, I wouldn't charge a red cent.) Still, even though it takes some time, the turnaround would be incredibly fast! If you're interested, get ahold of me. Blessings. (*Note: This has also been added to the "Misc." page/tab.) Youth Ministry / Youth Group Tool

After a lifetime in KY, as many of you know, I recently moved to Michigan. For the last five years I've been preaching and ministering in the Bluegrass State but now, I am part of a new ministry. I have accepted a ministerial position (associate minister with "worship leading" as priority) in Michigan at a new Church plant known as "Outland Church". This is quite different from what I'm used to but the wife and I knew we fit into this community immediately. I didn't know that I was going to serve in a Church again as a minister but all of the pieces of this opportunity fell together so well that I almost couldn't question it all. I've given a 1-year commitment at this point. You can read more about the Church and some of its ministries by clicking the following link: Outland Church . If you're ever in the Battle Creek, MI area or know of anyone who lives in the area, stop by or have them stop by. Come love God and others, along with us, in a...

Anyone who has ever pastored knows just how tough it can be. Some days it feels like you're down in the trenches and some days it feels like you're running the gauntlet. To coin a phrase (I've said this since the beginning of my ministry days): "The best thing about ministry is people and the worst thing about ministry is people." Sometimes you feel like you've given all you've got but some don't think it's enough. Sometimes you feel spent. Sometimes you feel burnt out. Other days you question your calling or even your faith. Still, at other times you're wondering if it's all worth it. Ministry and pastoring is hard, but...there are those sacred moments; there are those moments that give you hope and seem to say: "it's all worth it". I had a few of those moments this week. One of them was while making a hospital visit to an ailing congregant. The patient, who has been through a traumatic 3+ years of innumerable surgeries, hos...

The Peculiar Prophet, Dr. William Willimon , has written an interesting little post on the relationship between Soren Kierkegaard and the challenges of ministry. You can read the post in whole by clicking the following link: Willimon & Kierkegaard . For now, here's an interesting quote from none other than Kierkegaard himself, speaking, basically, on the issue of preachers, teachers and ministers selling out and watering down the Gospel (not that this ever happens today): As long as the clergy were exalted, sacrosanct in the eyes of men, Christianity continued to be preached in all its severity. For even if the clergy did not take it too strictly, people dared not argue with the clergy, and they could quite well lay on the burden and dare to be severe. But gradually, as the nimbus faded away, the clergy got into the position of themselves being controlled. So there was nothing to do but to water down Christianity. And so they continued to water it down till in the end they achi...