Once upon a time, I was a full-time instructor at a seminary in California. I am very thankful for that period, but I was way over my head. I happened to be at the right place and time to fill a need, and God gave me an opportunity beyond my age and training. I was … More Once Upon a Time in Another Life
It was 1839 and Robert Murray McCheyne was just under four years from his death when, because of bad health and a doctors orders to get to a warmer climate, he decided that if he must leave his church for a time, he would go to Israel for ministry and to pray on-site for the … More Self-care and the Pastorate
When we left our last church, we didn’t know what God had for us in the future. It was difficult saying goodby to friends and the thought that perhaps our years of caring for the people of God was coming to an end. We knew that God could be trusted, but we didn’t know what … More A Standing Stone Ministry Update
I was talking to a friend today at the end of the Evangelical Free Church of America Theology conference at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. We were catching up on one another’s lives and ministries, sharing prayer requests and seeking to encourage one another in a three decades long friendship. My friend Roy, … More Broken, Hurting Pastors: 9 Sources of Pastoral Disintegration
Questions people have been asking us: (Stardate: 06-05-2020) Change in Ministry The picture to the right is my bride’s new view from the kitchen since I invaded her house with more than 2,000 books from my church office to add to the 2,200 books I already had at home. Pray for her. Her home has … More A Schoenleber Family Update
Today, I received a letter from Steve Douglass, the President of CRU. It struck me as extremely wise and practical. He was writing to all staff and alumni of the ministry and trying to encourage ministry leaders. You will find it below without any changes. [Message from Steve Douglass] I love you and am praying … More Wisdom from CRU on Ministry in a Covid-19 World
I’m sitting in the airport in Atlanta at the mid-point of a three-hour layover after a weekend in South Carolina, meeting folks and getting to know a community that might be our next stop in our journey of faith. It has been a good weekend. The church and its people are marvelously mature and … More Schoenleber Family Update
There are so many ministries that are so busy. So many churches that are so busy with so many programs. Lots of activity. Lots of zeal for the work. And the work is important. But still, so many are so powerless. Here’s the reason. For more see: Powerless Ministries are Easy to Explain.
Wednesday Thoughts “There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence.” —John Calvin In another life, many years ago, for a period of 11 years, I helped to manage a $1,000,000 Bible Institute over a six week period in Fort Collins, Colorado. For those of you who know … More Cultivating Humility in the Ministry
Thursday is for Discipleship The literary cadence of authors now 200 years dead is often foreign to our ears. But that does not mean that wisdom is absent. The quote below requires some concentration. But it is a wise reminder that every forward movement for the gospel from our ministries is only possible by the … More Effective Ministry is Only by Grace
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