Pastor to Pastor: Help Us Get Started

By Steve Drake, LifeWay Director of Pastoral Relations

Let me first say I feel very honored to share this space on the Saturdays at ThomRainer.com. The idea to begin this targeted post came from a desire in Dr. Rainer's heart, a desire fed by many years of efforts to assist pastors and local churches in their work.

In these Saturday posts, we want to do more than the post conversations about current issues germane to the pastor's life and work. We also want to provide a place where we can all hear from a wide range of pastors in different settings, some small others large, some urban and others rural--pastors of every description and location.

We are all members of a unique group, all called by God, all pursuing a common goal, all relying on Jesus to lead our steps, and all needing each other to share the joys and struggles we experience. We hope the insights and digital fellowship we share in these conversations will be a blessing to you.

Help Us

So how can you help? Talk to us; we need to hear from you.

What issues do you face in your church? What hot topics interest you?Are there resources you are using that are making a real difference in your ministry? Are there resources you need that don't exist yet? What effective study habits have you employed? How are you doing on time management? What does your wife need to help her in her role as a pastor's wife? Do your children handle their identity as a "PK" well or do they struggle with it?

You get the idea; we want to know you better. Dr. Rainer and I both look forward to your comments.

We Want to Be a Resource for You

In recent years, LifeWay Christian Resources has endeavored to become more and more effective in identifying and meeting the needs of believers and their churches. Reaching out to you, the pastor, in this way will help us in this task.

The Saturday Pastor to Pastor series is one part of our desire to engage you on a more personal level, but there is more. I want you to consider my office, Pastoral Relations, as your portal to LifeWay's resources and/or a brother whose intention is to be an encouragement to you. Whatever the need might be, I want to hear from you. Email me at steve.drake@lifeway.com. While there are many questions I may not be able to answer, there are not many questions for which I won't know where to go and find an answer. If your email does not include a question about some resource, but is instead the sharing of a burden or trial, be assured that we can talk and pray and together seek the wisdom of God for you.

Looking Forward

Dr. Rainer and I are both looking forward to hearing from you. Until then, consider what my pastor told me when I announced my call to ministry. He said "Steve, always remember this: a pastor must have a heart as tender as a lamb and a hide as tough as a rhino. The difficulty comes from toughening one of them without toughening the other."