In the late summer of 1995, Tom Steagald experienced a profound crisis of faith and ministry. A  nine-month voluntary leave of absence allowed him to relocate and begin… read more

I'm new at this. My son, Dakota, is just a year old and my Certificate for Probationary Membership was recently hung on my office wall. My son is still of the age that I'm… read more

I asked a small group of lay preachers in a workshop, “What is your biggest concern about preaching?” One of them said with a chuckle, “How can I preach in my… read more

A number of years ago I found myself teetering precariously on the edge of burnout. I was working too many hours, paying too little attention to my family and my own health… read more

A wise psychologist once told me that, in her experience as chair of the ethics committee for the board of psychology, the best way to stay out of ethical trouble was to lead an… read more

For the past three decades, the United Methodist Church has primarily had clergy whose children are grown and gone from the home. These empty nesters have related well to… read more