by Mark Vroegop | Articles, Lament, Pastoral Ministry
Years ago, I remember hearing a seasoned pastor say, “Ministry would be a cake-walk if it wasn’t for people.” His tongue-in-cheek statement revealed what people know: pastoral ministry is hard. It isn’t long until the passionate calling collides, head-on, with...
by Mark Vroegop | Articles, Pastoral Ministry
Serving on a mission field is uniquely challenging—both spiritually and emotionally. Those who follow the call of God overseas bid farewell to family and friends. Missionaries leave the familiar behind. They face the shock of assimilating in a new culture, along with...
by Mark Vroegop | Articles, Pastoral Ministry
Houston, we have a problem. Unfortunately, the issue over the last two weeks was not with a NASA spacecraft. It was the explosive news from the Houston Chronicle detailing 700 victims of sexual abuse over a twenty year period in Southern Baptist Churches. The...
by Mark Vroegop | Lament, Pastoral Ministry, Spiritual Growth
The following article was posted on the 9Marks Journal: Memorials matter. Consider the Vietnam Wall, the Holocaust Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Washington, D.C.—or the National Center for Peace and Justice (the Lynching Memorial) in Montgomery, Alabama....
by Mark Vroegop | Articles, Ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Uncategorized
For the last decade at College Park Church we have not only distributed a church bulletin but also a copy of the sermon manuscript. To be clear: we handed out a booklet-sized copy of my sermon prior to the message. Visitors were surprised. Most pastors thought I was...
by Mark Vroegop | Articles, Ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Suggested Resources, Uncategorized
Along with our once-a-month meeting, the Elders of College Park Church have divided into groups for fellowship, prayer, spiritual growth, and accountability over the last decade to get below the surface of life and ministry. This year we tried something with our new...