Pastor Privileged Monthly: July 2026 (with the VIBE)
Breaking Rules, Call Discernment, and Friends Who Are Different
This is Pastor Privileged Monthly, where you get an insider’s end-of-the-month view of what it takes to be a Pentecostal pastor theologian.
In this edition:
👉For FREE subscribers:
The August Vibe
Apply for Northern Seminary!
Breaking Pastoral Rules
👉For my Supporters:
Discerning your call for the long haul
The importance of friends who are not like you
Office Hours: Need a leadership, academic, or vocational conversation partner? I’m here for you.
First up, a little bit of sad news (for you) with some good news (for me):
I’m off to family vacation this week, and I’m really trying to pull back from all the hustle. Which means I gotta take a break from writing an entire post for August’s Pastoral Vibe-ology.
Instead, I’m just going to declare the vibe and give you some sermon titles to work with. I trust you to handle them with care and intention 😌
Fittingly, this month’s VIBE is vacation.
Here’s what you’re gonna do: preach restfulness (and take some time to rest yourself).
Sermon titles might include:
The Sabbath Is One of the Ten: Why Do You Keep Breaking It? (Shout-preach this one like an old school Pentecostal) 🗣️
Runaway Jesus, Runaway Pastor: Getting Away From Needy Congregants like the Lord (Mark 6:46).
The Night Is Far Gone (Romans 13:12), Which Is Why I’m TIRED 🥱
Sleeping You-tichus (Acts 20:7-12): Take a Nap Before You Die
I’ll let you take it from here ✌️
ICYMI—I’m going LIVE on Friday August 14th
I’m joining Myles Werntz to chat with Bonnie Kristian about here upcoming book, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers.
Northern Seminary
Another ICYMI: I’m directing a one-year Certificate in Pentecostal Ministry at Northern Seminary. The first cohort starts in January, so apply now before all the spots are taken.
If you’re wanting to advance your biblical or theological education as a lay person, pastor, or church leader, this program is for you.
It’s one year. 5 classes. And meets educational requirements for licensure in the Assemblies of God.
Got questions? Ask me.
Breaking Pastoral Rules
I broke a pastoral rule in July: I presided over the wedding of a couple I barely knew. Only marrying couples I really and truly know has always been a hard and fast rule for me (as it is for most ministers of the gospel). Christians take marriage seriously. We pastors don’t preside over the weddings of strangers because marriage isn’t just about the two people making the promise. It’s about the entire church committing to support the couple in their until-death-do-them-part vows (which is no small challenge).
Not all wedding liturgies are the same, but I always ask the attendees at weddings to promise that they’ll do everything within their power to uphold the couple in their vows. It might strike some as being too demanding of the congregation. Promises are serious things. But that’s why I must do my due diligence not to set either the couple or the congregation up to fail.
As an aside: I’ve experienced the disturbing sentiment from the general public that my ordination is for-hire, like I’m a Notary Public, or a Certified Public Accountant. But let it be known that I’ve refused to marry people, and I will never be compelled to preside.
So why did I break my rule? Because a dear friend and pillar of the Christian community in Iowa City asked me to help the bride, who is like a daughter to him. (The pastor they had originally asked to preside had to unexpectedly cancel). I’ve known this man for many years, and because of that, I know he takes marriage as seriously as any Christian should. From there, I verified that their church would support them after their vows. Then, I met them for a cup of coffee, and walked through the seriousness of what we were doing together. Even in the short time leading up to the wedding, I could spiritually discern that this was a fitting thing for me to do. And I was honored to do so.
Not all rules are there to be broken. But some are. And that’s in part why I’m grateful for the Pentecostal Christianity I grew up in, which taught me how to discern both in community and in my own heart when to bend standards to do the right thing.
