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Writing for churches in hard seasons.

Honest writing about what happens after a pastor falls: for the people in the pews, the leaders in the meetings, and everyone trying to make sense of it.

Other losses follow the loss of a pastor Other losses follow the loss of a pastor
October 16, 2026

The Ripple Effects of Loss

“Many other losses ripple outward from his sudden departure.”

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How we react shows something of what is inside us. How we react shows something of what is inside us.
October 2, 2026

How We React To A Pastor’s Failure

Pressure has a unique way of exposing what is actually going on within us.

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In losing your shepherd, what have you lost? In losing your shepherd, what have you lost?
September 26, 2026

The Loss of a Shepherd

Part of the process you will go through after losing your pastor is grief over what you have lost. But, what have you lost?

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A desk lamp lit over an open notebook and a pen, late at night A desk lamp lit over an open notebook and a pen, late at night
August 31, 2026

A Name For What This Is

There is a term for injury caused by a betrayal of what is right by someone who held legitimate authority. It was developed for soldiers. It fits this almost exactly.

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An empty front room on a grey afternoon, a wool blanket folded over the arm of a sofa An empty front room on a grey afternoon, a wool blanket folded over the arm of a sofa
August 31, 2026

Grief With No Funeral

Why grief after a leader's failure does not behave like other grief, and why closure is the wrong thing to be chasing.

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An ordinary house at dusk seen from across the street, one upstairs window lit An ordinary house at dusk seen from across the street, one upstairs window lit
August 31, 2026

I Did Something Bad, or I Am Something Bad

Two feelings that look alike from the inside and behave completely differently. Telling them apart changes what you do next.

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A wooden garden gate standing half open onto a frosty lane A wooden garden gate standing half open onto a frosty lane
August 31, 2026

On Being Told To Forgive

Forgiveness is real and it is also the most misused idea in this situation. Separating what it actually is from what it is used for changes what you owe.

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Two mugs beside a kettle on a kitchen counter in early morning light, one of them used Two mugs beside a kettle on a kitchen counter in early morning light, one of them used
August 31, 2026

The Feelings Nobody Says Out Loud

Five things people feel after a leader's failure and almost never admit to. None of them mean what you are afraid they mean.

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A spade standing in freshly turned earth, a pair of worn gloves beside it A spade standing in freshly turned earth, a pair of worn gloves beside it
August 31, 2026

What To Do With the Anger

Your anger is not the problem. What it does when it has nowhere to go is a different question, and there is research on it.

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A canvas holdall and a winter coat set down on the floor inside a front door A canvas holdall and a winter coat set down on the floor inside a front door
August 31, 2026

What You're Carrying Has a Name

For people in a congregation after a leader's failure. Six kinds of struggle that researchers have documented, what each one sounds like, and what tends to help.

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