Expressing our emotions can be powerful motivators, especially during a Sunday sermon delivery. As UCC ministers, your sermons can drive us to pursue our passions, connect deeply with others, and motivate our faith toward doing the greater good.

However, when our emotions are running high in response to life circumstances, they can trigger a response that can impair our ability to think rationally. Stress and anxiety can contribute to hasty decisions especially where it concerns our finances.

By Rev. Bruce G. Epperly, Ph.D.

Despite the fact that many of us haven’t been in seminary for forty years and our children are grown up, September still signals “back to school.” If we were congregational pastors, university chaplains, or campus ministers, we can recall the mad rush of late August and early September, getting ready for “Rally Day,” planning the faith formation program, and readying ourselves for the beginning of the “church year,” not in Advent but practically speaking in September. It’s not as if we were off duty all summer, but with the coming of September, we need to gather our wits and inspiration, plan our fall sermons, ensure a consistent group of teachers for church school, or children’s faith formation, and get the new year underway.

For clergy members, who often prioritize the needs of their congregations over their own, and who may neglect the often-dreaded dental visit, ministers can soon learn that ignoring dental care can affect one’s overall health and one’s ability to serve effectively.

If you have school-aged children, the back-to-school season can be a costly one. Whether you are a UCC minister, lay worker, or a caregiver in an institution of care, the upcoming school season requires financial planning and practicality.

A Guide for Ministers

When embarking on the journey of negotiating a call agreement with a church, it's essential to approach this process with a combination of spiritual discernment and practical wisdom, so that you can negotiate an agreement constructively. If you are a minister in discernment or a recent seminary graduate, here are some tips to help you navigate the negotiation process.