ministry Archives — Page 2 of 2 — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Church Work is Mostly Disappointing

August 16, 2017August 16, 2017 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Clergy often share ministry stories and then say, “They didn’t teach me that in seminary!” One of the things that I wasn’t taught in seminary (and wish I were) is that ministry in church life is mostly a disappointment. We clergy don’t often like to talk about that. I mean, who would like to say that most of the time, the work they do,…

The Transfiguration as Model for Ministry

August 9, 2017August 10, 2017 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Holy Transfiguration of Christ, August 6, 2017 II Peter 1:10-19; Matthew 17:1-9 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today we see God. Today we see Jesus Christ standing on Mount Tabor before His three inner circle disciples—Peter, James and John—and He is transfigured before them, His…

What I Saw at #AFCon

June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

This past week I attended the Ancient Faith Writing and Podcasting Conference (AFCon), an event which I also attended last year (its inaugural year), where I spoke on ministry in social media. This year, though, I wasn’t one of the scheduled speakers but was just attending along with everyone else. Last year, I have to admit that I was a bit ambivalent about attending.…

I Can’t Always Fix the Broken, But I Can Do This

December 16, 2016 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

From today’s epistle reading: For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (I Timothy 4:4-5) In our zealousness to be righteous or pure, we can be tempted to forget this basic truth, a truth that everything God created is fundamentally good. It…

This Thing Decreased My Stress as a Pastor

December 14, 2016December 14, 2016 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

This week an article about pastors quitting ministry and even Christianity itself circulated among some of the clergy I know. I see articles like this all the time. Among this one’s ominous passages is this one: [ExPastors.com] conducted a 2015 survey that found 60 percent of pastors consider themselves overworked and 81 percent feel unable to meet the demands of their jobs, Atkinson said…

A Church Cannot Just Keep Existing

December 10, 2016December 11, 2016 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

It has been said that freedom in America is only ever one generation away from extinction. It seems to me that the same could be said of American churches. Over the past couple of days, a number of the ministry leaders in our parish gathered together to ask a couple sets of questions. The first set was last night following a potluck meal, and…

The First Fruits of Achaia: Setting Ourselves for the Ministry of the Saints

September 1, 2015 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost / Thirteenth Sunday of Matthew, August 30, 2015 I Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Many times when we’re reading something, we come across a phrase or two in parentheses, and we might skip over that part because it’s…

From “Membership” to Ministry: Feeding the Five Thousand

July 26, 2015July 27, 2015 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Feast of St. Paraskeva / Eighth Sunday of Matthew, July 26, 2015 Galatians 3:23-4:5; Matthew 14:14-22 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We are all familiar with this account from the Gospels of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Though we read today from Matthew 14, this…