So You Think You've Been Called to Be a Pastor?: Pastoring 101 is a workbook primarily written for new pastors and ministers who think they have been called to be a pastor. Yet seasoned pastors can benefit from this book as well. Someone said that 50 percent of new pastors give up after their first year. In my humblest opinion, many who feel they are called to be a pastor have never been properly mentored. They are not prepared for the various seasons that will take place within their ministry. Someone needs to tell them about pastoral fluctuations: the bitters and the sweets, the unpredictability of membership and finances, betrayals, apathy, childishness, and the perpetual delays that come with growing a church. By writing this workbook, I have officially accepted the assignment to be that someone.

In this age of mega churches with multi-million dollar programs, it is easy for pastors of small churches to feel like failures; we don't measure up. This workbook provides practical information to help pastors successfully navigate through various pastoral seasons. This workbook is divided into fourteen sections. A few sections are: "What to Expect as a New Pastor," "The Danger of Being a Carbon Copy of Someone Else's Ministry," "What Do You Do When the Pews Are Not Full," and "Members Say and Do the Strangest Things."

At the end of each section, there is a "Fireside Chat." Various questions will be asked, and I invite you to daily RELAX: R - Rest and renew, E - Eat healthy foods, L - Laugh a lot, A - Ask God (pray always), and X - Xercise your body and mind. There is also a space provided called "My Journal." Write whatever you want.

This is a practical handbook that should be given to every new pastor.

--Gwendolyn J. Wheeler

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