Jesse Reimers

Do Not Silence the Wounded: Why Pastors Must Listen Before They Defend There are few things more difficult for a pastor than receiving criticism from people he has tried to love. Most pastors do not enter ministry because they want power, applause, or control. Many enter because they love Jesus, love Scripture, love people, and genuinely want to help others follow Christ. They preach, visit hospitals, sit with grieving families, pray for the hurting, carry private burdens, prepare sermons, manage conflict, encourage volunteers, and try to keep the church moving forward. So when someone says, “Pastor, you hurt me,” or “I do not feel heard,” or “Something about the way this was handled was wrong,” it can land deeply. A pastor may feel misunderstood. He may feel falsely accused. He may feel exhausted by one more hard conversation. He may feel the need to explain everything immediately. He may feel tempted to defend himself before he has fully listened. That temptation is understa...

Before a Pastor Falls: Why Shepherds Must Guard Their Own Souls In recent years, more stories have surfaced about churches wounded by unhealthy, domineering, unaccountable, or spiritually abusive leadership. These stories are heartbreaking, not only because churches suffer organizational damage, but because people Jesus loves are deeply wounded. Trust is broken. Faith is shaken. Families are confused. Congregations are divided. Some people walk away from church altogether, not because they rejected Christ, but because they were hurt by someone who was supposed to represent Him. This should grieve every pastor. But faithful shepherds must be careful not to respond to these stories with distance, defensiveness, or spiritual pride. It is easy to hear about the failure of another leader and think, How could he do that? It is much harder, and much healthier, to pray, Lord, are there any seeds of that in me? Most unhealthy pastors do not become dangerous in a moment. They drift there slo...

How Small Church Pastors Can Lead Transitions with Wisdom, Patience, and Shepherding Hearts If there is one certainty in ministry, it is this: change is unavoidable . Churches change. Communities change. Cultures change. Seasons change. People change. Yet for many small church pastors, change feels like walking through a minefield. You know something needs to shift—structure, schedule, ministry focus, leadership approach, worship style, outreach strategy—but the fear is real: “What if people leave?” “What if this divides the church?” “What if I move too fast?” “What if I don’t move at all?” Lifeway Research confirms what pastors experience firsthand: change is one of the most common reasons people switch churches . Not because change is bad, but because change is often handled poorly, rushed too quickly, or communicated unclearly. This blog post is not about avoiding change. It is about leading change well . Small churches do not lose people because they change...

If defining the call gives us a biblical foundation, discerning the call is where the struggle truly begins. Many believers—especially those who grew up in church or have served faithfully—wrestle with the question: “How do I know if God is calling me into pastoral ministry?” It’s a question every pastor should ask, and every aspiring leader must answer honestly. Some feel drawn to ministry because they love the Bible, or leadership, or helping people. Others feel a desire to compensate for past pain or prove themselves to God. Some want purpose. Some want impact. Some simply want to do something meaningful with their lives. But the call of God is not discovered through emotional impulse or personal ambition. It is discerned through the Spirit’s work, Scripture’s clarity, the church’s affirmation, and the evidence of God’s grace in a person’s life. As someone who has spent more than twenty years coaching and developing leaders—and who has walked through my own seasons of questioning...