by Tracee Swank | Jun 11, 2026 | Leadership, Mission, Movement, Tracee J. Swank
Ask an older pastor how they learned to do the job, and you will usually hear a name before you hear a degree. It will be the senior pastor who let them tag along on hospital visits at 23. The elder who taught them how to read a budget. The mentor who took a phone...
by Tracee Swank | Jun 4, 2026 | Leadership, Mission, Movement, Tracee J. Swank
There is a conversation happening inside theological education that most pastors have not heard. While pastors navigate the realities of their own congregations, seminary leaders are sitting with hard questions about how the Church forms its leaders. The best are not...
by Tracee Swank | May 28, 2026 | Discipleship, Leadership, Movement, Tracee J. Swank
You already sense it, even if you have not said it out loud yet. The last pastoral search took longer than expected. The resumes did not quite fit. A church down the road has been looking for 18 months. A pastor you respect just stepped out of ministry. Your associate...
by Tracee Swank | Apr 2, 2026 | Leadership, Spiritual Gifts, Tracee J. Swank
Any biblically accurate teaching on spiritual gifts must pass through 1 Corinthians 13. Powerful gifts without love distort the witness of the local church. Tongues, prophecy, knowledge, and even sacrificial service mean nothing without Christlike love. Love...
by Tracee Swank | Mar 30, 2026 | Leadership, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank
Disciplined prayer clarifies calling. It helps individuals recognize how their gifts align with God’s work in their community. When prayer is focused on God’s mission, leaders begin to see emerging leaders differently. Calling is discerned in prayer before it is...
by Tracee Swank | Mar 23, 2026 | Leadership, Prayer, Tracee J. Swank
Prayer is not only speaking; it is also listening. Faithful ministry depends on communal discernment shaped by disciplined prayer. Listening requires time and attentiveness. Focused prayer creates space to hear beyond assumptions and preferences. When prayer becomes...
