James Coffin

No minister wants to be a boring preacher. No minister likes to think that his parishioners look forward to each of his discourses with a sort of resigned foreboding. No minister wants to admit that his expositions are muddled and hard to…

A catchy commercial for the Bell Telephone system has been admonishing radio listeners and TV viewers throughout North America to "reach out and touch someone." The idea is to pick up the nearest telephone and call someone long neglected—preferably…

This year marks my twenty-fifth year of ministry. Let me share 25 things I have found helpful.

1. Know your parishioners' names. Dale Carnegie said that hearing one's name is the most beautiful sound…

People are responding to the gospel by the tens of thousands in many developing countries. On the other hand, things are slow-going and costly in most of the world's affluent nations. Granted, the Seventh-day Adventist…

Whether pastors like it or not, parishioners constantly evaluate their performance. Having observed congregations closely for more than 25 years (both from the pulpit and the pew), I would suggest that congregational…

Twenty-one years ago I was serving as associate pastor of a large suburban congregation when I was invited to join the editorial team at the Adventist Review as an assistant editor. Suddenly a word unfamiliar to our…