Martin Thielen
Martin Thielen, DMin, is senior pastor, First United Methodist Church, Lebanon, Tennessee, United States.
Articles by Martin Thielen
Clergy contentment: An inside job
November 2016
A familiar voice on the other end of the phone said, “Hi Martin, it’s Larry. I’m in Nashville for a few days at a conference, and I wondered if we could have lunch together.” Larry, a clergy friend, serves as senior pastor at a large church…
“Where is the joy?”: Three keys to avoiding burnout
May 2011
Twenty-three years ago I had almost completely burned out as a pastor.
Multiple factors contributed to my ministerial “near death” experience at the young age of 30. I served in a community suffering massive economic collapse.…