"You should not dismiss the call you believe God has placed on your life because it doesn't make sense to others around you—or to yourself at times."

Among the 1,000 mothers and fathers, grandparents, mentors, inventors, accomplished artists, and more honored in Memorial weekend's New York Times front page obituary were these men: church leaders who have died from Covid-19 in the last few months.

Over 100 people connected to a May 10 service at a church in Germany have tested positive for COVID-19. German officials are now trying to trace everyone who took part in the service that day.

"Imagine how dark your heart must be to place your knee on a handcuffed mans neck, hear him say 'I can’t breath' multiple times and yet continue to watch him suffocate under the weight of your body," Jackie Hill Perry writes.

Lee Strobel says, "We have to create safe places in our churches and let people know it’s ok to have questions." But pastors can't—and shouldn't have to—do this important work alone.

Our preoccupation with the uniqueness of this generation, might actually isolate us from them instead of drawing us to them. You probably have more in common with Gen Z than you realize.

God is not waiting for the coronavirus to ebb before he can move again. He will work even in this pandemic to make his name known. Timing is everything. God’s timing.

If you serve in a church, criticism comes with the territory. I doubt that any pastor or leader likes it. But, we must deal with it in a God-honoring way. One way to do that is to understand why people criticize us. I’ve listed below what I believe are 7 reasons why church people criticize pastors.