So You Have Been Called To Your First Church

About the Book

Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” The Bible says that the feet of those who preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ are beautiful.

According to http://www.pastorburnout.com/pastor-burnout-statistics.html:

13% of active pastors are divorced;

23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once;

33% felt burnout within their first five years of ministry;

45% say that they experienced depression; 

70% don’t have close friends; and 

1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure. 

If 1,500 doctors left their practices each month, 1,500 teachers left their classrooms each month, or 1,500 managers left their offices each month, we would declare a state of emergency.

What is so beautiful about this chosen profession? Why are there such ugly results from a ministry that the Bible calls beautiful? It was this passion and this thrust that led Dr. Anthony D. Johnson, ThD, to interject his experiences into this discussion. Somebody has to recapture the beauty of ministry. He says, “Please let the mess from my mistakes create ease for you in your assignment.”

About the Author

Dr. Anthony D. Johnson, ThD, is the pastor of Prayer Temple church in Redford, Michigan. He has led the church for fifteen years. During this tenure, he has transitioned the ministry from traditional to contemporary without losing some of the old school church benchmarks.

Dr. Johnson has been able to combine technology and theology with great success. His bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit in management information system and thirteen-plus years as an IT professional have enabled him to create interactive presentations to minister to the diverse congregation.

He is a board member of Kingdom Alliance Covenant Fellowship under the leadership of Bishop Edgar Vann. He is the board vice president of Redford Interfaith Relief. He has conducted several leadership conferences, and he serves as a mentor to many young preachers and pastors.

He has been married to Sis. Toya Johnson for well over twenty years. They have three kids: Anthony Johnson Jr., Maurice Johnson, and Alyse Johnson.

Prayer Temple has two Sunday morning worship services, two Wednesday Bible class services, an active and growing youth ministry, children’s ministry, and a host of other venues that minister to the total man.