Here is a long answer to a short question:
I have some health challenges that limit & restrict travel, so I no longer travel to preach & teach. I’m a “coach” to pastors & churches nationwide - primarily via video calls from my home office.
I’m in a unique season as I “wind down” my career. I turned 65 earlier this year & I plan to continue working full-time until April 2028 when I turn 67.
Essentially, I’ve chosen to work for free in 2026 & 2027 [I no longer charge coaching fees] as I prepare for retirement. It’s a fun season & I’m more “on call” & far less structured than I’ve been for many years. I’m plenty busy, but not too busy!
To better understand what I do in serving pastors & churches - please read these questions & responses:
How many years has Ed Funderburk Ministries existed?
I launched EFM in the Fall of 2017 after serving 33 years in pastoral ministry in five different churches.
How do I assist pastors & churches?
My primary goal as a coach: I want to be easy to talk to about hard things.
I coach lead pastors, executive pastors & teams, young leaders being groomed for future promotions & a few under-performing staff members who may benefit from an outside voice.
I provide wisdom, counsel & best practices to those I coach. I offer “emotionally detached” outside perspective - good old-fashioned “common sense.”
The fruit [by-product] of my work is healthy leaders, vibrant cultures & growing churches.
What changes have I made to how I serve churches?
As I was praying about my final two years of full-time work, I realized this closing chapter of ministry requires that I become more flexible & less rigid in how I serve pastors & churches. So, I made a few specific changes to my coaching model. I moved to a less structured, more spontaneous - call as needed - coaching model … all at no charge.
I love my work. I have quality relationships with hundreds of pastors. Prior to my sickness, I traveled to well over 400 churches in 43 states.