338 results found
Where Did Youth Ministry Go Wrong? Identifying a Way Forward
It's concerning that our ideals about how to do family discipleship have sometimes distracted us from our more primary responsibility to teach kids the gospel. Here are a couple of the ways we get distracted.
When You Let Ministry Become Your Identity
Whether you realize it or not, you are in an unending conversation with yourself, and the things you say to you about you are formative of the way that you live.
When Ministry Becomes a Mistress (by Dave Kraft)
Ministry idolatry is becoming increasingly widespread, reaching epidemic proportions.
When Did You Realize You Were an Imperfect Pastor?
Recognition of pastoral imperfections and flaws comes with experience and reflection on past ministry.
What Your Church Needs More than Productivity
Prayer shows our dependence on God. It honors him as the source of all blessing, and it reminds us that converting individuals and growing churches are his works, not ours.
What to Do If You’re Chronically Frustrated at Church
If you're chronically frustrated at church, the primary solution is not to try to fix things but to recenter your focus on God.
What Should We Do When Members Won’t Attend?
Pursuing longstanding non-attenders and disciplining those who can’t be found is a mark of a healthy church.
What Should I Do if I’m the Only Elder in My Church?
If you are the only elder in your church, be encouraged that God is still working in your congregation.
What Should a Youth Pastor Spend His Time Doing?
Youth pastors should dedicate their time to three primary things—spiritual growth, relationships, and Bible study.
What Questions Should a Pastor Ask Himself after Preaching a Sermon?
You actually can’t tell how effective a sermon was by the response you receive.
What Pastors Should and Should Not Share with Their Wives
Every aspect of pastoral ministry is not meant to be shared at home. Find out what is best kept at church.
What Ministry “Freshness” Means
More than anything else, we want to guard our relationship with God with a sense of urgency, and deal with anything that hinders that relationship. Our primary desire is God.
What Makes the Preaching the Word Commentary Series Unique?
The Preaching the Word commentary series is unique because I’ve asked all the contributors to have preached the content of their commentary viva voce, or live.
What Makes Pastoral Ministry Enjoyable?
Pastoral ministry—while having its unique challenges—is also filled with particular, and sometimes unexpected, joys.
What Kind of Leadership Does a Healthy Church Have?
There are many useful things we could say about church leadership from the Bible; yet I want to focus primarily on elders, since I fear a lot of churches don’t know what they’re missing.
What Is the Job of the Pastor?
Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman
Your ability to do your job as a church member depends on pastors or elders doing their jobs.
How do we preachers handle the Bible faithfully and accurately so that Jesus is seen in every passage?
What Is a Healthy Way to Leave a Church?
Leaving the church is painful for Christians and pastors, and we've seen a lot of it over the last couple of years through COVID, election crises, and racial crises.
What I Miss Most about Pastoral Ministry
Pastor R. Kent Hughes shares what he misses most about pastoral ministry since retiring nearly a decade ago.
What I Learned from Pastoring a 106 Year Old Widow
Although she died a few years ago, I am often reminded of what an amazing lady she was and what the Lord had graciously taught me through her as a young pastor.
What If I Differ with My Pastor on Politics?
You may disagree with your pastor’s approach on a particular issue. He could be wrong. You could be wrong. It may be important enough to leave. It may not.
It is deeply wounding to be accused falsely and to be treated as if you dishonored the Lord when you haven't.
What Do They Know? Learning From "Secular” Leaders
When God speaks through his world, we call it general revelation or common grace.
What Does It Mean to Be a Contemplative Pastor?
I would encourage pastors to think about how their ministry is only going to be as effective as their growth, humility, and dependence upon the Lord.
The way deacons are described in the New Testament and the way they operate is that they are exemplary servants who function on behalf of a congregation to assist the elders by doing at least three things.
What Dietrich Bonhoeffer Can Teach Us about Seminary Education
Bonhoeffer is usually remembered as a university professor, pastor, spy, and martyr, but he also served as a seminary director.
What Churches Should Look for in a Missionary
Churches should carefully assess the character, fruitfulness, and Bible knowledge of the missionaries they hope to send.
What Can Small Churches Do Together?
In what ways might God be calling your church to partner with others?
What Are the Limits of a Church’s Authority?
Christians today tend to give little attention to the idea of church authority, just like we give little attention to church membership and discipline.
What All Healthy Churches Have in Common
The most important things about a Christian church are always the things that make it a Christian church. The things that are unique about your church or mine can never be the most important things about it.