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.
Articles on Church Ministry
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The Church’s Most Powerful Witness to the World
God is using the power of the church’s shared witness in remarkable ways all over the world.
Pastor: Equip Your People to Counsel Each Other
The leadership of the church has been commissioned to equip the congregation in caring for each other’s souls.
Help! I’m Struggling to Connect with my Church Family During COVID
The pandemic has stripped away many of our opportunities to connect with the people in our congregations.
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.
Help! My Sunday Mornings Are Chaotic
You have the opportunity of passing on to your children a deep love for Sunday mornings. Children learn to love what their parents love.
Dear Pastor . . . You Can Serve Both Your Ministry and Your Kids
It is not easy to be fully committed to the people we minister to and to our families at the same time. But the strain of doing both (the balanced life) is our cross.
Dear Pastor, Cherish Christ More Than You Cherish Serving Him
God is the beginning and end of the universe. Cherish him more than you cherish serving him. Cherish him more than you cherish telling others about him.
Podcast: How Ancient Liturgy Can Renew Your Walk with Jesus Today (Jonathan Gibson)
Jonathan Gibson talks about why liturgy can be such a powerful force for good in the life of the Christian when rightly understood and practiced.
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.
A Pastor’s Guide to Celebrating Christmas as a Church
Christmas sermons and services should evoke the question, “What do these things mean?” to which the pastor then heralds the eternal answers.
3 Cross-Currents of Anglican Theology
Evangelicals who prioritize true piety are as centered and focused on the church as they are on anything—because we know that the church is Christ’s focus.
10 Things You Should Know about the Church’s Historic Creeds and Confessions
The best doctrinal summaries promote church unity. They help us to identify what we have in common with other Christians.
Should Ministry Be a Calling or an Aspiration?
Scripture doesn’t use the exact word calling. So, that means we don’t have to. It’s a question of wisdom. Is this helpful language?
When the Tyranny of the Urgent Invades Missions
We're living at a time in global missions today where the gospel and faithful ministry are threatened because we often sacrifice the important for the immediate, the best for the most pressing.
How Psalm 145 Saved My Ministry
I can’t tell you how many times in my early days of ministry I questioned if God had really called me into pastoral ministry.
Pastors’ Wives: 5 Misconceptions
Misconception #1 You have it all together. You’ve worked through all your issues. Sure, you may struggle, but not with anything major (whatever that may be). Oh, sister, may I encourage you? On this side …
Should Children’s Ministry Be Church-Centered or Family-Centered?
We have the responsibility to train our children in the faith, and yet the whole church has this responsibility to hold parents accountable.
Let's Make Every Sunday Resurrection Sunday
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Easter, let's resolve to make every Sunday a resurrection Sunday, living in all the good that the resurrection accomplishes for us each day.
How Can Pastors Help Their Church Become a Praying Church?
In order to get the Spirit of Jesus in the front seat of the car driving you, you need to slow down and be attentive to him.
Why Your Sermons Should Address Believers and Unbelievers
Preachers should aim to capture the attention and inspire the affection of both unbelievers and believers.
3 Pieces of Advice for Teens about to Start High School
In the long run, your friends have an enormous influence on you, so you need the right kinds of friends.
Why You Should Join an Imperfect Church
We need the body of Christ to grow and to know what it means to be a mature Christian.
The Origin and End of Missions
A missions-centered church recognizes that its mission begins with the Great Commission. Such a church doesn’t simply pay lip service to Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations.
Watch for Faithfulness in Those around You
As you spend time in the local church, observe how the believers around you follow Jesus. Watch for people who radiate the life of Jesus and spend time with them.
Q&A: Ray Ortlund Answers Your Questions about Porn and Pastoral Ministry
Ray Ortlund answers your questions about how pastors can cultivate churches where honesty about porn thrives and repentance abounds.
What Makes Pastoral Ministry Enjoyable?
Pastoral ministry—while having its unique challenges—is also filled with particular, and sometimes unexpected, joys.
10 Things You Should Know about Leadership
There is not a square inch of knowledge that doesn’t belong to God.
4 Common Misconceptions of What the Church Is
Before you establish what the church is, you have to define what it isn’t. You have to clear away some of the rubble before you can build and construct something.
The Real Cost of Building a Healthy Church
A call to ministry is a call to die—to self, to sin, to selfish ambition, to idolizing your own success, and to enhancing your own image.