Scripture Journal
Crossway+ Special
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.
Articles on Church Ministry
640 results found
5 Ways Pastors Can Grow in Their Preaching
No one can create an effective Bible preacher. No process of training can ensure the quality of the end product because preaching involves many different aspects of mind and personality.
Podcast: The Blessings and Burdens of Pastoral Ministry (Jeff Robinson)
What are the joys and hardships of doing ministry for the long-haul and what does it look like to be faithful in the midst of pastoral overwhelm and exhaustion?
3 Ways Youth Leaders Can Help Parents
Many youth pastors are young, but they still have valuable insights on teenagers that can be of great help to parents.
How Can Church Communities Show Hospitality to Children?
There are three things that I think are really great for children's ministers to think about when thinking about giving, being hospitable, and giving their grace-filled presence to families coming to their church.
Ministry leadership, at its core, is about a community of leaders practicing together the presence of the Lord.
What If Your Church Were Filled with People Just like You?
When we love in ways that we can only love by the power of God’s Spirit, we show him to be sufficient. We show him to be good and glorious.
The Biggest Detriment to Longevity in Ministry
The call to pastoral ministry is unlike anything else you're going to do in life. What's the key to staying the course?
God’s rebuke is never about giving up on us; it’s about investing in us once again. God rebukes us because we need it.
An Excerpt from The Pastor's Wife
Introduction “There you are,” a woman whispered in my ear as she grabbed my elbow during a church gathering. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Startled, I braced myself. You never know what a statement …
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.
Pastor, Are You Growing in Submission to Scripture?
God’s leaders are to be people who are growing in submission to Scripture. Their daily lives are to reflect and exemplify the scriptures that they teach.
The Importance of Committing to a Church—Even When It’s Hard
Christian's are to be characterized by love—not just every Sunday at church, but throughout every sphere of their lives.
Why Pastors Must Be More than Professionals
The knowledge of God that the fear of the Lord brings is not a sterile knowledge. Those who fear God come to know him in such a way that they actually become holy, faithful, loving, and merciful, like him.
Reaching the Next Generation Is Easier and Harder Than You Think
Sometimes we fear or we feel this burden that if we’re going to be effective as pastors, Christians, or parents that we need to have this cultural expertise.
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.
Build Your Church around Theology, Not Preference
Theology should determine so many things about what our churches are like, and we shouldn’t try and reverse engineer our preferences into our theology.
The Benefits of Expository Preaching
Why should expository preaching be recovered and faithfully practiced?
16 Ways Pastors Can Work for Unity in Politically Divisive Times
Jonathan Leeman, Andrew David Naselli
In an increasingly anti-Christian culture, what’s important is how we respond to those who vote or believe differently, to learn how to make at least some space for them, and to encourage charity and forbearance.
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.
Liturgy reflects the church’s corporate sense that they are all partaking in an act of service to God that is bigger than individual members of the church body and anyone’s personal preferences.
Some people expect the pastor’s wife to have the most ideal and perfect relationship with God. What should we—women married to men in ministry—do to stay spiritually radiant?
Podcast: The Gospel’s Global Advance (Tim Keesee)
Tim Keesee shares from his own experiences as a missions journalist about the reality of persecution and the best way to approach a short-term mission trip.
If the people in our charge are to teach, admonish, and exhort each other daily, no doubt we pastors may do the same for one another
Ministry Is Best Learned in the Trenches
Seminary education is to the church what basic training in the military is to war.
3 Ways We Prevent the Gospel from Making Our Churches Attractive
The gospel brings people with nothing in common to love each other even more deeply than family.
Podcast: The Secret to Reaching the Next Generation (Kevin DeYoung)
Kevin DeYoung encourages youth leaders to remember that reaching the next generation will not be done through relevant pop culture references or harnessing the power of social media.
How a Pastor Can Prioritize Family during the Holidays
For those of us in ministry, Sunday is not a day of rest. We should try to ensure that we have a Sabbath rest so the family can refresh itself.
In Your Shepherding, Make It Obvious What the Good Shepherd Is Like
We pastors learn gentleness as we ponder carefully how anyone actually changes. We ourselves have never really changed by being scolded, cornered, pressured, or belittled.
Can You Love Jesus but Not the Church?
If we want to be followers of Jesus, if we want to be imitating him, if we want to be doing the kinds of things that Jesus does, at the center of that is loving the church.