4 Ways to Help Save Your Pastor from Burnout
The reasons for pastoral burnout are deeper and more complex than just how congregations relate to their pastors. Intentional support can help alleviate some of the main causes.
Articles on Church Ministry
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I want to conduct a thought experiment by thinking about how some of our behavior can negatively affect our pastors.
Podcast: Our Pastors Are in Crisis, and You Can Help (Peter Orr)
Peter Orr talks about why he thinks we're facing a pastoral crisis and what regular Christians can do to help stem the tide of pastoral burnout.
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.
5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Sharing the Gospel with a Muslim
We should be prepared to avoid particular pitfalls in dialogue with our Muslim neighbors. We need to be focused and avoid distractions. Our goal is to reflect and proclaim Christ, not to defeat competitors.
Of course, every Christian faces difficulty—Jesus called us to a life of carrying our crosses as we follow him. However, the challenges of those in pastoral ministry are often more acute.
Podcast: What Your Muslim Neighbor Misunderstands about Christianity (A. S. Ibrahim)
A. S. Ibrahim talks about misconceptions that Muslims may have about Christianity and misconceptions that Christians may have about Islam which could even lead to ineffective evangelism.
Dear Pastor . . . Home Is Where You Are Most Loved and Most Needed
I want to affirm something you already believe but might hesitate to embrace. You are not alone in your ministry.
Podcast: Embracing Spiritual Authority in the Face of Pastoral Failure (David Mathis)
David Mathis discusses the topic of spiritual authority—what it is, who has it, and how we should respond when that authority is abused.
If the Good News Is So Good, Why Aren’t People Flocking to It?
Perhaps the most perplexing response we encounter in evangelism is not so much anger but apathy. This reaction may frustrate the evangelist, but it should provoke our compassion.
10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline
Church discipline is not man’s idea, but God’s. Learn more about what it is and why it's so purposeful in the Christian life.
A Superlative Guide to All 15 Elder Qualifications
As Christians, we have our conflicts and controversies to grieve about our leaders, but the risen Christ has not left us to confusion about what to expect, pray for, and hold our leaders to account for.
Preaching Can't Love You Back (but People Will)
I love expositional preaching. It re-centered my ideological world, exploded my love for Jesus, and opened my mind to the wonders of the Scriptures. But expositional preaching has never loved me back.
7 Tips for Improving Your Ministry Team
Jesus does not mean for his followers to go about their work alone. He is the one singular leader in his church. No peers. The rest of us follow his example together.
How Does the Gospel Shape Our Goals for Children’s Ministry?
There are four ways that the gospel shapes our goals for children's ministry. I read those four ways in the way that Paul ministered to the church in Corinth.
Should Drinking Alcohol Disqualify a Pastor from Ministry?
“Not a drunkard” means more than just “Knows how to toe the line and stay within the legal limits.” It implies a positive vision. It calls for men who are reliable, ever vigilant, “ready in season and out.”
Dear Pastor . . . Save Your Church from Yourself
Pastor, you also must keep a close watch on yourself. Neglect your own soul, and your public teaching, however seemingly fruitful, is a ticking time bomb.
Podcast: I Want to Disciple My Kids but Don't Know Where to Start (Jared Kennedy)
Jared Kennedy talks about what it means to disciple your children and about the long-term impact that investment can have.
Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Leland Ryken
Parables feature what the whole of the New Testament covers: gospel need, gospel proclamation, gospel response, and gospel ethics. In your preaching, follow Jesus’s pattern.
10 Reasons Pastors Should Study the Bible in Its Original Languages
Every pastor—as time and opportunities arise—should study the Bible in its original languages. Yes, it's that important.
Why Does Paul Tell the Church to Deliver Someone to Satan? (1 Corinthians 5)
God’s church must be unleavened or pure. Tolerating unrepentant sexual immorality ruins the whole church’s purity.
How to Preach Biblical Narrative
Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Leland Ryken
I love stories. You love stories. Your congregation loves stories. The unbelieving world loves stories. Below are seven suggestions for preaching a sermon on a biblical narrative.
Podcast: The Basics of Good Preaching (Doug O’Donnell)
Doug O’Donnell talks through common questions laypeople and pastors alike have about preaching and what makes for a good sermon.
Love for the church ought to be a fundamental characteristic of our lives. You have a people. They are your local church. And our love ought to mirror God’s love in three important ways.
Dear Pastor . . . You Should Follow More Than You Lead
Joanne J. Jung, Richard Langer
We challenge people to lead, we train and equip them to lead, and we celebrate and praise them for leading (or condemn them as the case may be). Followership, in contrast, is almost completely ignored.
How to Avoid Both Graceless Parenting and Overly Spiritual Ministry
The biblical storyline is a four-fold storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation, but I think oftentimes both for ministers and for parents, we don't think about it holistically.
How Does the Holy Spirit Beautify the Church?
We can't talk about the church without talking about the Holy Spirit. He is our helper. He is our beautifier.
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.
How to Help Those Who Consider Themselves “Done” with Church
We have to admit that as much as the church is not a human project, there has been human involvement in the church that has not honored or followed God’s will.
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.