Articles
God Is Still Writing Your Story—Here are Four Likely Characters
Pastor Resources · God Is Still Writing Your Story You only have to spend a few minutes on Facebook to know we are living in an epidemic of inner emptiness, complete with a cast of characters who escape in all kinds of “isms” or put others down as a path to...
Mastering the “Art” of Church Communications
Pastor Resources · Mastering The Art Of Church Communications To communicate effectively, church leaders need to use precise, carefully chosen messages with accurate and complete details. Words are certainly a key component, but they’re just part of the equation....
Major Impact from a Minor Character
Pastor Resources · Major Impact From A Minor Character Might you ever question whether or not your modest life can make an impact? You’re not alone. Allow me to introduce a man I am quite confident will be a new friend, colleague, and favorite prophet. In your...
A Pastor’s Worst Nightmare
Pastor Resources · A Pastor's Worst Nightmare The first recorded sermon by Jesus is a pastor’s worst nightmare. Halfway through the place erupts violently. The hometown synagogue crowd furiously drives Jesus out of the city “in order to throw him off the cliff”...
Resources from the Humanitarian Disaster Institute
Reopening the Church Guide - We launched brand new manual last Friday: Guide to Reopening Church Services: A Step-by-Step, Biblically-Based and Research-Based Approach to Resuming In-Person Ministries. This 26-page manual can be downloaded...
What Happens In School and After School Can Help End Global Poverty
Pastor Resources · What Happens In School and After School Can Help End Global Poverty As followers of Christ, many of us wrestle with how we, and the congregations we lead, can make the most impact in helping those in need, especially those entrenched in a...
Can We Have The Conversation? Black and White at the Table Together …Just Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Pastor Resources · Can We Have The Conversation Yet another pastor confided to me: “I almost feel powerless to do anything about racial justice.... What do I know about racism? I feel like a part of the problem that can never be a part of the solution because...
COVID-19: Considerations for Re-Gathering in Church Buildings
Pastor Resources · Covid - 19 And Returning To Church I have a sister who lives in Vancouver, Washington, and another who resides in Richardson, Texas. Vancouver has few cases of COVID-19. But Dallas County, by comparison, has a lot. Yet, at the moment, Vancouver...
Running Away To Home
Pastor Resources · Running Away TO Home I was about eleven years old when we got the word that my mother, older brother, and I had finally been approved to move into the government housing project. We had been on the waiting list for a long time, and by most...
Why so many pastoral suicides
Pastor Resources · Pastoral Suicide Why are we painfully seeing more suicides in the ministry? Why does it seem like a “taboo” topic to bring up? Why does it seem that people are fearful to tell the truth when it comes to someone taking their own life?...
Longing for Revival During the Pandemic
Pastor Resources · Longing For Revival During The Pandemic Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. — Habakkuk 1:5 Before COVID-19 struck, life was already...
Prayer for the City in Light of COVID-19
Pastor Resources · Prayer For The City In Light Of Covid Praying for the revival of the church and rebuilding of the city is always crucial, but has a timely urgency during the present COVID-19 crisis. While hopes for urban renewal always burn deep within Christ’s...
How Not to Read the Bible
Pastor Resources · How Not To Read The Bible I’ve been reading the Bible almost every day for decades. I firmly believe that any listening and reading of Scripture is better than none at all, but I do think that some of the ways I’ve read the Bible have ended...
Mission 3:16
Pastor Resources · Excerpt - The Introduction - Mission 316 God’s mission in the world includes you. Uniquely you. Specifically you. Think through those statements for a moment. God—the Lord of the universe, sovereign over all nations, creator of all humankind,...
Are You Willing to be Forgotten?
Pastor Resources · Are You Willing To Be Forgotten - Menikoff You’ve probably never heard the name Oswald Avery. Not long after the influenza pandemic of 1918, he devoted himself to finding the cause of this horrific virus. Avery lived in a laboratory, hovering...
Move The Can: The First Step To Help A Church Become Healthier
Pastor Resources · 100 DaysHealthierChurch The Paint Can Turning a church from unhealthy to healthy is a daunting task. It starts by working smarter, not harder. Here’s an example. The Paint Can: A Parable In the 1990s, I led a small group of church members on a...
Picture It
Pastor Resources · Picture It A friend confessed to me that, for years, whenever he tried to read the Bible he would get so bored that he stopped reading after a short time. This surprised me because my friend was leading a vibrant ministry and I know he has a deep...
Faith and Fear Can’t Co-Exist?
Pastor Resources · Faith And Fear Can faith and fear co-exist? Can we have hope in the midst of fear? Aren’t we, as God’s people, especially in difficult times, to eradicate fear from among us? Easier said than done! While fear is an emotion; faith is a choice. We...
How to be Faithful in the Midst of Fear
We’d all like to say we’re faithful in the midst of fear, but the truth is the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event. None of us expected the pandemic; neither is this the spring we wanted or planned. Fortunately, God knew about the global tragedy long before we...
“It’s a Relationship, Not a Religion”: The Scientific Truth behind This Common Christian Phrase
Pastor Resources · A Relationship Not A Religion - Wilder Jesus told his followers to “Go . . . make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19). We generally read the passage to say, “Go make believers.” The difference might seem subtle, but the implications are enormous. When...
