Articles
The Core of True Discipleship
In recent years, “discipleship” has become the new buzzword. As a result, we’ve seen churches begin to make a shift toward helping people grow up spiritually, and utilize the best means to that end. Leaders have begun to recognize that disciple making involves...
Perception And Our Behavior
“The picture I have of prayer is like Luke 15 and the prodigal son story, where the father ran to him and embraced him; I see prayer more as a hug than a kneeling appeal.” Judah Smith in The One: Experience Jesus. This excerpt from the interview we did with Pastor...
3 Great Ways To Unwind Right Now
Sunday morning seems to come every single week, doesn’t it? Without fail. And depending on your church’s typical weekly schedule, so does Sunday night, Wednesday night, Tuesday morning Bible study, and the recently popular Saturday night services. On top of that,...
The Pastor’s Struggle with Personal Finances
In July 2015 Grey Matter Research surveyed 4,249 pastors and discovered that 50 percent receive less than $50,000 per year in compensation with 30 percent having student loan debt averaging $36,000. Thirty-three percent have under $10,000 in retirement funds, and 29...
Stop Throwing Hail Marys
The American church is having a bit of an identity crisis. People want to be entertained, and they have a long list of expected religious goods and services. Pastors can find themselves caught up in having to create “cool plays” or throwing Hail Mary’s, hoping for the...
Thoughts On Balancing Love And Judgment
Several years ago, the Sunday school lesson was about judging. A young woman in the class told a story about a coworker who was of a different faith—one that does not believe Jesus is the Son of God. This man had asked the class member if she thought he would go to...
When Church Responsibilities Distract From The Word
Recently I looked at a job description list for a local pastor. As anyone would expect to find on such a list, I read things such as: “plan preaching schedule”; “deliver gospel-centered sermons”; “lead weekly staff meeting”; and “perform weddings and funerals.” But...
From Inherited to Adopted Beliefs
“We d.i.v.e. deeper into God’s Word so He can dive deeper into us.” I’m a church girl, a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church, knowing all the things about the church—the lingo, the rules, and the traditions—and my head was spilling over with Jeopardy knowledge. I...
Parent First, Pastor Second
Years ago, you chose to answer God’s call of ministry in your life and to become a pastor. And your wife either chose to encourage you to step into full-time ministry or she chose to marry you knowing that was where you were heading or already were. But your children...
Healing From The 2016 Election For A Healthy 2017
November 8, 2016, brought an end to perhaps the ugliest, most unethical, and most divisive presidential election ever. In fact, I purposely chose to write this article before the election even took place, because I wanted to be clear that no matter the results, the...
Big God in a Small Church
I grew up as an active member in a medium-sized church of about five hundred. When I was newly married I began ministry work in a megachurch with three services and over two thousand attendees each week. And now as a bit older and with kids growing up way too fast, I...
The Absolute Gospel In Our Non-Absolute Culture
“If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy.” “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” This wretched exchange of dialogue between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is only a small part of the disaster that Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith brought to the...
Engaging Disinterested Members
If you count the names on a church’s roll and compare the number to the attendance on a given Sunday, many times there is quite a difference. There can be various reasons: some move away; others attend a different church, but they are still listed on your church’s...
Small Group Ministry The “Right” Way
“You’ll know when you go.” Many years ago a popular local commercial for my Southern town’s newly transplanted NHL hockey team repeated this phrase in order to help encourage the college-basketball-obsessed, NASCAR-enthused sports fans to give hockey a try and go see...
Deck the Soul with Boughs of Forgiveness
CHRISTMAS! The word evokes many feelings, depending on our experiences. For some, Christmas is a happy time, filled with beautiful memories and joyful expectations. For others, Christmas is a depressing time, a season one wants “to get over with” as quickly as...
How to Shop Like a Christian on Black Friday
It has been said that the USA is the only place where people express gratitude on Thanksgiving for all the stuff they have and spend the next day shoving people over to get the stuff they don’t. Sadly, Black Friday is only the beginning. Maybe we won’t fight with...
Surviving the Most Difficult Circumstances in Marriage: Justin and Trisha Davis
Justin and Trisha Davis know all too well the dangers of settling for an ordinary marriage. As bloggers, authors, speakers and founders of RefineUs Ministries, they allow their story of pain and redemption to be a story of hope for other families and marriages....
Keeping Younger Church Members Engaged
Getting younger people to join and stick to a church full of senior citizens can be a challenge. The desire to add younger members must be shared by the entire church. If this is your vision as the pastor, and the older folks don’t share it, you are probably fighting...
Five Activities for Better Holiday Season Mental Health
God never sleeps, but you have to. Our mission here on earth never runs out, but you run out of energy and motivation to keep on the mission. Your congregants will never say, “We have no more problems, questions, or concerns,” but you run out of answers and ways to...
When People Try to Undermine the Pastor’s Authority
This subject is difficult for me because the very thought of it makes me ill. If you have experienced, or are now experiencing, a situation where a congregant or a group of congregants try to undermine your authority as a pastor, you are not alone. I would imagine it...
