Articles
The Art of Parenting Little Girls
The National Study of Youth and Religion[1] indicates that 82% of children raised by parents who talked about faith at home attach great importance to their beliefs and were active in church as adults. Similar studies and surveys show that intentional parenting...
Dr. Mike Garrett, Staying Faithful to God’s Calling in the Face of Rejection
Dr. Mike Garrett, Senior Pastor of Meridian Baptist Church, suffered depression and rejection while leading his church through a major community outreach project. While knowing it was the right decision, it was fraught with challenges and for the first few years,...
5 Financial Documents Every Church Needs
When most pastors think of ministry, they are energized by helping people. They aren’t usually nearly as excited about the financial aspects. I’ve recently started Fully Funded, an organization to help church leaders lead well in the area of financial stewardship,...
The Missing Heart of our Gospel: Union with Christ
We all want to see lives changed for Christ. But what message does the church most need to hear for that to happen? I’d like to suggest there are two dominant “songs” being sung in the church today. One you could call the song of Extravagant Grace. It says God loves...
Beating “Preacher’s Block” With Old Ideas
Most pastors would probably say that preparing for and delivering Sunday’s sermon, something that a large majority of people would claim to be terrified or possibly even completely incapable of doing, is actually usually the easiest part of their job. Pastors do what...
Hilary or Donald? Participate Without Losing Your Soul.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have become household names over the past few months as the bid for the white house draws near. This election is one of the most important in our history, yet it’s bringing out the worst in people. Well-meaning Christians are hurling...
Ten Non-Ministry Leadership Books Every Pastor Should Read
Running a church is a lot like running a business, and therefore pastors can learn a lot from the business world. While not everything is applicable, and the focus of a business is a lot different than a church, the two share a common denominator–people. The following...
Pastor Chris Surratt Reveals How Crippling Anxiety Led to a Nervous Breakdown
Chris Surratt, Small Group and Discipleship Specialist at Lifeway Christian Resources, shares his story of overcoming the crippling anxiety and stress that came with launching a new church.
Continuing Cultural Education For Pastors
Lawyers. Teachers. CPAs. General contractors. Typically, these and many other professions have required continuing education courses to take, in order to stay up to date with all the latest federal and state laws and/or guidelines. And beyond these vocations that have...
Pastor Greg Locke Gets Vulnerable About His Struggle with Depression
Pastor Greg Locke, Lead Pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, TN gets vulnerable and honest about his deep struggle with depression and how he found freedom and the strength to overcome.
Dealing with Leadership Adultery
As sad as it is, adultery happens, and it is not restricted to non-believers. It also happens in the church and sometimes among the leadership. A church can be in a real quandary as to how to handle such a serious situation. My husband has never pastored a church...
It’s Never Too Late To Serve The Lord
Many, many years ago I was in Utah serving in the U.S. Air Force at Hill Air Force Base. I was a young Christian at the time and during my off hours I helped out in the base chapel. The chaplain of the base, a friend and encourager in my life, asked me to fill in for...
Army Veteran and Pastor on Leading At Home
PTSD to parenting. Army Veteran and Pastor of Excellent Praise World Outreach Ministries, Louis York, shares his story.
How to Know if You’re Giving (or Receiving) Biblical Counsel
In Romans 15:14, the apostle Paul told the church in Rome, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” The Greek word used here for “admonish”...
Pastor David Doster Describes Frustration with what Felt Like Never-ending Transition
David Doster, pastor of Burke Community Bible Church, shares about a challenging life season where God worked in his heart to deal with his need for control. In this season, he came to truly understand how ministry can happen anywhere and at any time.
Politics and the Church
The presidential election of 2016 will probably go down in history as one of the most memorable. I would imagine most people, whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent will monitor the Republication convention with interest, if for no other reason than to see the...
An Urgent Conversation Many Pastors Overlook
Recently the CEO of Awana, Valerie Bell, asked a pastor, “Pastor, in 30 years from now, will the children in your church thank you for preparing them to walk into an unknown future?” That question punched me right in the gut. As I pondered my response in my head and...
The Millennial Pastoral Staff And You
Whether you are a near-retirement baby boomer, a Gen-Xer at the zenith of your career, or a uniquely driven millennial still fresh in the ministry, there’s probably one thing you all agree on—your millennial staff drives you crazy at times. In 2009, authors Neil Howe...
Should Your Group Leaders Plan Their Own Bible Studies?
The writer of the Book of Hebrews gave us a lasting, but very practical, exhortation in Hebrews 10:24-25. He told us that we should not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but continue on. Keep gathering. Keep meeting. That’s because the...
Author and Former Pastor was Entrapped by Alcohol
Matt Bays is on a mission to open the conversation about an often undiscussed topic amongst the church. He learned the hard way how certain coping mechanisms can take your life down a dangerous path. Thanks to a life-altering encounter with a friend and an...
