Church Matters
Leadership Paradigms from Jesus

Leadership Paradigms from Jesus

Jesus's Paradigmatic Leadership Jesus’s words and actions in the upper room before his crucifixion provide paradigmatic guidance from the New Testament on leadership. Jesus gathers a group of leaders—his disciples—who are shaping the movement he began and will shape...

Finding Courage in Scripture

Finding Courage in Scripture

Seeking Courage in Scripture In his extraordinary book about Gentiles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, Sir Martin Gilbert recounts the story of David Prital, who found refuge among a small Ukrainian Baptist sect. He had sought them out on advice from a friendly...

Rethinking Church Growth

Rethinking Church Growth

Two Misguided Assumptions About Church Growth As a church leader, perhaps you’re asking yourself, How do I reach the spiritually sleeping and spiritually dead in my community? How do I disciple people to know Jesus deeply and be known by Him fully? And how do I preach...

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Being in ministry provides leaders with a front-row seat to the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. If I’ve learned anything through the years, it’s this: Life is messy. And it doesn’t come with a nicely packaged answer to suit every occasion. Consequently,...

Understanding Victim Blaming

Understanding Victim Blaming

My pastor sat in his chair and steepled his fingers as he listened to my confession. When I finished, he asked me, “Did you enter this relationship with your consent?” I thought about my constant stream of nos, the boundaries pushed and prodded over and over, the...

Resisting the Hero Narrative

Resisting the Hero Narrative

We want heroes and want to be heroes. We imagine ourselves as the Billy Grahams, the Elijahs. We like to imagine ourselves in their company. We want to be that effective. To shape a society where our set of values and preferences is the norm. Where we can fit in and...

Stepping into the Impossible

Stepping into the Impossible

There comes a time to move and to act. God commanded his people to do the impossible and step into the flooding waters: “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing....

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Imagine greeting a family member without a hug, handshake, or smile. Your lack of enthusiasm would reveal a great deal about how you felt—or didn’t feel—about that relative. Imagine your favorite team in your favorite sport winning the game. Enthusiasm would be the...

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

There is a special joy for a Christian in teaching, because for every subject there is a backdrop of God’s reality and presence. For instance, in the teaching of mathematics, the lesson is about truth and distinguishing truth from falsehood: God is the God of all...

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, including pastors. Raising awareness and providing support within faith-based education is essential for equipping religious leaders with the tools they need to effectively serve their communities. The following are some key...

Leadership Paradigms from Jesus

Leadership Paradigms from Jesus

Jesus's Paradigmatic Leadership Jesus’s words and actions in the upper room before his crucifixion provide paradigmatic guidance from the New Testament on leadership. Jesus gathers a group of leaders—his disciples—who are shaping the movement he began and will shape...

Finding Courage in Scripture

Finding Courage in Scripture

Seeking Courage in Scripture In his extraordinary book about Gentiles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, Sir Martin Gilbert recounts the story of David Prital, who found refuge among a small Ukrainian Baptist sect. He had sought them out on advice from a friendly...

Rethinking Church Growth

Rethinking Church Growth

Two Misguided Assumptions About Church Growth As a church leader, perhaps you’re asking yourself, How do I reach the spiritually sleeping and spiritually dead in my community? How do I disciple people to know Jesus deeply and be known by Him fully? And how do I preach...

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Being in ministry provides leaders with a front-row seat to the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. If I’ve learned anything through the years, it’s this: Life is messy. And it doesn’t come with a nicely packaged answer to suit every occasion. Consequently,...

Understanding Victim Blaming

Understanding Victim Blaming

My pastor sat in his chair and steepled his fingers as he listened to my confession. When I finished, he asked me, “Did you enter this relationship with your consent?” I thought about my constant stream of nos, the boundaries pushed and prodded over and over, the...

Resisting the Hero Narrative

Resisting the Hero Narrative

We want heroes and want to be heroes. We imagine ourselves as the Billy Grahams, the Elijahs. We like to imagine ourselves in their company. We want to be that effective. To shape a society where our set of values and preferences is the norm. Where we can fit in and...

Stepping into the Impossible

Stepping into the Impossible

There comes a time to move and to act. God commanded his people to do the impossible and step into the flooding waters: “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing....

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Imagine greeting a family member without a hug, handshake, or smile. Your lack of enthusiasm would reveal a great deal about how you felt—or didn’t feel—about that relative. Imagine your favorite team in your favorite sport winning the game. Enthusiasm would be the...

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

There is a special joy for a Christian in teaching, because for every subject there is a backdrop of God’s reality and presence. For instance, in the teaching of mathematics, the lesson is about truth and distinguishing truth from falsehood: God is the God of all...

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, including pastors. Raising awareness and providing support within faith-based education is essential for equipping religious leaders with the tools they need to effectively serve their communities. The following are some key...

Helping Your Small Group Thrive

*By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at yourprivacy@harpercollins.com.