Curt LeonardPastoring can feel discouraging when the size of the church feels more like a Bible study than a church service. Learn to see the small size of your church as an asset, not a liability, with these six tips.
Steve AuldJust as a newborn baby must be nourished and nurtured by those who are older and more mature in order to grow, so a newborn Christian needs the care and guidance of believers who are further along in the faith. This is the work of Christian...
James SewardToo many churches have taken the prayer meeting back behind the barn and shot it. If those prayer meetings were like some I’ve been to, I’m sympathetic. Yet Scripture makes plain from beginning to end that humble, desperate pleading with God is...
Jeffrey WiesnerEvery pastor I know agrees that visiting church members in their homes is a good thing to do. Generally, none would dispute that a shepherd should do his best to know the sheep in his flock. But are pastoral visits a prescribed practice? Are they...
Christopher HutchinsonWe want to bring zeal to the pulpit. When we meet with people, we want to be in tune with God’s Spirit. We want to have wisdom to offer. When we lead meetings, we want to know the joy of the Lord and facilitate them with gladness and confidence. But...
Jeanette PiferBefore Jesus ascended to heaven, he gave one final command: Make disciples. From Abraham who was called to leave his country for an unknown land (Gen 12:1–3) to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18–20), the Lord’s command to all believers is to follow...
Jonathan MachneeMy motivation was partly personal. At the time I began my research, I suffered from a complicated relationship with Christianity. I wanted to better understand both how I related to it and how Christians related to me. For many years, I had been...
Ed StetzerPastoring has always been difficult—and yet it has unique difficulties today. The last decade has seen a lot of cultural disruption and convulsion. This convulsion has produced paradoxical results: ministry in our moment has become both increasingly...
Daniel R. HydeMany pastors quietly avoid the imprecatory psalms. It’s understandable. We often don’t know what to do with them. Maybe we’ve even seen them weaponized. But our avoidance is problematic. Paul’s charge is unambiguous: “Preach the Word” (2 Tim...
We are to raise up faithful leaders who will be able to instruct the church in sound doctrine. One way to accomplish this task is through a pastoral internship: a definite amount of time given to training aspiring leaders for the prospect of...
Michael F. BirdOur son M was formally diagnosed in 2015 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD). We already had two daughters and noticed that our bouncing baby boy was very...
Christopher KouCertainly, the quadriga is of great interest to those who study historical theology and the history of exegesis, but one may wonder, Just how practical is it? Will it help me in my week-to-week sermon preparation? In this article I hope to show the...
Jonathan AkinPreachers and teachers of God’s Word carry an immense responsibility. We must handle Scripture faithfully with the goal of pointing our listeners always to Jesus, the true hero of the entire Bible. This goal feels particularly challenging when we...
What if the very discipline Scripture commands us to practice “without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) is the one many Christians find hardest to sustain? Prayer is an integral part of Christian life and ministry. Yet, especially for new believers, it is...
What have I gotten myself into? Most of us who lead small groups have had that moment. Leading people is a bit like parenting: It doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It’s rife with unforeseen scenarios that are as unique as the people who make...
At its simplest, Christian discipleship means helping others believe and obey Jesus. A culture of discipleship emerges when it becomes normal for a church to collectively value helping one another follow Jesus. This shared value will consequently...
Adriel SanchezSinging has always played a key role in the church’s liturgy. In Old Testament times, King David organized prophet-musicians to glorify Yahweh with lyres, harps, and cymbals (1 Chron 25:1). The apostles of our Lord Jesus sang psalms, hymns, and...
Kirk E. MillerMany have called Easter the Super Bowl Sunday for pastors. It’s the biggest Sunday of the year for churches, with attendance numbers often at their highest. Pastors want to bring their A-game every Sunday—but especially on Easter. Each year, we...
Growing up in rural Northern Ireland, I spent many long summer days helping on our neighbor’s sheep farm. One sunny Saturday morning, the shepherd told me we’d be moving the sheep from the lower field to the upper field, where fresh green grass...
Early in my ministry, I stumbled upon this little parable of two woodcutters. It goes something like this: Two wood cutters decided to hold a competition to see who could chop more wood in a day. The rules were simple. The next day they would chop...
Chris BrunoClarity is charity. Without clear expectations in our jobs, our marriages, and in the life of a church, we or others will find ourselves frustrated. This is particularly true when it comes to a church’s theology and philosophy of ministry. Without a...
Pastoral counseling can be tough. Premarital counseling is no exception, offering its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. Your job is to help a couple prepare for a lifetime of covenant faithfulness. These conversations can shape how a...
Christy ChermakI have the immense privilege of leading Watermark Health, an evangelism outreach ministry in Dallas. In any given year, we have the opportunity to share the gospel and provide acute, prenatal, and dental care to the uninsured in our city. We often...
Kyle GrantI am not the least bit artistic. I can write. I can express ideas with a pen, but not images with a paintbrush. So too, for the longest time I resigned myself to this limitation homiletically. My preaching had carefully chosen words of explanation...
Jim WilsonTrue pastoral effectiveness goes beyond preaching—it’s about presence. The most impactful pastors don’t confine their ministry to the pulpit; they live out their message among their people. Drawing inspiration from the management principle of...
There are no shortcuts in the path that is sermon preparation. It takes sweat, soul-level investment, and often a bit of anguish. However, after twenty years of preaching, I have collected a handful of insider hacks that can improve your sermon...
Phil ThompsonA pastor once told me he would spend between twenty and thirty hours a week on sermon preparation. This left little time in his schedule for counseling his parishioners, leading his team, praying for his church, or planning for the future. Few...
Derek FekkesGood discussion questions are a key ingredient to fruitful, enjoyable small groups. They challenge people to think, they elicit varied responses, and they facilitate healthy and respectful group discussion. They serve to create an environment for...
Mark BriansIs catechesis simply a variation of Sunday school programming? Where does it fit within the matrix of Bible study, Christian education, and discipleship? This article will cover these questions and provide the keys to a fruitful catechism class.
Preaching the book of Proverbs presents unique opportunities and challenges. Some scholars can find it difficult to connect its seemingly random wisdom or practical tips to the metanarrative of the Bible and to the gospel of Christ. However, the...