Articles for Pastors – ChurchLeaders

Pastor, Use This Checklist for Better Preaching

Michael Lukaszewski — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:59:00 +0000

I am not the best preacher on the planet, but I am passionate about better preaching. Here are a few things that I have learned along the way and things that I am currently trying to implement.

Not All Marketplace Leadership Works in the Church

Eric Geiger — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 06:28:47 +0000

Ironically, the world often recognizes marketplace leadership principles long after they have been revealed in Scripture.

20 Signs of a Great Speech That Sadly Changes No One’s Life

Brian Dodd — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 06:55:32 +0000

We all want to know how to give a good speech. But what if we give a good speech that changes no one's life?

New Pastors: 7 Pitfalls to Avoid

Charles Stone — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 06:28:28 +0000

In this article, adapted from my book on on-boarding for pastors, I list 7 pitfalls new pastors must avoid in a new church job.

Pastoral Ministry Is Never a Competition

Erik Raymond — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 06:55:00 +0000

As pastors, one way we can emulate the King is to give ourselves away in the service of other pastors. That, too, is pastoral ministry.

5 Ways to Overcome Being an Insecure Leader

Ron Edmondson — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 06:37:25 +0000

Being an insecure leader will weigh you down and hold you back as a pastor or leader. It will keep you from doing all you were called to do. Don’t let it!

5 Qualities to Seek in the Heart of a Leader

Ron Edmondson — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:55:34 +0000

Someone asked me recently what I primarily look for in the hiring of a staff position. I said, without reservation, first and foremost, I look for the heart of a leader.

Pastor: Here’s the Best Thing You’ll Ever Do for Yourself

Joe McKeever — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 06:51:34 +0000

The best you can do for yourself is also the hardest thing for a pastor or staff member or lay leader to do: to call out for help.

Is the New Testament Just History, or Expectant Christianity?

Ray Hollenbach — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 06:09:33 +0000

Do we read this book as history, or are we looking for what to expect in our new life in Christ? The New Testament should be our version of expectant Christianity.

How Much Time Should You Spend on Sermon Prep?

Charles Stone — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 06:55:24 +0000

Haddon Robinson wrote that experienced preachers he surveyed spent an average of 16 hours in sermon prep. That sounds more like it to me. That’s probably my average and I’ve been preaching for 25 years.

Millions in This World Are Blinded by the Enemy

Joe McKeever — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 06:10:47 +0000

As they walked away scratching their heads, clueless to the lovely little paradox the Lord had just laid on them, one could be heard to say, “I just don’t see it.” Exactly. Blinded by the enemy.

5 Tips That Will Definitely Make You a Better Communicator

Carey Nieuwhof — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 06:08:22 +0000

The bottom line, though, is this: People may admire your strengths, but they resonate with your weaknesses. It makes you a better communicator.

Is Clarity Better Than Kindness?

Garry Ingraham — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:09:41 +0000

Biblical kindness does not affirm sin, false identity, or what separates a person from God. Rather, genuine kindness loves a person too much to stay silent, or speak untrue affirmations about our sexuality.

Surviving Feedback From Friends

Michael Voll — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 06:03:32 +0000

Don’t ask for feedback unless you intend to receive it with humility and openness.

Asking for a Raise – 10 Tips From an Executive Pastor

Rich Birch — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 06:01:39 +0000

Don’t Say These 5 Things When Asking Your Executive Pastor for a Raise

Why Are Church People so Mean – 8 Reasons

Chuck Lawless — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:45:46 +0000

Why are church people so mean? Based on interviews and surveys over the years, here are just some of the reasons church members can be mean.

6 Church Members Who Build Up the Church

Chopo Mwanza — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:30:08 +0000

Healthy local churches make a powerful and attractive testimony to a watching world. This means that all of the church members have to be devoted to building others up.

4 Idols That Kill Leadership Development

Eric Geiger — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 06:55:39 +0000

Are any of these idols stopping you or your team from leadership development? We are wise to heed the apostle John’s encouragement: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” If we don’t, we will neglect one of our chief roles as a leader.

3 Insights for Creating Community

Allen White — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 06:14:42 +0000

While the Enlightenment hijacked the Western church’s approach to disciple making, neuroscience is showing the importance of creating community in developing godly character.

The Need to Be a Pastor-Theologian

Hershael York — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 06:03:04 +0000

Done correctly, biblical pastoral ministry is inherently theological because, unlike secular counselors, psychologists and social workers, pastors deal with the eternal and spiritual nature of things.

Why We Need to Start Preaching and Teaching the Basics of Christianity

Phil Cooke — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 06:20:20 +0000

The ramifications for preaching and teaching are enormous. False teaching and wrong believing create Christians who aren’t just weak, they’re actually damaging to the cause of Christ.

The Tension Between Leadership and Likeability

Carey Nieuwhof — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 06:33:42 +0000

The tension between likeability and leadership is much older than social media. Every leader in every generation has had to struggle with it at some level.

The Second Coming – 4 Lessons From Parable of the Bridesmaids

Ray Hollenbach — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 06:05:59 +0000

Using the parable of the bridesmaids Jesus Himself instructed us to “keep awake” and be aware of the signs of the times.

God Doesn’t Believe Our Convenient Excuses

Ray Hollenbach — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 06:17:41 +0000

The convenient excuses are usually big picture things: "The church is full of hypocrites,” I protested. It allowed me to remain in isolation. I thought they were convenient excuses, merely to get my way, but God wasn't buying them.

7 Reasons Why Monthly Church Business Meetings Are Dying

Thom Rainer — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 06:50:01 +0000

Less than one-third of American Protestant churches have these monthly meetings. That is an incredible decline hardly noted by many pundits.

10 Reasons Why Parking Lot Church Business Meetings Are Seldom Good

Chuck Lawless — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 06:02:17 +0000

A group of church leaders are striving to make an “official” decision, but the discussions move beyond the official discussion to the parking lot.

7 Guidelines for Great Staff Meetings

Charles Stone — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 06:06:13 +0000

I asked a psychologist to help me create some rules for talking in our staff meetings. I call them conversational ethics. Here are our seven guideline for great staff meetings..

A Gospel of Compromise or a Gospel of Repentance?

Garry Ingraham — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:18:42 +0000

Compromised churches, of which there are many, usually don’t even realize they’re on the slippery slope of serious error when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues.

How to Master the Language of Leadership

Scott Cochrane — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:03:50 +0000

If the response to your leadership message is a blank stare, it could be that you have not yet mastered the language of leadership.

6 Ways To Love People Like Jesus Did

Charles Lee — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 06:03:00 +0000

Over the years, I’ve explored the life of Jesus, and here’s what I’ve learned about his approach to loving humanity. Now I want to love people like Jesus did.

Karl Vaters: Your Small Church Has What People Need the Most Right Now

Jason Daye — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:52:56 +0000

“What people need," says Karl Vaters, "is familiarity and relationships. They need to be in places that they know with people that they know and love.”

God’s Path to More Power

Ray Hollenbach — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 06:01:05 +0000

More power: we want it. Everyone from Tony Stark to Lord Voldemort wants it. They want it bad. Doc Brown’s 1.21 Gigawatts aren’t enough—somewhere in eternity Captain Kirk is still barking, “More power, Scotty.”

Does Your Church Have a Sabbatical Leave Policy?

Charles Arn — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 06:50:57 +0000

"I recommend that all full-time pastors and staff receive a three-month paid sabbatical every six or seven years."

Why Pastors Don’t Call Out False Teaching—AND Why They Totally Should

John MacArthur — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 06:03:00 +0000

Among many pastors and church leaders today there is a popular rationale that proclaiming truth is the viable alternative to rebuking false teaching. Rather than wrestling with false teachers and their heresies, they’re content to cover their eyes, plug their ears and “stay positive” in their teaching.

Pastor: It’s Not About You

Ron Edmondson — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 21:01:24 +0000

It’s not about the leader. Why would I say that? It's not about you because leadership is about something bigger than you. It’s bigger than any individual accomplishment.

5 Epitaphs for the Legacy of the Apostle Paul

J.D. Greear — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 06:50:00 +0000

Have you ever thought about what you want written on your tombstone? That may seem like a morbid thought to most people, but it’s actually a healthy question. As Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to learn wisdom.” We should periodically stop to think about our […]

4 Battles to Set Boundaries in Ministry

Charles Stone — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 06:03:20 +0000

Essentially boundaries in ministry for leaders or pastors are like a property line around your yard, only in this case that yard is your soul.

How To Build Hope

Chet Gladkowski — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 21:03:53 +0000

To build hope doesn't happen by turning on a switch. A totally rebuilt life doesn't just drop out of the sky.

A Simple Exercise That Will Infuse Life Into Your Church Staff

Charles Stone — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 21:01:49 +0000

Some time back our church staff held our annual in-house evaluation retreat when we reviewed the prior year’s goals and plans.

5 Powerful Prayers That Will Super-Charge Your Prayer Life

Matt Brown — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 11:01:38 +0000

Prayer enables us to not simply be victims of this world, but to instead be victors. We can move heaven and earth with our prayers, because prayer moves the hand of God on our behalf.

Pastoring With the Personal Touch

Joe McKeever — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 06:13:41 +0000

Use the church directory, pastor, and start looking. Who have you not seen in church lately? (Call them and say, “I’ve missed seeing you. Are you okay?”) Who needs a thank-you from you? A personal touch?

7 Things Your Kids Will Remember About You

Dave Willis — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 11:03:09 +0000

Guess what? Kids will remember what they love about you. As parents, we tend to stress about things that actually don’t matter that much, but here are 7 important things in life that your kids will not forget!

5 Truths You Should Know Before Entering Ministry

Lee McDerment — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 11:01:34 +0000

Here are five things I wish I could go back and tell 22-year-old me before entering ministry. I hope it’s an encouragement and challenge to you!

God Is in Control: If That’s True, Then What About These Pressing Questions?

Ray Hollenbach — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 06:03:36 +0000

I'd like to suggest that there's a world of difference between "Everything happens for a reason" and "God brings reason out of everything that happens." This is how I see the phrase, God is in control.

Being Bereans With Ourselves

Mike Leake — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 21:03:55 +0000

It seems to me that when we talk about being a good Berean we’re usually thinking about assessing the claims of others that are brought before us. And we do need to be Bereans when it comes to the truth claims of others.

Does Your Team Lack Trust? You CAN Rebuild It!

Jim Osterhaus — Sat, 03 Aug 2024 11:01:00 +0000

Organizations and teams that lack trust are unable to engage in unfiltered and passionate disagreement around the mission of the organization.

8 Healthy Ways To Deal With It When Leadership Is Lonely

Rachel Blom — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:03:00 +0000

Leadership is lonely in some ways. With every step in leadership we make comes the inevitable increase in loneliness. The higher we climb in leadership, the more responsibilities we get, the lonelier we become.

What Does it Mean to Build on the Rock?

Ray Hollenbach — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 06:38:55 +0000

Jesus offers his followers the kind of life that results in rest and peace. Yet Christians are thrown from crisis to crisis as if the storms of life are in control. Still, Jesus is very clear on this: if we will build on the rock we will if we will find the kind of life […]

Enjoying the Presence of Jesus

Tim Chester — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 18:28:33 +0000

Do you make a practice of enjoying the presence of Jesus? Just as 2,000 years ago, Jesus welcomed sinners, he still welcomes sinners like us into his presence by his Spirit.

Be Anxious for Nothing—Yes, but How?

Ray Hollenbach — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 11:01:57 +0000

The good news is that we can learn the things that make for peace. When we learn to pray the Jesus way, filled with thanksgiving, we can learn how to be anxious for nothing.