This is No Time to Preach in Neutral
In Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts, her wonderful book about vulnerability as the key to influential leadership, Brené Brown proclaims a simple and powerful truth, “Clarity is kind.” And on the other side of the same coin, “A lack of...
The Dream of an Uncluttered Church
In light of our rapidly shifting cultural surroundings, it may be more vital than ever before that we focus on the ancient practices and purposes.
5 People You Don’t Have to Try to Please Anymore
Charles Stone pegged pastors and church leaders well with his book People-Pleasing Pastors, which I highly recommend. I have struggled with people-pleasing for most of my life. As a kid, I think I had a positive tendency to want to obey authorities in my life, but as...
Dear Pastor, You Are Never as Alone as You Feel Like You Are
You’re not alone. You never were and you never will be. Jesus stands beside you. Thousands of other shepherds join arms with you.
3 Ministries of Every Church Staff Member
If you care about developing people into more influential leaders and growing the kingdom as much as you care about growing your institutional machinery, you’ll at least open yourself to the possibility of releasing your staff to think more about the lost than your church and also spend time investing in their peers.
5 Thoughts About “Excellence” in Ministry
Never allow a lack of resources to become an excuse that deters you from doing the very best you can with what you have. Commit to excellence.
When You’re Ready to Transition Out of Vocational Pastoral Ministry
In April 2021, my wife and I stepped down as pastors of the church we'd started planting a decade earlier. It was one of the hardest decisions we'd ever made as a couple. But looking back, we can see that it was a necessary ending. And what do I mean by a "necessary...
Preaching as an Invitation, Not Manipulation
When does preaching cross the line from influencing people to manipulating them? That depends on whether we are respecting people’s freedom.
Four Promises Churches and Their Leaders Should Stop Making
It’s tempting to market the church with promises of connection, significance, and security. But we’ve failed far too often to keep these promises, so perhaps humility is in order as we work on changing things for the better.
Preaching About It IS Doing Something About It
When an issue breaks your heart and keeps you up at night, you must pray about it. And if, upon praying about it, God burdens you with a message rooted in scripture that may well disturb the status quo, you must deliver it. And you must do so boldly.
