7 Helpful Things a Congregation Can Do for Their Minister

Believe it or not ministers need help. They need help from their church leaders and they need help from members. I know ministers often get accused of only working one day a week, but in reality they are on call all the time. If someone gets sick or if someone dies often the first person […]

6 Practices that Encourage Long Term Ministry

Many Christians are concerned about church growth, but instead of focusing on church growth, Christians should first focus on creating and fostering healthy churches that people want to be a part of. No one wants to be a part of a community that is unhealthy or immature. People want to be a part of a […]

The Benefits of Preaching Through an Entire Book of the Bible

It has been almost a year since I began preaching a series of lessons on the gospel of Luke and we are only now in chapter 14. When I began I promised the congregation I was going to preach on every verse in Luke. There have been a few interruptions where I have had to […]

Some Tips for Young Ministers

This summer will mark 10 years of serving in full time ministry for me. I thought it would be good to look back on my first years of ministry and reflect on things I know now, that I wish I would have known then. Some ministers spend several years working on their undergraduate and graduate […]

What I’ve Learned From Preaching in a Small Town

There’s plenty of advice for ministers available, but I have noticed that most of it comes from successful ministers who lead large congregations, often in large cities. Although their advice is often helpful, it is not always practical for the minister in a small town at a small congregation. I love small towns. I grew […]

Stanley Hauerwas on the Importance of Presence

The Importance of Reading

Here is a great article by Donald Miller on the importance of reading. Do This One Thing and You’ll Rise Above Your Peers

Philosophy of Ministry pt. 1

I think a philosophy of ministry should start simple and expand.  Perhaps the best description of what I believe ministry should be comes from Cornel West.  He once said, “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people.  You can’t save the people if you won’t serve the people.”  This plain and simple […]