The Minister and Self-Care

A minister is hired to provide spiritual nourishment for the congregation, but what happens when he needs spiritual nourishment? Ministry involves talking to people about their problems, but who does the minister talk to when he has a problem? Ministers encourage people who are feeling down, but where does a minister turn when he is […]

7 Keys to Successful Church Meetings

A Crisis of Leadership

Churches across America are experiencing decreasing numbers. Often external factors like cultural influences are blamed for the decline in church membership. Certainly, the times they are a-changing, but placing all the blame on others without looking at ourselves is not a way to move forward. In fact, in certain cases, we are the first to […]

5 Questions on Preaching

5 Questions on Grief Part 2

5 Questions on Ministry Burnout

5 Questions on Leadership and Ministry

The Cost of Leadership

When people are thrust into a leadership position, they are sometimes surprised by the expectations. Leaders are viewed differently than everyone else. This is evident each time there is a presidential election. The candidates are grilled. Their backgrounds are checked, rechecked, and checked again. Minor missteps are made front page news and dissected on 24 […]

When Hearing Fails

It has happened to all of us. We spend hours preparing what we believe is a great sermon. We sacrifice time and energy. We wrestle with God’s word. We meditate on holy Scripture. We whittle down our thoughts until we think we have it. We cannot wait for Sunday morning to come. We get up […]

Relying on a Routine

Preaching is a creative process. A preacher spends each week in the Biblical text and then creates a sermon based on and inspired by the text of Scripture. Good preachers are creative. They understand Scripture, but they also understand how to convey Scripture to people setting in the pews. They understand how to apply Scripture […]