3 Cultural Paradoxes Ministry Leaders Should Know and Respond to
Ministry leaders serve and lead within a cultural context. And we should understand the language of the culture and utilize the tools of the culture to serve and reach people. At the same time, there are cultural norms we must challenge and not embrace, cultural realities that must be overcome to effectively serve people well. […]
6 Thoughts on Leading an iGen’er for Parents and Ministry Leaders
I took my first church staff role when I was a few weeks from turning nineteen; I became the youth pastor at a church in Ruston, Louisiana, where I attended college. Though my roles have changed, I have been committed to leading and discipling kids and students through the local church ever since. Our kids […]
5 Negative Influences on Pastors Who Leave Pastoring
We often hear of pastors who step away from pastoring to pursue other opportunities, some within vocational ministry and some within the marketplace. At times there are moral failures that disqualify leaders from their roles. At times the pastors develop a passion or sense God calling them to something else. And at times the pastors […]
4 Possible Reasons Some Pastors Struggle Financially
Of the more than 700 pastors’ spouses surveyed in a recent LifeWay research project, more than half expressed that their income from the church is insufficient, and more than two-thirds are concerned they do not have enough saved for retirement. Why is this? Why do so many families in local church ministry struggle financially? While […]
Research Reveals Realities of Being a Pastor’s Spouse
Halloween is not the only national day in October… October 7th is National Frappe Day (as in the drink). October 8th is National Clergy Appreciation Day. October 9th is National Moldy Cheese Day. October 10th is National Handbag Day. October 11th is National Sausage Pizza Day. To some people, clergy appreciation day sounds like it […]
5 Reasons We Struggle to Rest
July is often a time many ministry leaders rest. For years it has been a time when I have taken some extra time to slow down, read more, vacation with my girls, and not go to the office as much. Whether you rest in July or not, you do need to rest. Rest is not […]
3 Reasons Kids Ministry Is Important
The last two weeks have provided great reminders to me about why kids ministry is so important. I served as camp pastor at CentriKid camps for a week. The whole family came and we had a great time. The kids participated in Bible studies, recreation, track times based on their interests, and morning and evening […]
God Made a Farmer and a Ministry Leader
One of my favorite Super Bowl commercials in recent memory was this commercial by Ram Trucks, using Paul Harvey’s 1978 speech “God Made a Farmer.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE My grandfather was a farmer in Illinois. Though he passed away many years ago, my respect for him has not waned. He started farming at a young age, while […]
5 Lessons from Fallen Pastors
Pastors and ministry leaders are not above character implosion and wandering from the Lord. In time, their wandering manifests in a variety of self-destructive and disqualifying behaviors. In the last several years, I have thought a lot about “fallen pastors.” My role at LifeWay provides a painful view of the fallout. As pastors are removed […]
4 Reasons Ministry Leaders Don’t Get “The Real World”
I was 27 years old, serving as an executive pastor and working with a team of people in the church on updating our personnel policy handbook—a necessary thing to do but not one that will change the world or breathe life back into your soul. One gentleman recommended we change the church office hours to […]