5 Mistakes Church Leaders Make in Their Preschool Ministry
A church’s ministry to preschool children is extremely important in building a strong foundation of faith for the children and in reaching and ministering to young families. Preschool ministry is a mission-critical ministry of the church in that it invests in families at a critical juncture in the lives of both parents and children. Because […]
5 Realities About the Weight of Pastoring
Since leaving full-time local church ministry to become one of the vice-presidents at LifeWay, I have always missed and loved the local church. Dr. Draper, the former president of LifeWay, once told a leader on my team, “If you ever stop missing being on local church staff, leave immediately.” The sentiment was that we could […]
5 Misconceptions About Pastors
All-star Cleveland Cavalier Kyrie Irving recently told the sports media that he believes the earth is flat. He insists he has done the research and has rejected the propaganda deployed against us to convince us that the earth is round. When asked about it, Lebron James responded, “Kyrie is my little brother. He’s my All-Star […]
1 Big Question Church Leaders Must Ask About Leadership Development
When ministry leaders start to consider an intentional plan for developing leaders, inevitably they get to this question. The answer to the question will dramatically impact how they execute leadership development. Here is the big question about leadership development for church leaders: What will be centralized? Some churches centralize everything. They appoint someone to oversees […]
You Love Ministry More Than God If…
Ministry is thrilling. Yes, there are deep and painful challenges, but we get to see the Lord change people’s lives. Ministry allows us to enjoy a front row seat to people grasping the gospel, to people being sent out on mission, and to the beauty of Christian community. Yes, there are plenty of people who […]
3 Misconceptions About Joining Church/Ministry Staff
Often godly marketplace leaders have wondered what a transition to some type of ministry role would look like. In the last decade I have had countless conversations with these leaders who have wondered what their lives would look like if they transitioned to a church staff or other ministry role. When I served as an […]
What Are You Really Saying When You Call Something a “Sacred Cow”?
If you have been serving on the staff of a local church, you have likely heard and even used the phrase “sacred cow.” This was the topic of a recent Five Leadership Questions podcast, where I joined Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper to discuss how to navigate “sacred cows” in ministry. As we began, we […]
4 Ways to Fight Being a Ministry Workaholic
Work is a gift, and work ethic resides in men and women of character, but in our idolatry, we can easily make work our god. Pastors have warned me, “Ministry can be a great place to hide out and a great place to burn out.” Ministry can be a haven for the workaholic. In most […]
3 Common (yet Foolish) Excuses for Delaying Leadership Development
While leaders are responsible for future leadership, there is a constant temptation to delay developing others. If you are addicted to short-term results, it will be easy to delay developing others. After all, leadership development is deeply countercultural in an instant gratification culture. And while leaders intuitively know they are responsible to develop others, many […]
3 Ways Ministry Leaders Must Live as Stewards
In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul called the overseer “God’s administrator” or “God’s steward” (Titus 1:7). Ministry leaders are stewards, not owners, as Jesus owns His Church. Jesus promised to build His Church, not ours (Matt. 16:18). The financial resources the Lord blesses a church with are ultimately for Him. The ministry leader, […]