December 8, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. Why Pessimists (and Realists) Are Hard to Follow as Leaders – Carey Nieuwhof 9…
December 1, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. 7 Advantages Of Long-Term Church Membership – Karl Vaters 7 Words for Leaders Who…
November 29, 2018 Why Our Church Celebrates Advent I have had some people surprised that our Baptist church observes Advent. “Isn’t Advent a Catholic thing?” Advent comes natural to me as I…
November 26, 2018 The Hospitable Leader – Review What kind of leader do you want to serve with? An authoritarian leader that simply lays down the law? There is another way and…
November 24, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that I came across this week. Staying for the Long Haul | Facts & Trends – Craig Thompson Inside…
November 17, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. Your Marriage Is Your Most Important Ministry – Eric Geiger Live at the Intersection…
November 12, 2018 Top Five Things I Have Learned As a Pastor I have had the role of a pastor, on and off, for over twenty years. It is an important part of my identity and…
November 10, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should check out. 3 People Issues That Get Church Staff Teams Stuck – Carey Nieuwhof 7 Questions…
November 3, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. 7 Attributes of Pastors Who Succeed at Church Revitalization – Ron Edmondson Five Ways…
October 30, 2018 Pastors and the Imposter Syndrome I first heard of the imposter syndrome in the context of blogging. Bloggers often write from the perspective of an “expert,” giving advice in…
October 27, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Go and check them out. The Spirit of Fear – Phillip Larsen Stop Being…
October 25, 2018 That I May Know God – Review I have been interested in the topic of spiritual formation and have been picking up books related to it. If you are unfamiliar with…
October 22, 2018 Remembering Eugene Peterson As I write this, it is the day that Eugene Peterson died. I never met Peterson but I appreciated his ministry, whether the translation…
October 20, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Renewing Your Church: Resetting, Refocusing, Restructuring – Brandon Boone How to Prepare to Teach…
October 19, 2018 I Wish I Wrote My Sermons Like This Before I am so happy with my new routine for writing sermons. I wish I started doing this twenty years ago. The funny thing is…
October 15, 2018 The High Definition Leader – Review The High-Definition Leader has been on my radar for some time. I held off because I misunderstood the title, By “High-Definition,” I assumed it…
October 13, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Go and check them out. 16 Types of Church Attenders and Workers – Chuck…
October 6, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that I came across this week. Go and check them out. Benched: 5 Ways Busy Leaders Shove Volunteers to…
October 2, 2018 White Picket Fences – Review The concept of privilege, especially white male privilege has been prominent in the media and elsewhere. I will confess that I have struggled with…
September 29, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. 8 Characteristics of a Great Campus Pastor – Paul Alexander Intentional Friendliness: Making A…
September 27, 2018 3 Major Reasons People Resist Change During my time as a pastor, I have often encountered people who resist change. They are not the majority but they are a vocal…
September 25, 2018 Becoming a Welcoming Church – Review I have spent the past year focusing on how to make our church more of a welcoming church. For that reason, I was happy…
September 22, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Go and check them out. 10 Things The Best Leaders Do To Get Even…
September 19, 2018 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Review I had a copy of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. What delayed me in reading it was the subtitle, A…
September 15, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should check out. Russell Moore Responds to the Statement on Social Justice – Stephanie Martin Two Seemingly…
September 12, 2018 What Our Church Does For Disability Ministry When people find out that I’m interested in disabilities, I often get asked what we do at our church for disability ministry. Like myself,…
September 10, 2018 2 Models of Christian Ministry to Avoid (Or Not) Over the last number of decades, there have been quite a few Christian leadership books that have drawn from business models. Some pastors even…
September 8, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. Loving And Letting Go: 3 Keys To Serving A Community On The Move – David…
September 6, 2018 2 Things I Wished I Learned More in Seminary My wife is just beginning her seminary studies and that is making me reflect on my own experience in seminary. I had a fantastic…
September 1, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Changing the Culture of your Church – Paul Alexander 5 Preaching Styles In 25…
August 31, 2018 Apologetics and Preaching While I consider myself an apologist, my primary role is that of a pastor of a local church. But I don’t find these roles…
August 30, 2018 When Pastors Mess Up This is not about when pastors mess up by having an affair, developing an addiction or being financially dishonest. I’m talking about the regular…
August 24, 2018 How to Grow – Review What is the gospel? For many people, the gospel is the message by which one gets to heaven. But the Bible presents a much…
August 18, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. Learnings of a Multi-Site Campus Pastor – Bryan Rose The Lie Church Planters Believe…
August 16, 2018 1 Bad Response to Bill Hybels (and 3 Good Ones) As we sort through the mess with Billy Hybels and the situation at Willow Creek, there are any number of responses we could have….
August 13, 2018 My Experience With a Coach You may have heard about life coaching. A life coach helps a person to ask the right questions in order to determine a direction…
August 11, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should go and check out. Out of Step – Darryl Dash Mattresses, Experiences, and Instagramming Your Worship…
August 9, 2018 Should We Still Read Books by Bill Hybels? The situation at Willow Creek with former pastor Bill Hybels continues to deteriorate as reported in this recent article at Christianity Today. Bill Hybels…
August 7, 2018 Important Tools for Pastors When it comes to pastoring, some of the most popular resources are in the area of leadership and other practical ministry tools. But I…
August 4, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. 3 Pillars of Persuasive Public Speaking – Brandon Cox 5 Signs You’re A Lone…
August 2, 2018 The Hope’s Reason Podcast I have been podcasting for quite a few years and I do enjoy it. Although my original podcast has been taken down by me,…
July 31, 2018 Should Churches Participate in Short-Term Mission Trips? There are many concerns about short-term missions trips. Some argue that they are more harm than good. Many of the concerns are quite valid….
July 28, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. 4 Practices for Discipling Kids Who Live Justly – Tony Caldwell Why Most Small…
July 26, 2018 Pastors and the B-Word As a pastor, I try not to use the b-word. Which b-word? Busy. This is a change for me. Years ago, when people would…
July 21, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. 21 Ministry Lessons Learned the Hard Way – Joe McKeever A Closed Heart Can’t Be…
July 14, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should check out. What You Don’t Know about your Church May Kill You – Charles Stone 8…
July 12, 2018 Should Pastors Work With Pastors of Other Denominations? Some pastors feel more comfortable working with pastors of their own tradition/denomination. There is nothing wrong with this as these relationships are very important….
July 3, 2018 5 Questions Pastors Need to Ask Pastors want to have the answers. But even more important is to have the right questions. These are not the only questions to ask,…
June 30, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts you should check out. Six Important Church Metrics We Often Ignore – Thom Rainer Ever-Increasing Agility In A Changing…
June 28, 2018 Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders – Review I am a firm believer in discipleship and I see it as being one of the most important parts of my ministry. But I…
June 23, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. Is (Healthy) Cross-Gendered Ministry Even Possible? – Seth Richardson Remember, What God Starts, He…
June 16, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. When Your Dad Isn’t Perfect (and No Earthly Father Is) – Joe McKeever Why…
June 9, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. 9 Mistakes Leaders Make – Chuck Lawless The Very Personal Power of the Holy…
June 5, 2018 My Top Five Leadership Blog Posts One of the topics that I enjoy blogging about is that of leadership. These are the top five leadership posts on my blog since…
June 2, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. How To Minister In The Midst of Hardship – Jennifer Winge If you knew……
May 28, 2018 Pastors Poking Fun at Themselves I believe in including humour, both in the services and the sermons. If I’m going to poke fun at anyone, it would be at…
May 26, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. 4 Steps To Start Moving From Teaching A Crowd To Equipping The Saints –…
May 22, 2018 Pastors and Counselling I have heard a number of pastors talk about how much time they spend doing counselling and it is significant. Do you want to…
May 19, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Things I Learned from Buying and Selling a Cool Car – Marty Duren How…
May 17, 2018 The Sound of Coming into Worship In the church I grew up in, there were instructions in the bulletin about making noise in the sanctuary. It was expected that people…
May 12, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should check out. One-on-One with Matt Perman on ‘How to Get Unstuck’ – Ed Stetzer The 1…
May 10, 2018 Churches and Mother’s Day How should churches respond to Mother’s Day in terms of the worship service? Some churches have a specific Mother’s Day sermon each year. Some…
May 5, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should check out. Resolving Conflict: 5 ways to prepare your heart – Charles Stone Why Your Church…
May 2, 2018 Evangelical Leaders, Abuse and Women My heart breaks at recent events with regard to major leaders within the evangelical movement and attitudes toward women. One of the most respected…
April 30, 2018 Life Together I have enjoyed the writing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for some time. I have read his Cost of Discipleship and Ethics. Now I have finally…
April 28, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that I came across this week. Can You Explain the Gospel in 3 Words? – Russell Moore A Six-Part…
April 24, 2018 Why I Still Use Greek and Hebrew as a Pastor My wife is starting to take New Testament Greek at McMaster Divinity College, the seminary where I studied. But why do people who study…
April 21, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that I came across this week. Go and check them out. Overcoming Scarcity Thinking in Post-Christian Mission (A Lesson…
April 14, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that are worth checking out. 20 Truths from Leading Major Change in Your Ministry – Ed Stetzer Five Principles…
April 12, 2018 How Pastors Can Use YouTube One of the most useful online tools for pastors is YouTube. Anyone can make a video, upload it and make it available to millions…
April 10, 2018 How to Preach Without a Manuscript For years I was convinced that I needed a full manuscript in front of me to preach. I don’t have a great memory and…
April 7, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts I came across this week. Go and take a look. Preaching with Notes: Yes or No? – Chuck Lawless…
April 3, 2018 Resurrecting Religion – Review “Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.” How many times have you seen this statement? You may have said it yourself. The…
March 31, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Spend Time With Older Pastors While it is good to spend time with younger pastors, it is equally good to spend time with older pastors. There are pastors who…
March 31, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts for you to check out. How Will You Lead at the Next Level? – Tony Morgan 10 Things To…
March 30, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Remember the Cross The day that I’m writing this is Good Friday, the day that we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus is the focus of our…
March 29, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Pray For Your Colleagues No one understands what it is like to be a pastor like another pastor. We know both the joys and pains of pastoral ministry….
March 29, 2018 Caring for Special Needs People in Your Small Church One of the most practical podcasts that I listen to is the 200 Church podcast. I was quite happy when I heard they were…
March 28, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Invest in the Next Generation Moses had his Joshua. Elijah has his Elisha. Paul had his Timothy and Titus. Who do we have? Every current pastor was once a…
March 27, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Plan to Finish Well When it comes to ministry, we can look at our past and our present. But what about our future? Specifically, how our ministry will…
March 26, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Start Writing Most pastors are writers to begin with. Many of us write out a sermon manuscript, even if we may not preach from that manuscript….
March 25, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Read the Bible Read the Bible? Who reads the Bible more than pastors? That’s the problem. We read the Bible to plan out sermons and Bible studies….
March 24, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Start a Reading Plan Many of the pastors I know love to read. They have large libraries and collect resources to help with sermon preparations. But we can…
March 24, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should go check out. How to make Guests Feel Uncomfortable at your Church – Paul Alexander Does…
March 23, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better a Pastor: Pray For Your Congregation There are many activities that a pastor can be involved in but prayer is one of the most important. There are many things that…
March 22, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Plan Out Your Year One way to do ministry is to do it Sunday by Sunday. Each week, pick a passage to preach on. Start or stop ministries…
March 21, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Retreat! I was involved in a youth group at a particular church. The youth group traditionally went on retreats. One year, the youth pastor announced…
March 20, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Get Some Exercise In my first four months as a paid pastor, I gained about thirty pounds. This was the result of two things. One that I…
March 19, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Mental Health One of the biggest challenges that I face as a pastor is responding to mental illness. While I had a couple of counselling courses…
March 18, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Focus on Vision Most churches have some sort of vision/mission statement. They may have both. But more is needed than just having a vision statement. Even having…
March 17, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should go and check out. Five Key Steps to Reach and Retain Guests – Thom Rainer Haunted…
March 16, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Include Laypeople in Congregational Care There are those who argue that for churches to grow it is necessary for pastors to give up pastoral care. I reject that. I…
March 15, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Build Your Team Whether you are the solo pastor of a small church or one of the pastors in multi-staff situation, we are all part of a…
March 14, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Embrace Those With Disabilities Many churches have embraced the concept of disabilities. Churches want diversity of gender, ethnicities, age, economic status and others. But what about disabilities? I…
March 13, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Continue Your Education Can you remember your time in Bible college or seminary? Were you counting the days until your graduation? Were you eager to finish your…
March 12, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Invest in Your Preaching In smaller churches, pastors are equated with preachers. But even in larger churches, many pastors have preaching as one of their responsibilities, although perhaps…
March 11, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Observe a Sabbath One of the best decisions I have made is to observe a Sabbath. A Sabbath is not just a day off. A day off…
March 10, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Subscribe to Some Podcasts One of the best ways to become a better pastor to be intentional in lifelong learning. The worst thing is to see graduation from…
March 10, 2018 Weekend Leadership Roundup Here are some leadership posts that you should go and check out. Discipling Stay-at-Home Moms – Daniel Im Ministry Without the Gospel – Darryl…
March 9, 2018 31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Focus on the Family There is much respect given to pastors who work long hours and who are always available to their congregation. But that doesn’t mean they…
