Author: Administrador

Aaron Burden photo – Unsplash By Dorena Williamson Today’s kids ministry leaders have a ripe opportunity to teach the next generation God’s truth about racial identity. On the heels of a pandemic children are aware of the recent deaths of unarmed men and women, witnessing protest marches, and looking for affirmation and answers. As beloved … Continue reading “Help the Next Generation Value Racial Diversity in God’s Kingdom”

Jim Reardan photo – Unsplash By Scott Patty A recent phone call was supposed to be a pastoral care situation. That’s where someone asks me a question and then I give an answer. This is the way the pastoral world works, right? There are clients (congregants) and there are experts (pastors and church leaders), and … Continue reading “Where Pastors Can Find Unexpected Wise Counsel”

Austin Mabe photo – Unsplash By Jenny Whitaker Who do you work to please? I know the “church answer,” and we’ll get to that, but at the end of any given day, who are the ones you really aim to please? For me, it’s my pastor (I serve as the children and family ministry director … Continue reading “When You Struggle With People Pleasing in Ministry”

Ben White photo – Unsplash By Steven Blake One of the disciplines I have in my walk with God is to listen to some of the great preachers of our day. One of my favorites to listen to is David Jeremiah. His messages are always encouraging, challenging, and timely. I recently finished listening to his … Continue reading “5 Tips for Effective Preaching During Difficult Seasons”

Ben White photo – Freely By Aaron Earls When we spoke with pastors in May, many had concerns about reopening following the COVID-19 quarantines. Now, as many churches have reopened, pastors are dealing with some of those initial concerns and more. They need prayers. Pastors need the prayers of the people in their congregation, their … Continue reading “9 Ways to Pray for Pastors as Churches Reopen”

Redrecords photo – Pexels By Marilyn Stewart In my eight years as a contributing writer and columnist for New Orleans’ longest-running newspaper, I found church leaders to be among the most difficult to contact. But when a church leader fails to return a journalist’s phone calls and emails, it may be a golden opportunity missed. … Continue reading “9 Tips for Church Leaders on Engaging Secular Media”

LoboStudio Hamburg photo – Unsplash By Aaron Earls As churches begin to regather and eventually restart their children’s ministry during COVID-19, leaders should keep other unseen dangers in mind—like sex abuse. A Lifeway Research study found more than 1 in 10 Protestant pastors say someone on church staff has sexually harassed a congregation member at … Continue reading “Background Checks Remain Essential Part of Reopening Kids Ministries”

rayul photo – Unsplash By Ben Trueblood How do I know if I’m teaching my students the right things? This is a frequent and important question for student ministry leaders as they consider topics students want to hear about as well as topics they deem important as leaders. Sometimes these are in agreement, and at … Continue reading “3 Topics Students Desperately Want to Discuss—But Churches Avoid”

Zoltan Tasi photo – Unsplash By Mark Dance Last week one of my very best friends lost a 10-year battle with dementia. I was not only Jim’s hunting and fishing buddy, but also his pastor for a decade. Some believe and teach that pastors shouldn’t befriend church members, which has unfortunately become one of the … Continue reading “The Dangerous Ministry Myth Too Many Pastors Believe”

By Josh King A few weeks ago, I was at a gathering of local pastors—you know, the kind where we stand around eating grocery-store baked goods and drinking church-kitchen coffee. While there, I heard another pastor make the statement that he told “his people” (a reference to the congregation of the church he pastors) a … Continue reading “Whose Church Is It Anyway?”