Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
8 Spiritual Practices for Pastors (and Everyone) Facing Pressure to Achieve
Twenty years ago, when I first came to pastor Tenth Church in Vancouver, I was intimidated. I felt nervous about the challenge of pastoring a historic church that had dwindled from more than one thousand to a little more than one hundred members....
Creative Outreach with Alpha
Alpha is a ten-week course that provides a safe place to explore life’s biggest questions. Globally proven and highly effective, Alpha creates a culture of invitation within your church and is a great front door for people exploring faith. From...
Counseling Adolescents: Wisdom from Theology and Psychology
Nothing seems quite as daunting to parents, youth pastors, helping professionals, or teachers as the adolescent years. Recently I was speaking to a group of parents at my church, and a parent made the comment that it feels as though rearing an...
Embrace the One-Another Way: An Appeal from Andy Stanley
If we were to ask Paul what faith expressing itself through love looks like (see Galatians 5:6 NIV , he might rattle off this list: Submit to one another Forgive one another Encourage one another Restore one another Accept one another Care for one...
Divine Generosity: Empowering Us to Breathe Deeply and Live Courageously
Let me tell you a story. . . . While it may be a familiar story, how well do we know it? Many people believe this story is the most important story in the world. The characters and main events of the narrative are commonly known, but how well do we...
7 Ways to Create a Culture of Invitation
Alpha is a ten-week course that provides a safe place to explore life’s biggest questions. Globally proven and highly effective, Alpha creates a culture of invitation within your church and is a great front door for people exploring faith. A...
11 ways to get your church behind Alpha
You’ve got the venue. Check. You’ve got the dates in the diary. Check. You’ve got the team trained. Check. You’re ready to go… but the church aren’t as invested as you are. Sound familiar? Here are eleven quick tips for getting your church members...
30 Seconds That Can Transform Your Evangelism
Will there be roadblocks when we begin naturally sharing our faith with nonbelievers? Of course! I can tell you this: if you love people and spend time listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will find your way. As you seek the Lord’s...
Should I Necessarily draw Out a Divine Message at All from an Opportunity?
When Saul entered into the cave where David was hiding with his men (see 1 Samuel 24:1–22 ), his men interpreted the event as a divine opportunity for revenge. In fact, they referenced a prophetic word virtually claiming that God was saying to kill...
Reclaiming Irresistible Faith: Andy Stanley Invites You to Embrace the “New” that Jesus Introduced
Once upon a time, members of a Jewish cult called The Way, against all odds, captured the attention and, ultimately, the dedication of the pagan world, both inside and outside the Roman Empire. So perhaps we need to hit pause on much of what we’re...
9 ways to make Alpha (really) fun
Looking for ideas on how to make your Alpha as fun as possible? We’ve got you covered. Here are nine top tips from Dave Larlee in Texas that will keep your guests engaged, entertained and coming back for more. From his experience at All Saints...
Lead Like A Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well
What makes leading like a shepherd so important? Why do you consider it the secret to leading well? One of the most important things I’ve learned over the years is that a leader’s ethos and attitude toward the flock he or she leads is ultimately a...
The One-Degree Rule: A Simple Plan for Raising Your Church or Ministry Evangelistic Temperature
Every follower of Jesus has an outreach temperature, whether it’s hot, cold, or somewhere in the middle. This temperature impacts the way we live and interact with those who are far from God. It is our responsibility to increase this temperature so...
A Simple, Dramatic Difference between Bible Times and Today
Most people in the biblical world had never read the Bible. This might seem like a shocking statement. It’s one of the more dramatic examples of how our lives as Christians are quite unlike the lives of biblical people. But once you give the...
8 Simple Techniques for Making Your Evangelism Stand Out
In today’s culture of spin, Christians have an opportunity to look radically different from most by refusing to spin as they seek to lead others to the gospel. It is certainly true that as apologists we seek to convince others, and there is a place...
Good News about Bible Study: Faithfulness Isn’t a Checklist
Two of the hardest things about serious Bible study are getting started and then sustaining the effort. While a word like “sustaining” naturally speaks of regularity and continuity, I’m not talking about treating Bible study like your morning...
Free Resources
Using How (not) to Save the World with your church or small group?
Here are some tools to help:
The Small Group Tool Kit includes two mobile-friendly invitation cards, reflection cards to enhance your small group experience, and a worship song playlist curated by Hosanna Wong that can beplayed during small group meetings or personal Bible study time.
The Church Tool Kit includes a downloadable poster, bulletininsert, invitation card, and Power Point slide.
Is your church talking about anxiety, depression and mental health issues? You should be.
Shawn Johnson, lead pastor of Red Rocks Church, gives a
searingly honest portrait of anxiety and depression and shows readers how to fight back and live free. He also has put together three free tools pastors can use to help their congregation have a productive conversation around mental health, including a discussion guide, sermon notes and key Scripture verses.