Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
Pride: Its Warning Signs and 2 Strategies for Beating It
by Christopher J. H. Wright, adapted from his new book Hearing the Message of Daniel: Sustaining Faith in Today’s World . We are all building something. It may be our own personal little empire, or just our own little nest. It may be our career,...
Which of These 3 Leadership Delusions Have You Embraced?
by Joseph M. Stowell, adapted from his book Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders , now in softcover for the first time. Delusion 1: Outcomes are the primary measure of success. The more a person accomplishes, the...
Where Have All the Lamenting Pastors Gone?
by Esther Fleece, No More Faking Fine . Would you hire David as your worship pastor? Would you share your pulpit with the weeping prophet Jeremiah? How would your staff respond to Nehemiah ’s public display of sorrow during a staff meeting? Would...
Failure and Faithfulness in Daniel 12: Reflections for Pastors
by Wendy L. Widder, adapted from her new book The Story of God Bible Commentary: Daniel (Tremper Longman III and Scot McKnight, General Editors). Use this reflection in a sermon, small group, counseling session, or even your personal devotions....
The 4-Minute Explanation of How Salvation Works
How does salvation work? Discover in the article below, written by Wayne Grudem and adapted from resources in the recently released Systematic Theology Pack: A Complete Introduction to Bible Doctrine . Election (God’s choice of people to be saved)...
6 Tactics for Improving Your Sermon Delivery
Want to become a stronger preacher? The Preaching God’s Word Video Lectures are available now and will help you prepare, develop, and deliver more powerful sermons.
These 10 Beliefs are the DNA of a Disciple-Making Movement
by Bobby Harrington and Josh Patrick, adapted from their new book, The Disciple Maker’s Handbook: 7 Elements of a Discipleship Lifestyle , a Discipleship.org resource. Imagine a day when Jesus-style disciple making is the norm for the local church:...
2 Ways that Worship Hands Out "Spiritual Shovels"
by Zac Hicks, adapted from his new book The Worship Pastor: A Call to Ministry for Worship Leaders and Teams . Central to any disciple-making paradigm is the idea that the church’s leaders are called and responsible for equipping the saints for the...
Lay Counselors: Effective Criteria for Selecting and Screening Them
by Siang-Yang Tan and Eric T. Scalise, adapted from their newly revised and updated Lay Counseling: Equipping Christians for a Helping Ministry . The careful selection of lay counselors is a crucial step in the development of an effective lay...
8 Quick Tips for More Powerful Christian Evangelism
by Gregory Koukl, adapted from his book Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions . On a flight back from the Midwest, I listened while a Christian brother in the row directly behind me vigorously shared his faith with...
4 Road Signs that Point to Letting Someone Go (For Now)
by Dave Harvey and Paul Gilbert, adapted from their new book, Letting Go : Rugged Love for Wayward Souls. Are you dealing with a loved one who is rebellious and wayward? How do you know when to let them go, to release them into the consequences of...
At Home In Exile
by Russell Jeung, adapted from his new spiritual memoir, At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors . Read it and you will gain wisdom and hope for your church’s ministry to those suffering from poverty, racism,...
Improve Your Greeter Ministry with These 4 Steps
by Leslie Parrott, adapted from Serving as a Church Greeter , recently collected in The Zondervan Practical Ministry Guides Collection: Complete 7-Volume Set . Here are some crucial ideas that can prove to be valuable for you and your church as you...
16 of the Most Important Facts about the Gospels (Including Some Surprises)
Do you or your small group want to know more about Jesus? Mark Strauss gives you everything you need to enhance your understanding of Jesus’ life and message. Get ready to deepen your understanding of Christ’s life and teaching
16 Traits of God: Do Any Surprise You?
How many of God’s traits can you list in 30 seconds? Compare your answers to the list of 16 traits listed. Catholics and Protestants generally agree on the nature of the triune God, affirming the following divine attributes in accordance with God’s own revelation of himself
10 Essential Qualities of an Effective Ambassador for Christ
Representing Christ today requires three basic skills — knowledge, an accurately informed mind; wisdom, an artful method; and character, an attractive manner — to play a part in every effective involvement with a nonbeliever. Learn how to navigate through the minefields to gain a footing or an advantage in conversations. In short, you will be learning to be a better diplomat — an ambassador for Jesus Christ.
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.