Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders
How God Used My Alcoholism for Ministry
Since the beginning of time, men and women have searched for happiness — usually in all the wrong places, trying all the wrong things. But there’s only one place where we can find tested-and-proven, absolutely-gonna-work principles that will lead...
Is There a Healthy Dose of Challenge in Your Small Groups?
Simply placing ourselves in a small group does not automatically make us disciples. Indeed, sociology can never supplant the work of the Spirit when it comes to discipleship. The structure simply creates the context for growth to occur—in this...
Preaching that Unchurched People (and Churched People) Will Love
by Andy Stanley, adapted from his new book Deep & Wide, Expanded Edition . The key to successfully engaging unchurched people in a weekend message has more to do with your approach and your presentation than your content . If you’ve ever heard...
Marriage Isn’t Something Leaders Can Fake
My wife and I were out of town, visiting the church where my son and his wife attend. I had just spoken at a marriage conference at a different church, so we stayed over another night to visit with our children. After the service was over, a...
The First Step Towards a High-Performing Small Group Ministry
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make when it comes to either launching or reengineering a small group ministry is a failure to carefully align both vision and methods. The result is often a ministry that functions much like an automobile with...
5 Reliable Steps to Powerful Church-Community Partnerships
The work of mission “out there” is largely owned and operated by organizations. While there are a small but growing number of pioneering organizations exploring more collaborative ways to partner with the local church, most organizations still want...
God Will Prepare You (A Biblical Encouragement for Pastors)
Have you ever questioned your ministry ability? Moses, one of Israel’s greatest leaders, did. The Lord of all creation selected and sent Moses on a mission to go to God’s people and communicate his message. But the prophet was not a ready and...
The Blueprints of Sermon Design (Part 1)
What blueprint shall we use to design and structure our sermons? Though many design models exist, I recommend structuring your sermon using a broad framework of a story. Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication known to man. Often...
Steps for Planning Effective Scripture Readings
The congregation is both active and passive in worship. In one real sense, they are receiving what has been prepared by the ministers for that particular week. Presentation is, therefore, no trivial matter. Our desire is for believers to hear his...
Saving Marriages Before (and After) They Start - An Interview with Psychologists and Authors Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott
Churchsource: Does this new generation still believe in marriage? Les: Here’s what we know for sure: 87% of young adults plan on being married eventually. Leslie: And, perhaps more striking – in the face of a staggering divorce rate that most young...
A Sermon for Busy Pastors: The Forgotten Participant in the Christmas Story
May this sermon help you improve the quality, freshness, and variety of your pulpit ministry, and better meet the spiritual needs of those in your congregation. Sermon Title: Personalities of Bethlehem – Joseph Text: “And they went with haste, and...
See How Jesus Clarifies His Posture toward the Torah
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means...
How to Make a Small Group that Actually Works
Small groups cannot do everything , but they can do a few things really well. Don’t just put some chairs in a circle and invite people over. A small group ministry should directly align with the larger ministry of the church. If spiritual formation...
The Failsafe Way to Plan Your Week for Maximum Effectiveness
Step 1: Pray and Review Pray . We have an amazing privilege as Christians to integrate our planning with prayer. Prayer is essential for our planning, because God is the one who ultimately makes our plans effective. (See Proverbs 16:3). Begin your...
The Key Way to Implement Change in our Churches
Is your church in need a boost? Does your organization seem to run on routine? If so, leadership may be lacking a little thing called ambition. Though often overlooked, ambition is a quality that can get an organization off of its feet and bring it...
How to Recruit Volunteers for Your Ministry: 3 Deceptively Simple Secrets
Does your church dream of launching more ministries? You will need more volunteers. Does the pastor dream of having a more effective ministry? You need more volunteers. Does the board dream of growing as an organization? You need more volunteers....
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.