Blog Articles and Resources for Pastors and Church Leaders

Does your community know what you are FOR or what you are AGAINST? | Jeff Henderson

I believe the world needs more growing, healthy organizations – growing, healthy churches, growing, healthy nonprofits, growing, healthy businesses. Think of it this way. What creates a vibrant community? A vibrant community has healthy, growing...

The #1 thing people want from their church | Randy Frazee

The passion of every pastor I know is to help people reach the destination they were created for, even before they were born – to be like Jesus. The question becomes “How?” – what is the most effective approach to make this a reality in people’s...

Has yesterday stolen our ability to hope for a greater tomorrow?

The evening news serves as a daily reminder that our world is more discouraged, more defeated, and more hopeless than ever before. Rising suicide rates, increasing depression, political divisiveness, and a general sense of negativity only provide...

Turning Down the White Noise

The two most consistent things about distractions: one, the barrage of them is growing louder and louder. That’s just true. The second is that they always make good on their promises. Distractions make this promise: they say to you, they say to me,...

How Paul Dealt with Toxic People in Ministry

The apostle Paul was as zealous as any person has ever been in spreading the message of Jesus, but when he faced stubborn resistance, he did what Jesus did: he walked away. He didn’t run away at the first sign of resistance. He reasoned and pled...

How to Protect from Fear-Driven Frenzy

Every day, it seems, we’re forced to make a choice: Will we be the tortoise or the hare? An idealistic young bootstrapper might opt for the former. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Sure, until an investor comes along to remind her that the...

The Only Way to Break Money's Power Over You

The only way, and I mean only way to get a grip on money’s power in your heart, is to return it to its owner. And that’s not you or me. I’ve found myself occasionally getting trapped in the “when I, then I” spiral. Maybe you can relate. When I have...

What Does God Expect from Us?

The idea behind The Hole In Our Gospel is quite simple. It’s basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires much more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public...

Why Bother with Historical Study of Jesus? N. T. Wright Responds

People often ask me, why should we bother doing historical Jesus studies? Why should we bring history into it at all? Surely if we have the four gospels and we in the church have worshiped God in Jesus Christ for all these years, we don’t need to...

Learn to Embrace Essential Change

Adaptability is a crucial skill for leaders As fast as the pace was in the 1980s, when I look back it seems slow by today’s standards. Life moves much faster now. The rate at which we must deal with change and uncertainty can seem insane. For...

What do I need to do as a pastor to help my people grow?

I drove to see Dallas Willard one time to spend an entire day with him and I was at a needy point in my soul. I told him I felt frustrated because the people at the church where I served were not changing more. And I asked him, what do I need to do...

What Made Jesus Mad? Interview with Tim Harlow

Interview with Tim Harlow, Senior Pastor of Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois Q: This month your new book was released, called What Made Jesus Mad? What did make Jesus mad, would you say? A: I think there was a theme to Jesus’...

Four Ways to Talk About Money with Your Congregation

Money shapes the hearts of your congregation’s members. It can be their gateway to unparalleled joy in Christ, and intimacy with him. But according to Jesus, it can also keep many from reaching maturity as disciples! The stakes are high. As church...

Do it Again Lord

We’re still hoping we’ll wake up. We’re still hoping we’ll open a sleepy eye and think, What a horrible dream. How could this have happened? Just a moment ago moms were packing school lunches. Just a moment ago chefs were planning the day’s menu....

Becoming Powerful

Pastors are the first responders for the spiritual well-being of a global community that has been deeply shaken. Who is caring for our pastors in this hour on the earth? This question has been stirring in my heart and infusing me with desire to...

What I Learned from Billy Graham, by Luis Palau

Evangelists are not easily satisfied. We tend to feel the burden of every empty seat in the crowd. It can be easy, especially when you’re young, to lose perspective. It was encouraging to find out that Billy Graham struggled with this too. “Even...

Free Resources

Using How (not) to Save the World with your church or small group?

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.

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.