Not all pastors are born leaders. Many churches do not develop leaders. Most churches haven’t even thought about leadership development. Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck know these truths and have written Designed to Lead to address those issues. Churches need to be developing leaders and pastors need to be always growing in their leadership ability. …
Why do I care about Vacation Bible School? Kids and their parents need to hear the gospel and about thirty-percent of the families who attend our VBS are unchurched. Pastors, make Vacation Bible School a priority. I recognize that it may seem old fashioned and some of you have actually changed the name or maybe …
I am a professional pastor. I have been in vocational ministry since I was 19 years old. My undergraduate degree is in Christian Education, my masters is in divinity, and my Ph. D. is in missions and evangelism. I have been educated in institutions and in the laboratory of the local church. And yet, I was …
Have you ever known some people who have great ideas and passions for doing great things for God, but never seem to quite accomplish their goals? Maybe they have surrendered to the ministry at youth camp every year for the past three or perhaps they continue to talk about how they are going to go …
Churches can be stressful places to work. There are deadlines looming every week, offices are often filled with hurting people, and managing volunteers is regularly listed as one of the more difficult job classifications in the world. Combine that with the reality that most people do not have a very good idea what it is …
I have lost count of how many times I have been warned, “Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry.” I want to encourage you not to sacrifice your ministry on the altar of your family. I do not deny that many pastors have lost their families because the church became their mistress, …
Offering a bad apology is much easier than offering a sincere apology. In fact, I have found it to be something of an art to apologizing appropriately. I suppose that is primarily because my sinful flesh does not like to be wrong. I want to be right. An apology acknowledges that I am wrong and …
I recently proofread a paper for a friend (some of you will get the joke there) where he talked about a certain theological position being less of a positive position and more of a negative reaction against a different theological bent. This struck me as a concerning commentary on our current cultural situation. Inside and …
Twice this week I have received free coffee at two different restaurants. On Tuesday a markerter for a new apartment complex was buying coffee for everyone who came into Starbucks. Today, I indulged in Chick-Fil-A’s free coffee for February deal. I like coffee and I like to work and study in coffee shops and restaurants. …
“I want to lead, but I don’t know how.” This is a common refrain from men I encounter. They have a desire to lead in their home, but they are intimidated. They do not know as much about the Bible as their wife or they are uncomfortable praying out loud or they are afraid that …