“Pastor, you’ve changed everything!”
A woman rushed breathlessly up to me after one Sunday service and said, "Pastor, you've changed everything!" “What do you mean?” I asked, bewildered. “The offering used to be before the sermon, and today it was after!” For a long time it amazed me how changes that I...
“Not that vision. Our vision!”
One church I was appointed to had been taught that God reveals his vision or plan for churches through the pastor. Certainly God does that, but I believe he also speaks through other leaders and faithful members. In this congregation, however, the leaders seemed to...
“Use my tithe for anything but the pastor’s salary.”
“Use my tithe for anything but the pastor’s salary.” One of the counters found those words scrawled on an offering envelope one Sunday. He didn’t tell me whose envelope it was, and I didn’t ask. But it seemed pretty certain who it was pointed at. I was the only...
“Pastor, you need to spend less time with God and more time with us!”
A long-time church member said this to me in a public church meeting a few years ago. She objected to me going on prayer and sermon planning retreats when I could be visiting her and her friends more. As pastor, I thought I had two main jobs: Bring the church before...
Why Do We Pray?
“If we are on a path that God created for us before we were born, why do we pray for special requests?” I received this question from a thoughtful new Christian. I answer as a pastor, not a theologian. And I share it here in case you might wonder the same thing.
When Church Stops Working
If right now you find yourself struggling with organized religion, know this: so did Jesus. – Facebook meme posted by The Weird Preacher, from an unknown source There has to be more to God’s idea of church than the bureaucratic institutions most of us know, and there...
Handling Church Money and Property
Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s temple. – 2 Kings 22:4 Some people might think money is not spiritual enough for a book about ministry. The fact is, as long as we are ministering...
Church Leaders and Workers
Leadership is one of the natural gifts God builds into certain people (Romans 12:8). As a pastor, one of your most important responsibilities is to recognize the people God has prepared to lead your church and ministries. Then train and equip and support and encourage them to be the best leaders they can be. And I wish I didn’t have to say this, but it can be just as important to protect the church from self-appointed leaders who would take you in the wrong direction.
Effective Church Ministries
“Ministry” is just another word for doing God’s work, serving God by serving the people he loves. Effective church ministries accomplish vital tasks, serve people, and build up Christians and the church.
Preaching: Why, How, and Some Don’ts
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a pastor? Probably, it’s preaching. In every church I’ve served there were people who just called me “Preacher.” In this day of videos and podcasts, there’s still amazing power in face-to-face, in-person communication, especially when it’s anointed by the Holy Spirit of God.
Recent Comments