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5 Myths about Seminary

Jeff Robinson Sr.

Seminary can by no means teach a minister everything he needs to know, but it puts strong tools in his box to set him up for a lifetime of learning and growing in the Lord.

50 Reasons We Appreciate Our Pastors

We recently invited our readers to finish the following sentence: "In the last year, I have appreciated my pastor because he . . ." Here are 50 of our favorite responses.

15 Things Seminary Couldn’t Teach Me

Real pastors get honest about the joys and challenges of the first five years of pastoral ministry—and how they bridged the gap between seminary training and life in a local church.

How to Pray for Your Pastor’s Family

Jani Ortlund

Would you like to show your pastor your appreciation but are unsure what might be most helpful to him? More than any other gift you could give your pastor, he will treasure your prayers for his family.

5 Hats That a Lead Pastor Must Wear

Dave Harvey

If the quality of our elder plurality determines the health of our church, then we need to know which hats will best help us to cultivate solid teams. Here are five hats senior leaders should wear.

The Crisis Facing Our Pastors

Peter Orr

Of course, every Christian faces difficulty—Jesus called us to a life of carrying our crosses as we follow him. However, the challenges of those in pastoral ministry are often more acute.

5 Myths about Pastoral Leadership

We can, with true humility and firm confidence, call our people to repent when they are sinning, assure them of God’s care when they are hurting, promise them eternal riches when they are dying—all on the authority of God’s most precious word.

5 Myths about Liturgy

Jonathan Gibson

Given that liturgy concerns the order of worship elements in a church service, it’s not whether a church has a liturgy; it’s just which liturgy the church has.

5 Myths about Deacons

Matt Smethurst

Deacons are not the church’s spiritual council of directors, nor the executive board to whom the pastor-CEO answers. They are a cavalry of servants.

What Do Deacons Do?

Matt Smethurst

The way deacons are described in the New Testament and the way they operate is that they are exemplary servants who function on behalf of a congregation to assist the elders by doing at least three things.

The Lost Art of Catechesis

Catechesis is meant to be a robust witness to biblical faith and practice, a tool which in the hands of skilled practitioners to be used to instruct, form, and make mature disciples.

4 Ways to Prepare for Ministry

Brad Wheeler

Perhaps you’re looking for boxes to check, some way to easily measure your progress toward the pastorate. Now you’re left feeling a bit frustrated. So what now?

What All Healthy Churches Have in Common

Mark Dever

The most important things about a Christian church are always the things that make it a Christian church. The things that are unique about your church or mine can never be the most important things about it.

Pastors’ Wives: 5 Misconceptions

Lauren Chandler

Misconception #1 You have it all together. You’ve worked through all your issues. Sure, you may struggle, but not with anything major (whatever that may be). Oh, sister, may I encourage you? On this side …

Good Authority Submits

Jonathan Leeman

Jesus is king. Jesus obeys. How do we hold those two truths together? And what does it teach us about any authority we’ve been personally given?

The Imperfect Pastor

Zach Eswine shares his own story of loss and the stunning realization that true faithfulness is not synonymous with ministry success.

Pastor: Your Ministry Is a Mercy

John MacArthur

Paul’s deeply rooted understanding that his calling was a totally undeserved expression of God’s great mercy to him was itself one of the core convictions that kept him faithful to the end.

Raising Kids as a Pastor's Wife

Children are truly a gift—a reward from the Lord himself, and parenting is such a glorious privilege, but it's not easy.

10 Key Bible Verses on Elders

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach.

Help! I Need More of God

Jani Ortlund

Some people expect the pastor’s wife to have the most ideal and perfect relationship with God. What should we—women married to men in ministry—do to stay spiritually radiant?

9 Notable Quotes from Lead

Ministry leadership, at its core, is about a community of leaders practicing together the presence of the Lord.

An Excerpt from The Pastor's Wife

Gloria Furman

Introduction “There you are,” a woman whispered in my ear as she grabbed my elbow during a church gathering. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Startled, I braced myself. You never know what a statement …

Raising Kids as a Pastor’s Wife

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. —Psalm 127:3 It Ain’t All Roses Children are truly a gift—a reward from the Lord himself! Parenting is such a …

The Calling of a Pastor's Wife

Pastor's wife and blogger Jen Thorn talks about the unique calling of the pastor's wife to the church and her family.

Is Success a Friend or Foe? (by Dave Kraft)

Dave Kraft

Maybe, just maybe, we need to revisit our working definition of success to see how much of what we believe is truly biblical and not merely cultural, with a few verses added for “seasoning” here and there.

Church Exists to Advance the Gospel

Jonathan Leeman

We should prize conversion and spiritual growth over church structure. And the Great Commission should be uppermost in our minds, but should we pit church structure and conversion against one another?

The Duality of Your Calling

David Mathis

Why has there arisen this impulse in our day toward pastor-scholars and scholar-pastors? Why are so many in the younger generation reluctant to let the pastoral and scholarly roads diverge?

Ask a Pastor's Wife: Community

Gloria Furman responds to Annie who writes, "How do a pastor and his wife have transparent accountability in a small group setting?"

Video: The Prodigal Church

If you treat your church like a business, you will see other churches as competition. You'll worry about turf and market share.