7 Tips for Navigating Criticism as a Pastor
Receiving criticism is part of pastoral ministry. Expect it and be ready to learn from it so that you can grow in your walk with the Lord and in your service of the saints.
Articles on Church Ministry
562 results found
Every church, practically and functionally, has to come down on a position. You’re either going to install women into the office of deacon—or not.
Read Scripture, explain the gospel, and celebrate Jesus’s resurrection with the youth in your church or your own children through Scripture-based crafts.
Podcast: Is the Church Facing a Discipleship Crisis? (Ajith Fernando)
Has the church neglected one-on-one discipleship? Why should an emphasis on this kind of intensive discipleship be recaptured today?
The Character of the Christian Minister
Christian ministers must be vigilant, prepared to endure.
Podcast: What It Takes to Persevere as a Pastor (John MacArthur)
Seasoned pastor, John MacArthur, reflects on what it takes for a pastor to persevere through the challenges of a long and faithful ministry.
Love for the church ought to be a fundamental characteristic of our lives. You have a people. They are your local church. And our love ought to mirror God’s love in three important ways.
An Interview with Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Thomas R. Schreiner
This is an interview with Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner, co-editors of Women in the Church: An Interpretation and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 (3rd edition).
Podcast: God’s Sovereignty, Pastoral Burnout, and Racism (John Piper)
John Piper discusses God's sovereignty, pastoral burnout, and the sin of racism.
How to Train Your Youth Group for Real Ministry
The first priority for students is increasing their ability to competently read, study, understand, and apply the Word of God.
The 2 Characteristics of Revival
By divine command, we must pray for the reinvigorating of God’s people—morning and evening, today and tomorrow, this year and next year, and in all the years until Christ’s return.
The Most Important Part of Youth Ministry
What attracts people to ministry to youth? Why are they in this field?
The Danger of Neglecting Lament in the Local Church
Lament is a rich but untapped reservoir of God’s grace, and there is a danger in neglecting lament in the church.
What is a creed and why is it important for the Church? Learn the basics from the answers to seven questions from To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism.
Podcast: Are We Undervaluing the Lord’s Supper? (Tim Chester)
Do evangelical churches undervalue communion? What's the significance of the fact that Jesus gave us the physical elements of bread and wine?
If the Good News Is So Good, Why Aren’t People Flocking to It?
Perhaps the most perplexing response we encounter in evangelism is not so much anger but apathy. This reaction may frustrate the evangelist, but it should provoke our compassion.
4 Things Jesus Taught about Children’s Ministry
Jesus told his glory-seeking disciples to become like children, to welcome kids, to protect them, and to value them as a kingdom priority.
Essential Tools to Learn in Seminary
Learning the biblical languages is not just stocking a bookshelf. It’s more like digging a well that you can then draw from over time.
2 Dangers In Doing the Lord’s Work
Doing the Lord’s work in our own way is betrayal. It is a stab in the Lord’s back.
Every elder is a pastor. The New Testament uses three terms that are all distinct, but they all describe the same office.
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.
Dear Pastor . . . You Need the Monday Gospel
Monday is the preacher’s dog day. Ask any of us. In the cold light of day we see just how far short we fell from what we wanted and hoped for.
Should All Believers Take Part in Evangelism?
Simply by being a member of the church of Jesus Christ each Christian has a responsibility to be involved in the missionary call of the whole church.
An Open Letter to the Pastor Doubting His Calling
A pastor may hear the still, small, devilish voice of inner doubt: Maybe I’m not really called to pastoral ministry.
Each myth of missions, if left uncorrected, will likely tend toward a weakening of biblical missionary labor and a reliance on our own wisdom and methods.
How to Worship in a Way That Speaks to Unbelievers
Though we don't want to cater only to the unbelievers in our congregations, we need to be aware of certain things we can do to help them encounter Jesus in a way they can understand.
Dear Pastor . . . No, You Are Not a Failure
Our present failures make us long for future heaven, to hasten the day when the pain of failure and the torture of disappointment will be gone forever.
Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Leland Ryken
Parables feature what the whole of the New Testament covers: gospel need, gospel proclamation, gospel response, and gospel ethics. In your preaching, follow Jesus’s pattern.
How to Avoid Both Graceless Parenting and Overly Spiritual Ministry
The biblical storyline is a four-fold storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation, but I think oftentimes both for ministers and for parents, we don't think about it holistically.
Can We Have Jesus without the Church?
Being in fellowship with a church is integral to participating as a part of the body of Christ.