Today’s guest post comes to us from Barna.com. Being called to ministry, as Terry Linhart explains, is “a journey of confirmation with others, with circumstances and with opportunities.” For The State of Pastors report, produced in partnership with Pepperdine University, Barna examined individual perceptions of a sense of calling—and, for the most part, pastors remain very assured in their chosen … Read More
Sunday Scripture: The Pastor’s Role
“And I will give you leaders after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.” – Jeremiah 3:15 (NLT)
A.C. Dixon, former Pastor of Moody Church, on Preaching for Revival
“Without the preaching of the doctrine of the Atonement and individual conversion, there never was and never can be a revival worthy of the name.” – A.C. Dixon, Baptist pastor, Bible expositor, and evangelist
Freebie Friday – NEW Preaching E-book
Preaching is one of the most important parts of what pastors do – every Sunday, we have an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and help people work through the complexities of life in a Godly, biblical way. Because of that – there’s been a lot said on and about preaching. And to help you, I wanted to compile 20 of … Read More
Present Your Body to God (Thursdays are for Health)
“Have your feet taken you anywhere you shouldn’t be going? Have your eyes been looking at anything they shouldn’t be seeing? Have you been putting food in your mouth that harms your temple? Spend some time with God and ask him to help you do a bit of hard self-examination. Tell him you want to be a living and holy … Read More
Preaching Best Practice: The Message Run-Through (Part 1 of 2)
One of my mantras has become, “Never preach a message once.” And preaching it in multiple services during the same weekend doesn’t count. Your first service is not your trial run. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your preaching, you absolutely must develop the habit of doing a weekly message run-through — that is, the habit of preaching … Read More
Why Educated Christians Are Sticking With Church
Today’s guest post comes to us from Emma Green for TheAtlantic.com. The idea is peppered through the writings of scholars, great thinkers, and New Atheist-types: Education is the cure for religion. Freud wrote that civilization “has little to fear from educated people and brain-workers” who have rejected religion. And “if religious instruction were not allowed until the child had attained … Read More
Sunday Scripture: Equipping Others
“He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT)
C.H. Spurgeon on Soul Seekers
“Winners of souls will be weepers of souls.” – C.H. Spurgeon, the great 17th-century pastor and evangelist
Keys to Worship Planning: Power of Evaluation
“No service is finished until the pastor and worship pastor have evaluated it. Evaluating each service is key to keeping this relationship actively engaged. It is also the best way to make sure every weekend is better than the last.” – Nelson Searcy and Jason Hatley The above quote is from p. 146 … Read More