Preaching Through the Dog Days of Winter
Tips for preaching through the Dog Days of Winter
How to Talk to Your Church About Giving
3 Tips to talking about giving to your church
The 2021 Pastoral and Ministerial Crisis
I think that there is unanimous agreement that 2020 was a difficult year. We experienced new and challenging issues regarding how we conducted corporate worship and navigating varying opinions in our congregations about the pandemic. Some dealt with decreased giving. Most of us have wondered what will happen when this pandemic is behind us.
However, 2020 wasn’t just about COVID-19.
A Simple Way to Tell Visitors About Your Worship Service
A simple way to tell visitors about your worship service
Is Your Church Social Media Page a Dirty Parking Lot?
No church that I am aware of, would allow their grounds to become unkempt. Every church property that I have ever seen at least keeps their grass cut.
Why is that?
In part, of course, the keeping up of church property is good stewardship of the thing that God has given them. The property has been given to the church, and caring for it is an act of faithfulness, love, and worship.
Additionaly, the church cares for its property because neglecting it would dissuade members and guests alike from worshiping and visiting.
A neglected church social media page is much the same.
Websites are Still Important to Churches
Websites are still important to churches
The Church and Post-Inauguration Social Media Response
The Church and Post-Inauguration Social Media Response
A Prayer on the Inauguration
A Prayer at the Inauguration of Joe Biden
Who is in Office Doesn’t Affect the Mission of the Church
The president doesn’t affect the Great Commission
When Your Church Plant Closes
Is the end of a thing really better than the beginning?
The Pastor’s Job Description is Chief Vermin Catcher
The pastor’s job description included turning the AC off and on and even catching vermin.
Why Churches Don’t Use Instagram
The surprising reason churches don’t use Instagram
Samples of Our Reformed Social Media Subscription
Reformed social media saves time and honors God
The Pastor and His Wife Pay People to Be Their Friends
Ministry can be lonely. Paying for a coach may be the only way to find outside wisdom and encouragement.
I Swore I Would Never Go Into Ministry…Now What?
I started in ministry reluctantly. In fact, my wife and I swore that we would never go into ministry at all.
Both of our fathers were ministers, and their ministries ended painfully. Additionally, we didn’t want to put any of our children through the stresses of ministry life that we had endured.
As you can imagine, swearing off ministry was just a pathway to repentance and learning to trust God further. Three years after our “vow”, I was in seminary, one year later, I became a ruling elder, and soon after, I was planting my first church.
Pastor, Gift Yourself or Your Pastor Buddies Coaching This Christmas
For pastors, the Advent season is about giving, and giving, and giving. Understandably, that is the nature of the job.
But as you approach 2021, you may be tired and in need of encouragement. Before you get too tired or even burned out, Church Training Partners encourages you to give yourself, or another pastor, the gift of coaching.
Pastors Who Have Coaches Get The Support and Guidance They Need
I have been blessed with some amazing coaches and mentors. In fact, I would say my life has been marked by them.
My father was, of course, my first mentor and coach.
My InterVarsity Staff worker taught me so much in college.
My wife’s father took me under his wing.
A man named Terry Traylor mentored me, teaching me to take great leaps of faith.
And now, I have a mentor specifically for my business.
Along the way, I have paid for dozens of coaching programs, and I read and listen to as much as I can.
Handling the Pressure of a Christmas Advent Sermon Series
I don’t know about you, but I always have a hard time preaching a Christmas/Advent series. There are not a great number of passages, and the stories feel so familiar. I wondered, “What new is there to say?”
In speaking with pastors, they have expressed similar struggles. Some pastors just skip an advent series all together and just keep with their ongoing series. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but some congregations really want that Christmas series. So, what to do?
The advice I received as I worked through these struggles, and the advice we give when coaching pastors, is simple:
Pastoral Ministry Retirement Coaching
Retirement might be stepping down from pulpit ministry for good or it might be a transition into some other form of ministry apart from pastoring a church. Whether that retirement comes 10, 20, or even 30 years into their career, a lack of conversation is a disservice to pastors and their families. As a result, many ministers have to make a go of retirement planning on their own.
I Didn’t Plant the Church I Thought I Was Planting - Thank God
I didn’t plant the church that I thought I was going to plant. Oh, I pastor a church full of wonderful and Godly people, but we are not who I thought we would be, and my peace with that has made all the difference.