Category Archive

The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. When those inevitable stressors come, we can — and must — control how we respond to them. Often, our responses are more important than the actual conditions we are responding to. We have the power to make things better or worse, depending on how … Read More

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” — James 4:10 (NLT)

“Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it. One who always prays is ever giving praise, whether in ease or pain, both for prosperity and for the greatest adversity. He blesses God for all things, looks on them as coming from Him, and receives them for His sake- not choosing nor refusing, liking or disliking,anything, but only as it is … Read More

Today’s guest post comes to us from Chuck Lawless for ncbaptist.org. The Bible is clear about the state of non-believers before they respond to the gospel in repentance and faith. In fact, it often describes them in terms of spiritual conflict: They’re following the “prince of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-3). They’re living in the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13). They’re … Read More

I wanted to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for you, for the ministry that God has called you to, and for the opportunity to serve you and your church. Hopefully you’re preparing to spend a great day with family and friends. Kelley, Alexander (now 12 years old) and myself have some special plans and … Read More

When you stepped into the role of pastor, you immediately became a leader, whether you were prepared to be one or not. Not only are you responsible for guiding the day-to-day operations of your church and your staff toward the vision God has given you, but you are also charged with leading the sheep you’ve been given — no matter … Read More

The below excerpt is from my book The Renegade Pastor’s Guide to Managing the Stress of Ministry. Often, the one thing that separates average pastors from Renegade Pastors is the way they use their time. Use your time the way a Renegade Pastor should, and one of the added benefits will be less stress in your life. One reason that using … Read More

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor … Read More

“The church is God’s plan for making disciples and for winning a world.” – Dr. Win Arn, founder of the Institute For American Church Growth, director of Religious Education in Baptist and Congregational Churches, promoter of the Church Growth Movement, and film producer. June 26, 1923 – December 13, 2006    

Today’s guest post comes to us from Jennifer Stasak for Wycliffe.org. Sometimes I skip church. I bet you weren’t expecting that. You probably assumed I’d begin with a convicting Bible verse. Or maybe a disheartening statistic about how many millennials don’t attend church anymore. Instead, I want to start with a dose of honesty: Sometimes I don’t want to go to … Read More