Today’s guest post comes to us from Brandon Cox for ChurchPlants.com. I’ve loved and grown through the writings of Don Whitney, Dallas Willard, R. Kent Hughes, Richard Foster and Chuck Swindoll, all of whom have written excellent books about the subject of spiritual disciplines. They all have different lists. I’ve looked them over many times, but ultimately arrived at my … Read More
My First Coaching Experience (Part 1)
I had never heard of pastor-to-pastor coaching before I started the church I still pastor. As a new church planter, I set out to raise funds and by God’s grace secured a large (for us) commitment from a mega church in Dallas. It came with one string attached: I had to meet with the Senior Pastor once a month for … Read More
Sunday Scripture: Be Diligent
“Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23 (NLT)
Broadus on the Seasons in Ministry
“There are seasons in the spiritual sphere – sowing seasons and reaping seasons, just as there are in farming. ‘Say not ye,’ said Jesus, ‘There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest?’ – that is to say, it was four months from that time till the harvest. They sowed their wheat in December; they began to reap it … Read More
Managing Your Time (Part 1 of 3)
Average pastors take a passive approach to time. They let urgent matters and other people’s agendas eat away hours rather than directing the current themselves. Outstanding pastors, on the other hand, choose to honor God by intentionally making the most of every hour and every day. What type of manager are you? The greatest ministries require the greatest time management. If … Read More
95% of Pastors are Untrained
Did you know that only 5% of all pastoral leaders presently in ministry have received training? This means that as many as 2 million pastors around the world are ministering without the training, skills, and relationships necessary to flourish in sustained ministry. Ramesh Richard emphasizes the pressing need for ‘building a global pipeline’ to care for pastors–for ultimately, pastoral health … Read More
Sunday Scripture: Biblical Qualifications for Church Leadership
“This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must … Read More
Follow Your Lord (Part 3 of 3)
In today’s conclusion of this three-part blog series, I’ll share why the tradition of putting others first has the potential to cause very real trouble. You have always been taught that the Christian thing to do is to put others before yourself. But while that expectation sounds pious in theory, it’s actually a recipe for disaster. In working with countless pastors and … Read More
Follow Your Lord (Part 2 of 3)
Last week in the first part of this three-part blog series, I challenged you to take a moment and evaluate your relationship with Jesus. Are you right on His heels, positioned to hear every word that comes out of His mouth? Or are you distracted? Too often, I hear stressed-out pastors complain that the demands of ministry keep them from following … Read More
Follow Your Lord (Part 1 of 3)
The first commitment of being a pastor is to follow your Lord — to make your communion with Him more important than anything else in your life. I can hear you pushing back already. You’re probably thinking, Come on, this is elementary. I’m a pastor. Of course I’m following the Lord. Let me challenge you to leave the surface level and … Read More