The Homiletics Online Blog

How Pastors Can Celebrate Christmas While Managing Church Responsibilities

Working on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is common in many professions. But it’s a given for pastors, who lead and oversee worship services for church members and lots of visitors. With so many church tasks to prepare and manage, pastors might feel like their personal and family celebrations receive short shrift. Advent is a…

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Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving: How To Give Thanks Year-Round

Thanksgiving is one of America’s most cherished holidays. For most people, the observance means traveling, family time, turkey and stuffing, pumpkin pie, football, and naps. Gratitude usually fits in somewhere, but giving thanks is often relegated to a brief prayer or blessing before the meal — or gratitude that traffic wasn’t worse. Some churches and…

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Halloween Alternatives for Churches

Every autumn, churches and children’s ministry leaders begin conversations about Halloween and Christian alternatives to secular celebrations. While the broader culture eagerly participates in spooky festivities, pastors and Christian parents often wrestle with how to approach the season in ways that align with their faith. Halloween alternatives for churches let people have fun each fall…

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Election-Year Tips for Pastors

Conversations about candidates and political issues can get heated during an election year. But civic engagement can — and should — remain civil. This is especially true when God’s people gather to worship, study and discuss Bible-based living. Church leadership and Christian congregants will likely have differing views. Political disagreements might even arise. So, during…

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Back to Church: How to Kick Off a New Programming Year

As summer wraps up, churches and ministries are busy gearing up for a new programming year. The approaching fall season offers fresh opportunities to re-engage and re-energize church members. It’s an ideal time to welcome new people, recruit volunteers, conduct community outreach and strengthen the church body. Your congregation might already kick off fall with…

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Help Wanted: Navigating Staff Changes Within the Church

Staff departures are inevitable at any organization, including churches. The entire congregation is affected, whether a staffing upheaval is anticipated or unexpected. Pastors and church leaders need to manage HR considerations as well. By navigating staff changes with grace and transparency, ministers can maintain a stable, united and healthy church. What is the best way…

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Vacation bible school, summer camp, church members, church growth, attendance, student ministry, worship, kids, community, pastor, event, congregation, summertime

The long-awaited summer months bring warm days, family vacations and — unfortunately — waning church attendance. Is summertime church involvement an oxymoron? A Herculean challenge? It doesn’t have to be. Read on to discover a dozen hot tips for keeping church members engaged all summer long. A Look at Summertime Church Involvement Your church programs…

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Maintaining Our Lenten Sacrifices: Staying Committed for the Entire Season

The season of Lent is a significant and substantial part of the church liturgical year. For a month and a half, pastors ask parishioners to prepare for Easter by focusing on self-reflection, repentance, sacrifice, prayer, almsgiving and other faith practices. Maintaining our Lenten sacrifices requires long-haul devotion and perseverance. As with New Year’s resolutions, we…

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Disaster Planning Recovery Emergency Insurance Church

Disaster preparedness should be a crucial part of every church’s facility management plan. By prioritizing disaster planning and recovery now, your congregation won’t be caught off guard when a catastrophe hits. Emergency preparedness doesn’t mean your church body isn’t trusting God to meet its needs during times of crisis. Instead, disaster readiness is a form…

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Preaching Is Just the Beginning: More Roles for a Pastor to Master

If someone asks for your pastoral ministry job description, where would you begin? To some people, pastor is synonymous with preacher. But preaching to God’s people is usually just one part of the job you’ve been called to do. If you’re like most leaders of small and medium-sized churches in America, you probably wear a…

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