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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…
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…
When the pandemic temporarily halted in-person worship services, churches turned to the internet for a handy substitute. Virtual gatherings were a blessing for congregations that already had livestreaming in place or could quickly access and master the technology. Worshiping together online provided comfort and unity during a challenging time for church members and leaders. But…
Having a church security and safety plan is no longer optional. Whether you lead a megachurch in the city or a small congregation in a rural area, you must be prepared for a wide range of emergency situations. The scourge of mass shootings in the United States is certainly a key reason to bulk up…
Recent headlines about ChatGPT may have you wondering about using artificial intelligence (AI) to write sermons — or at least to conduct sermon research. In fact, some people are promoting AI as a time-saving tool for overworked church leaders. Most pastors can relate to being short on sermon-prep time, or lacking ideas for yet another…
The original telephone was a large wooden box, often in a walnut finish, that hung on the wall. When it rang, you had to get up, go to it, and speak into a microphone mounted on the box. In 1919, the “candlestick” tabletop model was introduced. In the 1920s, the black desktop device with a…
The season for pastoral moves in some denominations is right around the corner. While you’re packing boxes, painting walls, grousing about mortgage rates, and threatening to fire your realtor, you’re also looking forward to a new church where the people will certainly be nicer, the building is new and problem-free, and the worship is more…
As preachers, we spend most of our time trafficking in words. We’re constantly thinking about the words we’re going to speak to a congregation each week, which also means studying the Word of God in the words of the Scriptures. Then we deliver those words and receive the words of encouragement (or rebuke) from the…
’Tis the season to be … what? Grateful? Jolly? Joyful? For many, it’s the season to be depressed. Yes, we’d all like to feel thankful sitting down to a Thanksgiving dinner with loved ones or celebrating the joy of the Nativity, but the sad fact is that the holiday season can be a time of…
You’ve just finished writing an epic sermon that is sure to cause your congregation to be overwhelmed by the Spirit. They’ll marvel at your stunning command of biblical exegesis and the brilliance of your powerful illustrations. This one is definitely a home run — a grand slam, even. Problem is that your finished draft is…
