Articles for Pastors

Sermon illustrations are tricky. You try to be funny, but you’re corny. You try to be inspirational, but you’re cheesy. Sermon illustrations are the flavoring to the meat of the text. Without them, you’re bland.

Every believer must be a theologian. Many Christians might be surprised at this statement, but there are at least three primary reasons why this is true.

There are some things pastors never want to hear. Whether they come from a place of self-righteousness or just plain thoughtlessness, there are at least 10 things you should never say to your pastor.

As a leader, we are always one decision away from total failure. Or at least that’s the way I feel most of the time. But if any leader is to be successful, he/she must be willing to take some risks.

D.A. Carson has famously said, “All you have to do is live long enough, and you will suffer.” As you seek to shepherd your congregation, don’t wait until suffering comes.

Numerically, smaller churches dominate U.S. life. They should also be key parts of the mission.

The place we had excitedly moved to, where we purchased our first home, among whom we felt called to love, serve, and pour our lives into seemed to be rejecting us.

A friend asked me once to name the things I do as a leader because I have to, but don’t necessarily like to. He even had a term for it. He called it the “underbelly of leadership.”