Articles for Pastors

We need to look closely at why some church leaders abuse people, and take every necessary action to stop the abuse, see to healing of the abused, aim for restoration and discipleship of the leader, and be proactive in preventing any opportunity for abuse to occur in the church by its leaders.

The truth is, we are responsible for leading, and the nature of effective leadership is not a safe proposition. Leadership takes new territory; it moves us into the unknown. Playing it safe doesn’t work.

The problem with all this judging others is that it distracts us from Jesus and what he’s done for us on the cross. Jesus himself is enough, Francis Chan argues. "Don’t tell me I need Jesus plus something else."

Spiritual abuse works both ways: congregations can abuse pastors and pastors can abuse congregations and congregants. Make it more complex: congregants can abuse one another.

7 Attributes that Demonstrate the Real Strength of a Leader

No pastor is perfect, but good pastors lose their jobs every day. And it hurts. I’ve experienced it, too. So just for fun (and maybe a little therapy), here are seven reasons Jesus might be fired from a church today.

What is my aim in preaching? My good friend Ed Stetzer asked me that recently and it caused me to jot down some of my thoughts.

Fear is contagious, but so is gospel courage. Choose the courage Paul showed when he confronted Peter, Barnabas, and others because “they were not following the truth of the gospel message.”