Pastor How To's

Slower decisions are often better decisions. If you feel the tendency to make a quick decision, (especially in something high-stakes), do yourself a favor and embrace teamwork. Let the team you down.

A mistake I often see in a list of church core values: many of the items aren’t core values. It’s not that the items are evil or bad, the problem is their list of core values tells you almost nothing about who they are as a church.

Effective preaching is more than just about what you say. It’s also about how you say it, and not every preach knows how to deliver a sermon.

I’ve been peppered in recent weeks with questions about summer church services and how to address the summer slump in attendance. Here are some ideas:

A disapproving facial expression stirs up the flight-fight part of our brain and heightens anxiety, even more than an angry facial expression does. I’ve experienced those disapproving looks and have learnedabout coping with disapproval.

One wolf in a sheep pen can ravage the whole flock. The same is true in the church. One false teacher in the congregation can cause untold damage. An essential component of pastoral leadership is the call to protect the flock.

Summer Church Experiments - Rather than looking for the “perfect” strategy for your church, it’s better to consider your practices as a series of experiments with changes in the church and then watch the results.

When it comes time to officiate a wedding ceremony, don't be caught off guard. Here are all the things you need to know about how to perform a wedding ceremony.