Pastor How To's

A funeral service outline need not be complicated. While some families have particular elements they want included, many look to their pastor for the overall framework—as well as for comfort and support.

Endurance is a quality consistently found among great leaders. It is a sister to resilience, as the ability to “bounce back from a setback.” Endurance is the ability to just keep going regardless of the obstacles and pressure.

Everyone sees the problems with giving; here is a vision for some solutions.

Dr. Dwight Riddick's remark was “Operate the church like a business? Yes, but elevate that. Operate the church like the Bible says.  Good businesses get their ideas from the Bible. If the church does good Bible, it will do good business.” That's effective church administration.

The first Jewish rabbi to call God “Father” directly was Jesus of Nazareth. It was a radical departure from tradition, and in fact, in every recorded prayer we have from the lips of Jesus save one, He calls God “Father.”

Regardless how much time a pastor spends in sermon prep, a common question can be “why.” Why do you spend so much time in sermon prep?

Pastors are people, too, and pastors who become persons have no need of masks. They can reveal their scars without fear of judgment or hostility.

In preparing for a meeting among pastors, a friend of mine asked me to reflect on the meaning of friendship for a church leader. Friendship matters. "I work alone" might be OK in a movie, but it's a terrible idea in the ministry.