Articles for Pastors

Discipleship of Young Men, Otherwise Known as ‘Fight Club’

When it comes to discipleship of young men, your approach is everything. Preaching is the air assault; discipleship is the ground war. Pastors need to get in the trenches with their people and marshal the fight against sin.

How to Perform a Wedding Ceremony: The Pastor’s Complete Guide

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.

Why Christians Should Listen Carefully and Speak With Kindness

Unfortunately, many nonbelievers know only two kinds of Christians: those who speak the truth without grace and those who are very nice but never share the truth. What they need is a third type of Christian—one who, in a spirit of grace, loves them enough to humbly and speak with kindness the truth.

Crying as a Spiritual Discipline May Change How You See the World

I adopted crying as a daily spiritual practice, spending a few minutes of each day in tears. Intentional weeping would recalibrate my entire emotional baseline and kick off a decade of frequent tears that changed how I relate to other people.

Why the Evangelical Sexual Abuse Crisis Is the Spiritual Warfare of Our Time

I stepped into a crosswalk where, until just before it hit me, I didn’t see a bus coming. I still can’t unsee what I saw in that moment. I needed to go through the accident to understand what happens to victims of sexual abuse and how trauma works. I thought I had understood, but I did not.

Does the SBC Oppose Women Pastors — or Culture? A Surprising History

In 1967, Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, made history as the first Southern Baptist Church to ordain a woman—Addie Davis—to pastoral...

Cultivating Resilience in Pursuit of Racial Justice

Conversations about and calls for racial justice are everywhere today.Instead of tuning out, I’m trying to cultivate some resilience in my life and leadership.

COVID at Church: Is Church Attendance Linked to Higher Rates of Coronavirus?

COVID at church? The lockdowns to combat COVID-19 interrupted nearly every aspect of American life. One of the most controversial aspects was the closure of churches. But as an analyst of religious data, I believe evidence shows a correlation between attending church and the spread of COVID-19.