Articles for Pastors

Based on my observation of teams with different leaders, here are six ways the team reflects the leader

Religious traditions aren’t all bad. It’s important, even necessary, to respect our past. But religious traditions can go wrong. The biggest danger is this: Our traditions are always at risk of having lost the thread of the grace of God.

“I wish my husband was more like you.” -- This is the most dangerous sentence I have heard (in one form or another) multiple times throughout my ministry.

The simple truth is that we don’t like to talk about God’s wrath. It makes us moderately uncomfortable. We prefer to talk about how God is loving, kind, and merciful, all of which are gloriously true. The wrath of God is just as glorious as his love and mercy.

Unlearning false narratives when they’re discovered is important, especially for leaders.

So, what’s wrong with preparing sermons alone? If almost everyone does it this way, how could it be so bad?

Among these questions for church leaders the longest list will be the second one – what needs tweaking. The shortest will be the third – what needs killing.

it's clear to me that one of the most prevalent afflictions might be termed a church's culture of complacency. Complacency in the church is a plague.