In Preaching Articles: "Courage In Ministry"

The Pastor’s Wife’s Greatest Ministry

By Joe Mckeever on Nov 9, 2022

"A pastor’s wife’s greatest ministry is to her husband first, and her children second."

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:5, Luke 14:14

Tags: Support, Godly Women, Godly Wife, admonish one another, Wife's Role, pastor's wife, Encouraging Wife, Speak the Truth  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ways To Bust Leadership Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Sep 28, 2022

"Discouragement is a universal experience for ministry leaders and the word actually self-defines itself…dis-courage meaning no courage. Some of the Bible’s greatest characters faced it: Moses, David, Paul, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the apostles. Nehemiah, the great Old Testament leader faced it when he led the Jews to rebuild the wall. Yet, his response offers us hope when we face it."

Scripture: Psalm 77:11, Nehemiah 4:10-21

Tags: Nehemiah, leadership, Discouragement, thought life, pastoral leadership, Blessings, Burdens, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Ed Stetzer: Do Pastors Really Hate The Ministry?

By Ed Stetzer on Mar 27, 2025

Ed Stetzer shares insights from a new study that reveals what pastors really think about the ministry.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Change Your Ministry: Ten Books, Ten Months

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 25, 2025

The well-rounded preacher draws from multiple sources. How wide is your reading?

Tags: Ministry, inspiration, book, writer, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Is Modern Church Leadership Tilting Toward Bivocational Ministry?

By Hugh Halter on Feb 12, 2024

"The goal of our existence is to learn how to leverage everything God has given us."

Scripture: John 21:15-17, John 21:15-22

Tags: Ministry, Church, bivocational, leverage, mobile, ministry, church  (view more)  (view less)

Should I Leave My Current Ministry Position?

By Josh Reich on Feb 25, 2021

Too many pastors work at churches they would not attend if they didn’t get paid to be there. Think about this: If you work at a church, would you attend it if you didn’t get paid to be there?

Tags: Job, Preaching

9 Bad Habits That Limit A Church's Ministry Capacity

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 14, 2024

It’s not about church growth. Or working harder. It’s about doing smarter ministry with our church’s current resources.

Tags: Lay Leadership, hindrances to prayer, ministry vision, Capacity, capacity  (view more)  (view less)

Eight Indicators That Pastors Are Expected To Do Most Of The Ministry

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 21, 2021

Contrary to most of the indicators today, the Bible says the laity (saints) are to do the work of ministry. Most of the ministry should not be in the hands of pastors, but in the hands of the church members. Unfortunately, we often reverse the biblical truth. We expect ministry to be done by the pastors and staff. Here are eight indicators of that reality.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Laity, Church Health, attacking the pastor, High expectations

One Question You Must Never Ask In Ministry

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 7, 2023

Disciples of Jesus Christ must never try to calculate the cost/benefit of some act of ministry.

Scripture: Colossians 3:23-24, Luke 18:8, Ecclesiastes 11:6

Tags: Faithfulness, Leadership General, questions, measuring success

Passion, Prayer, And Planning Ministry: Building The Nehemiah Way

By Todd Brown on Mar 11, 2022

Working with hundreds of churches over the last 35 years, I have observed three common elements of successful building programs and all three are characteristics displayed by quality leaders.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:13

Tags: Nehemiah, Prayer, strategy, Church Building

5 Ways Ministry Leaders Start The Journey To Failure

By Ron Edmondson on Aug 1, 2022

One of the hardest things I do in ministry is interact with those who are no longer in ministry, but wish they were. They’ve been derailed. They messed up and either they got caught or the guilt got the best of them and they confessed. Watching this process over the years there appear to be some common reasons failure occurs. It doesn’t start at the failure. It starts months – and, perhaps years – prior. My hope is if we expose some of them we can catch a few people before it is too late.

Tags: leadership, pastoral leadership, avoiding trouble, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Leadership Failure, Exposing Blindspots, e, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Best Way To Avoid Ministry Burnout That You Keep Forgetting

By Eric Bryant on Aug 5, 2024

Eric Bryant reminds leaders of a familiar story that holds a secret for avoiding ministry burnout.

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-27

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Digging Deep: How Do You Define The Ministry Of The Word?

By Peter Mead on Jul 4, 2025

"The ministry of the word is stewarding and heralding God's word in such a way that people encounter God through his word."

Scripture: Psalm 37:4-5

Tags: Ministry, Preaching, God's Word, blackaby, ministry, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Strong Helps On Staying Married While Staying In Ministry

By Bob Hostetler on Jan 8, 2020

Pastor Bob Hostetler hasn't just survived the challenges that come with being married while in ministry; he lists his marriage as a major ministry success. How does that happen?

Tags: Ministry, Marriage

11 Reasons To Protect Your Spirit From The Demands Of Ministry

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 8, 2021

Pastoral ministry can be hazardous to our spiritual health. But it doesn’t need to be.

Tags: Preaching