In Preaching Articles: "Ministry Leadership"

The Secret Ingredient For Effective Ministry

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 17, 2025

What if there were a way to open the floodgates of heaven for other people? What if YOU could have this secret?

Scripture: John 5:9-16

Tags: Ministry, Humble, Humility, effective, humble heart, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 1

By Lance Witt on May 13, 2024

"There is nothing worse than trying to inspire people to be passionate about God when you have little or no passion yourself. There is nothing more empty feeling than trying to connect people to God when you feel disconnected from God."

Tags: soul care, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Growing in Faith, Christ's Love for Us, Healthy Ministry, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

5 Team-Killers In Church Leadership

By Matt Steen on Jul 9, 2020

Some behaviors are like cancer to a leadership team. Are any of them part of your team?

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16

Tags: Teamwork, team building, community, Community, unity  (view more)  (view less)

The Leadership Quality Nobody Talks About

By Lance Witt on Jan 4, 2022

Jesus did not come to cajole or manipulate people. He did not come to debate or lead by forceful personality. He never tried to gather a crowd or build an organization. He never marketed himself or developed his “brand”. Instead, he exemplified this quality that we all need.

Scripture: Matthew 12:19-20, Hebrews 5:2

Tags: Church leaders, Jesus' leadership

Reluctant Leadership Is Better Than Nothing

By Joe Mckeever on Jan 18, 2021

You ask the question and–this is critical–you remain standing. You are not just expressing a point of view, you are asking for answers. And you are doing so in such a sweet manner, no one can accuse you of trying to stir up anything.

Scripture: Romans 9:1-20

Tags: responsibility, Preaching, hurting people, servant leadership

5 Things You Should Never Say To A Small Church Pastor

By Karl Vaters on Oct 24, 2023

Don’t just get the content right. Consider how it might feel to the hurting pastors who need your help the most.

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, Leadership, leadership, advice, Small Church  (view more)  (view less)

Why Was I So Hard On That Church I Visited?

By Karl Vaters on Jul 2, 2022

How might a newcomer view your church? What barriers may they face? What obstacles could be unintentionally in the way of them connecting and finding a place to belong?

Tags: Leadership, leadership, Visitors, church ministry, Welcoming Others  (view more)  (view less)

10 Disciplines Of A Godly Pastor

By Dr. R. Kent Hughes on Jul 9, 2022

Our ultimate trust is always in God's persevering grace, nevertheless, we are called to cultivate godly action in our lives. Here are 10 disciplines shared by a pastor with over 40 years of experience in faithfully serving the Lord and shepherding God's people.

Tags: The Long View, Leadership, leadership, Accountability, pastoral leadership, Discipline, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, Perseverance, endurance  (view more)  (view less)

Being A Pastor: Blessing Or Burden? Part 2

By Lance Witt on May 1, 2024

None of us are exempt from the danger of cynicism and turning ministry into nothing more than a job.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:2-3, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Humility, leadership, Authenticity, Unselfish, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

When Pastors Misplace Their Identity: 10 Probing Questions

By Charles Stone on Sep 19, 2022

“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” ––Paul Tripp

Scripture: 1 Samuel 28:1

Tags: Ministry, identity, Identity in Christ, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, Right Priorities, self assement, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

5 Right And Wrong Ways To Deal With Criticism

By Ron Edmondson on Mar 21, 2025

Ron Edmondson offers insight about the good and bad ways we respond to ministry criticism.

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Criticism, Confidence, evaluation, Leadership General, criticism, Leadership, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Spiritual Disciplines Pastors Often Neglect

By Charles Stone on Nov 16, 2023

What spiritual disciplines might you be neglecting?

Tags: Spiritual Discipline, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, Leadership, leadership, Submission, confession, Solitude, Christian Disciplines, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Handling A Hurricane… Part 1

By Lance Witt on Nov 10, 2023

It is going to happen. Take it to the bank. You can count on it. Someone on your team or in your organization will have a disastrous moral failure. So how do your prepare?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:12

Tags: leadership, conflict management, Leadership, Pastoral Ministry, disasters, church ministry, Leadership Failure, Moral failure, Church Crisis  (view more)  (view less)

The Word Nobody Likes… Part 2

By Lance Witt on Dec 5, 2023

One of the reasons the word accountability gets a bad rap is because of the way some people have carried out accountability. Holding people accountable is not using your position as a club to embarrass, humiliate, mistreat, belittle or shame people. Our accountability of people should make those on our team better not bitter.

Scripture: Daniel 6:1

Tags: church ministry, Empowering Others, Effective Leadership, Leadership, leadership, relationships, Accountability, Performance, Feedback, Pastoral Ministry, Humility  (view more)  (view less)

3 Problems With Being Too Nice As A Leader

By Ron Edmondson on Jun 15, 2020

Are you too nice as a leader? Maybe it's time to put away the "nice hat," at least temporarily, to address the issues and problems impacting your ministry or leadership team.

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Leadership General, Leadership, preaching  (view more)  (view less)