In Preaching Articles: "Ministry Skills"

What You Absolutely Need To Let Your Guest Preacher Know

By Rev. Stuart Strachan Jr. on Sep 17, 2024

What are the most important things you need to let your guest preacher know before you head out of town?

Tags: ministry, preaching, Ministry, Preaching, practical advice, guest preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Tips For Leading The Commuter Generation

By Rick Ezell on Apr 7, 2020

Following Jesus can never be done in a hurry. It is not a hundred yard dash. If we want to follow someone, we can’t go faster than the one who is leading.

Scripture: Philippians 4:6

Tags: Ministry, Outreach, Preaching

The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did As A Pastor

By Charles Stone on Oct 17, 2024

What's the dumbest mistake you've every made as a pastor?

Tags: mistakes, Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Transition: Setting Your Church Up For Ministry Success After You're Gone

By Karl Vaters on Oct 19, 2023

Following a long-term, successful pastorate is one of the hardest callings in ministry. Every pastor should do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for the next pastor and the church to do great ministry after we leave.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Pastoral Transition, Decentralize, Leadership, leadership, servant leadership  (view more)  (view less)

7 Things Preachers Never Say

By Peter Mead on May 6, 2024

Preachers speak, but we don’t talk about everything. If you are a preacher you may read this series and find some encouragement that you are not alone. If you know a preacher you may read this and find some understanding that you did not have before.

Tags: church leadership, Ministry Pressure, Stress, Overwhelmed, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, expectations, stress  (view more)  (view less)

You Can’t Force Teamwork

By Lance Witt on Jul 4, 2024

"When your car is aligned, it runs more efficiently, creates less wear and tear, and operates more smoothly. The same is true in creating alignment and teamwork within our ministries. It takes intentionality; you never drift into alignment. People with skill know how to get down inside the organization and align its systems and structures to increase effectiveness, minimize wasted effort, and achieve greater health."

Tags: Communication, Effective Teams, Leadership, communication, leadership, strategy, Teamwork, Alignment, pastoral leadership, servant leadership  (view more)  (view less)

When Pastors Misplace Their Identity: 10 Probing Questions

By Charles Stone on Sep 18, 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)

Those Frustrating Times With Church Members

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 13, 2023

"Any pastor can tell you about it. Even when you do your best to serve God by ministering to His people, some church members are not going to forgive you. You didn’t do it their way, weren’t there when they called, didn’t jump at their bark." So how do you handle these kinds of situations?

Tags: Love like Christ, pastoral leadership, church membership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, ministry struggles, Difficult People, conflict  (view more)  (view less)

Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better: 3 Reasons I'm Convinced God Most Often Builds His Church Small

By Chris Surber on Jun 30, 2025

God uses big churches for certain Kingdom jobs, and God uses little churches for specific assignments.

Scripture: Matthew 18:20-21

Tags: ministry, Ministry, Community, Kingdom, Small Church, big versus small, community  (view more)  (view less)

Death To Dancing Bears

By Lance Witt on May 30, 2022

“Sometimes as a worship pastor,” he said, “I feel like a dancing bear. It’s my job to get up and perform for the crowd, and as long as the performance is good, everyone is happy. Except me. Something is missing and I don’t know what to do.”

Tags: Ministry, burnout, pastoral leadership, Lost Focus, People Over Programs, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Are You A Well-Defined Leader?

By John Holm on Jul 18, 2021

"I've rarely coached someone who decided that more knowledge or more skill would help them become a successful leader. Instead, what they needed to learn was more about themselves."

Tags: Leader, Character, define, Leadership General

Being A Pastor: Blessing Or Burden? Part 1

By Lance Witt on Apr 28, 2024

How do you not let the burden of ministry not rob you of the blessing of ministry?

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-3, Exodus 28:29, Philippians 1:7

Tags: Humility, Stewardship, Shepherd, Organize, Jesus' church  (view more)  (view less)

Shepherd God’s Flock: Our Job As Pastors

By Chris Pascarella on Sep 19, 2022

As pastors, we’re called to shepherd the flock (1 Peter 5:2). In fact, God holds us accountable for our shepherding (Hebrews 13:17). But what does it look like to shepherd?

Scripture: Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 5:2

Tags: Eldership, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, shepherding, Shepherding, Shepherd, strategy  (view more)  (view less)

What A Seminary Degree Will Not Do

By Joe Mckeever on Nov 21, 2023

“I have all this education and training. Why won’t churches call me as pastor?”

Tags: Angry with God, education, Seminary, Christian Education, calling, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, training  (view more)  (view less)

7 Things Preachers Never Say – Pt.2

By Peter Mead on May 7, 2024

This series looks at seven things preachers never say. Last time we thought about the burden of expectation. How about this for another: The negative outcomes of both criticism and apathy.

Tags: church ministry, Negative Response, Backbiting, criticism, Criticism, Apathy, Gossip, slander, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)