In Preaching Articles: "Pastoral Leadership"

When God Stiff-Arms A Pastor

By Lance Witt on Jul 24, 2023

God delights to show His favor. He longs to pour out His Spirit. He is a God of lavish grace. But if you want to see God remove His favor and hold back His Spirit and shut off the spigot, just introduce pride. I have a growing awareness of how much pride has been and is in my life. It’s been a constant companion for more than fifty years. I am well acquainted with the dark side of leadership.

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8 Questions To Ask Before You Preach A Sermon

By Josh Reich on Oct 17, 2022

8 questions to ask as you prepare to preach your next sermon.

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Preaching Help, pastoral leadership, preaching the Word, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, preaching, teaching  (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: pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, soul care, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Growing in Faith, Christ's Love for Us, Healthy Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

The 25 Most Influential Preachers Of The Past 25 Years

By Michael Duduit on Jan 2, 2025

Preaching magazine editor Michael Duduit takes on the challenging task of naming the most important preachers from the recent past.

Tags: Church, leadership, Preaching, pastor, Influence, Circumstance, Pivotal, Leadership General, Pastor, Leadership, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

10 Suggestions For The Shepherd Of A Stagnant Flock

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 13, 2022

Non-growing churches are not healthy, at least in some significant ways. Joe McKeever gives his input to help revive a church that seems to have "plateaued."

Tags: Church, Growth, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Apathy, Fail, Leadership General, Pastor, Leadership, church  (view more)  (view less)

Weaving Gospel Fluency Into Every Sunday Message

By Jeff Vanderstelt on Nov 21, 2022

If we are going to grow people up into Christlikeness in every way, we need to learn how to speak the truths of Jesus Christ into everything.

Scripture: Luke 24:44-45

Tags: Teaching, pastoral leadership, defending the gospel, preaching Christ, guard the truth, Gospel centered, Teach His Word, church leadership, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Always Choose The High Road (There’s Less Traffic)

By Jonathan Herron on Dec 7, 2022

Jesus said his disciples would be known by their radical love for one-another, (John 15:12).

Scripture: John 15:12

Tags: honor, SALT AND LIGHT, Encourage Others, pastoral leadership, speak truth in love, Slow to speak, church leadership, Guard your tongue  (view more)  (view less)

Brokenness In A Pastor’s Life

By Charles Stone on Jun 29, 2023

As I enter the sixth decade of my life and reflect over the brokenness I’ve faced as a pastor, I’m beginning to see its great value. It still hurts and I’d prefer not to face it. Yet, I’m experiencing the fruit of brokenness: inner peace, joy, and a purpose that supersedes ‘ministry success.’

Scripture: John 12:24

Tags: Healing, Rejection, brokenness, success in ministry

The Overwhelming Majority Of Pastors Don’t Have One

By Lance Witt on Jul 26, 2023

The truth is those of us in ministry often don’t do the friendship thing very well. One survey among pastors found that 70 percent do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor. Henri Nouwen wrote, “Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships.” What an indictment.

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Remembering Why You Said Yes To Pastoring

By Chuck Warnock on Dec 16, 2022

There are times in a pastor's life when the clarity of our call fades, discouragement clouds our memory, and we wonder, "Why did I ever want to be a pastor?"

Tags: Church, Call, pastor, Pastors, Small Church, Church General, Leadership General, Pastor, church  (view more)  (view less)

Getting An Approachability Checkup

By Ken Sande on Mar 6, 2025

An expert in conflict management, Ken Sande brings his expertise to pastors and leaders to help them relate better with their congregation, co-workers, and families.

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11, Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 18:12-14, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, Mark 10:42-45  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church, Peace, leadership, pastor, conflict, relationships, counsel, Communication General, Leadership General, Pastor, Leadership, church  (view more)  (view less)

The Double-Edged Sword Of Ambition

By Lance Witt on Jul 10, 2024

Ambition is a blessing and a curse. When it is God-directed and Spirit-managed, it can bear tremendous fruit. But when it is hijacked by self and ego, it can leave a wake of destruction in its path.

Tags: Faithfulness, motivation, Ambition, Rest in Christ, pastoral leadership, personal holiness, entering God's rest, ministry vision  (view more)  (view less)

How To Be Thankful As A Leader

By Josh Reich on Jul 10, 2023

Most of the time on blogs like mine or other leadership and ministry blogs you read about how tough ministry is, how difficult people can be and how hard it is to be a leader. All those things are true.

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 103:1-5

Tags: Marriage, Thankfulness, gratitude, Pastors

John Piper: Guidelines For Making Tough Leadership Decisions

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 25, 2025

The truth is not enough. We need wisdom, prayer and excellence.

Tags: propose, e, Leadership, Decision, leadership, meditate, john piper  (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: church, Ministry, Church, bivocational, leverage, mobile, ministry  (view more)  (view less)