By: Thom Rainer I was serving a church in St. Petersburg, Florida, when it hit me hard. One of my young children had playfully fallen on the floor in the foyer after a worship service. A deacon in the church came up to me and spoke forcefully: “You need to tell your kid to get […]
By Thom Rainer There are certain metrics and issues physicians check when we go to the doctor. They want to check our blood pressure and temperature. They do blood tests to see if there are any warning signs. They are looking for symptoms that might indicate real problems exist. After working with churches for thirty […]
You Will Give Account for Their Souls By Brian Croft 2-24-16 One of the most significant implications from Hebrews 13:17 (giving account for souls) I learned early in ministry was that I don’t have the right to dislike and refuse to care for someone’s soul that God has entrusted to me. This is important to realize as pastors because we all […]
By Karl Vaters 02-27-16 When it comes to small groups, what works for big churches may not work for small churches. Small group ministry is a must for a healthy church. We need the fellowship, the accountability and so much more. But what if you can’t get small groups going strong in your small church, no matter […]
The Lifeway Survey that produced these findings focused primarily on why pastors left: change in calling, conflict, and burnout. These big three, plus others, identify where local churches, conferences and denominations need to work to improve the retention rates among pastors. – Pastor Frank By Lisa Cannon Green No sabbatical. No help with counseling. No clear picture […]
By: Frank G. Tunstall “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding” (John 2:1-2). The best decision this couple ever made was to invite Jesus to their wedding! The finest decision any couple getting married can […]
[Editor’s note: I have deleted from this article the stats, since they are covered in Josh McDowell’s research.] By: Mark Haviland Our families are under full-blown assault and our children are becoming the greatest casualties! This is such a large and complex subject to cover and we will only scratch the surface within this article, […]
A COMPREHENSIVE, GROUNDBREAKING NEW SURVEY ON AMERICANS, THE CHURCH, AND PORNOGRAPHY: Impact of Internet Pornography on American Population and the Church BY: Josh McDowell Ministries which commissioned the Barna Group to do this study (New York, NY – January 19, 2015). In the most comprehensive, ground-breaking, in-depth and wide-ranging study to date on pornography among the […]
Even when my wife was unfaithful, I continued to experience the faithful love of God. By: Craig Keener / January 15, 2016 Most people know me as a New Testament scholar. To keep my reading of Scripture balanced, however, I do most of my devotions from the Old Testament. Indeed, I have encountered God especially […]
By: Gordon McDonald Marathon runners speak of “hitting the wall,” a moment in a race when the body appears to have exhausted all of its energy and pleads to quit. I borrow this phrase when I recall a life-altering experience I had one Saturday morning in my fourth year as a pastor. For me, hitting […]