By Hector Candelaria

Carrying the load as the lead guy was beginning to take a toll on me but for the wrong reasons. Thank God I did not have any external pressures to try to make the church grow. No one was forcing me to produce something only God could do in the salvation of sinners. Although, I began to place undue pressure on myself, and this began to create a sensation of dissatisfaction in my life.  

By Brian Croft

It is helpful for pastors to look back and recall the impact of the people who personally invested in them, who spoke God’s word to them and taught them about ministry.

By Brian Croft

Pastors and aspiring pastors, a church not having folks your age in the church generally should not be a deal breaker. In fact, you and your faithful energetic ministry may be exactly what God uses to turn the church around. But, make no mistake, it is hard, hard work.

A simple and straightforward answer to this question…yes. There are no caveats and no disclaimers. Just, yes. Take a day off each week. Here are a few reasons I feel so strongly about this.

You may begin reading this post with the idea that I will suggest how many weeks of vacation you should be given by your church, or how much you should advocate to give your pastor. Instead, I intend to answer this question a bit differently. My concern is not about how much vacation time a pastor is given, but how he uses (or doesn’t use) what he is given. In light of this being a common time where vacation time is used, I thought this post would be well-timed for many of you.

It is safe to say the Reformers never had to tackle this question. However, it is certainly one we face now and has important implications to the fruitfulness of a pastor’s ministry today. As this question has forced its way on the scene as a result of our growing technological advances, so have strong opinions on this matter. Many of these opinions are nothing more than preferences.

I have had the honor of knowing an amazing lady in my church. Tillie Roberts, affectionately known to most of us as “Ms. Tillie,” was 106 years old when she died, just 3 month shy of her 107th birthday. Although she died a few years ago, I am often reminded of what an amazing lady she was and what the Lord had graciously taught me through her life and example. Here are a few of those lessons learned.

How does a pastor deal with not just the mud that is now on his face, but the one who threw the mud?

Here are 10 qualities I look for that I feel are not necessarily deal breakers, but nonetheless, are very important for pastoral ministry and fall within the framework of the fruit of the spirit in a Christian’s life:

Dear brothers, if you find yourself discouraged, angry, wondering why some of your people do and say what they do and you can’t take it any more…do not forget the debt to mercy you owe. It is a debt greater than you and I could ever payback. It is a debt that should weigh heavier on our joyful hearts than the most difficult person in our church.

God calls pastors not to be superman, but to be faithful. As pastors seek to be faithful every day in their ministries, God’s sovereign will is being accomplished. Why is that not enough? Because a pastor brings with him to his church his own brokenness, personal struggles, and unhealed scars deep in his soul where God’s grace in the gospel has yet to affect. Pastors struggle to find their true and full identity in Christ and when pastors fail to show up secure in Christ, they show up in these false ways

There is no easy remedy, medication, or quick fix that can prevent the preaching “hangover”.  There are, however, several practical efforts I make every Monday that are tremendously helpful to fight through the fog. Here are 5 suggestions for your consideration.

Based on the emails, notes, and phone calls I continue to get, trust me…your pastor needs encouragement.  He needs to know that what he does week in and week out means something to God as well as those for whom he labors.