Church splits are very unfortunate and painful experiences anytime they happen, but what made this split that much more tragic was the reason for the split. What do you do if you feel the Lord calling you to unite those two churches to become one? Should this be done? Brian Croft writes his thoughts on this topic.

Pastors, as you prepare to preach God’s word and feed the souls of your people this week, make sure that word you study has changed you. Make sure it is a part of you and that you truly believe what you are preparing to preach so that you are able to preach with an earnestness that only comes from someone who has met with God and experienced his help.

In the last post, I discussed how a pastor can be certain he is regularly shepherding everyone in his church. In it I explained a system to pray and contact every member of the church in one month. This is based on the shepherding efforts of a smaller church, so naturally I can anticipate the question, “That’s great, but what about those who pastor at a larger church?” This post is for you.

Though we are shepherds who will give an account for each soul in our care (Heb. 13:17), we all still have this tendency to gravitate to those we either love to be with the most or who make the most racket, thus demanding our attention. Because of this, there are church members who unintentionally slip through the cracks. In seeing this in the early years of my ministry, I came up with this system that has become a very effective way to care for our folks and to cut down on unnecessary and unintentional neglect.

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

Grief is a good thing and all who have experienced this kind of loss needs to grieve.  However, how do you help a 5-year-old girl experience grief that is good and helpful?

This might surprise you, but one of the most dangerous times for a pastor are the hours following his Sunday sermon. You step down from the pulpit still wired and juices flowing as you greet those leaving from the service.  Then, like after a good jog, you begin to calm down, your body starts to return to “I’m not preaching mode” which then brings a temporary, but real emotional let down with it.

Pastors, in our best efforts we cannot prevent the relational struggles, difficulties, and frustrations that come with caring for God's people.  They are broken and so are we.  But if their understanding of our love and commitment never wavers, I consider that a win.

As I have watched our church through the cycle of growth, plateau, and decline several times in the last 15 years, I have learned there are some good, healthy, and exciting ways God shows to be at work in a church even through decline.  I want to challenge this common way to evaluate local churches with 5 reasons we want a church decline that demonstrates health and life, not dysfunction and death.

In the tough, early years of my ministry, I thought I was the patient one. I was enduring through the criticisms, judgments, and actions to remove me. As the years have passed, I have realized that it was the other way around. These faithful saints, wounded by previous pastors for decades, were being patient with me.

There are all kinds of different  sermons a preacher can preach:  Doctrinal, evangelistic, topical, and several other kinds of sermons that are not bad in themselves and have their place.  My deep conviction is that the best way to preach God’s word faithfully and accurately is to preach expository sermons. 

Pastors, hold fast to what you know to be true and right.  Love those who love you as you love those who don’t–at least right now.  However, don’t be surprised when you wake up one day (years from now) and find that a church member who has been cold to you for years suddenly has warmed up.

What is wise counsel before making changes in your church?“Preach the Word, sacrificially love those people, and do not change anything for a while.” That is the foundation, building form that I ask 3 questions for you to ask yourself as you move to bring the change that is needed and how to do so with discernment and wisdom.

I find many pastors, especially younger ones, are regularly wrestling with the question “how long should I preach?”. The pressure to answer this can be self-imposed, or forced by those in your church who complain your sermons are too long. Think like a shepherd as you determine the length of your sermons.  Push them to grow.  Nurture them where they are now.  Then, trust that God will use his word and your efforts to find that balance every pastor should seek.

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.

Have you ever tried to pick a favorite hymn or Scripture passage? Impossible! At least it is for me. I had similar feelings when my pastoral interns asked me to pick my top books every pastor should read. Nevertheless, they demanded this of me and I conceded.

“Daddy, why does our church hate us” it takes it to an entirely different level of concern.  What is a pastor to do?  I have several ideas, but I will start with this one:

Since the nursing home is commonly viewed as the transition point between hospital and home, it is good to be considerate of both taking an interest in their living space as well as any health concerns that may be present.

When we stand before God to give an account of the souls entrusted to our care (Heb. 13:17) awkwardness and uncomfortable silence will be an unwise excuse to use before our Chief Shepherd.

“Great job…good sermon…that really spoke to me.”  The list of phrases a pastor may hear as church members exit the church goes on.  Inevitably, whether the sermon was good or not, these quick comments will be spoken to us with varying levels of sincerity and it is important that we know how to respond in a God-honoring way. Here are 4 suggestions.