22 Jul, 2017

One of the challenges that those in ministry face, whether full-time or part-time, is knowing when God may be moving us to another ministry. That may mean moving from youth ministry to a senior pastor position or relocating to a new church or community. All of us have faced difficult times in ministry, where we begin to question if it is time to move on. Sometimes the

15 Jul, 2017

My dear brother, my purpose is to encourage and support you in whatever circumstances you have to face. I know today that whatever I have suffered, God had a plan for it all. I wish that I had adequate space to tell you how He showed me that it is worthwhile to trust and obey His will – which is NOT to throw in the towel.

07 Jul, 2017

There are always going to be difficulties in any ministry one serves in. My husband and I went through a difficult one a while back--one of those that has you editing your resume and wondering how bad it would be to just work at Walmart. If you’re in ministry, you’ve probably had your own experiences with those tough seasons. Maybe the church plant that started with a hundred people has dwindled to a few families six months in. The new evangelism

01 Jul, 2017

Although it wasn’t easy for Paul, he did it. It might not be easy for you, but with peace and perseverance, you can do it. Just remember this--breaking through barriers in ministry can be difficult, but it’s not impossible.

23 Jun, 2017

There are times in your ministry where you're going to see the potential for growth. Last year we were working on updating our facility for the youth program. The fact is that the room had not been updated in almost two decades. There's a running joke among the ministry staff that my room had become the chair graveyard.

18 Jun, 2017

I would like to share some encouraging words for pastor and ministers. You can do this. Yes, you heard that right. You can do this! God is the one who has called you, and God is the One who will equip you for the calling. From Abraham to Moses, and from David to Paul, God always enables His people to accomplish the purposes He has set before them. Whether you are a senior pastor at a large and growing church, a missionary in a foreign land,

04 Jun, 2017

We all know there are many types of people in the world. But in debriefing settings, they very frequently boil down to people who like to talk, and people who don’t. For a long time, I fell into the second category. After all, I grew up on the mission field. I knew how all of this worked and I didn’t see a particular need to talk about feelings. Adapting was just part of life. But my opinion on all types of debriefing has changed completely.

26 May, 2017

Having Faith, Not Worry There's something amazing about the summer. Schools are out. Families are planning trips, and churches are preparing for camps and summer activities. Last year, the church I am serving in now started doing something it had never done- something called "Hang Time" at the church. What this was and continues to be is this block of time Tuesdays through Thursdays where our church doors are open to the youth in the community. I had never done anything like that. I was

20 May, 2017

Ministry is hard and often the family is stuck with the remaining time and energy a pastor has at the end of the day, and this can cause issues. I've always felt that encouragement for pastors through this struggle is necessary. A question that has often come up when dealing with stress in the family of a minister has been... If there is always going to be a professional ministry

09 May, 2017

Approaching Stress in Ministry When I first started working in ministry, I had just turned 25 years old. I still had that fresh-out-of-college smell and was working as a Youth Minister at a small church outside of Memphis, Tennessee. There was a boy there named Thomas. Now Thomas was a troubled young man, his father worked two full-time jobs, and his mother had not been a part of his life for a long time. He didn't really have a sense of what it meant to be a man, so he would act out (I know it

05 May, 2017

Ministry can be an overwhelming experience. Whether you are acting in a traditional pastoral role or not, connecting with local families is vital for a thriving ministry. Sometimes, it is hard to balance relationships with people in your church. You need to keep a healthy distance from members. Other times, you need to foster a deeper connection. We have a great article about cultivating

21 Apr, 2017

I like to think of politics in church as the remnants of the Pharisee mindset: These men believed they understood God’s word so completely that when the Truth actually spoke to them, they were unable to receive Him. And not only did they reject Him, they set out to remove Him from the equation altogether. They did not only want Jesus gone because he claimed to be the Messiah, they wanted Him gone because He was bringing change to their system. If you had to sum up Jesus’ mission in one word, it

13 Apr, 2017

he average full-time job requires 40 hours in a week. First, wouldn't that be great if that were true? A friend of mine works as a teacher and laughed in my face when I said this. He explained that he is paid for 40 hours of work, but when he takes in grading, professional development, meetings, special events, club sponsorship, and planning, he probably puts in around 60-70 hours a week. I love teachers, but it's one of those careers that you sacrifice that needed "me" time.

09 Apr, 2017

Ministry is the greatest calling upon one’s personal life, and also one of the most difficult. Developing a devotional life is important to that calling for all of those that serve in ministry. Only those in ministry can know the stresses that come with it. While these pressures affect ministers spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally,

05 Apr, 2017

They and them have been around a while. They are easily offended and they never give you the benefit of the doubt. They question your motives, shake your hand, and even give a friendly smile. You may never know who they are because they never talk with you, they go to others and talk about you. And, we never know how many of them there is.