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Article
Am I Burnt Out? 30 Useful Questions
Here are 30 questions—15 internal and 15 external—to ask yourself to discover whether or not you’re on the road to burnout.
Article
Seven Tips for Writing (or Revising) Your Church Constitution
Writing (or revising) your constitution is not really lawyer’s work, and it need not be drudgery. In fact, it can and should be invigorating.
Article
“We’re Here for the People Who Will Come”
In January of 1993 I found myself at Capitol Hill Baptist Church having just received the resignation of the pastor (his sin disqualified him from continuing on in the pulpit). This was the fifth failed pastorate in a row dating back to the 1970’s. To use an O.T. term: our church was a “byword” in […]
Article
Things to Ask a Church when Considering a Pastorate
A close friend recently asked me what I’d ask about if I was considering a pastoral position at a church. Good question. Young pastors are too often focused on what they’ll be asked rather than on what they should ask. If this is the flock God is calling you to shepherd, ignorance is not your friend. The list […]
Article
The Contents and Purposes of the “Elder Packet”
If lay elders aren’t informed of issues before the elders meet, they can feel neglected, pressured, and out-of-the-loop. A little bit of prep work before hand can go a long way.
Article
Testimonies of the Underestimated Gospel
What were the human means and instruments of your conversion?
Book
Elders in the Life of the Church
Newton and Schmucker convincingly demonstrate that a return to the New Testament pattern of elder plurality best serves the shepherding needs of the local church. The authors suggest a workable process for improving a local church’s leadership structure and making the transition to elder plurality. Stories of church leaders provide a narrative of how faithful […]
Article
Why Revitalize?
If you don’t want to be a reformer, you don’t want to be a pastor.
Article
You Have an Obligation to Fire Incompetent Staff
An unfaithful employee of the church undermines the trust which underlies a Christian’s giving.
Article
Prepare the Church for the Next Guy
Pastors should always be thinking ahead. How far ahead? To when you’re either gone or dead and your church has a new pastor.
Article
How to Separate Deacon Work from Elder Work
Whether between the pastors and the congregation or within the church’s leadership, division causes Christ’s church to suffer.
Article
The Committee-Free, Task-Specific Deacon
Let me put this starkly: committees don’t work!