
Planting Sticks: The Beauty of Pastoral Tenure in Rural Churches
By Cody Hale | 01.10.2023The healthiest churches are often the result of pastoral ministries shaped by a long-term perspective of the kingdom.

Best Books for Pastors in 2022
By Alex Duke | 12.21.2022We asked pastors around the world a simple question: what books did you read in 2022 that helped you be a better pastor?

Lessons for Missions from the Ministries of John G. Paton and Wang Ming-dao (王明道)
By Eric Beach | 12.20.2022Christians don’t always recognize the importance of the local church and church polity to missions. Yet some of the great missionaries and evangelists of the past knew that building healthy churches was central to their work.

A Foolproof Discipling Program: Corporate Worship
By John Sarver | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022The Sunday gathering is the primary discipler of a local congregation because of what it proclaims and the pattern it sets.

Moving Away from Music-Specific Services
By Allen Duty | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Music-specific services actively promote division in the body of Christ.

Why an Elder Should Oversee the Bookstall
By Josh Manley | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022When your church’s bookstall overseer isn’t feeding the sheep healthy food, they’re working against the digestion of the church’s entire teaching ministry.

Why Parents Are the Primary Spiritual Caregivers of Their Children
By Rhys Plant | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Equip the saints for the work of the ministry by helping parents disciple their children toward maturity.

5 Steps for Preventing Abuse in Children’s Ministry
By Chad Holmgren | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Given the prevalence of child abuse in our society, a church should never assume abuse could not happen in its children’s ministry.

Spotting, Assessing, and Training Leaders for Church Ministries
By Joel Kurz | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022We need to find and train leaders. But how?

How to Select Children’s Curriculum
By Mark Redfern | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Don’t skimp on theology when it comes to your church’s curriculum for children. The ultimate goal is to help our children to know God.

Raising the Cane: Refreshing Your Seniors’ Ministry
By Will Pareja | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Whether you’re a pastor or a deacon responsible for the care of senior saints, here are some suggestions on refreshing them in Christ.

How Small Groups Can Foster Church Unity . . . Or Destroy It
By Dave Russell | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Small groups have the potential to be a tool for maintaining church unity—when they are led wisely.

Catering to Ministry Consumers
By Josh Hayward | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022What you feed people with is what they’ll continue to hunger for.

Why Pastors Should Oversee Women’s Ministry
By Camryn Zamora | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022When our pastors oversee women’s ministry, it doesn’t indicate distrust, but rather that when the wolves attack, the shepherds will bear the brunt, not the sheep.

Paul Was a Youth Pastor
By M. Redfern, S. Emadi | 9Marks Journal: The Church's Ministries | 12.15.2022Paul teaches kids the Bible and applies it to their lives, teaches in a way that leads children back to the authority of their parents, and equips parents to effectively disciple their children.