Leadership
Obstacles to Holy Worship: Some Churches Make It Hard for People to Worship
One summer Sunday morning many years ago, I had the Sunday off from preaching at my own church and decided to visit a colleague’s church nearby. I recall that I was feeling very empty spiritually and was hungry for an encounter with the Lord. The service started well with some uplifting music, prayer, and Scripture.…
Read MoreStrategies for Pastors to Stay Emotionally Connected to Their Ministry Team
Being a pastor comes with unique responsibilities and challenges, not least of which is the isolation that can come with leadership. Despite this, it is crucial for pastors to remain emotionally connected to their staff, leaders, and volunteers, as these connections form the bedrock of a supportive and effective ministry team. Here are some strategies…
Read MorePreventing Ministry Team Burnout
by Steve Treash, Overseed Field Director The concept of “burnout” originated in the 1970’s with a psychologist named Herbert Freudenberger who used the term to describe what he saw among the volunteer staff of a medical clinic in New York City. The volunteers were young, enthusiastic and on a mission to serve the City’s poor…
Read MoreStaffing a Small Church with Volunteers
Like the proverbial small school quarterback who plays in the marching band at half-time, the small church pastor has to make quick uniform (and mindset) changes throughout his week. I vividly recall the early days of my one and only pastorate, a 35-year ministry, when the church was small and we were struggling to come…
Read MoreChurch Organizational Structure: The Case for Elders (Part 2 in series)
Imagine the headline: “Archaeologists Discover Previously Unknown New Testament Document!” The article goes on to report that the document is an authentic first-century description by the Apostles of how a church should be organized. Suddenly, we would have the definitive church organizational structure. The finding would upend Christian history and ecclesiology and have to be…
Read MoreChurch Organizational Structure: Help or Hindrance? (Part 1 in series)
A few years ago, a friend who is a denominational executive sent me a copy of the proposed organizational structure drafted by one of his member churches. He wanted my opinion. After reading the complicated, convoluted, and overly detailed document, I emailed my friend with my conclusion that this was the church structure from Hades.…
Read MoreAlpha as a Leadership Development Tool
One of the oddest incidents in the Book of Exodus occurs when Moses’ father-in-law Jethro visits him in the Sinai wilderness (Exodus 18). Moses and the Israelites had just witnessed some of the greatest miracles in the Israel’s history: the plagues, the Passover, the Exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the provision of…
Read MoreConflict in Ministry Marriage: Challenging Your Husband with Respect
Letting a fallen sinner lead is always difficult – and sometimes no easier when he’s your husband AND the pastor of your church. It’s often confusing and frustrating for us, as pastors’ wives, to know how to support our husbands when we question a decision he has made. We sometimes struggle to know who is…
Read MoreAlpha as a Way to Build Community
In the two previous installments of this series on Alpha ministry in the local church, I’ve looked at Alpha as an evangelism tool and as a discipleship tool. Now, let’s consider Alpha as a community-building tool. Once a church grows beyond “family size,” in which Sunday morning attendance ranges from 3 to 75, it often…
Read MoreAlpha as a Discipleship Tool
Jesus’ model of discipleship involved both teaching and on-the-job training in ministry. The content of his teaching centered on the meaning of the Kingdom of God; his training of his disciples immersed them in actual ministry to others in His name, with the power and authority of His Kingdom. In my experience, much of the…
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