I imagine you or someone you know has said or thought one of the following statements regarding the issue of counseling in the life of a pastor: When I signed up to be a pastor I didn’t sign up to be a counselor! I just do not have the time to counsel anyone—I’m busy enough…
Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges state, “leading like Jesus involves the alignment of four leadership domains: heard, head, hands, and habits” (31). This post will be a simple explanation of each of those domains. Heart. “Leadership is a first a spiritual matter of the heart. Whenever you have an opportunity or responsibility to influence the…
It’s crucial to help kids see how the good news of Jesus influences our lives. Here are four basic categories where the good news affects our behavior: Gratitude Confidence Hope Comfort Concerning these four categories here are several discussion questions to help an individual connect their behavior to the gospel: Gratitude: What did we learn…
These 8 descriptions of leadership factors for pastoral ministry are pure gold from Dave Harvey. However, I don’t subscribe to a belief that a pastor or any other leader in the church has to embrace all of these but 1) they should certainly possess some of them and 2) that same leader, if they’re competent…
Dave Harvey makes some insightful comments about the difficulty of living out the Christian life in the home that I wanted to share. He writes, Just think about it. There’s no other place where high expectations (love your wife as Christ loved the church) meet a desire to be unplugged. There’s no other setting where…
Bitternes, resentment, and hate all run closely together. Here are some passage to read and meditate on concerning bitterness: The Bible calls us to put away bitterness (Eph 4:31) We’re called to stop biting and devouring one another (Gal 5:15) Bitterness belongs to the sinful nature (Gal 5:19) We’re not to let bitterness take root…
Here are some thoughts concerning a church’s budget. These thoughts are in no particular order of relevance or importance. A budget communicates what is important to a church. Suffice it to say, if you, as a pastor speak about the great lostness around the world but there is a minimal amount of your budget…
1 Samuel 3 is a great passage to teach the role of a preacher in delivering God’s word. For many there is an excitement in delivering words of judgment, condemnation, etc., while for others they bask exclusively in the love and comfort of God. Good, engaging, biblically accurate preaching exudes the same tension that…
Parents: when your kids ask, “why do we follow these rules God gives us?” be ready to answer them the way Moses directed — by telling of God’s saving work. Here’s a sampling of some ways we can do this that Jack Klumpenhower gives in his book: Kids, why do we share with others? “For…
Are you an effective preacher? This is a helpful list that Dave Harvey provides in his book Am I Called? The Summons To Pastoral Ministry. The gospel factor: Does the man’s preaching move people toward the gospel? The Bible factor: Does he haven an aptitude for doctrine? Does he exegete Scripture competently? The eagerness…
Theology Along the Way 