When seeking a new pastor, most churches elect a search committee that accepts resumes and sorts through them to find a few men who meet the criteria. It is by no means a perfect methodology — often equally difficult for committee members as for... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
With some regularity I receive an email or a call relating that some pastor, often a seminary student or recent graduate, has “torn up” a church he has served. Listening to the details, I usually discern two things: 1) the popular... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Last year, I was having a conversation about our service with a member, and I realized the two of us were talking past each other. It began to dawn on me when the terms “singing service” and “preaching service” entered the... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
This is a question that came to me by a young and introverted pastor who is struggling to know how to make conversation with elderly folks when he goes to visit them. I wish more and more young pastors knew their weaknesses and desired to grow like... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Remarkably, when John Calvin became pastor in Geneva in 1536, he still lacked an official degree in theology from an academic institution. Neither had he submitted to any kind of ecclesiastical examination. Nevertheless, in addition to his studies... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
My spiritual heroes surround me when I’m writing. They sit on the bookcases on either side of the woodstove. The faces of some of them smile at me from various places on the walls or from nooks at the empty ends of bookshelves. The busts of... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
In his 13 years as senior pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Brian Croft has seen it all. He has experienced profound lows in the ministry but has sought to remain faithful and has also seen God bring the church from death to life.... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
One of the most frustrating parts of living overseas was placing an order at a fast food restaurant. Virtually every time I would have to elbow my way to the counter, mentally rehearse the order for a family of five in another language, and then... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
In 1932, the University of Southern California started stenciling “Property of USC” on athletic t-shirts for the purpose of preventing theft. Their anti-theft strategy backfired when the stenciled attire became more popular than the original... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
In his classic book, Lectures To My Students, Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Scarcely one man in a dozen in the pulpit talks like a man.” This is a problem all too common today. Some preachers feel inclined to take certain routes in their sermon... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
