After 31 years of ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to his protégé, Timothy. In this letter, which we call 1 Timothy, Paul wrote: Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. – I Timothy 4:16 Watch your life closely. Examine it. Review […]
Recent Articles
A Quick Guide to the Best Quotes from America’s First Leaders
The founding leaders of America were witty. Profound. Snide. Wise. Determined. Cynical. Devout. Practical. Inspirational. And hilarious. Here are 80 of the best quotes from revolutionary era heroes. People who, like us, lived their lives for a cause they believed in. You might find these useful in your sermon prep. And in your social posts. And […]
2 Inspiring Stories for Pastors to Live and Preach from the War in Israel
How a Retired General in Israel Gives Us a Master Class in Courage The retired Israeli major-general, Noam Tibon, drove south on Saturday, October 7th, his wife, Gali, beside him. His son had called to tell him they heard automatic gunfire and Arabic outside the window of their home on the kibbutz Nahal Oz. Tibon […]
Israel Prayer Guide: How to Lead your Church to Pray for Israel at War
What can Christians around the world do to help Israel? We can be deliberate in prayer. Use this Israel Prayer Guide to lead your church to pray for Israel and Gaza. Our hearts are grieved by what we’ve seen in Israel in the days since the attack by Hamas. We stand with Israel. This Prayer […]
13 Ways to Make Halloween a Time for Outreach and Church Growth
Are you conflicted about how your church should handle Halloween? Some families enter in while others strongly don’t. If your church does something to celebrate, are you giving ground to the evil one? Those are valid concerns. In our earliest years, we went back and forth on the issue. But with the benefit of experience […]
5 Secrets of the Best Christmas Offerings
What would you do with another 4-10% of your annual budget to use to honor God and expand ministry? We began having Christmas offerings eight years ago and through them have funded church planting and marketing for outreach, building out new offices and a prayer room, updating our lobby, and benevolence for military families. The […]
27 Great Books on Prayer for Pastors to Read and Recommend
Prayer is the highway that takes us into God’s presence. Reading a book on prayer is like putting gas in the tank. Why don’t we pray more? Well, we’re busy and distracted, we’re hounded by evil forces coming against prayer, or we forget that apart from Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:4). When you read […]
9 Easy Ways you can Develop Leaders in your Church this Summer
Leadership development is a series of tiny, nearly invisible, steps. You can develop leaders in your church this summer if you think in terms of lots of small progress. “If I only had more leaders,” pastors tell me, “my church would grow, too.” I agree. It takes leaders to move church life forward. Where I […]
6 Ways to Know You’ll Choose the Best Church Campaign
How do you choose the best church campaign? Choosing a church campaign is a decision that’s easy to put off. The stakes are high. And it’s hard to tell from a couple of web pages if a campaign will be a success in your church. Will the unchurched be drawn to come? Will your congregation be motivated […]
Are you Filling the 4 Buckets You Need for Ministry Success?
Being a pastor in 2023 means that we have to work on our own godly selves as much as we work on the ministry so that we have the courage and the strength to persevere. It’s like we have four buckets to fill to find ministry success. Research from a 2021 Lifeway survey reports that: […]