Those in Christ’s church who are in leadership positions have a high and holy calling and we hope these resources will at least in some small way be a help to those who shepherd the flock of God.
Counsel to Those Considering the Ministry
Counsel to Those Considering the Ministry
What would be some helpful counsel to men who are considering entering into the ministry?
The Church’s Responsibility to the Pastors
The Church’s Responsibility to the Pastors
Pastors have weighty responsibilities to the church; but the church and its members also have responsibilities to the pastors. What does God's Word...
What Are the Pastors’ Roles in the Church?
What Are the Pastors’ Roles in the Church?
A biblical church is meant to be led by pastors. A church without pastors is a church without order.
Practical Advice to Avoid Burnout As a Pastor
Practical Advice to Avoid Burnout As a Pastor
Men in the ministry need to be careful to not burnout. What are some things they can do to prevent and combat against burning out and being of no use in the ministry?
How to Be An Encouragement to Your Pastor During Trials (Part 3)
How to Be An Encouragement to Your Pastor During Trials (Part 3)
Pastors will face incredible difficulties in leading the church. Clint Leiter shares some of the fiery trials he went through after Bob Jennings went to be with the Lord.
Pastoral Burnout: Dangers and Encouragements
Pastoral Burnout: Dangers and Encouragements
"To avoid burnout in the ministry, pastors need to know how to pace themselves and also intentionally take breaks and rest. We must not look at rest, breaks...
The Subtle Danger of Idolizing Pastoral Ministry
The Subtle Danger of Idolizing Pastoral Ministry
As believers we can get our eyes off of Christ and we begin to find our identity in other things. One place this can subtly happen is in idolizing pastoral ministry.
Lessons from 50 Years of Pastoral Ministry
Lessons from 50 Years of Pastoral Ministry
Pastoral ministry is a very difficult calling. In this interview, Geoff Thomas gives some practical helps and lessons from his 50 years of Christian ministry.
Advice on Avoiding Pastoral Burnout
Advice on Avoiding Pastoral Burnout
Men in the ministry must be willing to realize and admit their limitations.They can't try to force themselves to be like other men; they must be who the Lord has made them to be.
Overview of Biblical Eldership: All Elders are Pastors
Overview of Biblical Eldership: All Elders are Pastors
In 1 Peter 5 the Bible identifies those who shepherd the flock as the elders. It is not just one of the elders who shepherds. The Bible teaches that all of the elders...
Should a Church Leader Confess Gross Sin?
Should a Church Leader Confess Gross Sin?
In this Bible study Tim considers these questions, "What should a church leader do who is living in sexual sin and drunkenness? Should they bring it to the light?"
Trials and Blessings in the Ministry
Trials and Blessings in the Ministry
There is no other path in the ministry except one that has trials and suffering along its way. At the same time, pastors also experience many blessings.
Has God Called You to the Ministry?
Has God Called You to the Ministry?
Some people think that you go to Bible college or seminary and you become a pastor. Let me ask you this, has God come to you and given you something that you did not have before?
A Church’s Responsibility to Their Pastors
A Church’s Responsibility to Their Pastors
When your pastor is clearly getting out of God's Word what the Holy Spirit put there, and he's giving it to you accurately - then brothers and sisters, obey it!
Pastors: Lead the Church in Faith!
Pastors: Lead the Church in Faith!
The faith of Scripture is not doing something based upon mathematical probability, which says that it will works out most of the time. Rather God calls us to a faith like Abraham's...
Peter’s Exhortation to Elders
Peter’s Exhortation to Elders
The pastor shepherds God's sheep not with rigor and severity, but with love and humility; not as temporal lords but as spiritual guides, especially by example.
1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
One of the things that I find so hard about the ministry is that you have to fill so many different roles and adapt to so many different situations. One minute you are at a funeral with the loved ones of the deceased, then you are in an elders’ meeting debating a vision for the future, then you are at a prayer meeting, then a pre-engagement session, then a new member’s interview where the person thinks the church is awesome, then a meeting with a member who is thinking about leaving, then sharing the gospel with a homeless man, then heading off to meet an atheist for lunch; and in all of those situations you need appropriate words. You need to know if you ought to share a word of encouragement, an intellectual worldview challenge, simple kindness and courtesy, laughter, tears, or all of the foregoing! In all of ministry you are looking for words.
Some elders never appreciate the compliment given them when a saint disagrees with the pastor’s exposition of a text. At least the Christian under his care is devoted more to Scripture than to the man in the pulpit. Under his ministry the child of God has reached a maturity to think through issues for himself and has imbibed a Berean spirit (Acts 17:11).
Know what God is about, especially in respect of your calling, and keep within it. Most people crack up because they try to do what God never intended them to do. They destroy themselves by sinful ambition, just as much as the drunkard and drug addict. Ambition drives them on.
