Notable Voices and the Week in Review: November 19, 2016
Six Reasons Many Churches Spend Too Much on Personnel Costs
12 Ways to Handle Staff Conflict
Four Reasons Sunday Attire Is Important to Christian Millennials
Young Influencer List, November 2016
5 Ways to Stop Decline in a Church
6 Marks of a Faithful Ministry — Tim Challies
God is good to give us pastors. The very fact that God calls certain men to “care for the church of God” (Acts 20:28) proves that the church is in need of care. God gives us pastors because we need pastoring. But what is this ministry? How does a pastor minister to his people in a way that expresses due care and concern for them? Last week I spent some time studying Paul’s charge to the elders/pastors in Ephesus (see Acts 20) and saw him lay out a series of marks of a faithful ministry.
Seven Ways to Equip Your Church to Give Generously — Sam Rainer
Giving patterns in churches are changing. The ways in which people give are changing. What does not need to change is the heart for sacrificial giving. Indeed, kingdom work depends upon sacrificial giving rooted in a deep love for the gospel. Large or small, every church can be a resource giant for God’s kingdom. Rich or poor, every Christian can give sacrificially.
5 Common Marriage Counseling Mistakes — Winston Smith
As pastors and counselors, we need to step back from emotionally charged encounters and carefully consider how to help the hurting couple. Here are five common mistakes that pastors sometimes make in marital counseling and how to avoid them.
Should You Pastor a Church You Would Never Attend? — Phil A. Newton
When considering a pastoral call, one often takes a sobering look at the new church: Do they believe the gospel? Will they appreciate expository preaching? Do they want biblical leadership? Are they interested in spiritual growth? Do they have a heart for discipleship? Will they adequately support my family? Unfortunately, each of these questions won’t always be answered clearly before accepting a call. Rarely do initial visits and discussions give the full picture. In such cases, the newly installed pastor may face some rude awakenings. He may wonder if he’d even attend the church if they weren’t writing his paycheck.
How To Make Christmas Your Best Outreach Of The Year — Carey Nieuwhof
As our culture becomes more and more post-Christian, we’re seeing far fewer times when the holidays of the church and the holidays of culture sync. I remember about a decade ago hearing a Toronto DJ refer to Easter as “the first long weekend of summer.” Good Friday and Easter were completely lost on him. It was simply time off. Christmas is completely different. Our culture still loves Christmas.
4 Ways to Fight Laziness in Ministry — Eric Geiger
If it is true, as some pastors have warned, that “ministry can be a great place to hide out and a great place to burn out,” then ministry attracts both the workaholic and the lazy. Because all of us are prone to idolatry, we are likely more prone to one expression of sin than the other. If you are prone to laziness, you likely enjoy comfort and leisure more than accomplishment and the grind. As I have offered four ways to fight being a ministry workaholic, here are four ways to fight being lazy in ministry.
