Episode 1: Pastors and COVID-19
The past few months have been difficult for everyone, especially pastors. This week we want to talk about what we have learned over the past few months as COVID-19 continues to prevent churches from gathering together. We hope this conversation will help you as you lead your churches through these difficult times.
Helping Your Kids Navigate through Uncertainty this School Year
Going back to school used to be a time most kids and parents looked forward to. There is the excitement of who your teacher will be, and which friends will be in your class. Maybe your child would have gotten a locker for the first time or they could finally go off campus for lunch! But for many families, this school year brings more uncertainty and stress than ever before.
How to Plan a Preaching Calendar
The primary task of a pastor is to preach the word. This happens in day-to-day conversations of ministry, planned meetings and classes, and the congregational sermons that will be delivered every week.
How the Book of Daniel Brings Hope into a World of Chaos and Confusion
Navigating a pandemic, as a pastor, has been very difficult. Navigating a pandemic, amid incredible social unrest, during a presidential election year, with a church full of people who are suffering in various ways and confused, has at times, felt completely overwhelming. It’s probably necessary to offer a whole list of appropriate caveats before moving on. Over the last several months, pastoral ministry isn’t the only job that’s been difficult and overwhelming.
The Pastor and Exercise
As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming an exercise scientist and nutritionist. When I was nineteen, I had one year of college under my belt and was on my way to earning a couple of degrees in these fields with hopes of one day opening my own practice to help others build healthy bodies.
Chapel Rewind: Welcome to the Family
Scott Pace, Dean of the College at Southeastern, preaches on Colossians 1:1-8 about being welcomed into the family of God.
Chapel Rewind: The Secret to Enduring Cross-Cultural Ministry
Ronjour Locke, Director of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, preaches from Ephesians 3:1-13 on how to endure through the challenges of cross-cultural ministry.
Leading from Online Engagement to In-Person Gatherings
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, every church leader had to make a decision regarding the use of online-broadcasting for their weekly worship services. Some churches chose not to broadcast their services. Others, like ours, decided to utilize technology as a means to continue leading their congregations with biblical exposition and music.
7 Reasons You Should Plan a Preaching Calendar
Pastors are called to do many things. Lead. Feed. Know. Protect. Correct. Counsel. The list goes on and on. But, the primary task of a pastor is to preach. It is through this primary ministry of the word a pastor shepherds his people. So, should a pastor plan what he will preach ahead of time? Should he plan just a few days in advance so he can respond to his Bible in one hand and his newspaper in the other, like Karl Barth encourages us to do? Or, should he plan what he will preach a year in advance by developing a preaching calendar?
Pastor, Your Church Needs You to Take a Vacation
There are two types of sleep: BC and AD. Before Children and After Death. God does not take naps, but you might need one. Far too many pastors do not get a proper cycle of rest. In the fourth commandment, God set up a pattern of work and rest. This pattern goes back to the creation account in which God rested on the seventh day.
Battling Anxiety and Depression in Pastoral Ministry (Part 2)
Some of the greatest heroes of the faith battled anxiety and depression. Paul once said he was so burdened beyond his strength that he despaired of life itself, feeling he had received the sentence of death (2 Corinthians 1:8-9a). Likewise, David once prayed, “I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me” (Psalm 69:2).
Battling Anxiety and Depression in Pastoral Ministry (Part 1)
I have been in pastoral ministry for nearly ten years. This ministry has its highs and lows. In the highs, we are tempted toward anxiety. In the lows, we are lured toward depression.
Chapel Rewind: Leading the Congregation in Praise
Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, preaches on Psalm 150 about praising the Lord and how that fuels the Great Commission.
Leading Difficult Team Members
Difficult team members can hamper team success and team members’ satisfaction. Often, we talk about the toxic person or how to get the right people in the right seat of the bus (or the wrong person off the bus completely). These are worthwhile conversations to have, but not to the exclusion of first making an investment in the lives of hurting or difficult people.
5 Reasons to Study Ephesians in Days of Division and Tension
In 2020 I find myself, like many others, bombarded with news reports describing the division and tension ever-present in our country. Many are divided over how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, and racial tension is rearing its ugly head. Moreover, if the American people were not already polarized enough, a presidential election is fast approaching. We are grievously divided.
Chapel Rewind: The Perspective of Christ-Centered Preaching
Bryan Chapell, Senior Pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church, lectures on "The Perspective of Christ-Centered Preaching" for the Adams Lecture Series 2018.
Chapel Rewind: An Eternal Education of God’s Glory in the Church
Andy Davis, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Durham, preaches on Revelation 21:9-14 about the amazing glory of God that will be on display in Heaven for every believer in Christ.
Helpful Resources for Preaching Christ from Proverbs
I was privileged to do my doctoral dissertation on the book of Proverbs, and I have also written two books on preaching Christ from Proverbs (Preaching Christ from Proverbs and Exalting Jesus in Proverbs). There has been a lot of good work done on Proverbs, but for preachers, I think there are some resources more helpful than others. So, in this post, I will try to list some that have been most helpful to me.
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