Blog

3 Areas of Life Pastors Must Pay Careful Attention To

Imagine a shepherd out in the fields watching over his flock. The shepherd is fully alert, unable to […]

Philip Crouse Jr.

The Pastor’s Health

Pastor, how are you doing? If you’re like me, when people ask how you’re doing, you have a ready-made, default answer along the lines of, “Pretty good…just hanging in there.” But how are you really doing? How are you feeling physically? How are you doing mentally and emotionally? What about your spiritual health? How long has it been since you assessed how healthy you are?

Philip Crouse Jr.

Leading Your Church Through Change

If you have ever been whitewater rafting, you know how important the role of the guide is. The responsibility for getting the rafters through the rapids safely falls to the guide. A rafting guide must know the river well, aware of the shallow and dangerous sections that might stop the rafts or even cause them to flip.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Guarding Your Joy in Ministry

According to the Barna Group, 38% of pastors in the United States have considered walking away from ministry in the past year.[1] Maybe this number should surprise me, but it does not. I have heard firsthand about the sadness, grief, and disappointment from friends in ministry. To a certain degree, I have even experienced these emotions myself. But as I reflected on my conversations with other pastors and my own experiences, I began to see that it is not just the difficulties driving pastors to quit—difficulty is a part of ministry. Instead, it is how the difficulties and frustrations steal our joy that causes us to throw in the towel.

Philip Crouse Jr.

The Long Road of Discipleship

Our world has developed an obsession with speed and efficiency, and at times, it seems as if everything in life has been affected in one way or another. Major League Baseball instituted an assortment of rules aimed at speeding up games. Fast-food restaurant chains compete to get customers their food as quickly as possible. Businesses regularly push workers to maximize efficiency by completing the same amount of work in less time.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Pastoral Lessons from John Bunyan and The Pilgrim’s Progress

Pastors are always on the lookout for the next book to help us be more effective and faithful in ministry. Some books help us shore up weaknesses, others teach us how to effectively carry out the everyday tasks of pastoral ministry, and then, there are those that inspire us to persevere through the challenges of shepherding God’s people.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Pastor, Pay Careful Attention to Yourself

Last week, my grandma died at the age of one hundred. During her final year, she could not care for herself in any meaningful way. Because she lived across the street from my dad, much of her personal care fell to him. It was a role he gladly accepted, but one that also took its toll on him. Much of his day revolved around when she needed medicine, food, and sleep.

Philip Crouse Jr.

The Importance of Connecting Biblical Commands to Gospel Truths

Years ago, a high-school student stayed behind after a Bible study to talk with me one-on-one. The lesson that evening had been on the importance of a consistent prayer life. The young man was a growing Christian, a leader, and yet, he confessed how badly he struggled with prayer.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Book Review: Preaching the Whole Counsel of God, by Julius Kim

All pastors experience seasons of ministry when they begin to wrestle with some aspect of their preaching. Maybe it’s the effectiveness of their illustrations or applications, the nagging feeling that their sermons are lacking any real connection to the gospel, or recognizing that parts of their delivery are more distracting than beneficial.

Philip Crouse Jr.

How Preaching the Psalms Counsels the Hurting

A pastor slowly makes his way across the stage to where his pulpit stands. As he lays his Bible and notes on the pulpit, he looks out over his congregation and thinks to himself, “My people are hurting; how is my sermon going to help them?”

Philip Crouse Jr.

Pastor, Focus On Your Weaknesses

It is estimated that close to three-fourths of American adults will set a goal and try to accomplish it in 2021.[1] That means millions of Americans will start the new year trying something new or seeking to improve some area in their life.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Call Your People to Believe

Last year I went skydiving for the first time. It was something I’d wanted to do for years and it did not disappoint. While I don’t consider myself an adrenaline junkie, free-falling at 120 mph was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life. Because skydiving is inherently dangerous, I was asked numerous times how scared I was to jump.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Preaching to Make Disciples

You and your family are going to take a trip…a long trip. So you pull up Google Maps on your computer just to get an idea of how long your trip is going to take and what it might look like. But what you find is not one suggested path, but four. You now have four legitimate ways to get to your final destination.

Philip Crouse Jr.

Faithfulness is Still the Goal

For years, I have heard other pastors, seminary professors, and popular conference speakers encourage pastors to pursue ministry faithfulness over “success.” This encouragement is needed because of the dangers of chasing arbitrary successes over trusting that our faithfulness is enough.

Philip Crouse Jr.