Articles

The Temptation of Lesser Opportunities

For a brief time, I had the fanciful idea that a life in the political arena might somehow be in the cards of my future. In college, I worked for several politicians and led the college’s conservative political organization.While I enjoyed my work, it was certainly not the calling I know the Lord had placed in my heart as a teenager. One election cycle was enough for me. Political work is certainly important work and like so many other professions, we need believers in this profession to be light in the darkness.

Micheal Pardue

Pastor, Does Your Church Sing the Psalms?

If you are a 21st-century evangelical, you probably do not sing Psalms in your church with any regularity. Perhaps the only Christians you know who sing Psalms are Presbyterians. These people tend to have an odd fascination with the Old Testament and use words like “Covenant,” “Jehovah,” and “brethren.” Simply put – Psalm singing seems strange to you. After all, are we not supposed to be governed more by the principles of the New Testament than the Old Testament when it comes to worship? Surely New Testament worship has little place for dull, dusty, dead Psalms.

Zack DiPrima

Leading Your Congregation to Pray During Global Heartbreak and Hopelessness

The international news this week was bleak. We watched a desperate situation unfold in Afghanistan as men and women swarmed to the airport, clinging to departing planes. We heard stories of Afghanis who fear for their lives because of political or religious reasons. We saw video footage of flattened houses following the earthquake in Haiti.

Anna Daub

The Power of a Preaching Process

My family and I moved from High Point, North Carolina to Dallas, Texas in March. The “settling in” process has taken far longer than we imagined. Losing one of our children in a pile of boxes is no longer a threat but there are still at least a dozen boxes that remain unopened.

Quentin Self

A Plea to Exhausted Pastors and Their People

I have been back to the traveling aspect of my ministry since July. Since then, I have noticed a consistent reality among those who are leading our churches. It affects pastors regardless of ministry title: lead pastor, associate pastor, youth pastor, or children’s pastor.

Daniel Ritchie

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.

5 Tips for Pastoral Care in an Intensive Care Unit

Death exists as an unnatural act for all human beings to endure. Perhaps the foreign nature of death in the created order causes many of us to either ignore its existence or become infatuated with its mystique. Death was not originally a part of God’s created fabric, but rather God created a world where death could come into existence depending upon humanity’s obedience (Genesis 2:15–17).

Jeremy Bell

Facing Attacks and Criticism

How do we or should we face criticism and attack in our ministry?I just completed preaching through Nehemiah as part of an interim pastorate. We often recite the lessons of leadership learned from Nehemiah, and rightfully so, but something more specific struck me this time: how he reacted to criticism and attack. Nehemiah faced an extremely difficult context with enemies who did not want the people of God to focus upon the work of Yahweh.

John Ewart

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: Answering God’s Call, by Scott Pace

The story is familiar. One chilly, autumn Lord’s Day morning, a young man—a high school senior—is converted as he listens to the pastor enthusiastically press home the words of Jesus: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Scott Lucky

Pastors, Preach the Gospel…to Yourself

Can I confess something? I used to hate going to pastor’s conferences.To be clear, this was never the fault of the conference. Most that I’ve attended have done an incredible job of trying to offer a place of rest and encouragement for those in ministry. It wasn’t an issue with the content, who was speaking, or the accommodations available.

Eric Roseberry

Pastors’ Wives: The Church is Not Your Rival

Several years ago, I attended a retreat for pastors’ wives where we talked about a question commonly discussed in these types of circles: How do we balance family time and ministry? I think at the heart of this question, women are asking this: How do I guard time with my family well while also being supportive and involved in my husband’s calling as a pastor?

Jenna DiPrima

Book Review: Pastors and Their Critics, by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson

Children at the playground chant a familiar children’s rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me.” However, at some point, most parents understand they will have to console their children who have been on the receiving end of the words we taught them would never hurt.

Scott Lucky

We Need Holy Youth Pastors

What my students need most from me is my personal holiness.There has been no shortage of discussion surrounding the reasons why there is an exodus of 18-year-olds that walk away from Christ and his church after graduation. Plenty of contributing reasons exists, such as: they weren’t integrated into the life of the church, they did not see Christian faith modeled at home, or their youth ministry was centered around entertainment.

Mark Young

Yes, You Can Still Share the Gospel Right Now!

With these three questions, the Apostle Paul highlights the importance of our verbal witness in personal evangelism. It is true that Christians should be kind, compassionate, and demonstrate love and justice. We should help the poor, feed the hungry, and care for the oppressed and neglected. However, none of these remove the one responsibility that Christians alone bear, which is sharing Christ with a lost world.

Scott Hildreth

Feeding Your Sheep with the Whole Counsel of God

I’ve been around long enough to know that last days will come. I still remember my wife and I walking out of the first home we’d known for over six years. We brought our first two children into that space. Other last days have come and gone since then. From the last day of a military deployment to the last keystroke of a Ph.D. program, all of us will face last days. We appeal to a sovereign God but do well to know that last days are coming.

Neal Thornton

Chapel Rewind: Victory through Suffering: The True Meaning of Philippians 4:13

In this week’s #SEchapelrewind, Dr. Benjamin Merkle delivers a faculty lecture on the strength we find in Christ in the midst of suffering. In his lecture, Dr. Merkle explains how Philippians 4:13 is commonly taken out of context and how believers should interpret the verse.

Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership

Pastor, Preach to the People in the Room

A few weeks ago I listened to one of the first sermons I preached. I’m not sure what inspired me to make this decision. But unless you’re a glutton for punishment, I do not recommend you to do the same.

Nathaniel Williams

What is the Preaching Event?

I still get a tightness in my stomach, even though I have preached at the same church since 1999. As the last song of worship ends and someone gives a public reading of scripture, I begin to experience anticipation mixed with trepidation. It is time to preach. As I step onto the stage, place my Bible on the pulpit, I take a moment to gaze into the eyes of my congregation. I can hear their thoughts, “What do you have for me today, pastor?”

Dwayne Milioni

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.