3 Books that Enhanced My Ministry
All leaders are in debt to authors whose books provide practical ministry help. Here are three authors whom I can’t begin to repay. 1. Larry Richards, Creative Bible Teaching. (Revised, Updated version with Gary Bredfeldt, 1998) As a Christian educator,...
3 BOOKS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
A good book informs me. A great book forms me. Here are three books that have shaped my thinking and daily walk with Christ. 1. Knowing God, by James I. Packer His treatment of the attributes of God provides a bedrock foundation for all theological study. ...
WHat is the key to CONFIDENce WHEN I TEACH OR PREACH?
Sometimes I compare myself unfavorably with other speakers. Their oratorical polish dwarfs mine. Their magnetic personality appeals to people more than my melancholy temperament. Or their formal theological training exceeds mine. On other occasions, before I...
3 Questions To Answer Concerning How To Leave a Church Staff Position
These questions percolated within me when I decided to resign a full-time associate staff position: · Who should be the first to know that I’m resigning? An associate should inform the senior pastor or immediate supervisor before spreading the word among...
8 Questions To Ask When You’re Tempted To Change Ministries
“Feuding Cripples Church” That headline was plastered on page 1 of the city newspaper. By a 17-6 margin, the deacons and trustees had voted the pastor out. But the pastor refused to budge. The board changed the locks to keep the pastor out. The pastor countered...
9 Questions for Personal Accountability
According to Patrick Morley, “accountability is to be regularly answerable for the key areas of our lives to qualified people.” Charles Swindoll adds, “Accountability is giving a few trusted persons the permission to ask you the hard questions.” Tim serves this...
7 QUESTIONS FOR SPIRITUAL GIFT DISCOVERY
As a mentor, church staff member, or small group leader, one of your privileges is to add to the Lord’s labor force by helping others discover their spiritual gifts. What follows is a list of 7 questions you can use with a protégé, in a new members’ class, with a...
6 BENEFITS OF A TEACHER OR LEADER’S TRANSPARENCY
Do the positive effects of a leader’s transparency outweigh the disadvantages? A transparent leader isn’t pretentious. With discretion, he shares personal stories from his spiritual pilgrimage, and how the truths he’s teaching affect him. In the company of...
7 GUIDELINES FOR TRANSPARENCY IN TEACHING AND PREACHING
Something is transparent when you can see through it. A person is transparent when he isn’t pretentious, when he discloses setbacks as well as victories. He’s called real because he doesn’t mask everything that is going on inside. His prayer requests are...
6 THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT BIBLE LESSON AND SERMON PREPARATION
1. Prepare my heart, not just my head. I ask God’s Spirit to encourage, convict, or move me to action as needed. I use the text to inform a time of prayer before I start thinking about how to teach it. When something in the text moves me to tears, prompts...
Where are the Tears?
I heard the question 30 years ago. To say I cannot forget it is the classic understatement. To this day the question and the remarks that preceded it roil around in my mind, goading me, instilling discomfort. David Mains was speaking at a Bible conference on the...
Whatever Happened To Shame?
Is a sense of shame always a bad thing? Many Bible teachers and counselors reply with a resounding “Yes!” There’s no place for shame in a Christian’s life, they insist. Thanks to forgiveness, and to our right standing with God owing to justification, we shouldn’t...
