I am not worthy to be a minister, but Christ was worthy for me. I do not and will not measure up, but Jesus perfectly measured up for me. The gospel is true for God’s people in the pew and it is true for me, his herald, as well.
You may call it something different, but every pastor knows it well. It is the mental, emotional, and spiritual crash that takes place on Monday as a result of pouring your heart and soul out in the proclamation of God’s Word to God’s people the day before.
Sports are never the problem. They are merely exposing the problem. Like all of God’s good gifts, sports can be easily corrupted.
I still remember the first day I stepped into the textbook tunnel in the LifeWay at SBTS. There were so many incredible books, and all were organized according to the courses in which they would be used. “The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit,” “Hebrew Exegesis: Joshua,” “Jonathan Edwards,” and “New Testament Exegesis: Galatians” all sounded…
The church is not a platform to serve a pastor’s visionary ideals, social stature, or emotional well-being. The church is the blood-bought property of God. For a pastor to treat the people as his platform is an act of treasonous theft, stealing for himself that which Christ our great high priest has purchased at the cost of his own blood.
Pastors who try to reap the dividends of authority without making the investment of credibility will quickly find themselves in a leadership deficit.
Editors note: Dan Dumas has written a new book, Live Smart: Preparing for the Future God Wants for You (Bethany House). SBTS Blog editor Jeff Robinson corresponded with him on how he hopes to minister to the local church through his new work. In Live Smart, you trace out 14 principles from Scripture that…
The numbers are staggering. Experts estimate that approximately 1,000 local churches close their doors every year. What is even more disheartening about this statistic is that number only reflects Southern Baptist Churches — my denomination. Imagine how that number grows if you added the number of closing local churches from other established denominations, which some assert…
I have seen the story unfold so many times I could tell it in my sleep. A young pastor walks into established church and tries to change the church’s structure and culture on the first day. Instead of getting to know the people, the culture, and his neighbors, he goes full bore after a checklist…
Editors’ note: Part I of this article was published earlier this week. Be fun to live with “Joy” is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). If your Christianity makes you dreary and dull, you don’t understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit nor what Christ has done. If pastors would reflect the joy of…
Sir Winston Churchill is widely regarded as the greatest leader of the 20th century. Born in the splendor of Blenheim Palace on Nov. 30, 1874, Churchill’s life would span the most decisive years of the transition into the modern world. Though faced with great adversity — and driven by a titanic self-confidence — he would…
Striking the right tone, like all aspects of preaching, requires persistent vigilance.
Pastor, your spiritual health matters to your church. Your pursuit of Christ impacts your people. You know this, of course, but does your daily schedule reflect it? When you allocate time and energy toward the spiritual disciplines, do you do so with a view toward what is at stake? God’s sovereign purposes are not dependent…
In the same way that basic training cannot fully prepare a soldier for the hellish nature of a real war, seminary cannot fully prepare a future pastor for the bullets and hand grenades that will be launched at him in the local church on the field of real ministry. If I have learned anything in…
In my first year as a student at Southern Seminary, I took 48 credit hours in nine months: six classes in the fall semester, one class over J-term, six more classes in the spring semester, and three more in the month of June. (I would have taken even more if I could have, but that…
8 signs of fearful leadership | Thom Rainer
It’s often said that one of the most important aspects of leadership is simply showing up. Just be there, and people will follow. People like their leaders to be visible. This attests to the truism that leadership begins and ends with example. It would be difficult to imagine a leadership role where this is more…
We are grateful you take the time to read the Southern Blog. Our goal is to share with you great content that will help you in your ministry. Here are our top 10 most read posts of 2014. 1. 10 Reasons you cannot be a missionary — David Sills “I travel and speak in a…
