Single Pastor, Embrace Your Limits
My attempt to run harder had me running on fumes. Being a single man didn’t change the fact that I am just a man. The post Single Pastor, Embrace Your...
Church & Ministry
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"I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail." — Matthew 16:18← Back to Home
Handling Ungodly Criticism
Next time you get criticized, even in an ungodly manner, ask yourself if the substance of the criticism is true or if there is something you need to l...
How Should Christians Think about the Law of Moses?
Jesus fulfilled the law, and at the same time, he ushered in something completely new in the New Covenant. The post How Should Christians Think about ...
Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Wife’s Ministry in the Church
Christ’s expectations of a pastor’s wife are identical to his will for every other woman in the assembly. The post Setting Realistic Expectations for ...
Is This Young Person Ready to Be Baptized? Clarifying Questions and Considerations for Churches
Jesus isn’t like the credit card company that sets up shop on a college campus trying to get students to sign on the dotted line without reading the f...
I Was Fired for My Preaching
Over time and through many tears, he brought me to the point where I could honestly say that if I never pastored another church or preached another se...
To What Shall We Compare God’s Love?
We should be careful about elevating certain analogies of God’s love over others. The post To What Shall We Compare God’s Love? appeared first on 9Mar...
The Art of Dying a Slow Death Well: Long-Suffering in Pastoral Ministry
In my experience, the temptation to bail out of ministry hasn’t come from one major trial that seemed impossible to overcome. Instead, it’s been the f...
Pastor’s Job Description: Four Essential Responsibilities of a Shepherd
Pastor, you have the privilege and responsibility to lead the flock, and the primary way you lead is through the public ministry of the Word. The post...
Relating to Family Members Under Church Discipline
Christians must continue to fulfill their God-given family responsibilities while also honoring (as best as possible) the divinely intended consequenc...
Pastoral Discouragement Is Normal: Wisdom from Charles Spurgeon
When you read his letters and listen to his sermons, you realize that Spurgeon was often deeply discouraged. The post Pastoral Discouragement Is Norma...
Creation Speaks: Natural Law, Psalm 19, and the Recovery of Moral Theology for Evangelical Political Thought
Natural law helps supply the framework that makes the majesty of the gospel intelligible to a broken world. The post Creation Speaks: Natural Law, Psa...
Nine Marks of a Healthy Paragraph: Practical Suggestions for Improving a Pastor’s Writing
You may have no intention of ever publishing a book or an article, and that’s fine. But as a pastor, you’re already a writer. The post Nine Marks of a...
Pastoring the Pestering Conscience
Members with especially sensitive consciences are not in the way of ministry; they are your ministry. The post Pastoring the Pestering Conscience appe...
Why Does Sweden Need a New Theological Seminary?
Biblical faith is not an individual construction but something received, guarded, defended, and handed down, all in communion with preceding generatio...
Fifteen Questions to Help You Grow in Corporate Worship: Preparation, Participation and Departure
Corporate worship is not, and must not become, a spectator event. The post Fifteen Questions to Help You Grow in Corporate Worship: Preparation, Parti...
Threats to Corporate Worship and Our Discipleship
Worship is not about curating an experience; it is about encountering the living God through the means he has ordained. The post Threats to Corporate ...
Discipled Every Sunday: The Priority of Corporate Worship in Christian Discipleship
Corporate worship is not peripheral to God’s people but woven into the very purpose of creation and the goal of redemption. The post Discipled Every S...
Advice for New Elders: Take the Low Seat
If the Chief Shepherd took the lowest seat, how can his under-shepherds reach for the highest? The post Advice for New Elders: Take the Low Seat appea...
A Book for Church Members on the Fringes . . . and the Ones Who Pursue Them
Not only are you there for the good of your local church, but your local church has been given for your good—and ultimately for God’s glory. The post ...
Walking with an Unseen Limp: God’s Enduring Faithfulness in the Private Pain of a Pastor’s Wife
Because our God is so incredibly faithful, he continues to teach me through the painful process of healing. He is too good to waste even an ounce of o...
What Happens When We Turn the Keys?
If it's crucial to make sure the right people have the keys to your house, Jesus takes the question no less seriously for his own kingdom. The post Wh...
Pastoring with Two Cancers: Leading Your People While Fighting for Faith
The hardest part is helping others fight for faith during their own trials by pointing them to promises that you are praying for yourself—promises tha...
Where God’s Glory Is Displayed
The church is a place where God intends for his glory to be made visible, and though in itself the church is weak, God has everything at his disposal ...
Why It Might Be Good That Your Church Isn’t Growing
The lack of growth may be God’s mercy to help you focus on the flock he has given you right now. Diligently shepherd the sheep God has given you today...
Brothers, Aspire to Be Lay Elders
Fundamentally, there isn’t a tiered system of greater elders and lesser elders—just elders! The post Brothers, Aspire to Be Lay Elders appeared first ...
A Tale of Three Cities: A Testimony of Grace Through Church Discipline
Many congregations weep bitterly as those whom they have excommunicated never show signs of repentance. Rather, we exercise church discipline because ...
Caring Enough to Stay: What Pastors Can Learn from the Good Shepherd
The ordinary posture of a pastor towards his church should not be to run just because things get difficult. We preach, pray, love, and stay. The post ...
Building Healthy Churches Behind Bars
Pastors also should consider whether their mission field includes jails and prisons in their state. Across the security fencing and behind the walls a...
How Union with Christ Unites the Church
Union with Christ is a profoundly personal doctrine. But it is not merely a personal doctrine. God has united all his people together with Christ. The...
Who Is the Supper for and How Do We Fence the Table?
Through a right understanding of the gospel which comes through preaching, the Lord’s Supper becomes a tangible, visible illustration of the life, dea...
The Privilege of Pastoral Ministry: A Letter to My Church
Seminary didn’t prepare me to understand that this is the privilege of pastoral ministry—to be beside you, serving as your pastor at the highest of hi...
The Preacher as Pastor and Mentor
Simeon understood that part of the pastor’s job is to replicate himself. The post The Preacher as Pastor and Mentor appeared first on 9Marks....
Pastoring the Scrupulous Conscience
Sometimes, the best use of Scripture will not be to correct false thinking, but to direct them to the rest that’s found in the arms of Jesus. The post...
A Resource to Point You to God’s Global Purposes: Missionary: Obeying the Great Commission
This docuseries tells the story of Christians who followed Christ’s call to “go” as it takes viewers through history and around the world to learn abo...
Calibrating the Conscience
Sometimes the exhortations and example of others can cut through a deadened conscience and draw us back toward godliness. The post Calibrating the Con...
The Forgotten Spiritual Discipline: Introspection
“We must have two eyes, one to see imperfections in ourselves and others, the other to see what is good.” The post The Forgotten Spiritual Discipline:...
How Can Exodus 15 Help God's People Sing Today?
Sean DeMars’s Redemption Song fills a gap for pastors and song leaders by providing a brief exposition of Exodus 15, in which he finds “a description ...
“Let the Little Children Come”: A Brief Case for Welcoming Children into Corporate Worship
If you’re a member of a local church, each Lord’s Day is an opportunity to evangelize and disciple the children in your gathering The post “Let the Li...
Can I Bind the Conscience More in the Counseling Room than in the Pulpit?
Sometimes your counsel will be the difference between a wise option and a suboptimal, borderline foolish option. The post Can I Bind the Conscience Mo...
Operations: The Unseen Mark of a Healthy Church
When a church’s trellis is broken, its ministry vine can’t grow. This is why church operations—the daily management of people, finances, and processes...
When Elders Disagree: A Biblical Framework
If we submit all our differences under the lordship of Christ, God’s Spirit will lead us either to full agreement or loving acceptance of one another....
Should Christians Feel Guilty for Being Patriotic?
Christians can give thanks for their country despite its faults, even as they give their highest allegiance to Christ and his kingdom. The post Should...
The Surprising Importance of “Shallow” Christian Friendships
Our lives are linked, not just by a subjective sense that we “feel connected,” but by the body and the blood of Jesus. The post The Surprising Importa...
Is Elder Plurality Necessary?
Plurality, when rightly exercised, curbs the innate tendencies to control, to make ministry about self, and to use the church instead of serving it. T...
What We Learned from Asking a Pastor to Step Down
Character is not a secondary, nice-to-have feature for an elder; it is essential to the role. The post What We Learned from Asking a Pastor to Step Do...
Calibrated Resistance: A Biblical Blueprint for Obeying and Disobeying Authority
How can we know when to resist man’s commands? The post Calibrated Resistance: A Biblical Blueprint for Obeying and Disobeying Authority appeared firs...
Rejoicing in Persecution Without Romanticizing Pain
Persecution doesn't result in growth alone. The post Rejoicing in Persecution Without Romanticizing Pain appeared first on 9Marks....
Marriage: What God Joins Together Is Good for the World
In the name of justice and human flourishing, let us seek to rebuild the norms, structures, and practices of enduring, healthy marriages and families....
How Far Does an Elder’s Authority Go?
Elders need to fine-tune the exercise of their authority by adjusting the dials of confidence and humility depending on the issue. The post How Far Do...