In all the posts I’ve read (and written) about the shortage of pastoral candidates, Maclean’s third reason is one that few have the courage to articulate. It just doesn’t sound right to suggest that we have too many churches.

Bavinck certainly commends “eloquence” as an important aim in Christian preaching. For Bavinck, eloquence is more than rhetorical training or homiletical excellence. He defines eloquence under three headings.

From where I sit, it seems as though the SBTC has a simple choice – will we hide behind parliamentary integrity or will we stand for biblical fidelity?

The pursuit of this kind of preaching and teaching requires the pastor / teacher to keep the varied nature of his congregation in mind. In other words, those who proclaim the Word of God must remember to whom they are speaking.

Based on what I’ve seen over the last four years, the overwhelming majority of SBTC pastors seem to be in favor of a consistent complementarian position – one that reserves the title and office of elder / pastor / shepherd / overseer to qualified men.

In this post I’m listing out my eight favorite books on preaching, but I’m dividing those books into two lists. List one contains comprehensive books on preaching. List two contains niche, focused books on preaching.

Based on the biblical teaching about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, what would we expect to see, hear, and experience if the Holy Spirit was truly at work in a local congregation. I think Scripture points us to at least 7 realities.

I don’t aim to be overly negative or hyper-critical, but I think the process of searching for a pastor with a pastor search team is often a deeply flawed process.

Southern Baptists are searching. In particular, Southern Baptists appear to be searching for an identity – that one thing that will unite us as a cooperating convention of churches.

Even though most regular pastors won’t have a staff like the mega-church down the street, you will likely have a couple of key people on your leadership team.

I think we should have “funerals.” Furthermore, I think funerals should be sad. Let me explain.

Regular pastors won’t make a big impact through any external, worldly metric of success. However, regular pastors can make a big impact in the following four ways.

I know that no one likes meetings, but I also know meetings are essential to the work of pastoral ministry. Rather than viewing meetings as a time waster that takes you away from sermon preparation, think of meetings as an opportunity to advance ministry goals.

Long before Barnabas proved himself faithful in big things, he first proved himself faithful in little things.

I used to think bad ecclesiology was something that could be overcome as long as a pastor preached well, pastored well, led well, and kept the engine of the church running. I was wrong.

The issue of female pastors has proved incredibly division within the SBC, and I don’t think the divisiveness is going to get better any time soon.

I’m also not foolish enough to think that bad ecclesiology has nothing to do with the pitiful state of affairs in many of our churches, as well as the division and disunity that exists within our convention.

After almost twenty years of pastoring Southern Baptist churches, I’m convinced that there are serious problems with “single, senior pastor ecclesiology.”

Like you, I have many reasons to give thanks – salvation, family, health. Without minimizing those blessings, I want to focus on seven things I’m thankful for as a pastor.

Should church members have access to their pastor? My answers (plural) to this question are no, and it depends, and yes.

The next time you hear children being children in your church, rather than rolling your eyes, take a second to thank God for the blessing of that child and to pray for the future salvation of that child.

How did we get to this point? Why is the average age of pastor in the US quickly moving toward retirement age? Why are their fewer young pastors than there were in the past?

Over almost two decades of pastoring, I can remember many times when children asked me, “Who’s the boss here?” or, “Who’s in charge around here?”

Clearly, the majority of Southern Baptists believe the question about who can rightly be recognized as a pastor is a biblical question rather than a cultural or methodological question.

In all reality, Warren doesn’t want to uphold the shared values of the SBC. He wants to reshape them.

Who gets to define the church? God does, and God has revealed his desire for his church in books like Titus.

Rather than starting with the question, “Will this honor God?” too many churches begin with the question, “Will this work, and will this produce results?”

After almost two decades of pastoring, I think it’s harder for most believers to rejoice when other parts of the body are honored than to suffer when other parts of the body are suffering.

One of the oddest questions that popped up in 2005, 2011, and 2016 is the question of whether or not churches should have Sunday services when Christmas falls on a Sunday.

As I talk to regular pastors, I think some have overly optimistic expectations and some have overly pessimistic expectations.

Recently I came across a wonderful quote in AW Pink’s An Exposition of Hebrews.

If your pastor preaches expository sermons, walking his congregation through a particular passage of Scripture, he carries a heavy burden when he steps into the pulpit.

That’s the task of preaching. Not building an imposing and impressive wall each and every Sunday, but simply laying one brick at a time and laying it straight and square.

Odessa is unlike any of the other cities I’ve lived in In Odessa, a remarkable number of people feel “out of place,” like they don’t really belong here.

Pastor, when you accepted the responsibility of pastoring a congregation, you took on a position of leadership. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in the blame game.

It seems like we hear a new story every week. Some prominent preacher, musician, or Christian celebrity has walked away from the Christian faith.

Recently I read Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. I found the book to be remarkably insightful and filled with uncommon-common-sense. I also found the book to be lacking any concept of grace.

As Ernie Johnson Jr. stepped into the world of broadcasting he was guided by the wise advice of his father, Ernie Johnson Sr.

I’m a regular pastor. My church is located in an average sized town. We are a medium sized church. Here are a few of my thoughts now that we’re several weeks into a “new normal.”

The pattern of Saul’s folly and rebellion reached a low point in 1 Samuel 15. This episode from Saul’s life provides us with a striking profile of “ungodly leadership.”

What motivates a regular pastor? What drives him to stand in the pulpit, week after week, proclaiming biblical truth? What causes him to wake up Monday morning and go back to the office after a weekend of discouragement and disappointment?

If you attend church long enough, odds are you will have to “shop” for a church at some point in your life. When you find yourself looking for a new church, these are a few things you ought to look for.

I don’t have a one-sized-fits-all answer for what you do at church the Sunday after a mass shooting (or, for that matter, the Sunday after any sort of tragedy).

I think our volunteers and staff would agree with me when I say, after five days of games, songs, crafts, and semi-controlled chaos, I was exhausted. VBS requires a tremendous amount of work, and each year I’m reminded about the reasons I “hate” VBS.

Regular pastors are tempted to chase a number of ministry goals. These goals can include platform building, a strong social media presence, denominational recognition, publishing contracts, speaking invitations, and even quasi-celebrity status.

“I think my child is ready to be baptized.” Regular pastors hear these words regularly.

Recently I’ve read through The Pastor, Peterson’s memoir. Towards the end of this self-reflective work, Peterson gives a remarkable description of church in America. I’m not championing everything Peterson wrote, said, preached, or stood for. However, his writing has struck a chord with me – a regular pastor.

Recently my personal Bible reading took me through the book of Romans. What a remarkable book! So much rich doctrine! So much practical advice! Martin Luther offered high praise for the book of Romans when he wrote, “It is the chief part of the New Testament and the perfect gospel.” John Calvin agreed, writing this,…

Last night my church (Immanuel) had a joint worship night with another local church (Redemption). We gathered together to read Scripture and respond in worship. As we sang praises to God, I was reminded of the value of congregational singing. 

As a regular pastor I get excited about the occasional opportunity to “go” to church with my family. While there are certain things I do want to hear on these occasional Sundays, there are also a number of things I don’t want to hear.

My favorite part of summer vacation isn’t getting away from the busyness of life … it’s getting to “go” to church with my family. In particular, I get excited about listening to good preaching with my family.

I think Young’s Candyland series is a visible reminder that we are in desperate need of a new Reformation. This year is the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, and 500 years later it seems we Protestants have come full circle. 

In 2008 I was a young pastor in Kentucky. It was Sunday after church, and I was having lunch with one of the coolest guys I knew, an undercover narcotic agent. My law enforcement friend (and his girlfriend) had been visiting our church for several months.

Several years ago I ordered a copy of God is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology by Gerald Bray. Upon delivery, I put the book on my “to read” shelf, aka the black hole of my office. Recently I delved into my black hole and pulled Bray’s book off the shelf. Almost immediately I wished I had…

The landscape of evangelicalism in 2018 seems to be dominated by megachurches. This is in large part a result of social media, national conferences, and multi-campus churches. The largest churches in the country, along with their celebrity pastors, are constantly celebrated and championed in the United States.

The truth is, pastors don’t always want to go to church. Some Sundays we’d rather smash the alarm and stay in bed. Whatever the reason, there are Sundays when pastors just don’t want to go to church.

Evangelicals have a deadly problem. Our obsession with celebrity culture is a cancer destroying our churches from the inside out. You can see this obsession on display in a number of places.

Recently I read a book with a group of pastors in my town. The book focused on leadership, tracing the life of Peter in the New Testament. The author argued that Peter’s experience as a leader was divided into three stages.

I’ve thought about publishing this post for several months. However, I have not hit the publish button until today. I have several reasons for my hesitancy … but today’s the day.

When it comes to church, we’ve all heard the same clichés … Don’t go to church, be the church … I don’t mind God, it’s his fan club I can’t stand … You don’t have to go to church to worship God …

In 2012 the popular band Mumford and Sons released a song called “Hopeless Wanderer.” The hit song ends with this refrain, “I will learn to love the skies I’m under.” Take it from a guy who’s lived a lot of places, there’s wisdom in that refrain.

This post is a reflection on 10 leadership lessons from Hezekiah’s reign over Judah. These lessons are particularly applicable for those leading in hard times. 

I’ve been a pastor for 10 years, and lately I’ve been thinking about my preaching. The question that keeps running through my head is this, “Would my preaching offend a Mormon?”

Several weeks back I wrote an article titled, “The Southern Baptist Convention Has a Paige Patterson Problem.” We still have that problem. Those who have followed the story know the basic issues.

The SBC really does have a Paige Patterson problem. Outsiders (and some insiders) are already blaming our commitment to complementarianism. But this crisis is not a result of our complementarian theology.