'Ministry Tools' Tagged Posts
How to “Get Over it” When You Taught Poorly
If you teach the Bible regularly, you know the experience of wishing you had done better — sometimes much better — immediately after you finished. I have been there. I once spoke at a men’s retreat of a church different than my own. About halfway through my message, I could feel in my soul that things were going poorly. The men seemed unenthused. Two guys were whispering to each other and laughing. I pressed on, but it never improved. Afterwards,…
Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits
Name_______________________________ Date_____________ Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits For systematic pastoral visitation of church members____________________“Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all men.” 1 Thess. 5:14 “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the…
Elders’ Meetings that Do Something
Elders’ meetings should not be an exercise in futility. Rather, to be effective for the church and interesting for the elders, some thought must be put into your time together. Some suggestions: 1. Plan for meeting together more often and for a longer period of time. We find meeting for at least three hours weekly is about right. For us now, we meet from 5:30-8:30 a.m.Even then we find that we want more time. In fact, for quite…
Suggestions For Pastors When Your Church Is Not Happy With You
Years ago, in a church that was experiencing good changes and lots of growth, I heard from various sources that the many people were not happy with me. This floating disapproval went on for some time. As a younger pastor this was extremely disconcerting. Like most pastors, I was concerned about being liked by the congregation that I was given to lead—a natural tendency. But mainly, I didn’t want the church to suffer through distraction, and, if I was leading…
Profitable Questions to Ask Missionaries and Their Helpers
We were very excited! All those we had developed and sent out for missions (plus one family about to leave) were going to be home at the same time. We knew it might never happen again. One family was back from Peru. Another young lady was just in from the Middle East. And one family, having served previously in South Africa, was headed there soon under our care. We just knew that we needed to get them (the adults) in…
Christ’s Headship in the Church: The Neglected First Principle of Decision-making
I may seem naïve and overly simplistic when I say that Christ is the Head of the church and that this one fact, properly understood, will do more to clear up confusion over decision-making in the church than any other consideration. From this truth we are able to deduce that elders and members have one goal in decision-making—to find out what the Head of the church wills for His church. I don’t think most church leaders think this way. Starting…
Reading Scripture Before Your Message
It may not seem that important to read well Scripture that you plan to expound, but you are mistaken on this account: You have failed to see that Scripture is the most important thing about your message! As I’ve grown older in the ministry, I’ve come to see that Scripture read well is a potent way to impact your audience for good. “Give much attention to the public reading of Scripture,” Paul said. Try these ideas for better listening: 1. …
Above Reproach — But What About the Kids?
The wise Apostle Paul insists that overseers be above reproach. By overseers he means those who not only are called by that title, but also that of pastor or elder. These words are used for the same person. That person, that overseer, that pastor, that elder, MUST be above reproach. Between Paul’s words — “IF ANYONE IS ABOVE REPROACH” — and “AN OVERSEER, AS GOD’S STEWARD, MUST BE ABOVE REPROACH,” he brings the family into our perview. See what I…
Stop Talking So Much…And Other Tips for Leading a Small Group Bible Study
I meet with a small group of men once a week early in the morning primarily to study the Bible. We read and dialogue about a portion of Scripture. Typically, we walk through one Bible book at a time, examining a section each week. Though I am the leader, I almost never prepare for this meeting. I am a firm believer in preparation; it’s just that this meeting is different. I arrive ready to open our Bibles, to read the…
Questions for a Prospective Pastor
It is not uncommon for a pastor to be opposed by the very people who at first enthusiastically promoted him. Why? Often it is because only surface communication took place between the potential pastor and the congregation before he assumed his position in the church. In our day it is possible for a pastor to be chosen for a church with almost no serious questions being asked, much less any doctrinal questions. This should never be the case. We suggest…
Teaching the Bible Well Even if You Only Have 5 Minutes to Speak
My church meets in multiple “home congregations” throughout Kansas City. Most weeks in our church gatherings, we have an “open sharing time.” During this portion of our meeting, people are free to communicate with the group in various ways, such as by sharing a testimony, telling about an evangelistic experience they recently had, confessing sin, and asking for prayer. During this time, the men of the church are free to teach something briefly from Scripture (usually for 5 to 10…
The Muller Center for Biblical Studies
Frequently asked questions: What is the Muller Center? Why did we name the Center after George Muller? Where is the Muller Center located? Who are the tutors for the Muller Center? What is required of Muller Center students? What is the cost for becoming a Muller Center student (for our main 2 semester courses)? May I study in the Muller Center’s two semester forums if I live outside the Kansas City area? What is the typical weekly schedule for two…
Evangelistic Bible Reading Concept
What? A way to bring our friends and family directly to the New Testament in order to introduce them to Christ. The plan is to read the Bible aloud with those who don’t know Christ on a regular basis. Why? The Bible tells us the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, resulting in forgiveness and the life which is essential for our salvation. In fact, we only know about that through the Bible. Also, to believe includes hearing and conforming…
A New Purpose Statement
We exist to love God with our warmest affection and highest devotion to love one another as Christ has loved us, and to love others as we desire to be loved ourselves. Why love? What about worship, teaching, preaching, personal holiness, and evangelism? Should our focus really be so narrow when the Christian life involves so many other necessary things? In the New Testament, love is consistently viewed as the highest of Christian virtues-the one that produces, unites, and balances…
Church Member Bailouts
John didn’t imagine it would actually happen, but his job disappeared in one week. The building where he used to work is empty. Everyone had to leave. He has four kids and enough money to make it about six months with unemployment compensation; trouble is pacing outside his front door. Sarah always has this kind of difficulty as a single mom. There is never enough to make things work. Right now, her old car needs repairs, and she is nowhere…
First Sermon Jitters: Help for Aspiring Preachers
The first sermon I ever preached was in a little country church close to my childhood home. I think I made three points: 1) Read your Bible. 2) Pray. 3) Tell people about Jesus. After twenty minutes, I had said everything I knew, so I concluded with a prayer and sat down. Looking back, I realize what a poor job I did. Where did I go wrong? For starters, I just said basic truths but I didn’t really teach Scripture.…
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