Ministry Today

When Is It Smart to Create a New Position?

Published on Monday, 17 June 2013 09:00

Written by Dan Reiland

Feeling under pressure? Overworked? Are you and your team working hard but can’t seem to keep up, let alone get ahead?

You are not alone. This is a very common church staff scenario. What you do about it can be a game-changer.

In more than 20 years of creating new positions and hiring staff, I’ve lived with the tension of needing to know how many staff is the right number, what positions are the right positions and when is the right time to hire more people. The thing that increases the tension is that there are so many different opinions about the answers to those questions.

7 Exciting Things a Pastor Experiences

Published on Friday, 14 June 2013 16:00

Written by Ron Edmondson

Pastors get to see the best and worst of life it seems, but there are many positives.

Obviously, seeing someone become a follower of Christ or baptism of a believer, has to rank as a highlight of the pastor’s experience. That’s what we are called to do. But, that experience isn’t unique to pastors. Every believer, hopefully, gets excited about seeing people’s entry into faith. That’s the call of the church; not only pastors.

So, my list is beyond those experiences to things that may be somewhat unique to pastors. I’m not saying only pastors get excited about these experiences, but to pastors, these are especially exciting. Also, different pastors will have different answers. That’s where the comments section makes this post even better.

Here are seven exciting things pastors experience:

How to Avoid a Spiritual Mudslide When You Can’t Stop the Rain

Published on Friday, 14 June 2013 12:00

Written by Wayne Hilsden/King of Kings Community Jerusalem

My wife Ann and I lead busy lives. Yet, despite the flurry of activity, God has protected us from the ravages of spiritual collapse. One of the reasons is that we’ve been able to keep up a daily personal devotional life. For us, it’s a key to sanity!

Many of us are task oriented. What we DO is the measure of our success. If you ask people why Jesus was successful most will point to the to the things he did. “He healed the sick…cast out demons…raised the dead…preached to the multitudes”…and the list goes on. And yet, there’s an aspect of the Messiah’s life that involved doing ‘nothing,’ but spending time alone with the Father. So significant were these times that all four Gospels mention them.  In fact, Luke 5:16 says that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Rick Warren: Before You Lead Your Church Through Change

Published on Friday, 14 June 2013 09:00

Written by Rick Warren

If your church has plateaued in its growth for a while or shows signs of being unhealthy, things may need to change, and the pastor is the point person to produce positive change in any church’s culture.

Having said that, leading a church through change is difficult, and sometimes it can be detrimental if you don’t consider some important questions before starting the process.

Three aspects of change you should evaluate before shaking things up are: