Articles by Other Leaders

When defining the “inner life” of a person in general and of a pastor in particular, we need to understand there is more to it than just Bible reading and prayer. The inner life disciplines can be understood as all those activities that strengthen us spiritually and prepare us for the work of outward ministry where our energy is spent. The inner life is spiritual input, and the outward life of ministry and work is spiritual output. Although this is something of an oversimplif

Jim Shaddix, my father in ministry and one of the most faithful followers of Jesus and preachers of God’s Word I’ve ever known or heard, went to be with the Lord on February 1, 2025, after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. Nearly 25 years ago, when I was considering where to go to seminary, an older brother in Christ encouraged me to find someone to study under and to learn all I could from that person. I’d read Jim’s book on preaching, and I dreamed about studying under h

One of the most common reasons for pastoral leadership mistakes is blindness to the significance of church size. Size has an enormous impact on how a church functions. There is a “size culture” that profoundly affects how decisions are made, how relationships flow, how effectiveness is evaluated, and what ministers, staff, and lay leaders do. We tend to think of the chief differences between churches mainly in denominational or theological terms, but that underestimates the i

Week by week, faithful preachers open God’s Word and speak. They speak to proclaim the truth and to declare the gospel. They speak to teach, correct, rebuke and train. They speak to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to do the work of an evangelist. They speak to encourage and exhort. And as they speak, they lead the church. There is, arguably, no more powerful leadership position in the church than that of preacher. Not that preachers always realize that or always

Has God called you to ministry? Though all Christians are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve the Church as pastors and other ministers. Writing to young Timothy, the Apostle Paul confirmed that if a man aspires to be a pastor, “it is a fine work he aspires to do.” [I Timothy 3:1, NASB] Likewise, it is a high honor to be called of God into the ministry of the Church. How do you know if God is calling you? First, there is an inward call. Thr