Pastoring already ranks high on the list of difficult, thankless work, but the pandemic has greatly exacerbated its difficulty and stress. We thought the pastors in our audience would appreciate hearing from someone deep in the trenches of ministry. Brian Croft is the former Senior...
Variety in worship is easy to find. In your neighborhood alone, there is likely a church using modern songs by Bethel and Maverick City. Another worships with voices only. Another boasts two services... a "traditional" and a "contemporary" to please both preferences. EP author and pastor Terry Johnson argues that a church should establish its worship practices on more than just preferences, but on a posture instead. A posture of God-centeredness.
We are thrilled about Tony Merida's upcoming new release The Faithful Church Planter: Eleven Essential Competencies for the Work and we trust that it will quickly become a staple in the church planter's library. Tony Merida is a pastor, seminary professor and Director for Theological Training for Acts 29, a...
Silence. Just the word may cause you anxiety. Does it make you think of boredom, lonliness or isolation? The truth is that most of us have very little silence in our lives. At home we listen to music or watch television while our family members chatter away. Then we move to the car or transit where we instantly turn on music or a podcast. Even our workouts are full of noise from a screen or our earbuds. And how many of us turn on music during our "quiet" time with God? Today we're excerpting an article by Brian Croft of Practical Shepherding, which shares his struggle with silence and the tremendous benefit it has brought to his life as a person and a pastor.
You don't have to be in ministry for long to experience the sting of criticism. While it cannot be avoided, we can control our response to it and even turn the pain into a blessing. This is the theme of Mostyn Robert's new release Coping with Criticism. Here is what Melvin Tinker had to say about the book:
“This book is a must for all those starting out in pastoral ministry and essential for all those wishing to continue in it. By a combination of superb biblical exposition and sensitive application reflecting a wealth of personal ministerial experience, the author not only shows how to endure criticism but flourish through it. I really enjoyed and benefited from reading this. I could have done with it 40 years ago! A little gem of a book.”