NEW! The Ultimate Resource List for Intentional Pastors

The responsibilities of a pastor are wide-ranging. In this Ultimate Resource List for Intentional Pastors, you'll find tools to help you do ministry, lead the church intentionally, and be more productive.

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2023 Must-Read Books for Pastors and Preachers leadership preaching

Every year I love to ask other pastors, preachers, and church leaders about their best book recommendations. What comes from it is a mix of new books and old books. The reasons for their recommendations vary and I always have a few to add into the mix.

So if you're looking for some books to...

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The Last Two Leadership Lessons You Need as a Pastor leadership

It was a beautiful summer day. The U-Haul truck was fully loaded and I was backing it down the long, steep, Price Hill, Cincinnati Driveway onto the road below. That was until the truck came to a loud, grinding halt.

Instead of backing onto the road, I had backed that 26-foot U-Haul truck into...

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Pastoral Well-Being Plummeting? Research Shows Concerning Data leadership

Barna recently showed research they did in 2015 and in 2022 where they compared pastoral well-being (and compared the two timeframes).

And the results are... concerning. In this video, we look at their findings and consider 3 things pastors can do to guard against their well-being sliding toward...

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3 Resources to Increase Biblical Engagement in Your Church leadership

I’ve not met another pastor who isn’t interested in helping more people read the Bible more. Every fellow minister I talk to would love to increase biblical engagement in their church. 

And I’m in that same boat. So over the last few years, I’ve set out to resource my...

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How to Deal With Difficult People in Your Church (Without Exploding) leadership

Every church has its share of difficult people. 

They’re the people who are perpetually dismissive or resistant to what seems like everything you and your team attempt to do. 

But you have to hand it to them—they’re consistent. Consistently critical and dissatisfied...

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3 Huge Goals for Every Pastor in 2023 (And Steps to Accomplish Them) leadership preaching

November and December present a unique opportunity to every pastor. Not only do we get to gather our people for Advent and Christmas services but we are more inclined than any other time of the year to set goals. 

Goals are powerful because of the focused energy and steps they generate....

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I’ve Got Bad News: Things Aren’t Getting Easier (5 Things Great Leaders Do in Hard Times) leadership

It is never around hard times that a leader grows the most, but through them.

That’s true about life and that’s true about leadership. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at...

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5 Books to Level-Up Your Leadership leadership

Leadership is difficult. 

If anyone tries to convince you otherwise, be weary of their influence on you.

In this article, I want to offer you 5 books that will level-up your leadership. 

These are books that will:

  • Address the inner life of a leader
  • Equip you to lead groups of people...
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10 Habits of Highly Intentional Pastors leadership preaching

Highly intentional pastors are purposeful people. They understand the weight of what the Lord has called them to do and they take that work seriously.

Most of us want to be intentional pastors.

But what makes the difference between drifting pastors and intentional pastors are the habits they...

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3 Drastic Warnings for Gifted Preachers (So You Don't Wreck Your Life) leadership preaching

Like a rocket launched toward space, such can be the acclaim and notoriety that come quickly to a gifted preacher.

A gifted preacher, no matter if they are a part of a small church or mega church or somewhere in between, can deal with the same pitfalls.

And even if public acclaim and notoriety...

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3 Areas Pastors Can't Ignore to Lead the Church Effectively leadership

The work of a pastor is part preacher, part theologian, part counselor, part strategist, part administrator, and part leader.

And while you may not enjoy the comparisons of leading a church to organizational leadership, there is one inescapable reality: an organization is “a group of...

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The New Leadership Challenge: Staying Calm When No One Else Is leadership

You can feel the tension in the room. It's palpable. People are on edge. They're experiencing some kind of stew which might include fear, worry, and anger. 

In these moments, what do you do?

  • Join in on the speculation?
  • Add your two cents that are filled with bitterness and...
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