Help! I’m Lonely: Good News for Lonely Leaders
I once heard Tim Keller say, “Wise leaders know that leaders are lonely, and they escape the trap of self-pity about it.” True, but Keller’s talk provided no answer to my immediate question, which was, “Yes. But how?!” I dare not trust myself to attempt to round off a Tim Keller sermon. But I will […]
The Unintended Consequences of the Modern Church
It’s a good season to reexamine the effectiveness of the modern church. Our commitment, as RENEW.org leaders, is to continually go back to Scripture, to restore and prioritize what it teaches. We face a challenge because in the last fifty years, as church leaders have sought more effectiveness in our churches, we have come to […]
Pastoral Burnout: Beating Burnout Before it Begins
Being a minister is hard. Being a lead minister in 2024, post-COVID in the United States, is harder than ever. Barna Research Group’s 2022 research revealed that 41% of lead ministers have thought about quitting.[1] When they did a follow-up survey in 2023, they saw an encouraging trend with only 33% giving serious consideration to quitting.[2] […]
Beyond the Headlines: Recognizing the Faithful Shepherds
The recent news that Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was involved in a serious offense against a twelve-year-old girl over thirty years ago is exceptionally troubling. I grieve for the victim of his abuse. Jesus taught there are few sins more egregious than harming a child. Although all sinners can accept […]
Revitalized Churches Start Listening
*Editor’s Note: In this series on church revitalization, Adam Jones, senior minister of Connect Christian Church in Carl Junction, MO, walks through important steps a declining church can take. Revitalization requires renewed leaders and a rediscovery of family. In this article, Jones explores the need to calm down and listen. When my son was four […]
Perspectives in Leadership: Leadership Is Stewardship
I prayed that God would give me wisdom to lead. In return, I was led down a path toward a special kind of slavery. I was initially intrigued when I discovered God’s habit of calling leaders his slaves. Moses (Joshua 1:1), David (2 Samuel 7:8), Paul (Titus 1:1), and Jesus (Philippians 2:7) are called slaves. […]
Summary of 1 Timothy: Understanding the Basics of 1 Timothy in the Bible
Here is a short summary of 1 Timothy: First Timothy is a personal letter from the apostle Paul to his friend and colleague in ministry, Timothy. Paul had traveled to Macedonia and left Timothy in Ephesus to set things in order in the church there. Some sort of false teaching had infiltrated the church, forbidding […]
Women as Lead Preachers and the Meaning of ‘Authentein’ in 1 Timothy 2:12
Recently Mike Winger, a pastor and featured teacher on Biblical Thinker online, posted a very long series of videos exploring the subject of women in Christian ministry.[1] In part twelve of that video series, Winger does a careful examination of Paul’s use of the term authenteō in 1 Timothy 2:12, which he believes limits the […]
