Shepherding Like a Prophet, Priest, and King
More and more these days, we are hearing that successful pastors, especially church planters, need to be entrepreneurial. But what does that mean exactly? What does it not mean? In my previous post on this topic, I pointed to renowned business and management author, Peter Drucker, for a definition of entrepreneurship. He says an entrepreneur [...]
Entrepreneurship is one of the new, hot characteristics pastors are claiming for themselves. But many operate, I am afraid, on the wrong definition of an entrepreneur. Because they focus more on personality than skills, more and more pastors are slapping an “E” on their uniform, but can’t play ball. What entrepreneurship really is The entrepreneurial [...]
It is always inspiring to hear stories of a life lived well for God’s glory and kingdom. I had the privilege to attend John Stott’s memorial service last week. His was very much one of those lives. Tim Keller gave the sermon for the service from Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to [...]
Brandon Levering has a great article at The Gospel Coalition entitled, “5 Ways Established Churches Should Think Like Plants.” If you’re looking for ways to reinvigorate the gospel impact of the church, you would do well to shift into the five church plant mentalities Brandon lists: 1. Church plants clearly define their mission and keep it [...]
When I was a kid, there was a wall at my grandparents’ house where all the grandkids marked their height through the years. I have over 25 cousins, so you can imagine all the little dashes with names and dates next to them. I never noticed I was growing. But every time we visited, I [...]
Growth is what every church needs. Good pastors plan, aim toward, and set goals for the right kind of growth. It will look different for your church compared to others, but it will include some combination of numerical and spiritual growth. Good pastors, however, don’t grow the church by making decisions unilaterally. They operate with [...]
It’s not easy to put your philosophy of ministry into practice. Every seminary student cites Ephesians chapter 4 in their philosophy of ministry papers. Every book written on pastoral ministry exegetes this passage. And for good reason. It lays out the key ministry principle that the body of Christ works together to grow and mature in [...]
Wait, John Piper thinks efficiency is important? Doesn’t he only care about prayer, preaching, theology, and scholarship? These things aren’t mutually exclusive, my friends. On the contrary, efficient habits are the bridge to the land of effective pastoral leadership. “A leader does not like clutter. He likes to know where and when things are for quick [...]
When you put someone up front, it says a lot. You essentially give them your pastoral stamp of approval. This puts your reputation as a leader on the line. If they don’t work out, it shows that you shouldn’t have put them in that position in the first place. You might lose the confidence of others [...]
Pithy and profound, as usual, from Seth Godin. Which of these four roadblocks is holding you back from achieving your goals? “You don’t know what to do. You don’t know how to do it. You don’t have the authority or the resources to do it. You’re afraid. Once you figure out what’s getting in the [...]
Leaders know that buy-in is crucial to the success of a big vision. The chain of your vision is only as strong as its least invested link. But not all buy-in is created equal. Some is fake. Some is real. Everyone knows how to achieve buy-in: gather everyone involved into a meeting, discuss the vision, [...]
I was reminded of the polarizing effect famous Christian leaders have on the masses at The Gospel Coalition National Conference last week. It seems to me that people can potentially fall into two extremes. First there is the cynical camp. At best, the cynic derides everyone who attends conferences as wide-eyed fan-boys. At worst, he [...]
Frustration is common in ministry. The pastors who avoid frustration best tend to be best at avoiding preaching the gospel. But if we follow the Lamb wherever he goes, and preach his blood, we will encounter slices of the conflict and opposition that eventually got the Lamb slain. So the question is not how do [...]
I just happened upon some great leadership videos by Mark Driscoll at The Resurgence. I think you check them out (registration required). I just watched one on prophet, priest, and king leadership styles, which are strong in preaching, counseling, and administrating respectively. I was encouraged that Driscoll said some things I’ll be writing about in [...]
Understanding gospel-centered ministry merely in terms of preaching the message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection will turn you into a one-trick pastoral pony. Pastoral work should have the gospel as its motivation, not only its message. Paul defines his ministry in terms of proclaiming the gospel in 1 Thessalonians, but it works itself out [...]
Have you ever rationalized ignoring your weak areas of ministry? “I’m not a people person, so I spend most of my time preparing sermons.” We all make excuses to avoid pastoral work that doesn’t come easy. But is this reasoning valid? Avoid weak roles and focus on strong ones? One major book in the strengths [...]
Welcome to Eric McKiddie's blog about doing the work of a pastor with theological rigor and practical efficiency. Find out more.
Read the latest articles via RSS
Have articles delivered to your email
Get links to articles through Twitter