Posts Currently viewing the tag: "Pastoral Ministry"

  Many pastors are much better at imparting information than they are at building relationships. They are comfortable in their studies. They love their books. They pride themselves on their sound doctrine. They come alive in the pulpit as they proclaim “the wisdom of God” through carefully-crafted sermons. But when it comes to engaging…(Read More)

The current political climate, at both state and national levels, has highlighted the close connection between politics, pride and emotion. In an outward sense, every politician is constantly striving to build credibility, prestige and influence by highlighting his or her abilities and positions while connecting with the values and emotions of the audience. In an…(Read More)

I’ve talked with many people who left their churches. Some did it for valid reasons and made the transition wisely and graciously. Others were driven by pride, bitterness or resentment, however, and their departures often caused considerable confusion and pain to others. If you or someone you know is ever considering such a move…(Read More)

This plenary address was made to 700 Christian leaders from throughout Europe at the European Leadership Forum in Wisla, Poland, in 2016. Download Teaching Outline:  Life, Family, Ministry, and Witnessing Are All About Relationship…(Read More)

I’ve seen hundreds of terribly damaged relationships restored over the years. Whether the break was caused by adultery, embezzlement, broken contracts, wrongful termination or even physical or sexual abuse, I’ve seen God bring about amazing reconciliations again and again. But there’s one relationship that I’ve seldom seen restored. When pastors’ relationships…(Read More)

Last May I had the privilege of delivering a plenary address to 700 Christian leaders from throughout Europe. The video of this address was just released on the web by the Forum of Christian Leaders, along with an outline detailing the 31 marks of a relational leader. If you are in a leadership position of…(Read More)

I received a lot of positive feedback on last week’s post about a pastor who admitted his need for physical rest, spiritual renewal and relational retooling. One of the most insightful responses came from a different pastor’s wife, who described how both she and her husband also came close to burn out. I…(Read More)

It takes a great deal of humility, wisdom and courage for a popular pastor to admit that he is a “bruised reed” in desperate need of physical rest, spiritual renewal and relational retooling. That’s exactly what my friend Rankin Wilbourne did last Sunday … which catapulted my already-great respect for him to an even…(Read More)

Dr. Don Sweeting, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, and Ken Sande, President of RW360, discuss the importance of church leaders developing biblically-grounded, gospel-driven relational skills. The Church Needs Relational Leaders – Reformed Theological Seminary from Ken Sande on Vimeo…(Read More)

One of the greatest blessings of my recent time in South Africa was seeing how quickly people were applying relational wisdom to vital life issues, such as social injustice, racism, family disintegration, church leadership and evangelism. I was especially impressed by the insights of Kyle Johnston, a young pastor who leads the counseling ministry at…(Read More)

Click Here For a Downloadable PDF File Any time we make plans that impact a group of people—whether it’s our church, ministry, business or even our family—we have the opportunity to deepen and enrich our relationships, both with God and the people around us. But this takes discipline and deliberate effort, because…(Read More)

I’ve seen a lot of leadership transitions over the past thirty years. Like the characters in an old Clint Eastwood western, they generally fell into one of three categories: The Good, the Bad, and the Clumsy (which often turned ugly). Bad Transitions Bad transitions usually involved one or more players with malicious motives. Like…(Read More)

The church pays a heavy price every time a pastor is forced out of his pulpit. Consider these sobering statistics: 23 percent of all current pastors in the United States have been fired or forced to resign in the past.1 The average pastoral tenure in a local church today is a 3.8 years…(Read More)

Many pastors are much better at imparting information than they are at building relationships. They are comfortable in their studies. They love their books. They pride themselves on their sound doctrine. They come alive in the pulpit as they proclaim “the wisdom of God” through carefully-crafted sermons. But when it comes to engaging their…(Read More)

A lot of Christian leaders are being abruptly removed from their posts these days. Pastors, seminary presidents, ministry CEOs. In many cases, they were fired without warning. One day things seemed to be going along just fine, and then suddenly they were told that “the deacons (or elders, trustees, or directors) met yesterday and decided…(Read More)