Here is the link to the article that I connected to on Facebook during the period of March 27 – April 2, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to this author if you find his articles worthwhile.
What We Lost When We Lost Our Hymnals (Tim Challies) “I don’t think we should go back to using hymnals. But I do think there’s value in considering what we lost when, over the course of a relatively short period of time, we gave up hymnals for PowerPoint projection.”
Here are the links to the articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of March 6-26, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
How to Be Mad at Your Pastor (JD Hall) “It happens regularly, in every church and among every congregation. Sooner or later, you or someone you love is going to be mad at your pastor.”
Why I Didn’t Sing When I Visited Your Church (Tim Challies) “It was a joy to finally visit your church a couple of Sundays ago, and to worship with the believers there… Now, you asked me why it looked like I wasn’t singing. I know that was probably a little awkward, so thought I’d send along a brief explanation.”
Five Things the Traditional Church Is Doing Well (Thom S Rainer) “There are many traditional or established churches doing things well. And though we can’t make categorical statements about any group of churches, it is indeed true that there are some elements in traditional churches we need to celebrate. Here are five of them.”
Six Traits of Preacher-Eater Churches (Thom S Rainer) “I hear far too often about the very real problem of preacher eating churches. We cover six traits that are found in these churches and how to remedy them.”
Four Questions to Ask Before Joining a Church (Brian Croft) “It is a common scenario. You move to a new area. You get find your new residence and job. You get the kids enrolled in school. Where you settle in a local church often becomes a longer, more drawn-out task.After checking out all the churches you desire to visit, here are four questions to ask yourself as you narrow the search to make a decision.”
Battling Burnout as a Pastor’s Wife (Erin Wheeler) “What do we do as pastor’s wives when the never-ending demands pummel us? In many ways our calling is the same as every Christian’s—we’re to take up our cross daily, and follow him (Luke 9:23). And often the cross we bear is a call to give out of poverty, not abundance.”
We Have Lost the Sense of God (Conrad Mbewe) “After my last blog post in which I addressed the issue of believers abandoning going to church on a Sunday in preference for watching a football match, I tossed and turned most of the night. I kept asking myself how believers could do this. I could not understand how even pastors are now joining in this revelry with a clear conscience. I mean, how? I was sure that the football craze that had engulfed this generation is only a symptom of a greater disease. But what was that disease? That is the question I was wrestling with. By the time the sun rose, I think that I had an answer. The best way to phrase it is by the title of this blog post: We have lost the sense of God.”
Here are the links to the articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of February 27-March 5, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile. (There will be no Bob’s Links post next week.)
7 Reasons Pastoring a Church is Harder Today (Chuck Lawless) “I’m sure that pastoring a church has always been difficult. At the same time, though, it seems much harder today than it was 35+ years ago when I started in full-time pastoral ministry. Here’s my assessment about why the task is harder.”
The 5 Words That Should Scare Any Pastor (Mike Leake) “I heard these words a few times as a youth pastor, when I was just cutting my teeth in ministry, and I absolutely relished them. It was confirmation to my heart and my soul that I was doing what God had called me to do. I’ve heard these words now as a senior pastor and they aren’t nearly as appetizing—they are frightening.”
Here are the links to the articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of February 20-26, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
Confessions of a Church Shopper (Kelly King) “I’ve visited a few congregations, and I want to make a few observations as an “outside” person who is walking through your church door. I’m not trying to be critical, but if you are a ministry leader, I want to give you some practical ways you can make a good first impression.”
Pastor, Remember Your Wife Is the Most Vulnerable Person in Your Church (Joe McKeever) “Everyone who walks in the church door can be helped or hurt in what happens during the next hour. Whether saint or sinner, preacher or pew-sitter, oldtimer or newcomer, child or geezer, everyone is vulnerable and should be treated respectfully, faithfully, carefully. No one in the church family is more vulnerable than the pastor’s wife.”
Southern Baptists – An Unregenerate Denomination (Tim Challies) “[Jim] Elliff suggests churches should reexamine the way they introduce other pastors. How’s this for an introduction? ‘Here is Brother ______, pastor of a church of 15,000 members, 5500 of whom do not bother to come on a given Sunday morning, and 12,000 of whom do not come on Sunday evening. He is here to tell us about how to have a healthy, evangelistic church.'”
When Pastors and Churches Pray, God Moves (Rick Warren) “The greatest work you’ll ever commit to as a pastor is the work of prayer. Praying churches, those that experience the miraculous power of God, are led by praying pastors.”
Here are the links to the articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of February 13-19, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
Five Reasons to Recommend Books to Your Church Members (Jonathan Howe) “As a pastor or church leader, you obviously play an important role in the spiritual development of fellow church members. But you can also develop members personally through the simple act of recommending books to them on a regular basis.”
The Resuscitated Church (Thom S. Rainer) “What about churches? Can a church experience a similar miraculous recovery? Admittedly, I have only seen a few churches with the same story of resuscitation. But I have seen a sufficient enough number to make some concise observations.”
Here is the link to the article that I connected to on Facebook during the period of February 6-12, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to this author if you find his articles worthwhile.
9 Things to Include on a Revamped Church Prayer List (Chuck Lawless) “I know there’s a reason for a church to list and share all of its personal prayer needs (and I strongly affirm that approach), but I also think we’re missing an opportunity by not more strategically using a prayer list. Below is my proposed list for a ‘revamped’ prayer list.”
Here are links to articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of January 30-February 5, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
Autopsy of a Deceased Pastor (Thom S. Rainer) “Autopsies are not a pleasant topic. I get that. But I would be negligent if I did not share with you about the numbers of pastors who are dead in ministry. You need to know.”
Another Pastor Bites the Dust (Rob Shepherd) “A few months ago a prominent pastor was let go from the church he planted. This past Sunday another prominent pastor stepped down.”
Here are links to articles that I connected to on Facebook during the period of January 16-29, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
Six Current Trends in Land Purchases by Churches (Thom S. Rainer) “I have noted on numerous occasions the incredible pace of change impacting churches. Another change is increasingly become more evident: how and when churches make land purchases. Here are six major shifts.”
How Does a Pastor Know When to Make Changes in His Church? (Brian Croft) “Pastors who walk into existing churches are quickly burdened by needed changes to improve the church. Where the challenge is for most of us is when and how those changes need to be brought.”
9 Reasons Some Pastors Are Not Strong Leaders (Chuck Lawless) “Pastoring requires being a leader, but not every pastor is a strong leader. Rather than harshly judge these pastors, though, we need to understand reasons they may struggle—and then prayerfully help them.”
Here is the link to the article that I connected to on Facebook during the period of Jan 9-15, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to this author if you find his article worthwhile.
Get Alone With God (David Mathis)“’Time alone with God,’ as some have called it, is as important as it’s ever been — likely even more so in our age of distraction.”
Here are links to different articles and posts that I connected to on Facebook during the period of Jan 2-8, 2017. I encourage you to subscribe to these authors if you find their articles worthwhile.
The Heresy of Worshiptainment (Mike Livingstone) “Church members ‘want to be entertained while they are edified.’ He said that in 1962. Tozer grieved, even then, that it was ‘scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction was God.’”
Seven Steps to Strengthen Prayer (Bonnie McKernan) “While it won’t be the same for everyone, seven specific actions have really helped me in my battle against a weak prayer life.”
Why Christian Leaders Struggle With “Dark Nights of the Soul” (Chuck Lawless) “If you read church history at all, you’ll learn that men as faithful to God as Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon struggled with bouts of at least heaviness, if not depression. I’m convinced more church leaders than we know face these battles.”
The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church (David Wells) “This quarter of a century has been a time of many bright highlights, but if I am not mistaken it is also a time of lengthening shadows in our evangelical world. We have been transformed from being an inconsequential religious player to one of some consequence during this time, but the costs are now becoming plain.”
Ten Major Trends for Churches in 2017 (Thom S Rainer) “So what are the ten major trends for 2017? It’s a mixed bag of good news and bad news.”
Bob's Links 