The Top 10 Blogs of 2011
A couple of weeks ago, we compiled a list of the most read blogs of 2011. It was wonderful to see that the most read blogs had to do with the pastor protecting his/her spouse, followed by guarding the church's finances by avoiding certain mistakes, and then making sure that their ordination was legal. In today's world of church planting,…
Read Full Article | CommentsMerry Christmas From the StartCHURCH Family!
To all of the churches, ministers and leaders we have served or will serve! As the celebration of Christ's birth approaches we want to take a few moments to wish you a joyous Christmas. Often times the preparations and activities of the season keep us from reflecting on the incredible significance of that first Christmas so long ago. But what a powerful…
Read Full Article | CommentsStop, Refocus and Celebrate
I understand what goes on in the hearts of pastors during this time of year. Most pastors are focused on the vision side of the ministry. Equipped with an ability to peer over the fence of today and see what is coming, they begin to plan and work towards goals. During no time of the year is that more apparent than the final two months-November…
Read Full Article | CommentsChurch Momentum Killers
Every pastor struggles with keeping momentum. It is a fact of life that momentum comes and goes. However, what I have discovered is that those who succeed the most are the ones who purposefully and endlessly struggle to keep momentum on their side. I remember the very first time I felt that I lost momentum. I made a series of…
Read Full Article | CommentsWhat God Said Through the Preacher's Wife
The voice of your wife is one of the most important voices a pastor will ever hear. God will tell you more about leading your church through your wife than any other person. Yet often times, and I'm no exception, we tend to hear her as a last resort. It's been 19 years now and the same struggle continues . . . I don't hear God very…
Read Full Article | CommentsThree Things To Grow Your Church Within 30 Days
This year's summer has been brutal. Not only have we had one of the hottest in recent history, it has also been filled with political turmoil, spiritual apathy, and unsettling financial issues. By now many pastors feel like the end of their dream is at hand. As one pastor bluntly put it, "I can't take another week preaching to the…
Read Full Article | CommentsThree Things Every Pastor Should do in June
Now that Memorial Day is behind us, activities in many churches across America slow down a bit. Instead of accepting the slowdown as a reason to coast through the summer, now is the best time to start preparing for an explosive start to the fall season. Every year pastors get caught off guard Let's face it, no matter how hard we try, many…
Read Full Article | CommentsDeveloping a Culture of Honor
What Is Honor? Honor means “to hold in high esteem, to regard with great respect, to revere”. When it comes to being a follower of Christ, honor is a fact and way of life. Honor is a lifestyle of stopping to embrace the people and places that surround your life. Yet, so often in ministry, honor sometimes seems elusive. How…
Read Full Article | CommentsHoly Embezzlement! What Makes a Pastor Steal Church Money?
Have you ever asked yourself why a pastor would steal church money? Seriously! If you look at this question with a magnifying glass it is not as simple as the pastor just being greedy. It goes much deeper than that. Why would a pastor go against everything that he knows and teaches to be true, deliberately violate those truths, and…
Read Full Article | CommentsThree Hang-Ups that Burn Preachers Out, Part 2
In my previous article, I shared with you three things that cause burnout in preachers. Today, I would like to continue along those lines by sharing with you three hang-ups that, little by little, will cause you to burn out. 1. Hanging on to a divisive leader: This one is tough. As a pastor I had my share of working both…
Read Full Article | CommentsBig Vision, Small Checking Account
How Big Are Your Dreams? Sometimes, the vision of a pastor's heart is greater than what the church's finances can provide. A big vision is wonderful, yet when you add a lack of finances to the mix it can lead to a discouraged heart. If you ever become discouraged in this way, I challenge you to assess the condition of your heart! Scripture…
Read Full Article | CommentsThe Call - Between Faith and Fear
I stayed up for most of the night. That night, as with the previous 5 nights, I struggled with one question. The answer was becoming more and more clear and I was not sure it was easing my pain. It was going to force me to alter the course of my life forever and take the chance of looking like a fool. Yet the pain of never knowing…
Read Full Article | CommentsHow tall are the ceilings at your church?
A couple of years ago I was having lunch with a staff member of a church with whom I was well acquainted. We sat down at our table and reminisced while we placed our orders for some appetizers. As the conversation continued to develop, I detected frustration in his voice when on two occasions he made mention of the decision making process…
Read Full Article | CommentsDo You Have The Right Voices Around You? - Part 2
(THIS IS PART 2 IN A SERIES. TO SEE PART ONE - CLICK HERE) As we said last time, Pastoring is hard work! And no one can do it alone! To be successful in ministry, there are going to have to be more voices involved in your life then just yours. In our last blog post, we talked about how critical it is to have the right board of directors. It is your…
Read Full Article | CommentsDo You Have The Right Voices Around You? - Part 1
Here’s a Fact: Pastoring is hard work!I have never met another person who entered into pastoral ministry because it was easy. Men and women of God pastor, lead, and shepherd because the Lord has drawn them to it, and the pull is unavoidable. And because the Lord has called them and marked them in such a way, pastors head straight for the fight…
Read Full Article | CommentsA Tribute to the Pastor's Wife
Give honor to whom honor is due Honor has always been important to me. Growing up in a Caribbean Puerto Rican household, I was taught from a young age to honor those around me. Be it my parents, my elders or my Pastors, I understood that we are to honor those around us. The term “honor” means to hold in high esteem, to project and…
Read Full Article | CommentsYour Dreams For the Church Are Not What You Thought
My life today is not what I dreamed it would be My life today is not at all what I dreamed it would be. In fact, neither was the church I pastored. I had big dreams for my small Spanish congregation. I dreamt it would reach 1,000 or more members and that it would be a great force in out small town. I also dreamt it would have…
Read Full Article | CommentsYou Have What it Takes to Make It
Three signs of good, healthy loneliness Chances are, if you have pastored a church for at least one year or more, you have struggled with feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. If so, then you are doing things right, because leadership requires walking alone for seasons at a time. It may be that after last Sunday's service you felt like…
Read Full Article | CommentsWhy Many Pastors Quit The Ministry on July 5th
For many pastors the Monday after July 4th is a very depressing day. That is the day when countless pastors feel the most abandoned by God and by the congregation. Though the reasoning is not clear, it seems that we pastors, from the day we say "Yes" to God's call, associate His blessing on our life with the size of the crowd and the…
Read Full Article | CommentsGrowing Your Church the Old Fashioned Way!
Now that the summer season is fully in swing, many churches across America experience declines in attendance. Due primarily to vacations, mission trips and an overall focus shift in families, summer months are peak seasons for one-day trips to the lake, mountains or recreational parks, for job-related travel, or for family reunions and much needed…
Read Full Article | CommentsHow to Go on Salary at the Church or Ministry!
Why Receive a Salary? In my 20 years of ministry experience, I have come to the conclusion that churches and ministries that have pastors and leaders on full time salary are much more effective in their outreach than pastors who are working full time jobs in other places. The dilemma we run into when our pastors are working outside jobs is that…
Read Full Article | CommentsGod's Provision for the Journey!
A journey of sacrifice During the 19 years that I have been in ministry, my admiration for pastors and ministry leaders continues to grow. They have chosen a life of self sacrifice, service and intercession so that others may come to know the true riches of God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ. This journey of sacrifice often requires…
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