May 3, 2021
May 9 | Application
It’s inspiring when leaders make the effort to understand the real-world challenges their followers face. And it’s demoralizing when leaders refuse to do so—or worse, when leaders consider themselves above the rules.
Church Leadership
Church Leadership equips pastors, elders, ministry staff, and volunteer leaders to lead with biblical conviction, humility, and wisdom. Explore practical, Scripture-shaped guidance on leading teams, developing leaders, casting vision, making decisions, and building a healthy ministry culture. You’ll also find help for navigating conflict, communication, accountability, and the spiritual formation of leaders—so leadership flows from character, not just competence. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time or carrying long-term responsibility, these resources aim to strengthen your leadership for the good of the church and the mission of Jesus.
Great Sermons and Being Near to God
Every preacher has his own process for writing a sermon. But there’s another preparation that needs to happen in private . . .
April 22, 2021
Would You Choose This Man as Your Minister?
Our “pulpit was empty.” In the jargon of our church that meant that our professional orator in residence had left us for greener pastures and we were on the prowl for another. Then we got this letter from some preacher fellow that wanted to come for two weeks and live with us and preach to us on three Sundays.
April 13, 2021
New Resource Helps Churches and Ministers Find the Right Match
A minister transition is a challenging time for a church . . . and the process is not easy on ministers either. Find Your Next Minister/Ministry is a new service from the CCL Network to help both churches and ministers thrive in the transition process.
After 35 Years, John Wagner’s Ministry Path Leads Back Home
If you’d told John Wagner years ago he would end up leading the church he grew up attending—First Christian Church in Union, Mo.—he never would have believed you.
March 1, 2021
Trustworthy Church Leadership
“The greatest source of power available to a leader,” said Dr. James O’Toole, founding director of Neely Center for Ethical Leadership at the University of Southern California, “is the trust that derives from faithfully serving followers.” Three decades earlier, Howard Hendricks, longtime professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, told a Promise Keepers rally, “The greatest crisis in America is a crisis of leadership, and the greatest crisis of leadership is a crisis of character.” During the past several decades, a proliferation of books, journals, degree programs, podcasts, online conferences, and DVD series have addressed the issues of character and trust in leadership in virtually all arenas
How to Preach with Biblical Authority
I grew up in a small church on the west side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. My mother, who loved to sing, was part of the church choir. This was during the days when there was a midweek service followed by choir practice. One Wednesday when I was about 10, I was in the sanctuary (there’s a word you don’t hear much anymore) waiting for choir practice to end so we could go home. While I was waiting, the preacher, Delmar Debault, came in and walked over to where I was standing. As he talked to me, he took my face into
February 23, 2021
Longtime Pastor Pairs Ministry with Sports PA Announcing Gigs
Mike Gillespie, who has served 55 years as a pastor, has also been the PA announcer for more than 4,000 high school and college sporting events.
February 9, 2021
Integrity On Purpose
By Ron Clark, executive director of Kairos Church Planting — Reading and signing an Ethical Conduct Agreement or Covenant before a church not only serves as an encouragement to our congregations, community, and those who have been hurt by church leaders, but it also provides a level of accountability for ministers.
February 1, 2021
COVID-19, Elders, and Forgiveness
The challenges of COVID-19 have made it more important for elders and church staff members to manage relationships with great care and discernment. This has not been easy for leaders. Satan has attacked relationships between brothers and sisters in the body with full force. Breaking and shattering relationships has always been one of his greatest weapons. Here is the heart of the problem: COVID-19 and its ramifications have presented our church leaders with stormy seas that are dangerous and difficult to successfully navigate in our relationships in the body of Christ. In meeting with leaders in churches of all sizes
February 1, 2021
Interview with Kadi Cole: How to Develop Female Leaders in the Church
In her book Developing Female Leaders, author and speaker Kadi Cole provides tools, coaching, and strategies for incorporating the development of female leaders into the leadership pipelines in our churches. After reading her book, I had the privilege to spend some time with her. QUESTION: Why should church leaders invest in developing their female leaders? KADI COLE: Young people have grown up in an age where diversity is the norm for them, so to walk into a worship experience and have everybody be very homogeneous is actually a deterrent. Not because they don’t agree with our beliefs, but because they
January 20, 2021
Longtime Sheriff in Ohio to Focus on Ministry During Retirement
By Chris Moon It is not every day someone retires from 50 years as a law enforcement officer, including 20 as the local sheriff . . . and decides to devote his retirement to lay ministry in the church. But that’s exactly what Dave Phalen has planned. “Wherever the Lord leads me. He kind of can surprise us sometime,” said Phalen, who just retired as sheriff in Fairfield County, Ohio, and serves as an elder with Fairfield Christian Church in the city of Lancaster. Phalen set aside his badge after 50 years in law enforcement and he did so with
January 17, 2021
Elliott Library ‘Cornerstone’ Laid
Three Bibles of historical significance to Cincinnati Christian University were the first books place on the shelves during relocation of the George Mark Elliott Library.
January 12, 2021
RHM Residency Program a ‘Leadership Pipeline’ for Ministry in Northeast
By Chris Moon The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t dampened Restoration House Ministries’ efforts to bring young church leaders to New England. The church-planting organization in Manchester, N.H., is in the third year of its residency program which recruits young people from across the country to gain ministry experience in the Northeast. Five residents are nearing the end of their 11-month training cycle. “It’s a work in progress,” said Aaron Rathbone, residency program director for RHM. This year’s residency program came with its own challenges, he said. The current cohort started work remotely in April 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic was
January 5, 2021
Mark Scott’s Greatest Kingdom Impact
Since I first enrolled at Ozark Christian College, Mark Scott has been my kingdom hero, and I’m not the only young preacher Mark has shaped. Over his 35 years at OCC, Mark has inspired generations of students.
December 29, 2020
CCLF Concluding Strong First Year in Greater Cincinnati
In its first full year, the Christian Church Leadership Foundation has accomplished much to ensure Christian education and resources would continue to be available to people in the Greater Cincinnati area.
December 2, 2020
50 Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years of Preaching
Victor Knowles recommends you ask yourself these questions as you preach or prepare to preach.
November 22, 2020
Personal Obedience in the Life of an Elder
Among the many notable things about the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, are the massive foundational stones that were carefully crafted and precisely positioned. The foundation for the Great Pyramid had to be formidable to support the weight that was to come. Foundations are key to the success or failure of a structure. As elders and church staff, it is critical we understand that the foundation for our leadership is our personal, growing relationship with Jesus. Our personal spiritual development forms the foundation for our service. This foundation is made up of several key “stones.” Paul mentions many of them
November 22, 2020
How to Lead a Peacekeeping Church
Practice These Three Crucial Habits to Live at Peace with Everyone and to Be an Example for Our Communities and Nation to Follow Never before has peacekeeping in the church been so difficult! This past summer in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, I received two emails from people who were upset at how we were handling the situation. The first said she was leaving the church because we weren’t properly social distancing (although we thought we were) and we weren’t making people wear masks. The second said she was leaving the church because we were listening to the liberal
November 22, 2020
The Year That Was Supposed to Be (and Nine Action Steps for 2021)
The year 2020 and the new decade seemed a perfect opportunity for preachers to capitalize on the “20/20 vision” metaphor. The fanfare and excitement quickly turned from bright and crisp to blurry and cautious, however, as the coronavirus forced churches to turn off their lights and close their doors for weeks or even months. In January, when I surveyed over 400 churches, among the questions I asked was, “What is your church most looking forward to in 2020?” I planned to use the responses to generate potential articles detailing the exciting plans and ideas churches of all sizes had for
