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.
February 8, 2024
A 2005 reflection on “Integrity in the Pulpit” confronts sermon stealing, defines pulpit plagiarism, explores why it happens, and urges pastors to practice honesty by giving clear attribution in preaching.
January 1, 2024
By Tim Harlow It’s worth pointing out that I was not asked to write about a deep doctrinal issue, or leadership, or how to respond to a difficult social problem. No, I was asked to share about the benefits of therapy for Christian leaders. I own it. I needed therapy. I need therapy. I have had very few seasons of my life when I had my stuff together. In fact, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the occasional counseling help I’ve received, specifically from the good folks at Blessing Ranch Ministries. I’ll share a specific example from a
January 1, 2024
By Jerry Harris All church leaders are dealing with stress right now. Stress can come from every area of our lives. You might be under pressure, facing big changes, feeling a lack of control, shouldering heavy responsibility, or feeling uncertain about the future. You might be facing multiple issues simultaneously or feeling the effects of past experiences. Your stress might be triggered by illness, injury, parenting, infertility, bereavement, abuse, marriage, divorce, relationships, or caregiving. You might have lost your job, or be seeking a new job, or just started in a new role. Perhaps you retired recently. You might be
November 1, 2023
By Chris Philbeck “I’m pretty sure no one will go home and say, ‘That’s the best sermon I’ve ever heard.’” I spoke those words recently as part of my sermon introduction. Let me explain. I’m preaching chapter-by-chapter through the book of Romans in a series called, “Unashamed.” I love Romans because it gives such a thorough explanation of the gospel. Paul begins with the sinfulness of man, moves to the grace of God that makes salvation possible through faith, and then focuses on our continued pursuit of righteousness. MEAT AND POTATOES On this weekend I was preaching from Romans 6
November 1, 2023
By Ben Simms “How can we love people without compromising truth?” This is a complex and challenging question, yet Jesus demonstrated it throughout his ministry. In a world that increasingly seems to want to bring down the church and challenge the teachings of Jesus, we must seek to love. As culture wages war with the truth, we are constantly bombarded with messages that run counter to how Scripture calls us to live. One of our primary purposes on earth is to love people toward the kingdom of Jesus. The culture wars, while significant, can be a way for Satan to
November 1, 2023
By David Roadcup Cornerstones were critical in the architecture of the ancient world. A cornerstone was traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones set in reference to it. Thus, a cornerstone determined the position of the entire structure. Cornerstones have been around for millennia. A poorly crafted or placed cornerstone can compromise an entire structure. In the life of an elder or church leader, several critical cornerstones need to be identified, grown, and matured. Examples include these: POWERFUL AND IMPACTING LOVE Scripture uses four Greek words for love: eros (extreme self-gratification), storge (love for family), filos
October 9, 2023
It’s been said, “When the Lord starts blessin’, the devil starts messin.’” Right when the gospel was taking root and “the number of disciples was increasing” (Acts 6:1), an internal dispute threatened the fledgling church. . . .
September 1, 2023
By Chris Philbeck As I write this column, I’m in the middle of a message series called, “Truth Over Trend” (series title not original to me). The specific topics are gender identity, same-sex relationships, deconstruction of the Christian faith, and having the courage to speak up for biblical truth. You’d have to have your head buried in the sand not to realize the seriousness of these issues in our world and culture, and the impact they have on our local communities and families. Writing the first two messages on gender identity and same-sex relationships reminded me of an important truth
An Interview with Leaders from Transitional Interim Pastor Services By Shawn McMullen Recently Christian Standard met with three leaders who serve with Transitional Interim Pastor Services, a ministry of NXTStep Church Services (yourncs.org), to learn about their unique approach to interim ministry. John Cutshall, a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University, has been in ministry for more than 40 years. He spent his first 20 years in youth ministry before serving in senior ministry positions. Greg Comp, also a graduate of CCU, is a second-generation minister. Following his graduation from Bible college, Comp served as an associate minister. At age 30
August 31, 2023
"What do you want to be known for?" Michael C. Mack asked in this article from 2010. "What would you want people to say about you when you die? What do you want written in your obituary?" These questions are all the more appropriate and poignant because Mike, our editor, died one week ago today. . . .
In a letter to a seventh-grade girl from 1959, C.S. Lewis shared eight pieces of writing advice, the first five of which I believe to be quite relevant for preachers.
July 1, 2023
By Ben Cachiaras The surge in the number of celebrity pastors is a growing concern for the church. Multiple documentaries, articles, and podcasts (including “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill”) have exposed this problem. And with so many high-profile pastors disqualifying themselves, one naturally wonders how much of their downfall was connected to the celebrity status that had become part of their identity. The terms Christian and celebrity have not meshed well historically. Over time, popularity has taken out more pastors than persecution. The church has been negatively impacted by this syndrome. A celebrity pastor is not easily replicable,
By Brandon Guindon Our living room buzzed with conversation. Most of it focused around a new couple, James and Sara, who came to visit our small group. My wife, Amber, and I have led small groups for 20 years, and this was one of those evenings that will always stick with me. Before I called everyone together to begin our Bible lesson, I stood back and observed. I could not help but wonder what this new couple was thinking. What were they feeling as people greeted them, shook hands, even hugged? The room was filled with a relational warmth, and
By Jeff Faull What makes a good leader? Shouldn’t we who are followers of Jesus and leaders for Jesus want to know? A simple internet search brings up thousands of articles on leadership. Titles like “Five Qualities of a Good Leader,” “The Top Ten Characteristics of a Good Leader,” “Twenty Requirements for an Effective Leader,” and a myriad of similar options appear. Many of those articles lay out the essential components of great leadership. The suggestions are endless. Characteristics like vision, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, creativity, communication skills, decisiveness, empathy, charisma, and others top the lists. All these are
By Chris Philbeck I recently read an article by Lewis Allen called “10 Things You Should Know About Preaching,” published at Crossway.org. One point in the article stood out to me: “Preaching is a calling wrapped in failure.” That may seem a little shocking to someone who isn’t a preacher, but let me share a couple things to think about. First, here’s the reality: We are imperfect beings trying to speak for a perfect God. On our best day, we’re going to fall short. I have sometimes said, “There are things in the Bible I believe and experience, and there
June 14, 2023
The Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to uphold the expulsions of Saddleback Church in California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., for having women pastors. Both churches had appealed those decisions, announced in February. . . .
"Over time I have become more aware of the pain many women, and sometimes men, experience on Mother’s Day," our Preach columnist Chris Philbeck shares. "Here are some suggestions that might help us reframe Mother’s Day in a way that blesses everyone . . ."
By Chris Philbeck In the 1990s, while serving a church in Oklahoma, I took all my elders to the Leadership Conference at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. During the opening session, our church was awarded a yearlong subscription to SECC’s weekly tape ministry for being the church that came the farthest with their entire board of elders. So, over the next year, I had the opportunity to listen to weekend messages delivered by Bob Russell and Dave Stone. I still remember many of those messages, including one from Dave about the urgency of reaching lost people. To illustrate the
By Chris Philbeck Recently I’ve been walking through a season of life filled with disappointment. At one point my attitude got so bad I decided I needed to listen to a great sermon on how to overcome disappointment. I’ve always loved to listen to great preaching; I try to carve out time for that each week. I found a sermon from Dr. David Jeremiah called, “Joseph: Overcoming Disappointment.” I got out a notepad and a pen, clicked the link on my computer, and the first thing I heard him say was, “God takes our setbacks and turns them into comebacks.
Veteran Preachers Share Plans for Their 2023 Resurrection Sermons
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July 21, 2026
David Faust
July 21, 2026
Tyler McKenzie
July 21, 2026
Anne Bachle Fifer