Articles for tag: church staff

March 2, 2025

Christian Standard

The Uncommon Family

Pastors across the country are contemplating getting out of ministry. This should not come as a surprise. Ministry is tough. One of the challenges is balancing, if possible, the demands of ministry and being fully present and leading at home.

January 1, 2024

Christian Standard

‘I’m Fine!’

By Jim Estep  Upon seeing a familiar person in the church lobby and asking them, “How are you doing?” we all know the answer that is expected: “Fine!” . . . even if it is not true.   I have often wondered what would happen if someone were open and honest about their struggles.   “How’s it going?”   “Well, do you really want to know?”  I remember a church member calling to share about a family member who had suffered a heart attack. They asked for prayer and whether someone from the church could visit with their loved one and the family.

November 1, 2022

David Roadcup

The Sons of Issachar, the Church at Sardis, and Our Leadership Teams

The Sons of Issachar, the Church at Sardis, and Our Leadership Teams

By David Roadcup  The sons of Issachar are widely noted in church leadership circles for having the ability to read their circumstances and respond in wisdom: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command” (1 Chronicles 12:32).   This text comes at a time when Israel had divided into Israel and Judah. The nation needed to reunite under the leadership of David. The sons of Issachar knew it was time for this to happen for the sake of

July 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Healthy Church Leaders Never Do This!

Healthy Church Leaders Never Do This!

By Wes Beavis Healthy church leaders do not spiritually abuse their church staff. Abuse of staff happens all too often, and it must stop. I’ll share an example. Recently, a senior pastor called the family life pastor into a meeting. The executive pastor also attended. It was a two-against-one coalition. The family pastor felt vulnerable. This vulnerability escalated when the senior pastor relieved the family life pastor of his ministry position. This was not a response to moral failure or professional misconduct. It was simply a case of, “We don’t feel like you are the right person for this position.”

February 1, 2021

David Roadcup

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

January 1, 2021

Jerry Harris

10 Foundation Stones of the Church—No. 9: Giving

It’s clear from reading Acts 2:42-47 that the early church was a generous church—and not simply generous, but contagiously generous. Scripture offers no hint that generosity was considered a burden; rather, it was a privilege. The people responded immediately by selling their houses and not considering material possessions as their own. The people freely gave and shared so that no needy people were among them. Such generosity was not dictated by the government or enforced by law; instead, it was done in response to one another and to God. In contrast, people in churches today can be filled with personal

November 22, 2020

David Roadcup

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

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

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

October 24, 2020

David Roadcup

Giving Honor to Whom Honor Is Due

The chairman of the elders of our church called to invite me to join the elder team of our congregation. At the time, I was vice president for student services at Cincinnati Christian University and an active member at Mason Church of Christ (now Christ’s Church) in Mason, Ohio. I wound up accepting his invitation, which started an interesting chapter in my journey during which I was able to see the work of an elder from an altogether different viewpoint. For the previous 13 years, I had been in leadership ministry in the church or teaching at one of our

May 3, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 10: It’s Never Quite Enough

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 10, 2020: “His Treasured Possession.”) By David Faust At age 86, Jackie Long died from injuries sustained in a car accident—an abrupt end to a fruitful life. Jackie worked tirelessly on our church staff for four decades, and then after retiring in her sixties, she continued to serve cheerfully as a volunteer for another 20 years. She welcomed guests, cared for those in need, coordinated countless weddings and funerals, took meals to shut-ins, ministered with senior adults, and volunteered with benevolence agencies in our city. Hundreds gathered at the funeral

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

One of 'Those People': A Generation Becoming Fully Devoted to Christ

“I was sick and you looked after me.” _ _ _ By Nate Graybill “I’m one of ‘those people.’ Hypocrite. Liar. Addict.” This admission was a moment of rigorous honesty that changed my life. It came after hours of bingeing on my drug of choice. More afraid of where my habit was leading me than of being exposed, I woke up my wife and said, “Honey, I need to tell you something. I’m addicted to porn. I need help.” I finally accepted the fact that I was not powerful enough to control my sin. Broken and afraid of losing my

December 31, 2019

Christian Standard

How to Establish an Effective, Objective Church-Ministry Evaluation

By Bart Rendel Church leaders need a solid, scriptural, and effective system for discussing and evaluating issues and moving forward as a team. As I have helped church leaders around the country increase their kingdom impact over the last 15 years, I’ve often heard of meetings that descended into scrums and battles over opinions, with arguments based upon anecdotal evidence, and random comments tossed around based on limited perspectives or past successes. To help churches stay on course, leaders should align behind a set of gospel-centered standards. Our hope at Intentional Churches is to establish these standards in every church

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