Articles for tag: Young Ministers

August 22, 2019

The Challenges and Hope of Small Rural Churches

By Michael C. Mack It’s no secret that many small churches, especially small rural churches, face numerous challenges. How will the church respond? I asked Jerran Jackson—who for 40 years has served Clarksburg (Indiana) Christian Church, a small, rural congregation—to lead a team of writers to provide analysis, stories, and recommendations. As Jerran and I planned the package of articles, “The Challenges Facing Small Churches,” we discussed a list of issues leaders in struggling churches may be facing. You might use the following questions based on those issues as discussion starters with your team; each is addressed in the articles:

August 15, 2015

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

An Educational Experiment in Excellence

By Mark E. Moore The Leadership Institute”s residency program at Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona, began in 2013 because of a single disturbing statistic: 85 percent of all ministry students drop out of ministry within the first five years.1 This is an atrocious attrition rate””a devastating loss of leadership potential with a $60,000 average price tag in tuition. It begs the question: “Why?” The problem is not with our Christian colleges. They are doing a fine job teaching the basics of the Bible. Students come out conversant in apologetics, hermeneutics, homiletics, and a range of theological perspectives. They

December 20, 2014

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

Leading Young

By Will Thomas Young ministers can overcome the challenges that have faced them since Paul wrote Timothy. I understand Timothy”s predicament. “Don”t let anyone look down on you because you are young,” the apostle Paul encouraged (1 Timothy 4:12). Timothy was a preacher and in all likelihood younger than most of the people in his church. Been there, done that. I had just turned 19 when I began serving as a minister. I had preached a fair number of sermons as a teenager in my home church and had always been a motivated student of the Bible. But suddenly, a

March 14, 2012

Steve Reeves

Church Leadership Leadership Development

Love em into the Lords Work!

Steve Reeves reflects on his first years in ministry and offers practical ways church leaders and members can welcome, encourage, support, and extend grace to young ministers and their families.

February 1, 2012

Mark A. Taylor

Family & Relationships Parenting

The Homes Where Preachers Live

Preachers' families face unique pressures, but healthy homes can balance family and ministry. Mark A. Taylor reflects on parenting, sacrifice, grace, and helping children embrace Christian service as a shared calling.

November 18, 2011

Mark W. Hamilton

Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

Advice for New Ministers and Their Churches

What helps new ministers flourish in their first year? Mark W. Hamilton explores what churches should provide—and what congregations should reasonably expect from young ministers in return.

November 4, 2007

Daniel Schantz

Leadership Development Church Leadership

Recovering from Excellence

A critique of the church’s “excellence” mantra, exploring how it can become elitist, expensive, exhausting, and divisive—and offering healthier alternatives like efficiency, patience, and inclusion.