Sixteen Pastoral Ministry Blogs That You Should Bookmark

Note: You’re reading Part Two in a three part blog mini-series on recommended blogs. In Part One, I highlighted Sixteen Biblical Counseling Blogs That You Should Bookmark.

As with Part One, I wish I could mention every excellent pastoral ministry blog. The pastoral ministry blogs I regularly read have some combination of: a.) frequency of posts, b.) self-identified as focused on pastoral ministry (pastoring, shepherding, the local church), c.) relatively high traffic/hits, and, frankly, d.) people I know or know of.

Many pastors and para-church groups provide excellent blogs that I regularly read. However, they tend to focus more on “Christian living” than on pastoral ministry/local church per se. I’ll highlight those blogs tomorrow. They will include pastors such as Tullian Tchividjian, Ray Ortlund, Kevin DeYoung, Josh Harris, John Piper, C. J. Mahaney, etc.; and ministry leaders/educators/groups such as Al Mohler, Tim Challies, Trevin Wax, TGC’s Voices, Russell Moore, Justin Taylor, R. C. Sproul, etc.

Drum Roll, Please

Here are the pastoral ministry blogs that I regularly read, listed in alphabetical order. Of course, I don’t agree with everything every one of these bloggers post. Still, these blogs stretch my thinking as iron sharpens iron.

• The 9Marks Blog from the ministry of Pastor Mark Dever and a team of pastoral leaders is a “don’t miss” blog filled with practical biblical wisdom for church life.

• The Acts 29 Blog focuses on church planting by church planters.

• Baptist 21 exists to present a Southern Baptist perspective on church life and Kingdom effectiveness.

• Blogs at the Village by the staff of The Village Church shares their biblical philosophy of ministry.

• The Faith Baptist Church Blog by the staff of Faith Baptist in Lafayette, IN shares insights for church life and Christian living.

• The Gospel-Driven Church Blog by Jared Wilson offers his take on gospel-centered pastoral ministry.

• Greg’s Blog by Pastor Greg Laurie provides insights for pastoral life and ministry.

• Ordinary Pastor by Erik Raymond shares a fresh perspective of daily life of the typical pastor.

• Practical Shepherding is the blog home of Brian Croft. His blog is fast becoming an indispensible source for pastoral wisdom.

• Pure Church, the blog home of Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile, presents gospel-centered wisdom for pastoral life and ministry.

• Reformation 21 is the blog ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals designed to challenge Christians to think and grow biblically.

• Reformed Spirituality and Missional Church is the blog home of church planter and author, Tim Chester.

• The Resurgence Blog is presented by Justin Holcomb and a team of ministry leaders and focuses on Christian leadership.

• Steven Furtick, lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC blogs regularly about pastoral life and ministry at Steven Furtick.com.

• The Travel Blog of Sojourner Church in Louisville, KY offers daily insights for church life.

• The Vertical Church Blog by Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible presents insights for Christ-centered pastoral ministry and Christian living.

The Rest of the Story

In Part Three of this mini-series, I’ll share links to blogs I read that focus on Christian living.

Join the Conversation

What excellent blogs do you read that focus on pastoral ministry and church life?

Don’t Make Your Pastor a Statistic

Yesterday at the 9Marks blog, Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile shared some alarming statistics about pastors. Having been a pastor for a dozen years, and having ministered to pastors for over fifteen years, though these statistics are alarming, they are not surprising.

Read Pastor Thabiti’s article Don’t Make Your Pastor a Statistic.

Read the original article from the Schaeffer Institute: Statistics on Pastors.

Some Summary Pastoral Statistics

Hours and Pay

• 90% of pastors report working between 55-to-75 hours per week.

• 50% of pastors feel unable to meet the demands of the job.

• 70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.

Training and Preparedness

• 90% of pastors feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.

• 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.

Health and Well-Being

• 70% of pastors constantly fight depression.

• 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.

• Only 23% of pastors report being happy and content in their identity in Christ, in their church, and in their home.

Marriage and Family

• 80% of pastors believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.

• 80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.

• 80% of spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.

Church Relationships

• 70% of pastors do not have someone they consider a close friend.

• 40% of pastors report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.

• The # 1 reason pastors leave the ministry: Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Longevity

• 50% of pastors will not last 5 years in the ministry.

• Only 10% of pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form.

• 4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.

• Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.

• Over 1,300 pastors are terminated by their local church each month, many without cause.

Join the Conversation

How could praying and living Hebrews 13:17 help to change the lives of pastors and their families?

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

What’s a Pastor to Do?

The Big Idea: What is God’s vision for the “division of labor” in the church? To learn what God’s people are to do, visit yesterday’s post It Takes a Congregation. To learn what pastors are to do, read Want to Change Lives? To learn God’s grand calling for His Church, keep reading.

God’s Grand Vision for His Church: Ephesians 4:11-16

In Ephesians 4:11-16, the Apostle Paul highlights the Bible’s most powerful, focused vision statement for the Church. This passage offers God’s ministry description both for pastors and for every member. By distilling the essence of God’s call, His vision captures our imagination and motivates the shift in ministry mindset that changes everything.

The Résumé of Pastors

Most pastoral search committees would be thrilled to read a candidate’s résumé that demonstrated the ability to preach, counsel, and administrate. Most seminaries would be delighted if graduate exit interviews indicated that pastoral ministry students perceived that their seminary training equipped them for preaching, counseling, and administrating. Being equipped to do the work of the ministry seems to be everyone’s ideal goal for the pastor.

Everyone but Christ. His pastoral ministry description demands the ability to equip others to do the work of the ministry. If seminaries followed Christ’s vision for pastoral ministry, they would focus on training trainers. If pastoral search committees desired in a pastor what Christ desires, they would throw out every résumé that failed to emphasize experience in and passion for equipping the saints.

You would think that we would listen to the Head of the Church. Paul spends the chapters and verses leading up to Ephesians 4:11-16 showing why Christ has the right to write the pastor’s ministry description.

• He is our Redeemer in whom our full salvation is complete (1:1-14). We should surrender to His will for His redeemed people.

• He is seated at God’s right hand ruling over everything with all authority, appointed the Head over everything for the Church which is His Body (1:15-23). We should follow His directives for the Church.

• We are His workmanship, created in Christ to do the beautiful work prepared for us from all eternity (2:1-10). We should want to know what He prepared pastors and people for.

• He is the chief cornerstone upon whom the whole building (the church) is being built (2:12-22). We should follow His architectural drawings for the Church.

• He is the revelation of God’s grace toward which all time and eternity have been moving (3:1-14). We should yield to His infinite wisdom for His people.

• His love for us surpasses all knowledge (3:15-21). We should submit to His calling on our lives.

• He ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe (4:1-10). We should listen to the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe.

The Pastoral Ministry Mindset Shift That Changes Everything: Every Pastor an Equipper of Equippers

Instead, we listen to modern church culture that screams, “The pastor is the preacher, care-giver, and CEO!” It’s time to listen to the Head of the Church. “It was he who gave some to be … pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service…” (Ephesians 4:11-12a). Christ’s grand plan for His Church is for pastors/teachers to focus on equipping every member to do the work of the ministry.

Under the Spirit’s inspiration, Paul launches verse 12 with a tiny Greek word (pros) translated by an even smaller English word (“to”) with giant meaning: with the conscious purpose of, in order for, for the sake of, with a view to. The word indicates the future aim and ultimate goal of a current action. That is, by definition a vision statement—Christ’s grand vision statement for every pastor/teacher.

What is the future view, the future vision to which Christ sovereignly gave His Church pastors and teachers? Paul says it succinctly: “To prepare God’s people for works of service.” These eight words must be every pastor’s reason for existence.

One central word—“prepare”—must capture every leader’s passion for ministry. “Prepare” comes from the word for artist, craftsman. Local church leader—your special craft, your opus is people, equipped people, disciple-makers. Your spiritual craft or gift is to help others to scout out their spiritual gift, identify that area of ministry, and empower them to use that gift.

In Paul’s day, people commonly used “prepare” in the context of conditioning an athlete. Local church leader—you are a spiritual conditioning coach. Your job is not to play all the positions on the team, but to coach every player on the team, to strengthen their spiritual condition so they are able to do works of service. This fits perfectly with how Paul uses the word prepare—to train someone so they are fully fit and mature enough to complete their calling. The pastor’s calling is to help God’s people to fulfill their calling.

These weren’t just words for Paul. He made making disciple-makers his personal ministry description—Colossians 1:28-29. He made equipping equippers his personal ministry practice—Acts 20:13-38. Christ’s grand vision so captured Paul’s ministry mindset that at the end of his life he passed onto Timothy the vision of equipping equippers of equippers—2 Timothy 2:2. The baton of equipping passed from Christ’s hands, to Paul’s hands, to Timothy’s hands, to the hands of reliable disciple-makers who passed it on yet again.

Let’s not drop the baton. Let’s keep Christ’s grand vision alive and moving into the future.

Yes, But

Some may ask, “Are you saying that pastors should not preach the Word, counsel, and administrate?” Not at all. Christ, the Head of the Church, has written the primary ministry description for all pastors. Pastors should equip equippers for the work of the ministry. Within this overriding calling, pastors can preach, counsel, and administrate.

When I was Sr. Pastor, every time I preached, I asked myself, “How does this message further my calling to be a catalyst for equipping the saints for the work of ministry?” As a player-coach, when I counseled, I had trainees in the room with me. When I visited the hospital, I took apprentices with me. My goal wasn’t to be the church’s primary care-giver, but to equip a church of care-givers. In my administrative role, I sought to oversee the equipping of every member. Yes, I preached, counseled, and administrated—always within the context of Christ’s grand vision for the Church—the pastor as the equipper of equippers.

Others may be thinking, “I’m with you 100%, but I’m not an ordained pastor, although I am a recognized, active ministry leader in my church. How should I apply these truths?” Ephesians 4:11-12 provides the ministry description for all those raised up for local church leadership. If you’re the Women’s Ministry Director, ask yourself, “How can I fulfill Christ’s call for me to equip women to equip others?” If you’re the Small Group Director, ask, “How can I oversee that all our small group leaders and members are being discipled to speak the truth in love?”

Join the Conversation

If you’re a pastor, how can you more completely fulfill God’s calling on your life to equip others?

If you’re not a pastor, how can you assist your pastor to more completely fulfill God’s calling to equip others?

Ministering to Ministers

One of my greatest passions is to minister to ministers. In fact, ask me a one-word summary of my calling. Go ahead. Ask. “Bob, what’s a one-word summary of your calling?” So glad you asked.

Coach.

God has called me to coach coaches—to equip equippers, to minister to ministers.

This week at the Moody Bible Pastors’ Conference, I have the privilege of doing just that as I’m speaking five times on four topics all related to pastoral equipping. If you’re attending the conference, please drop by for some pastoral coaching.

Four Strategies for Leaving a Legacy of Loving Leaders: The 4E Ministry Training Strategy (Tuesday, May 18, 9:45-10:45 AM)

Presentation Description: You’re passionate about equipping God’s people for every-member-ministry. However, you’re tired of seeing great effort expended on “programs” that don’t launch, don’t last, or don’t result in leaving a legacy of loving leaders. So am I. That’s why this session teaches you a field-tested, biblical, practical approach to equipping God’s people using the “4E ministry training strategy” of envisioning, enlisting, equipping, and empowering godly ministers for ministry. Appropriate for all settings, special attention will be given to the urban ministry context.

Presentation Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

1. Envision God’s Ministry: Jointly create mission, vision, passion, and commission (MVP-C) statements that nourish the compassion, conviction, and connection needed to launch flourishing training ministries.

2. Enlist God’s Ministers for Ministry: Mobilize ministers by birthing a family and building a team recruited to the MVP-C statement, prepared for change, and skilled in conflict resolution.

3. Equip Godly Ministers for Ministry: Apply transformational training strategies that comprehensively address the “4Cs” of biblical content, Christlike character, relational competence, and Christian community.

4. Empower Godly Ministers for Ministry: Oversee the ongoing “organizing of the organism” by leading ministries that are built to last, grow from good to great, and leave a legacy of loving leaders.

Four “TEAM” Skills for Counseling in Urban/Intercultural Settings (Tuesday, May 18, 2:00-3:00 PM)

Presentation Description: One-size-fits-all, homogenous approaches to counseling are neither culturally-relevant nor biblically appropriate. Our increasingly culturally diverse society demands that we learn to build bridges of understanding across diverse cultures. This session equips participants to develop four championship “TEAM” skills necessary for effective counseling, relationships, and ministry in urban/intercultural settings. This session is based upon the biblical conviction that God in Christ is moving all of history toward an eternity where “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language” will stand before the Lamb in united worship (Revelation 7:9-10).

Presentation Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

1. T: Take another person’s earthly perspective through empathy and culturally-informed listening.

2. E: Engage in bridge-building spiritual conversations through focusing on God’s eternal perspective.

3. A: Abolish barriers through forgiveness and reconciliation.

4. M: Making/Mobilizing/Motivating intercultural peace through spiritual renewal.

Seven Ultimate Questions Every Pastor Must Answer (Wednesday, May 19, 9:45-10:45 AM)

Presentation Description: Everyone talks about “biblical pastoral counseling,” but how do we define and practice it? This session addresses life’s seven ultimate questions that every pastor, counselor, and soul physician must answer in order to use God’s Word accurately, powerfully, and lovingly. Learn how to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth by developing a Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed theological model of people-helping.

Presentation Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

1. Examine the spiritual anatomy of the soul by developing a biblical pastoral counseling model of people from the doctrine of Creation.

2. Diagnose the fallen condition of the soul by developing a biblical pastoral counseling model of problems from the doctrine of the Fall.

3. Prescribe God’s cure for the soul by developing a biblical pastoral counseling model of solutions from the doctrine of Redemption.

Four Methods to Master in Pastoral Counseling Ministry (Thursday, May 20, 9:45-10:45 AM and 2:00-3:00 PM)

Presentation Description: Do you care deeply, but sometimes struggle to know how to care like Christ? Do you often long to know what to do after the hug? Learn how to use God’s Word to empathize, encourage, enlighten, and empower others. This session will equip you toward becoming a skillful spiritual friend by helping you to developing the four biblical soul care and spiritual direction arts of sustaining, healing, reconciling, and guiding.

Presentation Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

1. Empathize with People: Learn how to weep with those who weep—offer sustaining care for discouraged people.

2. Encourage People: Learn how to give hope to the hurting—offer healing comfort for suffering people.

3. Enlighten People: Learn how to be a dispenser of grace—offer reconciling care-fronting for people struggling for victory over sin.

4. Empower People: Learn how to disciple, coach, and mentor—offer guiding counsel for people longing to mature in Christ.

Should Pastors Pastor?

Megachurch pastors are not likely to see themselves as that—pastors. According to recent findings from Leadership Network’s Large-Church Senior Pastor Survey, 81% of Sr. Pastors with more than 2,000 attendees view their role as “preacher/teacher” while only 16% see themselves as “pastor, shepherd, or spiritual guide.” And only 10% say they are strongest in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. (You can find an article on this study in the Christian Post.)

Sad News, Not New News

While to me this is very sad news, it is hardly new news.

Pastor, author, and professor Eugene Peterson noted in a 1993 article for Christianity Today that the practice of pastoral soul care and spiritual direction was a forgotten art. Through his research he concluded that until about a century ago, pastoral work was synonymous with soul care—the Scripture-directed, prayer-shaped care that is devoted to persons singly or in groups, in settings sacred and profane.

In his 1989 book, The Contemplative Pastor, Peterson noted that pastors now focus on running a church (administration) and have abandoned their historic call to pastoral soul care. Peterson saw many of the ministers of his day as CEOs and polished public speaker. But can they relate? Do they care? Do they practice pastoral care? Are they even aware of their ancestors in pastoral practice?

“Yes, But”

I can hear you now…

“Yes, but there’s no way a pastor with 2,000 people can counsel, pastor, or shepherd everyone!”

I’m not saying they could or even should provide personal ministry to everyone.

I’m saying they should be able to shepherd someone! More importantly, the Bible says that a pastor should be able to shepherd (1 Peter 5:1-5; Acts 20:25-38; Colossians 1:28-2:2).

Objection # 2

Or, you might say, “Yes, but the work of the pastor is equipping the people to do the work of the ministry, not doing all the work of the ministry.”

I agree 100% that pastors are equippers. Of course, nothing in the survey noted this as their self-identified role.

Additionally, how can you equip people for the personal ministry of the Word (counseling, shepherding, spiritual direction) if you have little or no experience or ability or passion in that area? And how many mega-churches have equipping ministries for lay counseling, lay care-giving, lay shepherding? (Answer: a very low percentage.)

Another Potential Objection

Or, you might say, “Yes, but through the pulpit ministry of the Word, so many more are fed.”

Here’s my problem with that—if a pastor is not involved in the personal ministry of the Word (shepherding, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction), then the preaching is more from theory than from real-life, raw, relevant ministry experience.

Hiding behind the pulpit ministry of the Word can easily become an excuse to avoid the personal ministry of the Word. The pulpit ministry of the Word and the personal ministry of the Word are not enemies. They should be partners.

Join the Conversation

What do you think?

Should every pastor be involved in the personal ministry of the Word through shepherding, pastoral counseling, care-giving, soul care, and/or spiritual direction?

Should pastors pastor? Or, does pastoring a mega-church grant pastors a pass on pastoring?

Is a pastor a soul physician or a CEO/public speaker?

100 Top Resources for Your Life and Ministry

“Want to change lives?”

That’s the four-word summary of my passion that drives everything I do with RPM Ministries: “Want to change lives?”

I want to equip God’s people to change lives. I know that’s not as “user-friendly” or “seeker-sensitive” as many more self-absorbed questions.

However, I have faith that people of faith want to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

The Macy’s Santa Claus

Of course, I’m certainly not the only person passionate about equipping. That’s why one of my commitments is to be a bridge-builder directing you to additional equipping sources.

I like to use the analogy from the movie Miracle on 34th Street. Remember how the Macy’s Santa shocked everyone by sending customers to the “competition” (Gimbels)? Why? Because for him it wasn’t a competition! Life was all about helping others to find what they needed.

That’s the passion behind my bridge-building, resource-providing ministry.

Ministry is not competition. We’re co-workers together. God’s resources are infinite. Human needs are close to infinite. Let’s work together, building bridges and pointing each other to the best sources for changing lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

That’s why you’ll find on the right hand side of my website my blogroll and favorite websites that I follow and recommend.

For your convenience, I’ve listed below (with automatic links) these 100 top sites. Take a look, visit, enjoy–and be equipped. Because…you want to change lives.

Join the Conversation

What blogs and web sites do you recommend to someone seeking to be equipped to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth?

Where do you go to find Christ-centered, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed equipping for biblical counseling, spiritual formation, Christian living, and church ministry?