Ministry Magazine Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ministry, International Journal for Pastors
The Ministry® Magazine podcast provides practical, theologically deep, and inspirational content to support your ministry.
Why is it so hard to stand alone, even as a pastor? What does conformity have to do with Christianity? What is 'constructive conformity'?
Reviewing the book "Lead Like It Matters: 7 Leadership Principles for a Church That Lasts" by Craig Groeschel
Who were the disciples? How were they different from each other? How did this diverse group of people come to work together and love each other?
Too often, we become caught up in our own emotions and interests and forget what it truly means to be a follower of Christ. We must strive to let go of selfishness and have real communion with God.
Looking at recent research on pastoral stress and pastors' childhood trauma in the United States. What can we learn from the startling insights from this research?
As Adventist educators and pastors, how can we educate across the many divides we find in our schools and congregations? Looking at Jeremiah as an example of how to serve across the divide.
What are the key components of the narrative of scripture? What has Jesus accomplished for humanity?
A testimony of how God answered hard prayers which lead to growth and revival. A call to pray challenging prayers!
Only by copying the method of Jesus can we find true success in disciple-making. Three essential steps that Jesus used to make disciples.
While working for the church can seem to be a strange business, we have Christ's example of leadership to guide and encourage us.
Exploring the book: Love Fights Back: 3 Stories to Save the World by Patrick Johnson. (The relevance of the three angels’ messages and the essence of the gospel)
As pastors, have we done a good job of preparing people for the end of life? How does a pastor or caregiver best serve those in crisis?
The importance of finding moments of silence to hear God's voice and grow in your relationship with Him.
What lessons have we learned from the Covid-19 pandemic? What does church leadership look like post pandemic?
Implementing a “phygital” culture in churches- how to seamlessly integrate the in-person experience (physical) and the online (digital) experience.
The importance of seeking to be a faithful follower of Jesus above being a seeker of positions. Looking to Jesus as an example of humility.
A successful project: brief evangelistic videos promoted on social media as video ads. Simple steps to get started with social media video ads on a small budget.
Does your church have a sign that reads "for members only"? Learn how to get rid of this invisible sign that prevents people from visiting our churches.
Does God always bless us when we tithe? How should we respond when we don't see God's blessing after tithing?
Can God trust us—the spiritual leaders in His church—with His money in our pockets? A pastor's: trust, privilege, calling, integrity, vocation, blessing and response.
The editors of Ministry interviewed David Trim, PhD, the General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research director and the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists (ESDA) editor, and Dragoslava Santrac, PhD, the ESDA managing editor.
The importance of pastoral participation in schools. A four-step process for helping pastors partner with teachers in making Christian schools thriving centers of discipleship and outreach to the community.
How family and marriage enrichment ministry can lead people to Christ: A testimony of how biblical events, small groups, and training restored thousands of marriages and lead hundreds of people to Christ.
A story of cell phone evangelism and how effective it can be. Four characteristics of what we have been called by Christ to do in reaching those in desperate need.
A powerful story of how God revived, transformed, and grew a divided, struggling church.
It is the church’s responsibility not only to call sinners to Christ but also to disciple them as new Christians in the faith. Here is a detailed plan on how to mentor and disciple new believers.
Christ is coming soon. How do we 'wait' for Christ? How do we get ready? What is 'proof' of Christianity?
Stories of breakthroughs and transformation in the church. How to take action to see positive culture change in your own church.
Where, when, and how did Jesus pray? What was His prayer life like, and what can we learn from it?
A simple 7-step plan for implementing a culture of evangelism in the local church so that members will actively reach their neighbors for Christ.
What is the difference between 'map readers' and 'navigators' and why is it valuable for pastors to understand this? How do we 'toss the map' and learn to navigate through tough times?
What is coaching? When should pastors use coaching as pastoral care? What is the method of coaching (how do I coach)?
Four self-care strategies around the acronym CARE that can aid ministers in their pastoral counseling.
A personal story: How a pastor faced a challenging situation with his friend, and how Jesus brought healing, wisdom, and understanding through this difficult time.
Giving up self to follow Christ: The dangers of self-confidence, a personal story of how a father displayed self-sacrificing faith in Jesus, why the ultimate requirement is surrendering, looking to the disciples of Jesus as examples of how to surrender to His will.
What is reformation? Is reformation linked to repentance? What does Ellen White say about reformation?
How Jesus taught with distinctive kinds of authority. How He used parables, figures of speech, imagination, and sensory images when preaching.
Do congregants actually learn anything from sermons? The importance of active learning in the church service and how the sermon be used as a pedagogical tool.
Exploring Biblical examples of preaching. The P’s and q’s of passionate pastoral preaching.
A testimony of a successful church farm ministry. How to follow Jesus' model of drawing close to the people in the community.
Exploring Moses' ministry, and the consequences of his sins. The importance of addressing your sins before going into a public ministry.
Did Jesus really break the Sabbath? Exploring Jesus' actions on the Sabbath, and what we learn from this.
Exploring how scripture describes the Spirit of God as wind. How the Holy Spirit works with and in us.
Exploring the different covenants of Bible scripture. A close look at the new covenant in the Sinai setting.
Are all Christians God's ministers? How does the Ministerial Association of the Seventh-day Adventist Church support pastors of all denominations?
A lesson for a pastor: God can use literally anyone who is willing to work with Him in saving precious souls.
What the Chesapeake Conference learned through doing online evangelistic meetings. Tips for how to make online evangelistic meetings successful.
Is there a place for 'forceful invaders' in the Kingdom? What does it look like to be a forceful invader of God's kingdom? What biblical examples are there of people forcefully invading the kingdom of God?
What is Biblical Leadership? What are the different types of biases associated with leadership? How can the church cultivate healthy leadership?
Does evangelism work in today’s postmodern society? Seven ways to make evangelism effective in 2022.
Personal stories of struggles with selfishness and pride, and testimonies of how God came through to reveal the power and joys of unselfish ministry.
The incredible story of a disciple and elder in the church of Smyrna who happily lay his life down for Christ during the first century AD.
What are the characteristics of the diaconal ministry? How does understanding and integrating diaconal ministry in churches increase their impact on the wider community during a crisis?
Overcoming the challenges of end of life care. How can the church support families suffering the loss of loved ones? Why is spiritual support at the end of life important for patients and families?
Learning Paul's practical approach to offer guidance and leadership through difficult circumstances.
The preaching power of the early church. Seven transformational lessons that we can learn from the early church's preaching, lessons that could revitalize our preaching and, ideally, our churches as well.
A story of a miracle. The importance of experiencing God for yourself before witnessing to others.
The authority of the Bible in the Adventist Church from early Adventism to current times.
A Seventh-day Adventist pastor shares his experience of serving as a chaplain in the FBI. He shares the nature of his training, what his work entails, and how other pastors can support law enforcement.
The importance of spiritual growth and maturity of lay members, and how this impacts the success of the evangelistic mission of the church.
How the early Adventist Church interpreted Daniel 12 and the 1335 days, and the clarity that Ellen White brought to the matter.
The difference between a worship service and a worship experience. Seven elements of a worship service.
Seeing the bigger picture: the importance of being faithful, charitable, and viewing others as allies.
What kind of “new heavens and new earth” does the prophet Isaiah describe, and how should we reconcile them with the “new heaven and new earth” of Revelation 21:1–5?
Because places of worship are microcosms of society, they are not immune to the pervasive issue of trauma. Preachers, therefore, find themselves challenged to view the act of preaching through a trauma-informed lens.
Whether we ask for health; financial relief; or, as in my case, wisdom, God desires us to know truth, and truth does not shy away from examination.
Tell the amazing story. Repeat the miracles of Jesus. Ask interesting questions. Encourage them to share their thoughts with friends and family. Engage in conversation about things of the spirit.
Don’t pass by the opportunities that God puts in front of you. You just never know how you will influence someone’s eternity!
Why is social media so powerful as an evangelistic tool? How can you use social media to reach the world with the gospel?
What is 'the great resignation'? Is the church giving up on the fight against racial equality? What does Jesus and Ellen White teach about getting involved in the struggles of the community?
Make no mistake about it, the words of Jesus are still true: the fields are ripe for harvest. God has called us to this noble task. Let us be faithful to what our Master has asked.
The experiences, conversations, and divine perspectives found within the book of Psalms can play a powerful role in Christian counseling by effectively guiding and supporting the transition of suffering believers from anger to resolution, from grief to comfort, and from doubt to trust in God, even if the exact science of the transformative process remains unexplained.
Each of us is called to active pastoral care, not passive-aggressive preaching. When troubles come to our people, we need to make sure it is not the personal pressures of parish life that lead us to make public speeches.
People may look at how competent and self-confident someone is when they elect leaders, but God does not choose the strong and the mighty to serve Him but, rather, those who acknowledge their weakness and nothingness.
What is grace? What does God's grace mean for us? What are the different types of grace? How are we to respond to God's grace?
Each day, many providential, seemingly random, out of the ordinary, troublesome, and even tragic and very painful events take place in our ministries and personal lives. Whether they are His work or the enemy’s, God speaks and works not only through what we expect but also through the unplanned.
In employment, worship, fellowship, prayer, praising, and promotion, we ought to emulate the early church’s inclusivity.
You and other ministry professionals have direct heavenly connections that can bring peace to people with PTSD.
Jesus calls us to look by faith to Him uplifted on the cross just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent as a trophy that the power of sin has been broken.
Proclamation and performance belong together, much like Word and Spirit. The preacher’s real platform is their own person and the life they have lived.
An interview with Mark Finely about the the Three Angles' Messages. Finely shares what the greatest misunderstanding of this message is, how these messages link with end time revival and reformation, and why he uses the term 'Three Cosmic Messages' in his sermons.
Does the Seventh Day Adventist Church take sides? The difference between agreement & alignment, and disagreement & division within the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The New Testament consistently associates receiving the Spirit with repentance, conversion, and baptism. The conversions of Paul, the Samaritans, Cornelius and his household, and other Gentile believers were unique.
As recorded in the book of Acts, the life of the first Christian church portrays their love to God and one another as the source of their success in making disciples: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46, 47; NIV).
In the history of the world, there has always been trauma. It has left angry scars across countless hearts. Today, we know that this will only increase. As Christ’s disciples, we must take up the love of God and boldly go forth to minister to broken hearts.
End-time believers filled with the faith of Jesus will go through the greatest time of trouble in the history of our world. But through His grace and by His power, they will emerge victorious.
A funeral or memorial service is an occasion that calls for a pastor to apply skills and creative thought that transform a boilerplate cliché into a creative homily.
Let us not join the crowd. If we adopt its vision, we risk being obstacles to those who want to discover Jesus but feel too small beside us.
I am convinced more than ever that a church that prays together stays together and, by God’s grace, grows together, even when physically distanced from each other.
Whether the preparation is for public ministry or private consultation, it has the same purpose: writing is incarnational. Through it, words are made flesh.
Leaders who struggle to have an assurance of their impact need to take the time to consider Mordecai’s story recorded in the book of Esther. Pause and step away from the questionable leadership examples found in the world around us and turn your attention to a lasting guide in God’s Word.
What lessons will we learn from this pandemic, its devastation and pain? What will be our takeaways?
Since its appearance at the end of the first century even to this day, the book of Revelation has generated great interest and a multitude of interpretations. Why was this book written, how do we interpret it, and what does it say to us today?
Only by relying completely on Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit will we be able to accomplish anything. God is now preparing us for something very unusual—the outpouring of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit. Let the second coming of Christ and His three angels’ messages be proclaimed by every Seventh-day Adventist around the world because Jesus is coming soon!
Jesus is coming soon! God has allowed particular neighbors to be located around us. Let’s not get upset or afraid. For many, their bark is worse than their bite. Let’s give them something they would like, treat them with love, and then gently lead them home.
We need to work together for a better society—just as Jesus did. Our actions will not be based on a notion of human betterment but on the prayer for divine grace, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, KJV).
I cherished that the Communion was conducted in a way that reflected God’s love, compassion, acceptance, and infinite grace. This was another sweet Communion I would never forget.
When we intentionally make appeals in the pulpit, people will respond, and baptisms will increase. In every congregation, there exists someone whose heart is ripe to respond. Whether we are making personal appeals in a Bible study or public ones from the pulpit, there is one essential thing the soul winner must remember: to get decisions, you must ask for them.
Even with a tragedy as terrible as the COVID-19 pandemic, God gives us opportunities, and we should take advantage of them. Each of us should place our entire dependence on the Lord, sustained by a thorough study of His Word, meditation, and prayer.
A harmonious blending of ministries covering both aspects of the evangelization spectrum is the optimum recipe for successfully working with God to share His love with a lost world.
Let’s give our world a brand-new introduction to Jesus. Let’s offer it a rare moment to smile.
In this pandemic, we need chaplains in an industry that regularly deals with sickness; fear; lack of hope; and, at its worst, death and dying.
The people Jesus spent time with were those your parents warned you not to hang out with. Why would He do that? And what does that mean for us?
Three buying-and-selling events that take on increased relevance in our world’s quickly changing economic and social situation are included in the book of Revelation in its record of revealed end-time conditions. What do they show us?
Intimacy with Jesus is hearing that still, small Voice through reading, hearing, and studying the Word. And what that calls for is a response.
As colleagues in ministry, we need to remember our humanity and the essential need for balance in all things. Jesus has called us to carry Him to the world (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20), but before that can be fully achieved, we must develop intimacy with Him, guarding the heart with all diligence.
Everyone is valuable despite their weaknesses. We all have unique gifts and talents to help further God’s purposes.
Acknowledging God as the Source of all truth, the cultivation of the mind necessarily takes place in total dependence upon Him.
Serving in church leadership means being part of God’s movement at an appropriate time, for an appropriate place, and in an appropriate manner.
As we win kids to the Lord, let us be their safe place by protecting them from harm. It is your moral, spiritual, and legal responsibility, as church leaders, to do so—and anything less can make a bad situation infinitely worse.
Let all of us who take the name of Jesus, no matter our culture, creed, or color, heed His radical reinterpretation of Leviticus 19:18.
May this example encourage pastors around the world to build genuine relationships with leaders in their community, including pastors of other denominations.
We may not see the results that we desire, and some of the positive results that we witnessed may begin crumbling at our fingertips. The success of our ministry cannot be easily measured here and now.
By focusing on the right things, our ministry can more closely mirror that of our example Jesus.
Listen in for how the few words that God directly speaks in the book of Revelation can shape our understanding of Him.
The three messages are embedded in one message—the eternal gospel—which is powerful enough to save us and to bring the cosmic conflict to an end.
It is a radical message of love and compassion that bridges earth and heaven and human and human. It is a revolutionary message of healing and deliverance that connects body and soul and church and community.
Excellent pastoral placement isn't guaranteed to be serendipitous — so what can a pastor do that is helpful from the onset?
Finishing seminary is not the end of a pastor's education. With a mindset of lifelong learning and continued education, pastor's are both personally enriched and are able to better serve their churches.
Not only can tentmakers go where church workers often cannot, but also when the church is shut down and the leaders imprisoned or killed, tentmakers are often able to continue their work.
God is calling us to experience His love and reflect it to those around us—to the same degree that He has loved us.
In serving others, we can often neglect ourselves. Listen in to learn how you can use biblical journalling to maintain an ever closer relationship with Christ.
One of the strongest points of contention in a church often centers around worship styles. What does the Bible actually say about worship styles? How can we have truly Biblical worship experiences?
John the Baptist preached a powerful message leading up to Jesus' ministry. How is his preaching still relevant today?
Trust is stronger than the calamities we experience. Trust does not provide all the answers, but it enables us to move forward and be there for those who need us.
You can stay focused in a blurry, unfocused world. When it comes to the tasks of ministry, our vision can be renewed.
In a world that is growing more polarized as well as in desperate need of change, how should a young person respond?
In a time that many of us are suffering loss, how can we still exemplify Godly generosity?
How important is the doctrine of the trinity? Is it foundational? ...Even for salvation?
Clergy mental health is often sidelined. Listen in to find out how to practically make it a priority.
Can we only pray in generic ways? What happens when we pray for very specific experiences?
How does God work through people when they don't have certain abilities? Can God work in special ways through them — that He may not have otherwise?
Is it wrong to be wealthy? What is the relationship between money and spirituality? Most importantly, how can we surrender to Christ even in the area of our finances?
How does the Elijah message relate to family ministry? As a church, how can we extend this family ministry to the whole world?
What is the significance of the last word of Daniel? What rich and practical meaning does it hold for us today?
How does the multitude of rich cultures in the US affect how we do ministry and how we work as a church?
Balvin B. Braham, D. Ed, who is assistant to the president of the Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (IAD), with responsibilities for evangelism and leadership development, is interviewed by Jeffrey O. Brown
What is the best way to prepare for an inspection? What about the most important kind of all?
With growing attention on supernatural healing, how should we view it? Are we real ministers of God without it? What is the balance with other kinds of ministry, such as preaching and teaching?
It can be awkward to remind church members of the importance of tithe and offering. So, how can we foster a culture that encourages giving for all the right reasons?
God gave us a marvelous gift when He entrusted us with the earth. How can we take care of it in such a way that we honor Him?
When hard times come, it can be easy to focus on what we do not have. But do we actually focus on what we have when we do have more? How can we be content no matter what?
Sebastien shares a powerful experience of witnessing to someone who he thought was not worth the time — and he learned about how God prepares people to receive His love before we even arrive.
What is the role of prayer in church growth — and how can we walk with God through this process?
Adventist Christian Education brings a wealth of blessing and opportunity in its train. How can we give more people access to this kind of education? What reasons are there to fight for it?
Self-sacrifice has been a key part of mission work starting with God Himself, and it has continued throughout history ever since. What can we learn from those who have gone before us?
Childhood spiritual abuse is more pervasive and damaging than many realize. What are the signs and effects of this kind of abuse? How can we walk others — or even ourselves — through the process of healing?
"The secret of success is to find a need and fill it, to find a hurt and heal it, to find somebody with a problem and offer to help solve it." How can we apply this in a Christ-like way to evangelism?
What does the Bible tell us about the face of God? What kind of people will see it, and what blessings will that experience bring?
What can be learn about reflecting on what God has done for us? How does that effect our witness to the world?
Andreasen delves into what the pew would say to the pulpit if it could speak, thus sharing thoughts on the church service.
In the midst of a year that will be remembered for its uncertainty, what can we still be certain of?
As Christians, how should we react to the current pandemic and economic upheaval? What can we learn both from history and prophecy about such times?
There has been a rise in cases of abuse since the onset of COVID. Where is Jesus amidst this kind of suffering?
In a time where financial certainty is deserting many of us, what can we learn about persisting in faithful giving? About trusting God with everything?
Pastoral ministry is difficult — how can you know if it's time to walk away or continue?
As leaders in our churches, what can we learn from Peter about how to manage, even thrive, in the current crises?
Hear how God ministered directly to a woman during some of the hardest nights — and how He continues to
Many of us are finding ourselves in financially difficult times — how can we rely on God through these times?
How can we stay close to God, positive, and a blessing to others when we are confined by circumstances?
In the midst of suffering and fear, people are longing for truth. We are in a unique position to share the very truths that people are thirsting for.
In a time of social distancing, how can we reach people with the good news of Christ? Turns out that all you need is a cell phone.
Social Distancing may be a new phrase that we're using — but is it something we've inadvertently been practicing for a long time? Is this old kind of social distancing actually Christ-like?
With the world becoming worse and it taking a toll on all of us, what should be our focus? How should we spend our time?
As a minister of God, especially in these trying times, ministry has a way of becoming overwhelming. Listen to how one minister has learned to cope with the stressors of life.
We may think that retirement brings the end to ministry — but God has wonderful blessings in store for us at every stage of life. Fruitful and meaningful ministry is even possible in retirement.
How can a congregating exist outside of a church or school? Better yet, how can such a congregating minister to one another amidst these hard times?
In this new kind of community that we find ourselves, how can we adapt with technology to ensure a close community?
Sometimes we overuse the word "amazing"; but Mark, in his epistle, used this word intentionally to describe many facets of Christ's character and actions. How can be continuously be amazed by Him?
Effective ministry takes time. How can we learn from those who have gone before us and continue to minister beside us?
How can we learn to trust God in the good times as well as the hard times? How do we lay down roots that can weather the storms of life?
How can we view God during this time of uncertainty? Let's take lessons from the life of Paul as we see God as the God of opportunity.
In these uncertain times, our definition of normal is changing. How are we to adapt? What should we strive to maintain even in this new normal?
Jesus performed many miracles when He was on earth. Does that mean that miracles are always from God? How can we tell? How can we be prepared to have spiritual discernment?
What does the Bible say about demon possession? How does it happen? What are precautions we can take?
What happens when we try to compromise Christian beliefs for the sake of of blending with other religions? Is any amount of compromise okay? How can we know if we're compromising or not?
We can often throw around terms like "demonic possession" without really knowing what they mean practically or biblically. What are the correct definitions? More importantly, what do the Biblical definitions of these concepts teach us about receiving freedom in Christ?
Many churches or religious leaders have different versions of "deliverance ministries"—but what is a Biblical template? Is there one? How can we minister to those who are oppressed by evil spirits?
We are often told to follow God's call for our lives, but this simple phrase is multi-faceted in practicality. How do we sense God's call? What is our part and what is God's part?
Why are some people unwilling or unable to forgive? What causes these scars, and how can we help people heal in the way Christ does?
Because children also go through loss and trauma, they inevitably experience grief. However, their grief is often overlooked or misunderstood. How do they experience grief, and how can we love them well during this difficult experience?
When Jesus called for the little children to come to him, he called all children. How can we make our churches a place where all children and all people are welcome, loved, and treasured?
Jesus asked more questions than He answered. In fact, “according to the Gospels, Jesus asks 307 questions, is asked only 183, and answers fewer than 10 of those he is asked.” When we ask for a response, we are asking a question, wanting the hearers to do something. What do we want people to do?
Preachers, there is no other way to tell God’s story. To reflect upon this love, to make it the goal of your life, is the only way to...
On average, across the United States, more than 50 percent of those believers who should be in church are not. They are those who profess Christian beliefs but have willfully disconnected themselves from any meaningful relationship to the body of Christ. The Barna Group, which tracks church trends, conducted a survey that presented some startling statistics.
How can preachers both meet the expectation that preaching be biblical and also capture young hearers?
The power of the Holy Spirit is indispensable when crafting and delivering effective sermons. To downplay His role in preaching creates a false dichotomy between the discipline of homiletics and the doctrine of pneumatology. The Holy Spirit plays seven important roles in the life of the preacher, the preparation of a sermon, the preaching moment, and the lives of listeners.
As ministers, one of the most awesome opportunities we have is to preach God’s words of life to spiritually thirsty people. Most of us do this on a weekly basis at church. However, a major difference exists between worship-service preaching and evangelistic preaching. Here are 12 practical and powerful principles of evangelistic preaching that anyone can incorporate into their ministry.
Two church leaders accused James White of something absolutely scandalous. And James readily admitted that the accu- sation was true. So, what was this tale that Iowa Conference president B. F. Snook and secretary W. H. Brinkerhoff spread all around just after the May 17, 1865, General Conference Session in Battle Creek, Michigan?
What exactly is a multichurch district council or board? A multi-church district is an amalgamation of several local churches in a given geographical territory under the guidance of a single pastor with associates, if any. The highest decision-making body for a district is referred to as a multichurch district council. What kind of relationship do these councils have to the local church boards? Do they replace them? Is there a duplication of functions? Is there conflict?
For excellent performance, EQ is twice as important as IQ. What exactly is EQ and how can it be practiced effectively?
What is the most effective ministry strategy for one of the most secular countries on earth? Furthermore, how can we experience the successful ministry that Jesus wants us to experience with Him?
How do we relate to people with disabilities in our churches? How do we include them? How do we make them feel?
I have had the privilege of becoming acquainted with and ministering to members of the disabled community and their families, as well as their caregivers. Blessings and opportunities for spiritual growth await a congregation willing to prayerfully minister with Christian love and acceptance to the disabled.
In my first three years of ministry, I was committed to preaching—but not to sermon preparation. The result was dozens of halfhearted sermons prepared the night before to be endured by the dear saints. It took a Damascus Road experience to make me realize that if I sincerely wanted God to...
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13a, NIV).
I was working at Agona-Ashanti Secondary School in Ghana when it happened. While I was speaking with Dr. Joseph Addai, the school chaplain, his son suddenly burst into tears. “Why is he crying?” I asked. The father conversed with his son, then turned to me, laughing...
Do I really recognize the treasure I’ve been given in the Word of God? Is spending time in prayer and meditating on God’s Word more precious than all my earthly pursuits?
Why not give Him the woes in your life and ministry? Remember, His work in us is accomplished “ ‘not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6, NKJV).
Leadership is a topic on which many books have been written, seminars presented, and lectures given. Leadership can be a power for good—or evil—depending upon its use. As a prophecy-led, last-day remnant movement, how important it is that we have a biblical understanding and basis for leadership—a theology of leadership that informs our practice as pastors, administrators, educators, and other leaders.
Each year, about two million US churchgoers travel abroad to build schools and churches, provide medical care, teach in orphanages, and spread the message of the gospel. Most local people welcome ministers of the faith. Yet, some among the multitudes view these sojourners, instead, as particularly vulnerable victims. Good stewardship calls for church and mission trip organizers to ensure their team safely returns home to share stories of caring rather than crime, and of praying for others rather than being preyed upon.
Frank Figliuzzi, JD, is the chief operating officer of ETS Risk Management, Inc., and consults with global clients on travel security. Frank is also a national security contributor for NBC News, Bethesda, Maryland, United States.
Prayer is one religious discipline that has received much attention through the ages. Christians have placed a great deal of emphasis on the necessity of prayer for maintaining a close relationship with God. But another function of prayer that needs more attention is the primacy of prayer to the task of mission.
Porn is a global, estimated $97 billion industry, with about $12 billion of that coming from the U.S.” The consumption of pornography (porn) in the United States has climbed sharply with the proliferation of the internet and smartphones. More than 77 percent of Americans view pornography at least once a month. At least 30 percent of all internet traffic is to pornographic websites. What about in the church?
Team ministry, in all its varieties, can still halve the burden and double the blessing.
There are times when pastors should prioritize their own spiritual and emotional health.
We proffer that if the Adventist Church is to remain the relevant revelation to the world . . . then fostering healthier marriages and families will be the deliberate and sustained strategic focus of our existence.
Some cultures are only drawn to the salvation story through relatable language, songs, and stories. How can we reach them?
To effectively communicate the gospel to the millennial generation, we must think creatively and analyze how they listen and learn.
Read what happened when Sucheen was given more than just proof texts; she was given the truth in story.
The Bible is God’s story book. It is over 75 percent stories showing who He is and how He deals with every kind of person. Our calling is to tell His story.
Stories connect with the tenacity of glue, sometimes holding for decades while intermittently releasing memories that recalibrate personal values.