What are the priorities of preachers and teachers of God's word to be? Given that we are today celebrating the graduation of a class of students, many of whom will be moving into pastoral ministry, it seems apposite to spend just a few moments reflecting on Paul's priorities for ministers. Of course, we can scarcely do that in any comprehensive manner in the time we have and so I will focus on just one verse from Paul's first letter to Timothy. continue

How to Listen to a SermonUnderstanding the TimesDerek Thomas   Sermons! They are the stuff of jokes! Like this on, which makes the rounds in different guises: "Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions.... continue

Calvin's sermons were delivered extempore, taken down by the remarkable Denis Raguenier, published by the diaconate of Geneva, and the proceeds used to support refugees. Initially, Calvin was not keen on them being published, but when he saw the level... continue

Frequently as a young pastor I wished there was someone who would provide advice and guidance on the numerous new matters I confronted. After graduating from seminary, I seemed to confront only new things. In fact, it led to a... continue

Herman Melville's Moby Dick is an intense and rather gothic tale of seaman Ishmael's experience whaling under captain Ahab. It's a well-known story of obsession, revenge, mania, and ruin--the typically edifying material or a great American novel. As everyone... continue

Big works of God in this world begin small with ordinary people of God working for the glory of God. Many hands make light work. And many hands accomplish much work. This is how revivals begin, Reformations are launched,... continue

I've tried not to be, but I can't help it...I'm a Baptist. I've read all I could about pedobaptism, I've talked to many friends, I've prayed for wisdom and clarity, and in the end, I've been all the more... continue

Consistent throughout Scripture is the idea that the impossibility of perfection does not loosen its claim on us. God's vision of the bride of Christ, as of a people without spot or blemish, translates to an annoying shortage of... continue

In 1869, the German physiologist, Friedrich Goltz, published a series of conclusions from tests he performed on frogs. In his book, Beitrage zur Lehre von den Functionen der Nervencentren des Frosches (Contributions to the Theory of the Functions of the Nerve Centers... continue

One of the benefits of having young children while being a pastor is that it affords you the opportunity to get plugged into the local school system. When we first met with someone who worked at the school, we... continue

All men share in the common experience of being image bearers of God, in having descended from the same first parents, of being fallen in the same federal representative and in needing the same salvation in Christ. However, no two people... continue

God's people need to be prayed for. They need to led in prayer. They need to be taught how to pray. We all believe that prayer is important. Nevertheless, working our convictions about prayer into our practice of ministry is... continue

Effective Strategy? Biblical Mandate? Both! In 1980 a young Pastor, fresh from seminary, arriving at his first pastorate encountered some startling realities. Thinking he was informed as to the condition of the church, he soon learned just how uninformed he was.... continue

During a recent evening worship service at our church, the Rev. Scott Cook was ordained to the gospel ministry.  Scott is a recent graduation of RTS (Charlotte) and had previously been an outstanding intern at our church.  I had the... continue

TheShepherdLeader.org, the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals newest web site, is the result of Alliance members who see the need to build up leadership teams that truly shepherd their churches. Be sure to bookmark the website and come back often.... continue

Which ministry-related programs are available at your church? Generally, whether reformed or not, many churches have Sunday school, a men's and women's group, perhaps a mid-week Bible study or small group, VBS during the summer, nursery, youth group, music ministry,... continue

On numerous occasions, I have heard pastors and parishioners remark, "Your wife is your first ministry." The aforementioned statement can easily be expanded to, "Your family is your first ministry." However, for the purposes of this brief post, I will... continue

Dear Lecrae and Andy,We have never met, but I thought I would take the time to share some things with you. Your names have been floating around Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube quite a bit lately. As I am sure you... continue

As I prepare to gather a core group (or "launch team," depending on your perspective) for a church plant in Richmond, Virginia, I am attempting to get ahead by developing a leadership training manual. Thankfully I have many resources from... continue