Minister's Toolbox

Paul advises his protege Timothy to select leaders that are above reproach. What does that mean? Does today's church use improper standards to select its leaders? We live in an age when people change partners like they change clothes. Psychologists are telling a naive public that as we evolve as a culture the normal way of life will be to have marriage partners for every phase of life. In Hollywood, celebrities divorce regularly saying that they grew apart as a couple so got divorced but will remain friends. The health of a leader’s marriage is fundamental to his or her ability to impact and influence the lives of other believers. I speak about the factors that determine whether we minister above reproach during the podcast. During today's podcast, I asked if you will give us an honest review on iTunes or Google Play. Would you do that now?    

Many pastors put aside quite a few hours to counsel individuals and couples. How much counseling should you do? Some pastors do a lot; some very little. Is there a right balance? Is this practice effective? In other words, does it produce life? People come to us with addictions to alcohol, drugs and sometimes mental disorders. During today's podcast, I talk about dealing with different when and when not to counsel.     If you have a reasonably good sense of humor, you owe it to yourself to click the link. The comedian Bob Newhart did a bit years ago that is frankly hysterical.   Celebrate Recovery is a ministry founded by Rick Warren. Using similar tactics as Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery is essentially group therapy designed to uncover and address lifelong behavior dysfunctions.      

One key reason pastors leave the ministry is lack of financial resources. Typically, that occurs because only a small percentage Christians commit to tithing. Tithing is prickly subject in most churches.  Jesus spoke about money often; so did Paul. Why? Stewardship is a key component towards becoming a bona fide disciple. If people do not honor God with their income, they have never submitted to His Lordship. I speak more about tithing in the podcast. I also mentioned my book, When a Good Church Goes Bad, which is available in three formats. The book comes with a free audio course for the serious student. Finally, I mentioned MileIQ which is an excellent app for keeping track of your personal and ministry miles without all the hassle. You can learn more about it here.

In this second seminar, I address the issue of ethics a leader must display to the public. Our character speaks much louder than our sermons, and how we conduct ourselves among our neighbors has a huge impact. The next issue is how we relate to fellow spiritual leaders. Truthfully, this is the Church's greatest scandal as pastors compete with each other like immature school children for attention and recognition. Is it any wonder that God does so little with us collectively in a region? How do we forge meaningful and lasting relationships with leaders we disagree with? During the podcast, I mention my book, When A Good Church Goes Bad. You can access information about this and other books here. Be sure to spread the word about this podcast on Facebook and Twitter! Thanks.

We open the Fall Season with a two-part series on ministerial ethics. How should leaders behave in their personal lives and what are the consequences if they don't? We eavesdrop on a seminar to emerging leaders to explore how Christ wants ministers to conduct themselves. During the podcast, the speaker mentions the basic rules Billy Graham adhered to throughout his career. You can download this for free here. The speaker is Howard Renker, Sr. Pastor of Bethel Christian Church in Bristol, CT. To contact him, go to their website @ http://www.bethelcc.org. Pictures from our South African Trip in the summer of 2017 can be seen here.      

My sons and I just returned from South Africa, experiencing many of the wonders that country brings. While there, God gave me some insight into John 3:3-5 that I believe may transform your thinking. During the podcast, I made reference to MileIQ, the free app that automatically tracks your mileage whenever you drive. Each day or week, it shows you accurate maps revealing where you went and then gives you the simple option of swiping to the left for personal miles or to the right for ministry miles. The app keeps accurate records of all your trips and provides reports to submit to your accountant at tax time. There is also a place where you can write notes detailing the purpose of each trip. The free app provides 40 trips each month. If you want more, the cost is just $60/year. If you would like to see some of the pictures from our trip, visit www.caseysblog.com. You can get the Transcript of today's podcast here.

How can legitimate apostolic ministry help your local church? What do apostles do to assist? How can we develop future apostolic and prophetic leaders? Is there a clear way to discern true apostles from false ones? Get the transcript here. During the podcast, I shared about my trip to South Africa. If you would like to view the pictures, go to www.freshteaching.org.   

Joseph is the lynchpin who changed the course of church history in Acts of the Apostles. Who was he and what did he do? This is the third installment of a four-part series on the role of apostles and prophets in the present day church. Why are they important? According to Ephesians 4:11 the Church will NEVER reach maturity without the five-fold ministry in full operation. That should cause us to stop and consider what we are doing in the church today. _____________________ If you'd like to view the pictures of my trip to South Africa, connect with www.freshteaching.org.  If you'd like a transcript of today's show, click here.

Because centuries of traditions have ignored or rejected present-day apostles, where do we begin in our quest to recapture God’s intent towards His Church? The place to begin I believe is to understand the basic premise of Christian leadership. Many pastors mistakenly add the title, apostle to their business cards hoping to gain more respect or attention.   Christ laid out a plan to bring his people to full maturity by sending forth 5 gifted ministries. I talk about this in detail during the podcast. Get the free download here.  

In the past ten years, there has been a dramatic increase in labels like apostle, prophet, bishop and even archbishop. Apostolic ministry has been eliminated from our present church leadership worldview. We don’t talk about or include apostles or prophets in our structure, planning or teaching. The pivotal scripture in the New Testament about apostolic ministry is Ephesians 4:11-13. During today's show, I break down the difference between true and false apostles. Have you given us a review yet? Always appreciated! 

Is church leadership reserved for males only? What does scripture teach? Are you sure? This is probably the most crucial question you will face during your entire ministerial lifetime that will affect your congregation for years to come. During the podcast I mentioned some resources for further reading. Click here or here.  I also mentioned the study guide, How To Discover Your Ministry for use in your church.

We are often guilty of seeing the world the way we want to see it rather than how it truly is. Innovation helps us interact with culture to better serve them if done with the right heart. Ecclesiastes informs us that there is nothing new under the sun. Innovation can be communicated through just about any variety of means. Innovators, who think outside the box, see how to utilize inventions and methods from other communities in ways to advance the Kingdom of God. During the podcast, we offered a free download with a brief description of the gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12:28-31, Romans 12:34-8 and Ephesians 4:11. You can get the download here. 

Jack shares part two of his extraordinary journey from hospitalization to joining a church and eventually planting a church in Rocky Hill, CT. You can contact him about his book or their church here.  During the podcast I mentioned MileIQ. You can get the free app here.  

Jack shares an amazing testimony of his recovery after a horrific accident left him as a paraplegic with no hope of regaining the use of his body. Currently, he is the pastor of Oasis of Life Christian Church in Rocky Hill, CT During the podcast, I mentioned the book, How To Discover Your Ministry. This study guide is ideal for individuals or groups to explore what genuine ministry entails while driving them toward serving in the local church. For additional resources, visit ministerstoolbox.com

Starting a new congregation out of thin air takes a special kind of calling. To ensure that Christianity grows and flourishes, new churches must form. The "normal" way churches form, is heavy sponsorship from a larger congregation via a satellite network. This method has proven effective, but what about the pioneer church planter? What about the person who feels called to start a church without any of the normal resources many have come to expect? Shane and Maria Priebe share their story of planting Storehouse Columbia, a brand new congregation in Columbia, PA, along with many of the struggles it took to get there. More than anything, this true story should encourage you in your faith. Contact Shane and Maria @ www.storehousechurch.com/columbia. For more resources, visit us at ministerstoolbox.com or leave an honest review on iTunes here.    

Your character is the strongest sermon you’ll ever preach. Much more is caught than taught. Choices confront us every day. We can do the right thing or the easy thing. As a pastor, one of your main jobs is to do everything in your power to grow the influence and size of your church. The integrity challenge is how you invite people to join. A phrase pastors used years ago was sheep-rustling. A sheep rustler sneaks onto the farm of a neighbor and takes one or more sheep. The term came to mean pastors who actively invite people from other churches to come to their own to increase their numbers. This egregious behavior is all too common among pastors and church leaders. During the podcast, I share about retaining our reputation as we reach out to the unchurched. During today's show, I mentioned my recent book, When A Good Church Goes Bad that you also download on Kindle or as an audiobook. Through Audible by Amazon, you can get the book for free by signing up a for a 30-day trial. If you decide not to stay w

  The second offering used to ordain Levites was a burnt offering. This is not designed to pay for or address sin but a sacrifice required by God in order to become a minister. Burnt offerings happened when every part of the animal was completely consumed by fire. They represented submitting to total loss as part of your worship toward God. Similar to the Levites, you cannot just call yourself into ministry. I am sure that many of us have seen individuals who strongly believe they have a calling to full-time church work when in fact they are just infatuated with the idea of people listening to them speak. One of the key parts of our calling is giving God a burnt offering before our ministry becomes acceptable to God. I explain what this means in biblical terms during today's podcast. If you'd like to read more articles about leadership, check out my blog.

We all know the verse, Without vision the people perish. That also applies to pastors and church leaders. How do you get your vision back when ministry has dealt you harsh blows? To get further resources, visit www.ministerstoolbox.com. To leave an honest rating or review, go here.

Pastors by far are under-compensated for the work they do compared to other professions. One of the top three reasons pastors quit the ministry is over money. Church boards try to save money by paying the pastor as little as possible. That is a key reason churches don’t grow. Church boards should do all they can to bless their leaders financially and in every way possible for the work they do. People often forget that pastoring is not only a calling but also a job. People in the church work to get income for their families and expect not only to be compensated properly, but also to have the opportunity for raises, bonuses, and vacations. The better any church pays attention to blessing their leader financially, the more likely that pastor will want to stay and reciprocate the blessing. During the show, I mentioned a free download with more detailed information here. I also spoke about MileIQ which you can get more information here. 

Does it ever frustrate you when you see members of your congregation continually fall into the same problems? You’ve preached your heart out week after week with answers to solve their problem. Somehow, they never get free.  Benjamin Franklin once said: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” To bring our pulpit ministry to the next level, we need to define what God considers teaching. If I were to ask you what teaching is, most of you would immediately bring up an image of someone standing in front of a blackboard or whiteboard in today’s word, instructing students who sit at desks taking notes. During today's podcast, I share simple tips on how to increase the impact of your teaching ministry. During the podcast, I mentioned the study guide for individuals or groups, Who's Your Master? Here is the link to my blog, Fresh Teaching.