Minister's Toolbox

Blogging is a free opportunity available to anyone to communicate the gospel. We take a tongue-in-cheek look at why pastors should avoid starting a blog and then offer practical reasons why they should. To get started, you need your own website. I mentioned our affiliate link Bluehost, but there are others like godaddy.com and hostgator.com to name a few. Once you have your own web address, this is the free download I offered: Step By Step Process For Starting Your Own Blog. If you need some basic information about social media, here is my free eBook.  Transcript of Today's Podcast Welcome to ministers toolbox. Specifically there are 7 reasons pastors should never even think about starting a blog. (Sarcasm included) #1 - It is too difficult. I mean, you have to turn the computer on, open up your WordPress site and push the new post button. If that isn’t bad enough, then you actually have to write something. That is not easy for a pastor. I mean, in your line of work, when do you ever write? Yeah, there are yo

Funerals are one of the difficult responsibilities assigned to ministers that no one truthfully wants. Unfortunately, funerals can be made worse when a church leader uses the occasion to showcase their preaching instead of honoring the person who has passed. Today, we share some tips on doing wakes and funerals in ways that can help lead people to Christ. Here are my tips for conducting an excellent funeral I also mentioned getting a free book from Audible.com If you need a basic minister's manual, here is one that has a lot of wisdom and insights. Transcript of Today's Podcast One thing ministers are asked to perform that no one actually wants to do is funerals. Like weddings, funerals are one of those rare times in a person’s life when they most open to contact either a church or a minister. Nowadays some people eliminate the church and ministers completely, especially if they are totally unreligious; but for the most part, pastors are usually called in to provide some sort of service at a funeral. I grew u

One of the critical functions of a church leader is to teach "sound doctrine." What is sound doctrine and is one view "sounder" than another? How does a leader discern what is true from what is error? On today's show we talk about how a leader can discern true doctrine from false in a discussion that will definitely NOT be what you expect! On Today's podcast, I mentioned our free eBook on Why Social Media is Vital To Sharing The Good News.  Transcript of Today's Show   As church leaders, we have been commissioned by Christ to equip our congregations to do the work of ministry according to Ephesians 4: 11-16. This word equip incorporates teaching, mentoring, training, supplying – whatever it takes to bring those in our care to a place of spiritual maturity and effectiveness. A big part of that is feeding them sound doctrine. Jesus charged Peter to feed the sheep of God. (John 21:15-17) Peter called upon all leaders to feed the flock and be examples to the congregation in I Peter 5:1,2. Paul charged his protégé

Dennis Ritchie, pastor of Oasis Church in Cheshire, CT shares his journey from a life out of control to church volunteer to worship leader to pastor.  Dennis' testimony is an encouragement to anyone who thinks that the events of their life are arbitrary. To contact Dennis or attend his church if you are in Connecticut, go to their website:celebratethejourney.org

Should church leaders align themselves with one political party over another? What happens to those who do? When we put our trust in any candidate, party or ideology, we step away from God's calling and destiny upon our lives. Ministers are called by God to be societal change agents. When peoples' hearts change, then their actions change. Historically, revivals do not follow political actions. Good government follows revivals because the focus switches from self interest to honoring and serving God. I mention receiving a free book from Audible.com. You can get that here. I also invite you to give us an honest review at ITunes. Transcript of Today's Show Let’s do a little time travel. The year is 1984. Patti and I are at the beginning stages of planting a new church in a new city, holding services in the local elementary school. Nationally, the hot-button issue is abortion. Randall Terry has catapulted into the news cycle on every TV screen as the head of Operation Rescue. For those unfamiliar with this grou

Is Bi-Vocational ministry effective in today's church culture? Is it a viable way for pastors to support their families while doing church ministry? Today, I share some of my experiences working in bi-vocational ministry and offer some constructive ways to navigate this challenge. Here is the free download I offered on the show: Transcript of Today's Show Carpenter, mason, short-order cook, farm hand, teacher’s aide, insurance salesman, ADT home security salesman, Advertising representative, Registered Investment Advisor. What do all these have in common? Me. These are all jobs that I have worked through the years doing bi-vocational ministry. For the uninitiated, bi-vocational ministry (bi-vo for short) is conducting church ministry while working a second job at the same time. You work the second job because either you are a pioneer church-planter with a dream, or your congregation has not reached a point where they can pay you adequately to meet your financial obligations. I have been in both of these world

When someone says they were "called" into ministry, exactly what does that mean? Should we assume that God spoke to them audibly? How can a person really tell if God is calling them to church ministry as a vocation? We look at the right and wrong reasons people choose church ministry as a profession. Here is the free download, Ten Tips To Discover Whether God Has Called You To Church Ministry Be sure to give us a review on ITunes! This helps us get the word out! Transcript of Today's Show “Calling” is a difficult concept because it is primarily subjective. I mean, I don’t know anyone who relates their story entering church ministry because they were awakened one night and God said, [Deep voice] “Get on your feet. You’re going to seminary.” But seriously, how does someone discern whether God has called them into church ministry? First, God is Sovereign. What does that have to do with calling? Actually, just about everything. God calls individuals to serve in His Church. It is His Church, so he gets to select t

Social Media is a must for any church leader hoping to connect with new people. The vast majority of people will never darken the door of any church until they have checked out a church website, listened to a sermon or two and investigated the church Facebook page. Today, we talk about basics for leaders to get and stay connected on the web. We also talk protocol. Many pastors ruin their presence on the Internet by not understanding these fundamental "rules." Here is a free download mentioned, called the Social Media Roadmap Bluehost is what I recommend to pastors and leaders who want to take the next step and own their own real estate on the web. Click here to get started. Transcript of Today's Show Do you ever get frustrated with the fact that your sermons require so much labor to produce, but often don’t have much life after they are done? I mean, the typical leader will spend somewhere between 6 and 15 hours each week working on a sermon. Even if you don’t spend concentrated time at your desk, you are col

 Weddings are always a time of great joy and anticipation. They can also provide an excellent opportunity for ministers to grow their churches. Today, I share about a really bad wedding. We also share some tips for making any wedding memorable for the bride and groom. Here is the free download, Wedding Resources For Ministers. Transcript of Today's Show: The two events most closely associated with ministers in our culture are weddings and funerals. These are two occasions when the need for a minister is universally accepted by nearly everyone regardless of their beliefs. Weddings can be one of the most effective ways to grow your church as well. Does that sound odd? Well, before we talk about that, can I ask you a question? Have you ever been to a bad wedding? What do I mean by a bad wedding? I’m talking about a wedding where the minister or clergy person was not a positive addition to the ceremony? Let me unpack what I mean with a true story. Several years back, one of my relatives decided to marry. The chur

Welcome! This is our very first podcast episode, where I share a little of our journey through several decades of pastoral ministry. I also highlight some of the topics we will be discussing in upcoming episodes to encourage you in your vocation. If you have the chance, I would appreciate you giving me an honest rating and review on ITunes by clicking here. It will help us get the word out to other church leaders  to help them in their calling. Thank you and enjoy the episodes!