5 Tips for Shepherding Your Church on Race

| Tue, June 16, 2020 | Practical Ministry
People lifting their hands in prayer and singing.

In this excerpt from Dr. Walter R. Strickland II’s Mobile Ed course, he offers guidance for pastors shepherding their church on race.

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It is always difficult to shepherd people but especially shepherding in the aftermath of a highly racialized event. Unfortunately, on this side of the kingdom, there will always be many difficult issues to lead people through as a Christian leader. The hesitancy in leading in these moments is a desire to do the right thing that does not jump into an unnecessary conclusion too soon. There are some ways that you can lead amid this ambiguity in a very powerful way. [Read more…]

Guide for Pastoring during Coronavirus: Outreach, Sermon Ideas, More

| Sat, May 30, 2020 | Practical Ministry

People talk about adjusting to the “new normal” caused by coronavirus like it’s all bad—and maybe it is. It’s hard to tell at this point. But there’s also good. Bibles are flying off shelves and trending in Google searches. People are aware of their needs now, more than ever, and they’re longing for hope. [Read more…]

5 Memorial Day Prayers for Our Country, Our Service, and Our Enemies

| Mon, May 25, 2020 | Practical Ministry

Memorial Day Prayers

Image courtesy of Faithlife Media.

First Thessalonians beckons us to pray without ceasing. As we think of those who’ve given their lives for our country and those they’ve left behind, we sense the need for prayer more deeply. These five Memorial Day prayers below weren’t written for the holiday, but they address many needs we feel today and focus us on the God who provides every day. [Read more…]

How We’re Helping Churches and Families during the Coronavirus

| Wed, April 1, 2020 | Practical Ministry
Image courtesy of Faithlife Media.

These are tough days for pastors. It’s hard to believe how different ministry was even a few weeks ago.

But with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, churches are scrambling to do ministry in new ways—and for many of us, that means using technology to span the social distance between us. [Read more…]

Logos March Matchups Voting Continues, but Deals Are Already Here!

| Mon, March 16, 2020 | Practical Ministry

The head-to-head battle continues in this year’s Logos March Matchups!

Round 3 of competition just ended, sending dozens of collections and Mobile Ed courses to the bench . . . but it’s okay, because that’s where the real fun happens. [Read more…]

Russell Moore: Why Family and Theology Are Interconnected

| Wed, March 11, 2020 | Practical Ministry

By Bronwyn Lea

Russell Moore is a man with big credentials, big responsibility, and a surprisingly big laugh. As president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (the public engagement arm of the Southern Baptist Convention), Moore is regularly asked to comment on issues spanning pro-life ethics, the Church’s response to racism, all the tricky questions of modern-day sexuality, and the complex relationship between evangelicalism and American politics. Got a hot-button topic you need addressed? Russell Moore is your guy. Yet for all the gravitas of his conversation, he’s no ivory-tower theologian; he’ll just as quickly laugh at a joke or tell an endearing story about his family.  [Read more…]

Who Does the Lord Deliver? One Abolitionist Offers a Biblical Response.

| Wed, February 12, 2020 | Practical Ministry

By Todd R. Hains

Things are not the way they’re supposed to be. We live in a world filled with suffering and injustice, where the wicked often prosper and the righteous often languish. Scripture assumes this basic truth. Yet it doesn’t provide a clear and simple reason why this is so. Instead, the Bible gives us rhythms and words of protest, prayer, and praise.  [Read more…]

8 Honest, Powerful Prayers in the Bible

| Thu, January 23, 2020 | Practical Ministry

The simplest definition of prayer is talking to God. While that’s certainly true, prayer is also a unique place where we experience the breadth and depth of the Christian life. [Read more…]

What Luther’s Last Words Teach Us about Prayer

| Sat, October 19, 2019 | Practical Ministry

After the Reformer Martin Luther died, his friends who came to his room to remove his corpse found a note he had scrawled sometime in his final days: “We are beggars, that is true.” [Read more…]