pastoral trainers Archives » GProCommission

March 31, 2020

Author Barry Voss gives practical how-to's on how to develop your church's strategic plan.

How to Develop A Strategic Plan in 7 Steps

This article on how to develop a strategic plan is a continuation of author Barry Voss’s previous article here where Barry addressed why a strategic plan is necessary in Part One. Develop Your Church’s Strategic Plan Here are some basic steps to use when developing a strategic plan: Step #1: Organize a strategic planning group. The first thing you want to do is to put a team together who will develop the plan. You should pick key people who have appropriate skills or background in what you are planning. Step #2: Outline your Plan. The starting point to any plan is a simple […]

March 24, 2020

How do we keep our churches focused on the Great Commission?

How to Keep Your Church Focused on the Great Commission

This article on the Church and the Great Commission is reshared with kind permission from Breeze church. Something that scares me is that it’s possible to do church without actually doing what a church is called to do. It’s possible to gather people together, sing songs, listen to words spoken from a stage, pass offering plates, and not even come close to the mission that Jesus gave the Church. Does that scare you? I don’t ever want to be a church that isn’t accomplishing the Great Commission of reaching lost people and discipling them into Jesus followers. And yet, we know from […]

February 28, 2020

Latin America Spotlight: Interview with Honduran Trainers of Pastors

Do you ever feel overwhelmed in ministry? As though what you are doing does not really count for much? A young couple from Honduras has encouragement for you. We encourage you to watch the below video interview and then for your further encouragement enjoy the written article further below. Pastors Kathy and Peter Hearne started ministry together 17 years ago (she specifically asked God that she would marry a pastor!). Today, in their region of Latin America, they are seeing more church planting than ever and more people saying “Yes” to God. They also see a tremendous need […]

October 24, 2019

Designer Shoes

This article “Designer Shoes” is reshared from RREACH. Searching for worship music and sneakers on the internet, a young man started noticing a strange occurrence. Several Christian pastors wore rather expensive sneakers in the pictures on their church websites. The shoes ranged from $600 to $3,000. This trend alarmed him, and he asked a question, “What is OK as far as optics … as far as pastors wearing hype or designer clothing?”. His Instagram post started a blaze of comment from the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times and several other media outlets. Public criticism is an occupational hazard of Christian leadership. […]

October 8, 2019

Preaching to Make the Bible User Friendly

Have you ever listened to a sermon and thought, “Wow, I could never get as much from that Scripture text as he did”—as if the preacher was a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat? I have. When the preacher is biblically faithful, this can be a beautiful demonstration of God gifting the church with shepherds and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). It may also expose a flaw: the preacher may not be training his flock how to read the Bible through his preaching. Preachers need to see the preaching event as a key moment in church life that makes the […]

October 1, 2019

Building Successful Teams

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 We all enjoy watching individuals achieve success in sports, business or entertainment through hard work, dedication and perseverance. It’s often called the American way because […]

August 13, 2019

5 Ways to Preach a Half Done Sermon

Whenever I meet with a pastor or church planter, I ask them, “What are you preaching on this Sunday?” I love hearing what series other guys are doing, the creativity. Recently whenever I ask this question, I get blank stares or a response of “I’m not sure, I think I have a title.” Sometimes they aren’t even that far along. Too many pastors allow the busyness of their lives and ministries to crowd out their sermon prep. Here are 5 ways to make sure that you are killing yourself on Saturday night to put a sermon together. Is your sermon […]

August 1, 2019

Theology is Practical

reshared with kind permission from Leadership International Everything we do has a reason behind it. What we do comes from what we believe is true. The motives for our actions come from our worldview- what we believe about life, God, humanity, etc. If your convictions align with God’s truth, you will be conformed to do God’s will. That is why theological education is important. It is the foundation for proper praxis, missional living. Theological education seems to be less important to Americans, who want more “practical” teaching instead. The assumption is that theology isn’t practical. Let’s look at why theology isn’t just practical; […]

July 18, 2019

Three Lies Pastors Believe

reshared with kind permission from Josh Reich. All of us believe lies in our lives and those lies shape us. Lies that we aren’t good enough, strong enough, that I owe God, that we can be in control, that God doesn’t love us, that we aren’t lovable or worthwhile. Lies like these, shape us. And if we don’t face them, these lies will determine the stories we tell and live. Pastor’s believe lies as well. I know that might be a shock, but it’s true. And like lies in our personal lives, if we don’t face them, name them and […]

May 21, 2019

The Weight & Joy of Being a Pastor: Loneliness

reshared with kind permission from Joshua Reich. If you talk to any pastor or his wife and ask them about friends, more than likely you will get a sad, longing look. Many pastors and their wives are lonely. They have been betrayed, hurt, and left out. As I’ve been sharing the weights and joys (Preaching God’s word every week, You can’t change people, God’s call on your life, Seeing life change, People under you are counting on you, God using you, What God thinks of you and Communicating God’s word) of being a pastor, the loneliness a pastor and his wife experience can be unique to this […]