Pastoral Ministry

  • The Genuine Life by Scotty Smith

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2009

    With three decades plus change in the pastoral ministry, the gospel seems to be getting bigger and Jesus is appearing more gracious than ever. Maybe that’s because I’ve never been more aware of my brokenness and more disrupted …Read More

  • The Pastor-Scholar by Philip Ryken

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

    As far as John Calvin was concerned, almost nothing was more urgent for the church than the reformation of pastoral ministry. For centuries, most ministers had been shockingly ignorant of the Scriptures and thus ill-equipped to preach the gospel. As …Read More

  • Measuring Success by Larry Mininger

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2009

    About forty people scattered on metal chairs greeted me on my first Sunday in my first (and only) pastorate in a quaint little sanctuary nestled in the woods between massive orange groves just west of Orlando, Florida. There were no …Read More

  • Corinthian Enthusiasm by Derek Thomas

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

    I must have said it a thousand times: “Who would want a call to be the minister of the church at Corinth?” Among other things, it suffered from “the worship wars.” Read 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and you quickly …Read More

  • The School of Jesus Christ by David Powlison

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2009

    When I first received the intelligence of the death…of your son Louis, I was so utterly overpowered that for many days I was fit for nothing but to grieve; and albeit I was somehow upheld before the Lord by …Read More

  • What the Needy Need by Richard Phillips

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2008

    Since we live in a fallen world, our greatest strengths have a way of giving birth to our greatest weaknesses. This is why some churches that emphasize a strong Bible-preaching pulpit are less vigorous in ministries of mercy. One inner …Read More

  • To the Young Pastor by Ron Gleason

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2008

    Being a pastor has been the most humbling, challenging, fulfilling, and wonderful calling of my life. It was in the pastoral ministry that I learned — and still am learning — that true success is not measured by the size of your …Read More

  • Shepherding the Flock by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2005

    When we examine life in the early Christian church, we see a remarkable phenomenon recorded for us in the book of Acts. In Acts 8:1 we read, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was …Read More

  • The Fine Line by Nicholas Batzig

    FROM TABLETALK | July 2010

    Every Christian is to have a conscience singularly informed by the Word of God, but it is utterly indispensable for the minister of the gospel. Ministers are called to take a stand for truth before those who oppose the Word …Read More

  • The Pastor and His Pulpit by Albert Martin

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2007

    The life of a minister is the life of his ministry.” This adage is as true now as ever. In fact, ministerial integrity is an indispensable element of any sustained credibility among a discerning people with whom we have pastoral …Read More

  • The Holiness of Pastors and Patriarchs by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2007

    As I write this article I am sitting comfortably in a hotel lobby in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This morning, as I walked to the hotel in sub-zero temperatures, while massive, mid-western snowflakes kept falling on my head, during the coldest spell …Read More

  • Training Pastors in Church by Albert Mohler

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2008

    The Bible consistently affirms education as a central responsibility of God’s people. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were reminded that the education of their own children was an essential part of their responsibility as God’s covenant …Read More

  • Something Different by Matt Schmucker

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2009

    Matt, I don’t understand how you and Steve can be a part of the same church given what you each believe and practice.” This came from a young woman with whom my wife and I had been sharing the …Read More

  • A Solemn Discharge of Duty by Tom Ascol

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2009

    One of the most popular sermons I have preached is entitled “How to Fire Your Pastor.” I should have been suspicious when so many people requested copies of it! My purpose wasn’t to advocate such action; rather, I wanted …Read More

  • Congregational Counseling by Eric Bancroft

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2010

    Premarital counseling can be an entertaining exercise for an older couple offering guidance to a younger couple. Across from them sit two individuals eager to wed. Apart from occasional disagreements about planning the ceremony, the soon-to-be-newlyweds are prone to think …Read More