Pastoral Struggles and Advice Zone
Ministry can be tough. So many pressures can bear down on you at once. Find advice and tips below to help you cope with and adjust your approach to challenges and struggles in ministry. You are not alone.
‹ Back to ZonesLevel | Title | Topic | |
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Anxiety and Digital Minimalism
How far must you go to reach Digital Minimalism? |
Anxiety, Technology | ||
Are We Seeing Clearly in 2020?
How well is your ministry discipling kids? |
Discipleship | ||
Are you a Preacher Who Pastors or a Pastor who Preaches?
Do you preach or do you pastor? |
Pastoring vs. Preaching | ||
Asking a Volunteer to Step Down
Learn to 'fire' a volunteer while maintaining their dignity and yours. |
Discipline, Volunteers | ||
Be Proactive
You can be the victim in your ministry. Or you can be proactive with your ministry. |
Leadership, Struggles | ||
Be Wise
As a pastor, you need to seek God's heart, and then tailor things to fit your ministry. |
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But Will They Come Back??
How do you retain visitors to your church? |
Return Visitors | ||
Can a Pastor Take a Day Off?
Can a Pastor take a day off? Yes, you CAN get a day OFF. And it can be Amazing! |
Leadership, Mistakes, Recruitment | ||
Children of Divorce Need YOU to Help Them Manage Their Behaviors
How can you and your volunteers help children deal with stress? |
Divorce, Behavior | ||
Choose to Speak Life
God brings many people (staff, volunteers, parents and children) into our circle of influence. Pray for them, and choose to speak life into their lives. |
Encouragement, Inspiration | ||
Church, Not Childcare
What do you call your Church's children's service time? |
Kids Church | ||
Classroom Management Tips
Some advice on how to manage your classroom at all age levels. |
Classroom management | ||
Collaborative Problem Solving
3 steps to collaborative problem solving. |
Problem Solving | ||
Discipleship Roller Coaster
Discipleship is messy and gritty and sloppy, and that’s the beauty. And some weeks that can also be the tough part of it. |
Discipleship | ||
Do You Apologize Too Much in Recruiting?
Saying "sorry" is a good thing, but not when your goal is to win volunteers to your ministry and vision. |
Leadership, Mistakes, Recruitment | ||
Do You Have Cliques in Your Children's Ministry?
“Two are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT |
Families, Programming | ||
Do You REALLY Know What You're Doing?
There’s no question that ministry can be difficult and we all face times when doubt sets in and we think quitting may be easier. |
Encouragement, Leadership | ||
Do You REALLY See Your Neighbors?
It's important to see people the way Jesus did. We should not see their faults, but rather see a PERSON! |
Seeing Others as Jesus Did | ||
Does Busy Define You?
Is your busyness defining who you are and what you are able to accomplish for the Lord? |
Finding Balance, Busyness | ||
Don't Be Batman!
Stay intentional in your connection with others. |
Leadership, Involvement, Discipleship | ||
Effectively Starting A New Ministry Position Will Keep You Out of Trouble
Advice on how to jump start your new ministry position. |
Success in a New Job | ||
Encouraging Words for Broken Leaders from Craig Jutila
A nursery rhyme can teach you a lesson on brokenness. |
Brokenness | ||
Enhancing Your Cross-Cultural Connections in Ministry
In our diverse modern culture, virtually all ministry is “cross-cultural” and effective connections and relationship building will depend up your cross-cultural understanding and communication skills. |
Cross Culture | ||
Expecting Much From Jesus
What are you expecting of Jesus today? |
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Four Basic Steps for an Effective Kids Service
Take these 4 steps to help run an effective kids ministry service. |
Kids Church | ||
Here's why play time might be the most important part of your KidMin
Why and how can playtime be the most important part of your Sunday morning? |
Fun and Games | ||
Am I In a Toxic Church Environment?
What does a toxic church environment look like, and when should you leave? |
Leadership | ||
10 Tips for Lovingly Working with Children with Special Needs or Behavioral Challenges
Love those challenging kids, and know you are making a difference! |
Special Needs in Ministry | ||
Love is Caught, Not Taught
Love is not something that can merely be taught; it must be caught. |
Loving Children | ||
10 Easy Ways to Partner with Families in Your Ministry
Ten easy steps to help you get started on your goal to partner with families in your church. |
Partnering with Parents, Leadership, Equipping | ||
110 Reasons I Love Children's Ministry
Need a good reason to love Children's Ministry? How about 110 reasons? |
Encouragement | ||
3 Leadership Blind Spots and How to See Them
Each of us have blind spots in our life and ministry that we may not be aware of. |
Leadership | ||
3 Resolutions for your Church Ministry in 2019
What small things can you do to make 2019 even better for your ministry? |
Resolutions, New Year, Priorities | ||
3 Things to Help Improve Yourself
How do you work on improving yourself? Is it working? |
Self-Improvement | ||
4 Powerful Things Criticism Tells About You
Being the object of criticism can be discouraging and deflating. It can also be an opportunity for growth. |
Criticism, Growth, Leadership | ||
4 Reasons The Kids In Your Ministry Are Misbehaving
How do you handle discipline in your ministry? Not just punishment, but maintaining control before it gets out of control? Here are some tips to help you run a smooth Sunday morning (or Wednesday evening). |
Discipline, Relationship, Leadership | ||
4 Ways to Stop Your Hurried Pace of Life
Feel like ministry is on fast-forward mode all the time? Here are four ways to press STOP and learn to pause. |
Leadership, Criticism | ||
5 Lessons Learned From Years of Ministry With My Wife
How do you work in leadership with family in order to avoid unnecessary stress? |
Relationships | ||
5 Questions To Ask Before you Change Something
Change effects all of us in different ways. Make sure you SHOULD make the change before plowing ahead. |
Change | ||
5 Things Children's Ministers Wish Their Senior Pastor Knew
An open letter from those who serve in children's ministry to their senior pastors. |
Leadership | ||
5 Things You Can Do Today to Make Sunday Easier
Make Sunday mornings easier with these 5 tips. |
Organization, Leadership, Volunteers | ||
5 Ways To Instantly Recruit Volunteers
Use this list as a springboard for your own endeavors in recruiting volunteers. |
Recruiting, Volunteers | ||
6 Pitfalls Every New Children's Pastor Should Avoid
Avoid these pitfalls that new pastors make. |
Pastor Pitfalls | ||
68 Reasons Why Children's Ministry Matters!
Kids matter to God and they should matter to us. Here are 68 reasons why. |
Importance of CM | ||
7 Greatest Questions Facing Children's Ministry
Other than take-home papers and a summertime VBS, most people - even church boards - don’t know what children’s ministry should do or be. |
Challenges | ||
7 Questions You Can't Ask In Church
Do you know God's commands for your life? Or are you just misunderstanding them? |
Humor, Questions | ||
7 Tips for the Most Productive Planning Meetings Ever
Don't lead the same ho-hum meetings. Learn tricks to engage your team! |
Meetings, Administration | ||
8 Healthy Leadership Characteristics I Learned from a Kid
Learn how God used a kid to teach us about healthy leadership. |
Leadership | ||
8 Signs Your Volunteer Needs a Break
Watch for these signs that your volunteers need to take a break from serving in ministry. |
Volunteers | ||
9 Bad Things Happening When You Forget Ministry Vision
What happens when you lose the vision for your ministry? |
Vision |