Minister's Toolbox

Listening both to God and people is an essential skill for anyone seeking to minister on behalf of Christ.  Today, I share five simple tips that you can do right now to become a better listener. Click here for a free download summarizing these tips. Since this podcast, my book was published. If you would like to read the first three chapters for free, click here.

  A “loose cannon” is a person lacking insight. Their whose actions and/or speech jeopardizes the safety of people in their proximity or under their authority. In the body of Christ, we have powerful and gifted people who can do great good or great harm.  The only way that power and gifting have focus and ultimate effectiveness is when each cannon is under the authority and command of the captain. Cannons left to themselves always damage other Christians, and if left unchecked can bring down the whole ship. One of our jobs as a minister is also to help people discover their spiritual gifts and then create avenues for them to use those gifts to help grow the church. The difficulty comes when a member wants to use their gift or gifts to find acceptance and affirmation instead of serving. The Greek word for ministry is doulos: serving. Not yourself and your agenda; the body of Christ and His agenda. As a pastor or leader, you’ve been entrusted with a vision of where God wants to lead your church. It doesn’t mean

We spend many hours readying, praying and studying to preach sermons each week, but after a few hours they are often forgotten. People get busy doing other things and we have seven more days before another sermon is expected. Are there effective ways to make our sermons last longer? On today's podcast, I mention two: First - record your sermons and put them on your website. You can do this for free or at little cost by going to www.sermon.net. There, you can upload MP3 files and post them on your site and even on ITunes or Sticher. Second - publish your sermons in book form. Here is a recent example. Go to Kindle Publishing to get started!   

You're a leader in God's Church. What exactly does that mean?  In Ephesians 4: 11-12, Paul told us that Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to His Church. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people. By definition, a leader trains disciples with their gift.   If you cut me open, you would not find a pastor, functionally speaking. Teaching forms the foundation of my calling. I teach spiritual truth to whoever is willing to listen. If you are around me for any length of time, you will gain understanding in ways you have not thought about before.  I am not a fountain of knowledge. This does not occur because I am talented, brilliant or insightful. Christ installed a teaching gift for me to benefit other people. Teaching is a gift, not an ability. God has given this gift to thousands to advance His kingdom purposes. My mission is to be sure that when I stand before God, I have used this gift the way Christ intended. The way I equip people is to impart spiritual truth.  J

Minister's Toolbox is all about tools to help you do ministry more effectively. Today, I share 4 that I highly recommend. They are: Evernote Sermon Central Sermon.net Canva Visit our Tools Page for links to these and other resources.

Rodney Dangerfield became famous for opening his act with the words, "I don't get no respect." What about you? Do you get the respect you deserve? Are there things you are doing that signal to people you are not worthy of respect? Without respect, people will not apply your preaching to their lives. How can you gain respect from people that belittle your ministry? During the podcast, I offered a free download of the show notes. You can get them here. 

Anger is more of a problem for church leaders than we care to admit.  If we are not careful, it can ruin our current and future ministry. Today, we talk about ways to change anger to a more productive approach. Download a free download of Tips to Overcome Anger For Ministers here.

Ministry is stressful. Nearly all church functions center around food. Many church leaders struggle with their health. Today, we share some actionable steps towards living a more healthy life as a pastor. Want the show notes? Download here. During the podcast, we mentioned myfitnesspal which is free. We also mentioned audiobooks by Amazon which is free for the first month. To try it out and receive a free book, click here.

Happy New Year? Not if you haven't laid out plans for the year ahead.  We talk about goals today and I mention some useful affiliate links.  The first is The Three Battlegrounds by Francis Frangipane. The second is The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. Both are great resources in their own right. Be sure to check out our Tools page for additional resources.

Did Jesus use a repeatable method throughout his teaching ministry?  Can you incorporate the same method into your own sermons? Yes, and yes! Jesus used an amazing amount of questions to teach both his followers and his opponents. Click here to see how often. 

I have great respect for Billy Graham, but we don't need another one! God does not call anyone to be a copy. What has He asked you to accomplish during your stay on planet earth? I mention an inspiring video on YouTube about Billy Sunday. Watch it here. Click here for the show notes that include links to other resources.

We're in a position that tends to attract critics. The public feels comfortable making comments on our preaching, our churches our lifestyle and even the clothes we wear! At the same time, we are called to reach these people for Christ. How can we reach those ensnared by a negative outlook on life without allowing them to poison other members? I offer a free download at the end of the podcast called, 4 Types of Criticizers and What To Do With Them. that you can download here. 

Vision is essential to effective leadership.  What exactly is it? How do you get one? Does it matter where it comes from? During the show I mention the book, Good To Great by Jim Collins. You can read a chapter or get the book here.  You can also read the show notes from today's podcast by downloading them here.

Depression is a serious problem in America - a problem church leaders are called to address. What happens when ministers experience the blues? How can you get "un-funked?" On today's podcast, we offer a free download that you can get here.  Help us by share this podcast with other leaders by leaving an honest review on ITunes or sharing on social media using the buttons to your left.

Pastors need and deserve a regular time of rest and refreshment. Usually they don't get it. How important is it for ministers to observe a Sabbath? What are the consequences to when we don't? On today's podcast, we offer a free resource guide about how you can incorporate a Sabbath into your weekly schedule. You can download it here.

Preacher's Kids are a unique group of people. By default, they experience all the pressures of your ministry even though they never became ordained. Today we discuss 4 major reasons preachers kids walk away from the church. I then offer some practical steps in this free download.   

I sat down with Jan Nel, a close friend and apostolic leader. Jan shares insights about how God shaped him for his ministry to many nations of the world. You can learn more about Jan and the apostolic adventure here. This is a short video on Jan and Sarah's recent ministry in Thailand To follow him on Facebook, go to The Ministry of Jan Nel  

Church attendance is decreasing. Is this the media's fault or has the church relied upon outdated methods to attract new people? What can we do as pastors or church leaders to reverse the trend? On today's podcast, we are featuring two separate downloads. The first is called, Basic Web Information and will help you either get started with your church website or vastly improve it. The second is Tips for Bloggers and features entry-level information about how pastors can get started blogging. This is the first in a series on blogging. If you want more, email me at ministerstoolbox@gmail.com. Click here for this download.

One of the greatest challenges a minister faces is betrayal. We invest hours, days, weeks and years into relationships with church members and other ministers only to get "stabbed in the back." Truly betrayal never comes at the hands of an enemy, but a friend. How can pastors not only survive, but thrive from acts of betrayal - particularly when they impact our families so severely?  

As church leaders, precisely how do we use our time effectively to accomplish the work Christ has called us to do? Depending on your circumstance, it is easy to waste time under the guise of "busy"-ness.  Today we share some practical insights from scripture to help pastors use their time wisely. During today's podcast, we offer a free download to help you organize your time more effectively. Click here to get it.