Paul and Barnabas’s split over Mark reminds us that even devoted believers can clash, but God can still use the fallout for greater mission impact. Later, Paul’s restored relationship with Mark shows how grace, growth, and unity can heal what once was broken.
Team conflict is inevitable, but division is a choice. Address it biblically, forgive like Christ, and keep pressing on together.
No matter how strong your team is, conflict will eventually surface, and how you handle it will define your effectiveness together. Whether the issue is someone being wrong, weird, or weak, responding with grace and biblical wisdom is key to restoring unity.
Jesus chose disciples with clashing backgrounds to teach unity through diversity. Following Him means bearing with one another, not just forgiving but growing together.
You must flourish as a disciple before you succeed as a minister. Certain relationships are vital for the long-term health of your ministry.
Understanding that the task is immense and that the warfare is unavoidable, you must consider how to put yourself in the best situation possible. Your ministry setting will have enough challenges that you don’t need to accept known unnecessary ones.
We won’t advance the frontiers of mission by enabling soft Christians who are skittish at the hint of conflict. While you need to be in a good ministry setting, you will not find a perfect team.
Show the type of patience to people on your ministry team that you desire they would show to you. We’re all different, and that’s not a bad thing.
Ministry teams are wonderful blessings if you know how to work well with others. The potential conflicts go both ways, and you must consider who you are to determine who you need to be around.
A church must have a clear process of its members receiving training and continuing ministry. If people can serve according to God’s giftings, the church will be blessed.
Every person you encounter today is going through multiple situations, positive or negative, of which you are probably unaware. In light of the knowledge of such ignorance, we must evaluate where someone is before we attempt to help them get where they need to be.
When you undertake the work of any ministry, opposition will rise due to the nature of what you seek to accomplish. Oftentimes, the stress originates from interpersonal drama.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 – While guilt or pressure can be successful motivators to get us to serve, we ought to minister to others in line with our giftings and passions. In those meaningful positions, those obligations turn into opportunities.
When we often encounter people who are homeless, our reaction is typically to look away so that we don’t feel the pressure to do anything about it. As followers of Jesus, we must be like Him and embrace those in need rather than ignoring them.
Our love for others validates our love for God. It reveals our genuine spiritual condition. You can express your devotion to God through the songs you sing, the prayers you pray, and the verses you promote, but if you can’t love God’s children, He questions your ability to love Him.
Churches must consider how to best structure environments so kids can learn to follow Jesus better. Consider how you structure your content and context as you minister to them.
If you listen to the way many Christians talk today, we sound so different from the way Jesus expected us to live and serve others. Instead of making it about Him and others, we make it all about becoming as comfortable as possible.
A preschool’s ministry in a church is more than glorified babysitting. Consider these tips as you intentionally invest in the youngest people in your church family.
We organize our next-generation ministries under one umbrella because we do not want to silo individual efforts away from others. While some of our approaches vary due to the ages, the overall strategy is the same and unified.
We live in a world that encourages you to be you; the phrase implies that you should just live however you want. In all honesty, I can’t think of a more dangerous set of instructions to incorporate as you try to succeed at what God has called you to do.
Jesus’ ministry only lasted three years, but the effect of it has completely changed history. In studying the critical components of his ministry, we can better ascertain the purpose for which he came.
While no human leader is perfect, we should consider ourselves blessed to have godly leaders charting our path. If a minister is following Christ, it shouldn’t be a struggle to follow the one at the front of the pack heading in a Godward direction.
It is difficult to summarize all that happens in life, family, ministry, and church within a year, but I wanted to try. Looking back helps me see God’s faithful hand all along the way.
Out of 260 posts, these 10 connected the most in 2023. I pray they can encourage you as well.
Some people need loving encouragement, while others need bold confrontation. In addition to knowing what needs to be addressed, we must know how to address the individual people.
In the midst of many opportunities for spiritual growth, we can lack a needed sense of alignment. What if we are guilty of widespread efforts that only provide shallow understanding? Focus might be the component we’ve been missing.
We are excited to host our second annual Entrust Conference, “Ministry Matters: Learning to Help One Another.” In ministering to one another, we meet others’ needs and encourage personal growth.
While we all need to be encouraged, we all don’t need to be encouraged in the same way. Depending upon how we are wired and what is happening, we need something different from those around us.
Exodus 28:1-29:46 – God provided precise instructions regarding His expectations of the priests’ covering and consecration. As a kingdom of priests, our hope is being clothed in the righteousness of a perfect sacrifice.
How should church leaders and ministry volunteers interact with misbehaving children and questioning parents? You’re not helping anyone if you don’t address the issues, but there are wiser ways to do so.
We often have dreams of what we can accomplish and deal with what others pressure us to become, but what about God’s desires? Here are four things God has called you to be.
The real heroes of a student camp aren’t the people on the stage but the chaperones driving the church vans. Here are some tangible ways to continue making an impact once you get home.
We often think of Spirit-filled people as those who do a certain type of ministerial work, but God’s Word teaches something far broader. God equips different people for unique tasks.
Your church’s health is not only significantly influenced by the maturity of its staff, but its effectiveness is primarily determined by the values that motivate them. Here are five values that can help ground your staff on biblical ministry as a church.
All of us are known by our dominant traits – even among our churches. Have you ever considered what your habits tell others about your commitment to your church family?
How do you summarize a year in the life of an individual, family, and calling? I went through the archives and decided that the best way to do it was by sharing 22 pictures that best summarize what God did around me in 2022.
Nehemiah 11:1-36 – The people of God organized their efforts and installed leaders in critical areas. When we all know our roles, we are better if we serve according to our giftedness and others’ requirements.
Pastors can approach social media platforms as available pulpits by which to point others to Jesus. If they are growing personally, they should look for opportunities to share what they are learning.
Nehemiah 7:1-73 – As the workers prepared to settle into the land, Nehemiah assembled them to ensure all were covered. When everyone is accounted for among the people of God, we can rest knowing that we all have others watching out for us.
Nehemiah 3:1-32 – As the work on the wall began, Nehemiah organized the people into specific groups to accomplish the greater task. When we work together as the people of God, we can marvel at the progress He intentionally makes among us.