MinistryPlace Journal
Fresh guidance for small and rural church leaders—clear enough to use this week.
Keep reading
Bi-Vocational MinistryChurch Leadership
Bi-vocational pastors who cannot set boundaries will burn out. Here is how to set them clearly, communicate them well, and stop feeling guilty about having them.
Church LeadershipChurch Operations
The elder qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are not a checklist. They are a portrait of a mature Christian. Here is what each qualification actually means and how to apply it in a small church.
Church LeadershipCommunity Engagement
The local school is one of the most strategic community partnerships a small church can build. Here is how to approach it, what to offer, and how to make it work long-term.
Bi-Vocational MinistrySermons and Teaching
Bi-vocational pastors cannot prepare sermons the way seminary trained them to. Here is a realistic system that produces faithful preaching in 6-10 hours per week.
Church LeadershipChurch Operations
Most church membership covenants are either too vague to mean anything or too long for anyone to read. Here is what a membership covenant should actually say and why each element matters.
Church LeadershipChurch Operations
Most small churches do not have a worship band. Here is how to lead worship well with what you have — and why the absence of a band might actually be an advantage.
Bi-Vocational MinistryChurch Leadership
A pastoral sabbatical is not a vacation. It is a strategic investment in the long-term health of the pastor and the church. Here is how to plan one that actually works.
Church LeadershipCommunity Engagement
Addiction touches nearly every family in rural America. Here is how a small church can minister to people struggling with addiction without pretending faith is a substitute for treatment.
Church LeadershipChurch Operations
The small church that develops its own leaders is the small church that sustains ministry over decades. Here is how to build a leadership pipeline that does not depend entirely on the pastor.
Church LeadershipChurch Operations
A building project is one of the most complex things a small church will ever undertake. Here is how to lead it well without destroying your congregation's unity or your church's finances.