Sam Rainer

J.P. Morgan Research increased the recession probability by year-end 2024 from 25% to 35%. Other economists put the likelihood of a recession by year-end 2025 around 45%.

All effective leaders are both analysts and catalysts to a degree, but most tend to lean one way or the other. The analyst is more like a prophet, warning about the status quo. The catalyst is more of an inventor designing something novel. How can you balance both?

Every preacher prepares differently. You likely already have a personal method of sermon preparation or will create one as you develop and gain more experience. This checklist is not meant to be a comprehensive guide, but I hope you find it useful in the sermon writing process.

Most churches budget on a calendar year, meaning the spreadsheets come out in full force about the same time as pumpkin spice lattes. Budget season is just around the corner.

I’ve written previously about why required office hours may not be the best arrangement for church staff. Jesus didn’t say, “Stay in the church building.” He said, “Go.” It is much harder to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission from a desk.

“Is he too young?” I was glad someone asked the question because we were all thinking it. “Is he qualified?” Another deacon asked a better question. We all agreed the young deacon candidate was full of the Spirit, wise, hard-working, and had a good reputation. 

Pastors manage churches as much, if not more, than leading them. Making disciples requires pastors to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a church.

Preaching is a grind I welcome every week. Expositing God’s Word is one of the toughest but most rewarding aspects of being a pastor. You can’t treat preaching like a sprint, rushing to get a response on Sundays. It’s more like a marathon, a paced lope in which long strides are made over time.

In a lot of churches, deacons get a bad rap. If they do too much, people believe they’re trying to take over the church. If they do too little, then people call them lazy.  

“It took me too long, but I finally decided to get the help I needed.” My first coaching call with this pastor was like so many others. This pastor shouldered the leadership burden without much support for years. Then tensions built in his church, and he could not take the added pressure. Frankly, no one should carry this weight alone.