James P. Osterhaus offers pastors tangible and much-needed advice to help them at work and in their personal lives--advice that they do not often hear in seminary. More and more, men and women who minister find themselves depressed. Their marriages are often in trouble. Their families are negatively affected. Often, they have few if any close friends. Over the years, Osterhaus has coached and counseled hundreds of these ministers from various traditions on four continents. As he sat with ministers who have been nearly crushed by the burdens of ministry, he came to learn that the average training of ministers across the globe is woefully deficient in the very areas that allow ministers to avoid many of the pitfalls. This guide is a result of those countless conversations. Avoiding Pastoral Pitfalls is an attempt to fill some of the void left in the training of pastors. It offers down-to-earth, practical guidance in areas of ministry that are often neglected: understanding yourself (both strengths and weaknesses), what effective leadership looks like, the complicated organizational makeup of the church, how to deal with conflict effectively, how to make sense of your governing board, and how to both enter a new ministry and leave a ministry effectively.

Charles Stone's research on thousands of pastors and ministry leaders demonstrates the dangers of approval-motivated leadership. Bringing together biblical insights and neuroscience findings, Stone shows why we fall into people-pleasing patterns and what we can do to overcome these tendencies for more effective ministry.

How do you deal with the unspoken, yet continuing dilemmas of your ministry? - Are you seen as a good luck charm? - Are you put on a pedestal of undue adoration? - Are you discouraged in evangelism and stewardship efforts? Pastoral Pitfalls is an excellent tool to help you deal with these and similar problems. It is a resource to be used in small group discussions, in professional retreat centers, and as a practical pastoral instruction guide in seminary classes. Each chapter offers a brief short story, which deals with a daily pastoral dilemma. A study guide concludes each chapter. The guide assists you to think more deeply about the chapter's concern. Questions, meditations, and prayer focus are built into each study guide. Peter Garrison is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Burlingame, California. The author leads workshops in pastoral support with his own "clergy cluster." This book is an outcome that addresses problems Garrison sees in his own ministry and in the pastorate-at-large.

Over 1 million copies sold What every church will always need The need for talented, vigorous leaders in the church cannot be overemphasized. Such times demand active service of men and women who are guided by and devoted to Jesus Christ. With more than 1 million copies sold, Spiritual Leadership stands as a proven classic for developing such leadership. J. Oswald Sanders, a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and author of more than forty books, presents the key principles of leadership in both the temporal and spiritual realms. He illustrates his points with examples from Scripture and biographies of eminent men of God, such as Moses, Nehemiah, the apostle Paul, David Livingstone, Charles Spurgeon, and others. Featured topics include: The cost of leadership The responsibility of leadership Tests of leadership The qualities and criteria of leadership The art of reproducing leaders The one indispensable requirement of leadership Sanders holds that even natural leadership qualities are God-given, and their true effectiveness can only be reached when they are used to the glory of God. Let this classic be your guide for leadership, and watch how God works through you to do great things for His glory.

A man who's been transformed by Christ and desires to preach the gospel might say he feels called to be a pastor. This personal conviction, while heartfelt, doesn't acknowledge important, challenging steps necessary to be a qualified leader. So where should full-time ministry begin? In The Path to Being a Pastor, Bobby Jamieson explains why it's better to emphasize "aspiration" over "calling" as men pursue the office of elder and encourages readers to make sure they are pastorally gifted before considering the role. He shares from his own eleven-year experience preparing to be a pastor by walking potential leaders through different stages of ministry training, from practical steps—such as cultivating godly ambition and leadership, observing healthy churches, and mastering Scripture—to personal advice on building a strong family and succeeding in seminary. Emphasizing the importance of prayer, godly counsel, and immersion in the local church, Jamieson encourages men to ask Am I qualified? instead of Am I called? when considering a life in ministry.

Rise above mediocrity and become indispensable after working through ten timeless lessons from Scripture. Leadership Lessons: Avoiding the Pitfalls of King Saul is a practical leadership guide that avoids abstract ideas and unproven steps. Instead, biblical studies professor and pastor Dr. Ralph Hawkins along with leadership expert and education professor Dr. Richard Parrott tell the stories of King Saul’s leadership missteps and connect those stories with the challenges facing leaders. In today’s climate of rapid change, intense competition, and moral relativism, find valuable advice that will give your leadership a firm foundation in sound biblical principles. Features include: References to ten sound biblical principles of leadership Examples illustrate how to apply these lessons to your life Action points give you concrete steps to improve your leadership skills Checklists help church, business, and community leaders excel

Brad Hoffman and Michael Todd Wilson present this workbook designed to be used by people in vocational ministry, alongside their peers, to safeguard them from burnout, moral failure and spiritual exhaustion.