I thought this article by Joseph Mattera with Mattera Ministries International was a good one, and we wanted to share it with you.

– Jim Bevis, Mid-South Director with PastorCare 

One of the biggest challenges in life is to stay focused upon the assignment the Lord has appointed for us. In life there are many adversaries and distractions that can take you off track so that your life misses the mark. This is called "mission drift." Perhaps most people in this world have drifted from their prima...

I thought this article by Pastor Rick Warren was a good one, and we wanted to share it with you.

– Jim Bevis, Mid-South Director with PastorCare 

You have weaknesses. I’m sure this statement doesn’t shock you. You know about them, most likely you’ve known about them for some time.

But the real question is this: What are you doing with your weaknesses? You can hide and deny them. Most of the time, this is what we try to do because we’re afraid of what might happen to our ministries if people d...

Lifeway Research reports that many pastors are dealing with incredible stress. In one survey, 84 percent said they're on call 24-hours a day and more than half said they frequently find the role of pastor overwhelming.

Announcing:  GC2 Summit 2019 - A Conversation for Pastors and Church Leaders on Leadership, Burnout, and Mental Health

The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, in partnership with the Wheaton College School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy, will be hosting a GC2...

“Appoint elders [pastors] in every city.” Titus 1:5 NKJV

[this is part 4 of a 4 part series]

The fourth issue you find among pastors who quit the ministry is this: They teach others how to build strong families without necessarily knowing how to build one themselves. Or they’re not willing to pay the price to do it, and eventually it becomes a problem.

The greatest sermon you’ll ever preach is at home! Pastors’ wives can slip into despair and depression because they feel like the ministr...

“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.” Acts 20:28 NKJV

[this is part 3 of a 4 part series]

Here’s another issue pastors often grapple with: They know how to feed others spiritually, but not themselves.

Before leaving the church at Ephesus for the last time, Paul gathered its leaders together and said, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Before you attempt to take care of others, learn to take care of yourself....

“I face the daily pressure of … all the churches.” II Corinthians 11:28 NIV

[this is part 2 of a 4 part series]

Let’s take another look at why over 50 percent of pastors quit the ministry. They love the crowd, but can’t handle the pressure.

We like to talk about the power of the New Testament church, but what about its problems? The church is made up of human beings, and human beings have unresolved issues. The New Testament church had:

(1) Moral problems. One man was sleeping with his stepmothe...

“I have finished the race.” II Timothy 4:7 NKJV

[this is part 1 of a 4 part series]

Did you know that over half of those who enter the ministry quit before retirement? Why?

There are lots of reasons – here is one of them: They discover that great revelation comes with a “thorn.”

The apostle Paul, who wrote half the New Testament, says: “To keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from m...

One of the disturbing trends I have witnessed in ministry comes from pastors who neglect their families for their churches. It would seem for some that busyness and pulling long hours is the mark of a successful pastor. However, when we learn of countless pastors who burn out from exhaustion or from those who lose their families due to neglect or infidelity, one must wonder whether this model is good after all.

The Scripture places a high emphasis on the family unit. It seems to indicate that...

I am confident that you love your kids dearly and you strive to do everything you can to make sure they are safe in your home.

But I must confess, as a Christian parent, while I was Senior Pastor of New Life Community Church, there were things that happened in our home with our kids that I was not aware of until much later.

The newly released documentary, Over 18, features a committed Christian family where they home schooled their children and were very involved in their children’s lives. I t...

In January’s Newsletter, Chris McKenna was very transparent and vulnerable as he shared his personal story of being powerless against porn for many years. We decided to focus part one on telling his story in detail because we believed God would speak to the hearts of others through the details.

In this February issue Chris addresses the response — Now What? What Chris shares this month will also touch your heart and give you hope. He identifies lots of practical next steps and he has develope...