Healthy transitions don’t happen accidentally. Succession works best when it’s intentional, slow enough to grieve and celebrate, and supported by objective outside help.
Practical Leadership Content for Small and Midsize Churches
Real guidance for pastors navigating the challenges of everyday ministry.
Leading a small or midsize church comes with unique pressures. From burnout and soul care to church strategy and team development, our articles and podcast guides address the issues church leaders face every week.
Are You Doing Ministry For Jesus or From Jesus? How Spirit-Led Leadership Frees Pastors from Self-Reliance
Doing ministry from Jesus means your leadership flows from intimacy, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Doing ministry for Jesus often places the pressure on your own performance, strategy, and ability to produce results.
Soul Care Essentials Series: 95Podcast 336 Summary – Flying Ahead of the Plane: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit (with Michael McFadden)
Dale Sellers and Joseph Bennett talk with airline pilot, pastor, and leadership strategist Michael McFadden about “flying in front of…
The Value of Vacation for Small-Church Pastors: 4 Practical Steps to Take a Break Without Derailing Ministry
If you’re leading a small church, you already know the tension: you need rest, but you also feel responsible for everything from pastoral care to building maintenance.
Soul Care Essentials Series: 95Podcast 335 Summary – When Ministry Becomes a Mistress: How Pastors Escape Approval Addiction and Rediscover Peace (w/ Ramfis Moulier)
Equipping can’t be reduced to a weekly performance; it requires presence, relationship, modeling, and shared life.
Driven or Led? How to Discern What Motivates Your Leadership
Here’s what I mean: Discerning the inner prompting (or voice) of the Holy Spirit can get complicated over the years. I’ve often felt confident that I can hear the Holy Spirit speak direction into my life. However, the sound of the Holy Spirit’s voice can sometimes feel very similar to the sound of my own conscience.
Soul Care Essentials Series: 95Podcast 334 Summary – Healthy Soul, Healthy Ministry: Prayer, Sabbath, and Soul Care Rhythms for Pastors (with Dan Reiland)
Prayer isn’t the warm-up—it’s the engine. Ministry strength doesn’t come from personal drive; it comes from dependence on Jesus and consistent prayer.
Chosen But Still A Work In Progress: Encouragement For Pastors Who Feel Like A Hypocrite
Early in my ministry, one of the greatest challenges I had to overcome was thinking I had some clue about what Jesus had in mind when he first called me. If you’re like me, you probably had some preconceived notions when you accepted the call, too.
Soul Care Essentials Series: 95Podcast 333 Summary – Pastoral Retirement: How to Finish Well and Start a New Season of Ministry (w/ Doug Bullock – Episode 333
“The objective is to hand it off when it’s healthy. You want to hand the church off when it’s going well… A lot of us wait till it starts back down the curve to begin to do that.”
Church Communication That Actually Moves People Forward: Clarify Next Steps and Reduce Conflict
Start by filtering communication through vision and your discipleship path. Then shift from “information” to “inspiration” by consistently answering “why this matters” and clearly naming one next step.
Soul Care Essentials Series: 95Podcast 332 Summary – Healthy, Holy, and Humble: Soul Care Rhythms for Pastors (with Lance Witt) | 95 Podcast 332
Self-awareness protects leaders from self-deception. Honest feedback is a guardrail for character and culture.
The Distraction of Division: 6 Distractions Hurting Church Unity Today
I wholeheartedly believe that the leaders taking place in these conversations are the minority. But it doesn’t always appear that way to a watching world. Here’s the truth: When we get caught up on differences that really don’t matter in the long-run, we are limiting our effectiveness for ministry.
