Young Pastors: Where Do You Begin?

A Pastor’s Priorities for Day One
by Bob Johnson

The Goals and Benefits of an Installation Service
by Aaron Menikoff

Young Pastors: What Did You Inherit?

8 Steps for Dealing with Difficult Leaders
by Ken Swetland

Dealing with Bad Documents
by Greg Gilbert

Young Pastors: How Do You Lead Change?

Is This a Hill Worth Dying on?
by Matt Schmucker

What I Can and Cannot Live with as a Pastor
by Mark Dever

Love the Church More Than Its Health
by Jonathan Leeman

Should Pastors Change Anything in the First Year?
by Phillip  Jensen

How to Change Your Church
by Mark Dever

Young Pastors: How Do You Persevere?

WWJD—What Would Jim Do?
by Philip Graham Ryken
Shepherding and Trust

by Robert Norris
Why I Love the Temporariness of My Pastoral Ministry
by Mark Dever

Editor’s Note:

“Clear vision but little depth perception.” That’s how I’ve heard Mark Dever characterize young pastors.

Young pastors see their doctrine with utter clarity. They know exactly what a church should look like. But they don’t know how to assess what’s important, what’s really important, and what can be overlooked. Their gauges haven’t developed.

Probably, the best solution for this is plain old experience. Yet a little battle wisdom from older men can’t hurt, either. So we turned to several pastors who have walked a few miles down ministry’s road, asking them to pass on a morsel or two of counsel.

Bob Johnson and Ken Swetland talk about getting started. Matt Schmucker, Mark Dever, and Phillip Jensen offer their thoughts on making changes. Philip Ryken and Robert Norris help us persevere to the end. And a couple of younger guys, like Aaron, Greg, and me, throw in our two cents.

One word of caution about an eJournal full of practical advice: Wisdom can be found in principles of the sort you’ll find here. But wisdom always begins with a posture of heart—a heart the trusts and fears the Lord. Only this heart finds the wisdom to know which principles apply when: “Is now the time not to answer the fool according to his folly (Prov. 26:4)? Or is now the time to answer him according to his folly (Prov. 26:5)?”

Only the Lord will make your paths straight.

That means that we cannot tell you exactly how to pastor your church, unless the matter is plainly Scriptural. You’re God’s man for that job. So take what’s offered here. Consider how it might apply in your context. But above all else, guard your heart, that it would fear only him.

We’re praying for your pastoral work, reader. Pray, too, for us.

—Jonathan Leeman