Pastoring

Book Review: Exponential, by Dave and Jon Ferguson

Review by Josh Manley | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

This book has a significant overarching weakness: pragmatism.

The Case Against the Senior Pastor

By Shawn Wright | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

I’m hesitant to say that a church should formally recognize one elder as the senior elder.

Why An Administrative Pastor

By Ryan Townsend | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

It just might be a good thing for your second hire to be a trellis-builder: an administrative pastor.

Blessings and Trials of Short-Term Staff

By Mark Dever | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

Short-term staff are a blessing from God. They should be used for his glory and their own good, as well as for the good of other congregations they may yet serve.

You Should Think Twice Before Firing Incompetent Staff

By Phillip Jensen | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011

It’s not appropriate to sack competent staff members simply to suit the current developments at the church.

Book Review: Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, by Soong-Chan Rah

Review by Geoff Chang | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

This book can be a helpful tool for pastors as they seek to understand the cultural makeup of their churches. But ultimately, its usefulness is limited by how little it focuses on Christ.

Book Review: The Gift of Church, by Jim Samra

Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

Pastors, active church members, and church skeptics alike will be well served by this loving reminder of the centrality of the local church in the Christian life.

Book Review: The Intentional Church, by Randy Pope

Review by Ben Wright | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

As you read this book you’ll see that Randy Pope has accomplished tremendous work for the sake of the gospel, and his approach to ministry planning has borne abundant fruit.

Book Review: MissionShift, ed. by David Hesselgrave and Ed Stetzer

Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

The great strength of this volume is that it serves as a fairly accessible introduction to a number of critical issues in contemporary evangelical missiology.

Book Review: The Pastor as Scholar and The Scholar as Pastor, by John Piper and D. A. Carson

Review by Fred Zaspel | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

Here Piper and Carson similarly remind us that learning (scholarship) and ministry are likewise complementary—the one is necessary to the other.

Dear Staff, Sincerely, the Senior Pastor

By Jeramie Rinne | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

The last thing any senior pastor needs is an associate playing Absalom at the gate with disgruntled members.

Dear Associate Pastor, Sincerely, a Former Associate Pastor

By Michael Lawrence | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

So you’ve been called by a congregation to serve as an associate pastor. Now what?

Dear Senior Pastor, Sincerely, the Associate Pastor

By Andy Johnson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

You are not an island, so don’t think that the uniqueness of your role somehow isolates you from others.

Pastors’ Forum: Staff Meeting Best Practices

9Marks | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

We asked a group of pastors for their best ideas for staff meetings. What follows is an adaptation of the email exchange that ensued.

Do You Disciple Your Staff?

By M. Mullery, V. Hinders | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 1 | 06.28.2011

Pastors are sheep, too. . . . They must not only be the source of Christ-centered ministry, but also the objects of it.