The following articles have been selected because they are informative, instructive, entertaining, or simply interesting. Articles appearing in Your Friday Five do not represent an endorsement.
Pastors and Burnout, By Chris Osborne
This is a term that is defined by emotional, spiritual, and sometimes physical fatigue that leaves one incapable of handling well the life they are living. Covid has certainly not helped this. Ministry is one of those callings that can drain a person in this way. Having pastored for 43 years, with 33 at one church, I fully understand the difficulty this poses. Let me share some ideas that can assist you in preventing this from occurring.
Balancing Our Uneasy Relationship with Technology After the Pandemic, By Jason Thacker
Just as the shutdowns began in March 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I distinctly remember tweeting how encouraging it was to see a number of pastors and ministry leaders jumping on social media to update their people on church gatherings and to encourage them in that time of uneasiness.
Advice for Guest Preachers, By Matthew McKellar
In preaching classes at SWBTS, I aim to connect class content to the concrete reality of a student’s preaching experience in the local church. In the process of doing this, I frequently say something like, “One day, when you are preaching at FBC Bugtussle…” While having been informed that Bugtussle is actually a place in both Texas and Tennessee, my use of the word serves as a way of challenging students to think in advance about any and all preaching opportunities. Therefore, let’s assume that you have been asked to be the guest preacher at FBC Bugtussle on a Sunday in the not too distant future. While by no means exhaustive, let me offer some advice for you and all guest preachers.
Let Us Reason Together About Complementarianism, By Kevin DeYoung
It’s not surprising, given the volatile nature of sex in our world, that the divinely designed complementarity of men and women is a disputed topic. On the one hand, we want to be humble before the Lord and before each other, acknowledging that we can make interpretive mistakes.
How to Hear a Sermon Well, By Scott Hubbard
No preacher, upon looking up from his pulpit, hopes to see what I saw mid-sermon one Sunday morning: a man in the last row, head tilted against the back wall, sleeping like Rip Van Winkle.