What are your top twenty expectations for your pastor? Now multiply your list by the number of people who attend church with you. Is it any wonder pastors are overwhelmed and underappreciated? They’re expected to know every member by name, preach a “home run sermon” every Sunday, condemn sin without hurting anyone’s feelings, and be available to serve others 24/7 while not neglecting their own family. The intensity of these expectations and lack of appreciation can and does bring the majority of pastors to a place of despair and ultimately departure from pastoral ministry. This practical field guide offers tangible ways to better understand and care for the pastor who cares so deeply about you.

Caring for your pastor and the difference it makes. Caring for your pastor and the difference it makes. What do you think about your pastor? Do you chew over his sermons and wonder if they are clear and helpful? Do you feel he spends enough time with you? In fact, do you ever catch yourself wondering what he does all day? The truth is, often we think, "What can my pastor do for me?" Far less often do we think, "What can I do for my pastor?" Seasoned former pastor, Christopher Ash, urges church members to think about pastors not just in terms of what they do €“ how they lead and pray and preach and teach and so on €“ but about who they are. He encourages us to remember that pastors are people and to pray for them as they serve us. Paradoxically, caring for our pastor will be a blessing to us as well as to them, and create a culture of true fellowship in our church family.

Jimmy Dodd addresses six key relationships every pastor needs to invest in to move past insecurities, doubts, and failures. The goal isn't just to survive a current crisis--but to prevent future crisis in both your ministry and personal life through accountability, support, and friendship.

Harbaugh captures your interest with dramatic stories of the inner lives of working pastors, weaving these stories into patterns of meaning from his own reflection and research. An excellent study guide for the individual pastor, the pastor's support group, or the seminary class that really wants to come to grips with the dilemmas of being a person who is also a pastor.

John Piper pleads with fellow pastors to abandon the professionalization of the pastorate and pursue the prophetic call of the Bible for radical ministry.

Pastor and preaching coach, Dr. Yancey Arrington offers a new paradigm for message preparation - one that focuses on seeing sermons emotionally, where preachers will be trained on discovering a message's emotional center, charting sermon bandwidth, and leveraging one's God-given personality in the preaching event. This innovative approach to preaching can produce more effective seasons in the pulpit where congregants are carried `down the mountain' of messages in such a way they can't wait to do it again!

Being a pastor is a complicated calling. Pastors are often pulled in multiple directions and must "become all things to all people" (1 Cor. 9:22). What does the New Testament say (or not say) about the pastoral calling? And what can we learn about it from the apostle Paul? According to popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight, pastoring must begin first and foremost with spiritual formation, which plays a vital role in the life and ministry of the pastor. As leaders, pastors both create and nurture culture in a church. The biblical vision for that culture is Christoformity, or Christlikeness. Grounding pastoral ministry in the pastoral praxis of the apostle Paul, McKnight shows that nurturing Christoformity was at the heart of the Pauline mission. The pastor's central calling, then, is to mediate Christ in everything. McKnight explores seven dimensions that illustrate this concept--friendship, siblings, generosity, storytelling, witness, subverting the world, and wisdom--as he calls pastors to be conformed to Christ and to nurture a culture of Christoformity in their churches.

Overly concerned about what people think of you? Edward T. Welch uncovers the spiritual dimension of people-pleasing—what the Bible calls fear of man—and points the way through a true knowledge of God, ourselves, and others.

Practical Ways to Support and Care for Your Pastor Do you pray for your pastors? Do you encourage them? Do you have realistic expectations for them? The office of pastor is simultaneously a rewarding and draining position. Pastors today have immense pressure on their shoulders and they need the support of their congregations. Peter Orr has written Fight for Your Pastor as an exhortation for church members to stand behind their pastors through the difficulties of ministry. Orr specifies ways in which congregations can be intentional in caring for church leaders, including prayer, encouragement, generosity, and forgiveness. Featuring stories from current pastors about their struggles, this book is perfect for thoughtful church members eager to understand the weight of their pastors' positions and support leaders in their important ministry. For Thoughtful Christians: Specifically those wanting to know more about their pastors and how to care for them Current: Features insight from pastors about their personal experiences in ministry Applicable: Gives practical examples of how to love and care for pastors, including specific prayers for church leaders and the best ways to encourage them

Ministry throws unexpected challenges at you. What if a little more training could help you navigate them successfully? Though church leaders take courses in preaching and Christian education, when do they learn about personal limitations and the benefits of intimate friendships? Or what about conflict resolution? Knowledge gaps like these are often the primary factors that lead to frustration and burnout. In What Great Ministry Leaders Get Right, Jimmy Dodd of PastorServe and Renaut van der Riet of Mosaic Church in Winter Garden, FL, outline the six core competencies church leaders need to develop healthy, biblical, and sustainable leadership. Jimmy and Renaut address the critical lessons often missing from ministry training that all leaders need to successfully serve their congregations. Whether you’ve been in the pulpit for years or are just beginning your ministry education, every pastor can make sure they’re prepared for the real-world challenges of ministry.