Links of the Week (2/6/16)

Each Saturday we point you to the best content we have encountered on the internet during the week.

Links of the Week

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New Free Ebook 1869 Leadership Quotes: Timeless Truths From 2015 Global Leadership Summit, That Church, REACT and Catalyst Conferences – by Brian Dodd

We are living in a Golden Age of Christian leadership in terms of insights and content delivery. Pastors and Christian leaders today have access to more great leadership minds than anytime in history.

Five Common Reasons Church Members Burnout – by Thom Rainer

Though my consultation with the church took place many years ago, I remember vividly my interview with a member of the church who had recently dropped out. Her departure stunned the members and leadership. She was the one member you could count on. She was there “every time the doors were open.”

And then she never showed up again.

The Crash We’ve All Experienced: Recovering From Preaching – by Joshua Reich

If I got to rank what I love about my job, preaching would be in the top 2. I love the prep, working through a passage, a series, thinking through how to best present an idea, praying about those who will be there and that God would work in their lives and draw them to Himself through my meager attempts at presenting His word.

There is a downside to this love, it is what happens after preaching. The recovery.

6 Practices of Churches with Increasing Generosity – by Rich Birch

If we’re honest, many of us have lost sleep over the generosity of our churches. We’re filled with God-given vision but we wonder how that vision will be funded. What separates churches where giving is increasing from churches where it’s lagging? There are common traits in churches that have increased generosity from their community — here are six distinguishing practices:

The Hero’s Journey Applied to the Christian Life – by Andrew Adams

We’ve all heard it before. In the beginning… In a galaxy far, far away… Once upon a time… Let me tell you a story about…

Finally! A Definitive Answer To ‘How Long Should I Preach?’ – by Hershael York

“How long, oh Lord?”

That lament echoes through the Psalms, appears in Habakkuk, recurs in Revelation—and pervades the meandering minds of restless parishioners obliged to suffer the pastor’s preaching past the point of effectiveness and endurance. An expression of extreme suffering and bewilderment is hardly the response a pastor hopes for when he delivers himself of a week’s worth of preparation.

Pastoring, writing pastorally, and recognizing the difference – by Aaron Armstrong

I am not a pastor, and I’m probably not supposed to be one. (My wife is glad for this.) Even so, it’s hard to deny that there is a pastoral aspect to my ministry, both as a writer and speaker.

By speaker, I mean, I preach in churches on Sunday mornings when I’m invited to do so. When I preach, I am seeking to minister to others in a pastoral way. It is always my aim to feed, strengthen and challenge those who are hearing. So there is a connection to pastoral ministry that simply comes with the territory.