Minister's Toolbox

God intends to use your voice to impact the world.

Our calling demands we deliver words aimed at the conversion of our hearers. Those words should be prophetic. In other words, as we preach, people should not just hear our ideas but should be able to hear God speaking directly to them when we preach.

However, they never talk like that otherwise. It’s a preachers voice designed for a particular performance. Once the performance is over, the voice is gone. During today's podcast, I talk about different preachers voices we use and why so many fall into this trap.

When we elect leaders, we often look for certain things:

1. A charismatic personality
2. Excellent speaking skills
3. A solid education
4. An understanding of scripture
5. Someone who knows how to respond positively to authority.

All these characteristics have merit, but Paul instructs Timothy to look out in his congregation and find people who are above reproach.

If someone is not willing to face rejection for standing up for what is right, they do not belong in leadership. I delve more deeply into the things God requires of leaders who serve His Church in the podcast.

During the podcast, I mentioned MileIQ. You can learn more here.

Leave a review for iTunes here.

Paul advises his protege Timothy to select leaders that are above reproach. What does that mean? Does today's church use improper standards to select its leaders?

We live in an age when people change partners like they change clothes. Psychologists are telling a naive public that as we evolve as a culture the normal way of life will be to have marriage partners for every phase of life.

In Hollywood, celebrities divorce regularly saying that they grew apart as a couple so got divorced but will remain friends.

The health of a leader’s marriage is fundamental to his or her ability to impact and influence the lives of other believers. I speak about the factors that determine whether we minister above reproach during the podcast.

During today's podcast, I asked if you will give us an honest review on iTunes or Google Play. Would you do that now?

Many pastors put aside quite a few hours to counsel individuals and couples. How much counseling should you do? Some pastors do a lot; some very little. Is there a right balance?

Is this practice effective? In other words, does it produce life?

People come to us with addictions to alcohol, drugs and sometimes mental disorders. During today's podcast, I talk about dealing with different when and when not to counsel.

If you have a reasonably good sense of humor, you owe it to yourself to click the link. The comedian Bob Newhart did a bit years ago that is frankly hysterical.

Celebrate Recovery is a ministry founded by Rick Warren. Using similar tactics as Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery is essentially group therapy designed to uncover and address lifelong behavior dysfunctions.

One key reason pastors leave the ministry is lack of financial resources. Typically, that occurs because only a small percentage Christians commit to tithing.

Tithing is prickly subject in most churches. 

Jesus spoke about money often; so did Paul. Why? Stewardship is a key component towards becoming a bona fide disciple. If people do not honor God with their income, they have never submitted to His Lordship. I speak more about tithing in the podcast.

I also mentioned my book, When a Good Church Goes Bad, which is available in three formats. The book comes with a free audio course for the serious student.

Finally, I mentioned MileIQ which is an excellent app for keeping track of your personal and ministry miles without all the hassle. You can learn more about it here.

In this second seminar, I address the issue of ethics a leader must display to the public. Our character speaks much louder than our sermons, and how we conduct ourselves among our neighbors has a huge impact. The next issue is how we relate to fellow spiritual leaders. Truthfully, this is the Church's greatest scandal as pastors compete with each other like immature school children for attention and recognition. Is it any wonder that God does so little with us collectively in a region? How do we forge meaningful and lasting relationships with leaders we disagree with?

During the podcast, I mention my book, When A Good Church Goes Bad. You can access information about this and other books here.

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We open the Fall Season with a two-part series on ministerial ethics. How should leaders behave in their personal lives and what are the consequences if they don't? We eavesdrop on a seminar to emerging leaders to explore how Christ wants ministers to conduct themselves.

During the podcast, the speaker mentions the basic rules Billy Graham adhered to throughout his career. You can download this for free here.

The speaker is Howard Renker, Sr. Pastor of Bethel Christian Church in Bristol, CT. To contact him, go to their website @ http://www.bethelcc.org.

Pictures from our South African Trip in the summer of 2017 can be seen here.

My sons and I just returned from South Africa, experiencing many of the wonders that country brings. While there, God gave me some insight into John 3:3-5 that I believe may transform your thinking.

During the podcast, I made reference to MileIQ, the free app that automatically tracks your mileage whenever you drive. Each day or week, it shows you accurate maps revealing where you went and then gives you the simple option of swiping to the left for personal miles or to the right for ministry miles.

The app keeps accurate records of all your trips and provides reports to submit to your accountant at tax time. There is also a place where you can write notes detailing the purpose of each trip. The free app provides 40 trips each month. If you want more, the cost is just $60/year.

If you would like to see some of the pictures from our trip, visit www.caseysblog.com.

You can get the Transcript of today's podcast here.

How can legitimate apostolic ministry help your local church? What do apostles do to assist? How can we develop future apostolic and prophetic leaders? Is there a clear way to discern true apostles from false ones?

Get the transcript here.

During the podcast, I shared about my trip to South Africa. If you would like to view the pictures, go to www.freshteaching.org. 

Joseph is the lynchpin who changed the course of church history in Acts of the Apostles. Who was he and what did he do? This is the third installment of a four-part series on the role of apostles and prophets in the present day church. Why are they important?

According to Ephesians 4:11 the Church will NEVER reach maturity without the five-fold ministry in full operation. That should cause us to stop and consider what we are doing in the church today.

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If you'd like to view the pictures of my trip to South Africa, connect with www.freshteaching.org. 

If you'd like a transcript of today's show, click here.