Being a pastor is a complex and demanding role, especially for someone leading alone. The majority of pastors find themselves in this position, leading their smaller church with no additional professional assistance. The challenges are many, including loneliness, isolation, self-doubt, overwhelm, feelings of inadequacy, and a constant search for additional resources and volunteers. Where does a solo pastor turn for help and encouragement?

Western civilization and the Christian church stand at a moment of great danger. Facing them both is a hurricane-force battle of ideas that will determine the future of Western civilization and the soul of the Christian church. The forces arrayed against the West and the church are destructive ideologies, policies, and worldviews deeply established among intellectual elites, the political class, and our schools. More menacingly, these forces have also invaded the Christian church.

Ministry in modern society presents a perpetual assault on the pastor’s soul. Culture has changed, and the challenges of ministry have changed with it. Many new pastors are discovering that they’re ill-equipped to manage unexpected, soul-health tensions of ministry. Some are walking away, and others are choosing to not enter the pastorate despite a sense of God’s calling.

Best-selling author and ministry leader Thom S. Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership to his daily blog. Thoughtfully expanded to book form, I Am a Church Member begins to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers.

Most pastors pray for a healthy and vibrant church, but many find themselves frustrated because they lack direction and feel as though they are spinning their wheels. They struggle to correct unhealthy patterns or do not have fresh vision for their ministry. John K. Jenkins can relate. The first church he attended is best described as a shack with a bell and a steeple. When he accepted his first senior pastoral role, he ministered to 35 people on a good Sunday. Today, Pastor Jenkins welcomes more than 11,000 worshipers to Sunday services, and thousands more participate virtually.

How can pastors become resilient in a rapidly changing world? Is it possible to love well and lead faithfully? In the wake of crises that have exposed and accelerated massive cultural shifts, we see more clearly the seismic shifts of post-Christendom, the surging storms of a new paganism and pluralism, and the scattered debris of the cultural aftermath. Drawing on new research from the Barna Group, scripture, and church history, Glenn Packiam addresses some of the most pressing questions for today's leaders.

The loss or disaffiliation of young adults is a much-discussed topic in churches today. Many faith-formation programs focus on keeping the young, believing the youthful spirit will save the church. But do these programs have more to do with an obsession with youthfulness than with helping young people encounter the living God?

Small town life is quite different from life in a big city. There is not as much traffic. People recognize each other at the grocery store. Local sporting events carry a different cultural weight. These communities are unique, and pastoring here is an extraordinary task. Ronnie Martin and Donnie Griggs are well-aware of this reality. In Pastoring Small Towns, their hope is to equip pastors and ministry leaders to take on the different nuances that come with pastoring smaller communities.

The Bible emphasizes the importance of prayer in our day-to-day relationship with God and shows us how to pray with proven effectiveness. But did you know that you can increase your love for God by praying the Bible? Using these biblical truths as the guide, this classic, trusted resource takes you on a life-changing - and heart-changing - journey through prayer. Outlining seven steps along the pathway trusted Bible teachers Wesley and Stacey Campbell help lead you directly to God's presence! Along the way, you will learn the importance of prayer, how to go about it, and more.

In Rooted Leadership Audio Study, John E. Johnson explores how Christian theology provides an overarching leadership framework and applies that theory to leadership practices. Spiritual reflection, guided by scripture, points us to the very center of leadership—God—and the purpose of leadership—that we might display his glory. All the best forms of leading take their cues from who God is, his purposes, and his ways of working with people that he has progressively revealed.