LifeWay recently surveyed small-church pastors to find out what their biggest challenges are. If you’re in a small church, take heed, and help out your leadership!

Brad Waggoner, vice president of B&H Publishing Group and former LifeWay Christian Resources vice president over the research and ministry development division, shared the findings at “Impact 2008,” a three-day conference geared to small-church pastors. Some of the best information from the study of nearly 400 small-church pastors -– defined as those who pastor churches with attendance of 100 or fewer on Sunday –- didn’t come from the areas of the survey which were the “check the box” answers but from the comments section, Waggoner said.

The list, in a nutshell:

1. Time
2. Resistance
3. Lack of commitment from members
4. Too few workers
5. Age of the congregation
6. Lack of money
7. Worldliness of the church
8. Age of the pastor
9. Too few people
10. Demographics

Read more…

John Piper on Preaching As Concept Creation, Not Just Contextualization:

As we think seriously about contextualizing the message of the Bible, let’s remember that we must also labor to bring about, in the minds of our listeners, conceptual categories that may be missing from their mental framework. If we only use the thought structures they already have, some crucial biblical truths will remain unintelligible, no matter how much contextualizing we do. This work of concept creation is harder than contextualization, but just as important.

Bob Kauflin is preparing for the worship time at Together for the Gospel:

During the past few weeks I’ve been preparing song lists for two conferences. The first is Together for the Gospel (Apr. 15-17) which takes place next week in Louisville, Kentucky. I worked with Mark Dever to plan the songs we’ll be singing there. About 5200 pastors will be sitting under the teaching of John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, and John MacArthur. It will be a diverse crowd, composed of Presbyterians, Baptists, continuationists, cessationists, paedo-Baptists, credo-Baptists, old, young, traditional, contemporary…you get the picture. We’re be gathering around the most glorious of truths, the Gospel, and seeking to magnify the Savior and be equipped to serve our churches more effectively. Rather than contribute to the “worship-music-style” wars, the music will simply be me leading hymns (old and modern) from the piano. When you add in 5000+ voices, it’s going to be pretty powerful stuff, even without electric guitars and drums.

(Emphasis added.)

Can’t wait! When I went to Shepherd’s Conference 2 years ago, the thing that surprised me most was how moving the singing was. I am not typically a “music guy” but it was glorious. I’m sure this time will be no different!

Al Mohler takes on the idea of “suggestive and not declarative” preaching in Biblical Authority and the Preacher:

The “suggestive and not declarative” approach well defines most liberal Protestant preaching, but I think it also explains the decline of those churches and denominations.