The Focused Pastor

06/25/2026

Even if an extended sabbatical is a long way off, summer provides an excellent time for a mini-sabbatical. School is out, the church calendar slows, and congregants will be in and out with their summer travels—the perfect time for rest.

Pastor, this summer, try to schedule a mini-sabbatical. Here are 3 R’s to help maximize your time.

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06/24/2026

The church lives in a real tension: we are called to love all people, while also speaking the truth. Jesus never withheld love, but His love also included hard words: calling sin what it is and warning about its consequences. Biblical love doesn’t choose between grace and truth. It holds both together for the good of the people we’re called to serve.

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06/23/2026

Worship leaders are attention-getters, yet all their musical skill is meant to draw attention away from themselves and toward God. Though they employ art in their work, they are more curators than creators in what they do. They collect and display God’s word revealed in Christ to the church so that the church might wonder in awe at the beauty of what He has done. And everything they do must be for the benefit of others, not themselves. In this way, they take up the shepherd’s role in caring for the flock of God. They help feed, protect, guide, and nurture the sheep they lead because that work has been entrusted to them, not for their glory, but for the Lord’s.

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06/23/2026

Ministry can be deeply rewarding; but it can also be exhausting, isolating, and overwhelming. In this powerful conversation with pastor and author Nate Pickowicz, we dive into: spiritual depression and anxiety, the hidden struggles many pastors face, why God’s Word is essential in dark seasons, and how suffering can actually deepen your faith. If you’ve been discouraged, spiritually drained, or walking through a difficult season, this conversation will encourage your heart and point you back to Christ.

Watch the full video here:

Spiritual depression and anxiety quietly weigh down the majority of...

06/22/2026

The sanctity of human life shouldn’t be a once-a-year topic—it should be part of ongoing discipleship from the pulpit. Life issues intersect with real people’s stories in complex ways, especially for young people facing difficult choices. In those moments, the church must be clear that every unborn life is valuable and created by God, and equally clear that no one has to walk through those situations alone.

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06/21/2026

A healthy associate pastor–lead pastor relationship is built on one foundation: relationship. When there is genuine trust and mutual understanding, ministry moves from tension to teamwork. Add to that clarity around a shared mission, and you begin to function as a true plurality of leaders working toward the same calling. It’s not about roles competing—it’s about leaders partnering in the same mission.

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06/20/2026

All pastors face versions of the question of when to confront. How do we decide when to exhort? Godly admonishment is an essential part of the pastoral call. Yet, it is not always clear when a pastor should call someone out.

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06/18/2026

Pastors can more faithfully minister in light of the LGBT conversation and to LGBT persons by holding on to conviction, understanding the context, and practicing compassion. Removing one of these three will limit a pastor’s ability to faithfully serve today. Removing conviction will compromise the pastor’s understanding and compassion. Removing context will make the pastor’s conviction and compassion more ignorant. Removing compassion will make the pastor’s understanding and conviction harsh and unloving.

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06/17/2026

Pastors are called to be strong advocates for Christian freedom. Left to ourselves, we often drift toward rule-making and legalism—drawing lines where Jesus never drew them and building “sacred cows” that God never required. Part of faithful leadership is helping people return to the freedom Christ actually gives—removing burdens, not adding them, and keeping the focus on the gospel over man-made rules.

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06/16/2026

Sharpening your leadership skills is a bit like honing a knife.. The wise chef or master craftsman takes the time to refresh the edge to keep his knives razor sharp. So, too, we must pay attention to our leadership skills. Consider sharpening your leadership skills by doing one or more of the following over the summer.

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