Pastor Features Copyright https://www.crosswalk.com 2026, Crosswalk.com Thu, 08 Jan 2026 03:24:11 -0500 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/lessons-on-leading-the-church-that-every-pastor-must-learn.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/lessons-on-leading-the-church-that-every-pastor-must-learn.html Joe McKeever https://www.crosswalk.com/author/joe-mckeever/ Anyone who begins to pastor a church should recognize two big things: There are lessons to be learned if you are ever to do this well, and most of them are learned the hard way. Your scars will attest to your education. Wed, 07 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/christianity-questions-answers/what-are-the-seven-deadly-sins.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/christianity-questions-answers/what-are-the-seven-deadly-sins.html Lori Wildenberg https://www.crosswalk.com/author/lori-wildenberg/ While many of us can name the seven deadly sins (pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth, and greed), we may not understand why they are considered deadly. What does the Bible tell us about these particular sins? Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/8-sins-your-church-is-ignoring.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/8-sins-your-church-is-ignoring.html Rachel-Claire Cockrell https://www.crosswalk.com/author/rachel-claire-cockrell/ When we speak about "the Church" doing this or that, we tend to paint a picture of pastors, elders, or those in leadership at the forefront — as if they bear responsibility for sin issues on the rise in today's congregations. But according to Scripture, you and I are the Church. And if you and I are the Church, then the responsibility to identify and act on sin issues begins with us. As Rachel-Claire Cockrel points out, "There are certain sins that Christians are always good at pointing out - usually in others. But there are a few that we tend to ignore, and these same few are the ones we also tend to commit more often ourselves." Here are 8 sins that your church congregation — and you — are likely ignoring: Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/7-things-pastors-should-never-tell.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/7-things-pastors-should-never-tell.html Joe McKeever https://www.crosswalk.com/author/joe-mckeever/ I will pray this little prayer almost every day of my life: “Set a guard upon my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). Let the minister of the Lord pray this prayer before opening God’s Word to proclaim His message.  Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/giving/10-examples-of-generosity-in-the-bible-and-how-to-follow-them.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/giving/10-examples-of-generosity-in-the-bible-and-how-to-follow-them.html Timothy L. Smith Among the central themes of the Bible are money and stewardship. Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/important-things-to-consider-before-switching-churches.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/important-things-to-consider-before-switching-churches.html Becky Harling https://www.crosswalk.com/author/becky-harling/ All across the Western world, where churches exist on almost every other corner, people leave one church and decide to try another. They get ticked off by the music, decide the drums are too loud, they get their feelings hurt by something a staff member said, or they decide they are on a different page theologically. Some feel their needs aren’t being met through the preaching, or they can’t find community.   Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that many churches have a revolving door. People enter, but just as frequently, they exit.God designed us for transformation, and that happens best in community. His desire is for followers of Jesus to be committed to a local church. There is absolute beauty when people live in community together for many years. They worship together, celebrate new life together, and grieve sorrows together. However, while it might be ideal to stay in one church for many years, there are legitimate reasons why someone might want to switch churches. But, before making a change, it is wise to do some prayerful reflecting so that whenever you leave a church, you leave well. As followers of Jesus, we want to end each season graciously so that we can enter the new season confidently.In the process of prayerful reflection, here are ten important things to consider before switching churches:Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/AJ_Watt  Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/unlocking-the-secret-to-avoiding-spiritual-burnout.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/unlocking-the-secret-to-avoiding-spiritual-burnout.html Mike Leake https://www.crosswalk.com/author/mike-leake/ What is the secret to avoiding spiritual burnout?I must confess that my first response to this question is heavy on snark. Ready for my snarky response? One of the keys to avoiding spiritual burnout is to stop thinking there is some mystical secret to avoiding spiritual burnout. Underneath all my sass is a legitimate point, though. Much of our spiritual turmoil comes from trying to find a hack to making discipleship easy. But Eugene Peterson’s description is perhaps the best—a long obedience in the same direction.I think the best picture of living the Christian life is represented by this gif of an older dude, brief case in hand, tumbles and falls up an escalator. It’s awkward, probably a bit painful, but he still makes it to the top. That’s an apt description of following Jesus. We’re going to stumble all over ourselves on this apprenticeship with Jesus—but at the end of the day we’re being carried along. What gets us “to the top” isn’t our own efforts, those are bumbling, but rather the work of another.If we can agree on that point, then we’re ready to proceed with a few tips to avoiding spiritual burnout—or at least minimizing some of the pain of stumbling up an escalator. Before we give those tips, we should make sure we understand the nature of spiritual burnout.Photo Credit: © Getty Images/eggeeggjiew Fri, 02 Jan 2026 14:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/reasons-why-we-still-need-the-church.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/reasons-why-we-still-need-the-church.html Cindi McMenamin https://www.crosswalk.com/author/cindi-mcmenamin/ Have you grown comfortable watching Sunday morning services online from your couch in your pajamas? And has it made you less likely to drive across town to be with others in the body of Christ? Perhaps the typical church programming on Sunday mornings, which might cater to making unbelievers feel safe and welcome, doesn’t meet your needs spiritually or challenge you to grow, and therefore, you are “getting church” on your own through podcasts, books, or articles, and the occasional meetup with another believer. Despite talk in some evangelical circles that “the Sunday morning church service is no longer relevant,” Barna Research has found that more Americans are returning to church, and men are attending at higher rates than at any point in the last 25 years. The increase in church attendance by Generation Z (those born from 1999-2015) and the gender gap shift in which married men with children are returning to the church in droves, outpacing the attendance of moms and women in general, leaves the question: Why are some believers thinking the church is no longer relevant today? The church consists of you and me—believers whom Jesus died to save—, and there’s a reason Christ’s apostles established the first-century church as a gathering place for followers of Jesus to devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Despite our post-COVID conveniences of online church and the abundance of material all around us to help us grow spiritually, here are seven reasons why you and I still need the church today:Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Wirestock  Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/finding-your-work-life-balance-in-2017.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/finding-your-work-life-balance-in-2017.html Terence Chatmon Want a 31-hour work week, move to Paris! Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00 https://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/ways-to-throw-satan-off-his-game-with-worship.html https://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/ways-to-throw-satan-off-his-game-with-worship.html Alicia Purdy https://www.crosswalk.com/author/alicia-purdy/ Here is a secret that Satan doesn’t want you to know about worship: It has the power to defeat him.Of course, you have many spiritual weapons to use in every fight of faith you’ll ever encounter in your life—the most powerful one being the Word of God. However, while prayer and the Word were given exclusively to the people of the Kingdom, worship was Satan’s before it was ours.Satan understands the power of worship. He understands its purpose more than many Christians do. Satan understands that worshipping God draws you closer to Him—and above anything he ever tries to do, He wants to keep you apart from God!Of course, nothing can separate you from God’s love, but plenty of things can separate you from connecting with the Spirit of God in worship. Well, it would be more accurate to say this: Plenty of things can make you feel separated from God in worship.The truth is that you have as much access to God’s holy presence in worship as you ever did. But sometimes we feel like we can’t because we aren’t “worthy.” Satan expects that your natural inclination will be to avoid worship altogether or to just go through the motions when life gets hard, or when you’ve messed up, or when your emotions don’t “feel” like it...so he will throw everything he can at you to keep you trapped and disconnected. If you want to throw Satan off his game in worship, here is your 5-part winning strategy:Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/FatmirBajrovic Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:30:00 -0500 2026-01-08T03:24:11-05:00