Category Archives: Pastors

What’s Your Excuse?

Posted on September 7, 2020 by russellmckinney

Excuses are a dime a dozen, right? So, I thought I’d share a few “excuses” stories with you. Here we go. Story #1: Mrs. Smith gave her class of high school students the assignment of writing a term paper that … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Church, Church Attendance, Decisions, Disobedience, Doing Good, Dying To Self, God's Will, Lying, Obedience, Pastors, Rebellion, Sin, Submission | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Leaders & Preachers’ Kids (post #2 of 2)

Posted on September 5, 2020 by russellmckinney

People tend to think that being called of God to spiritual leadership somehow causes the called to put on a magic cloak that miraculously changes everything about the person. The cloak corrects wrong thinking, fixes longstanding problems, strengthens weaknesses, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Adultery, Anger, Backsliding, Character, Church, Church Attendance, Current Events, Deacons, Depravity, Family, Forgiveness, God's Work, Hypocrisy, Leadership, Lust, Ministry, Pastors, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Sanctification, Service, Sin, Temptation, The Death Penalty, The Old Testament Law | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Leaders & Preachers’ Kids (post #1 of 2)

Posted on September 2, 2020 by russellmckinney

Maybe you’ve heard about the recent troubles of Jerry Falwell Jr. After a string of scandals, he has now been ousted as the President of Liberty University, the school his father founded. The whole story has given Christianity yet another … Continue reading →

Posted in Adultery, Backsliding, Character, Church, Church Attendance, Current Events, Depravity, God's Work, Husbands, Hypocrisy, Lust, Marriage, Ministry, Pastors, Personal Holiness, Politics, Preaching, Service, Sex, Sin, Temptation, Wives | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s a Really Good Time to Pray For Your Leaders

Posted on March 23, 2020 by russellmckinney

After a young seminary student had preached a particularly fiery sermon, one church-goer said to him, “You are a model preacher.” This filled the young student with pride until he took the time to look up the definition of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Current Events, Government, Intercessory Prayer, Pastors, Politics, Prayer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Not My Typical Week

Posted on March 21, 2020 by russellmckinney

I spent this past week gathering as much information as I could about the Coronavirus in an effort to figure out how to conduct church services in a reasonably safe way. I also met with our church deacons Tuesday night … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Church, Church Attendance, Current Events, God's Work, Pastors, Preaching, Problems, Service | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Having Good Spiritual Leadership Isn’t Enough

Posted on January 30, 2020 by russellmckinney

The pastor is usually the first person who gets blamed when a church takes a downturn. And, admittedly, many times the pastor is the problem. That’s just a plain fact. There are, however, two other facts that are just as … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Leadership, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How Many Pastors Should a Church Have?

Posted on December 5, 2019 by russellmckinney

Our English word “pastor” translates the New Testament’s original Greek word poimen, a word that literally means “shepherd.” “Pastor,” of course, is the leadership title that is most commonly used in our American churches. The fact is, however, that the New Testament … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Deacons, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Can’t a Woman be a Pastor or a Deacon?

Posted on October 29, 2019 by russellmckinney

I realize that I’m not going to win any popularity contests with this one, but I feel led of the Lord to weigh in on the topics of women preachers and women deacons. In these days of social media, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Deacons, God's Work, Leadership, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Spiritual Gifts Does the Bible Name?

Posted on August 7, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Spiritual Gifts” (post #2) To find out what spiritual gifts the Bible names you have to consult three separate passages of scripture. The passages are Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-30, and Ephesians 4:7-16. By combining the lists from all … Continue reading →

Posted in Discernment, Evangelism, Faith, Giving, God's Work, Individuality, Leadership, Mercy, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching, Sanctification, Seeking Advice, Series: "Spiritual Gifts", Service, Speaking in Tongues, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Warfare, Teaching, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Lessons Learned From Wee Bobby

Posted on May 9, 2019 by russellmckinney

Many years ago, in a small village church in southern Scotland, the church leaders were questioning the elderly pastor as to why the church wasn’t growing. To those leaders, a dismissal seemed in order. They said to the pastor, “No … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Church, Commitment, Decisions, Evangelism, Giving, God's Work, Ministry, Missions, Parenting, Pastors, Preaching, Sacrifice, Salvation, Service, Submission, The Gospel, The Holy Spirit, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment