God Put You Here for This Generation
When I was starting in ministry, I was very nostalgic and felt attached to the decades in which evangelicalism was thriving most easily in America, as if that were a better era in which to do ministry. Not only have I come to understand how that season was not a...
Thoughts from One Depressed Pastor to Many, Many Others
It’s just hard! Those are three of the nicest words I’ve ever heard. When you’re hurting and sad and you don’t even know exactly why you’re so sad, but someone, instead of offering solutions or guilt trips or “snap out of it” advice just comes along and validates what...
Lead with Excellence Birthed Out of Passion, not Perfectionism
Back in the 1990’s, church leaders started talking way more about excellence in worship and ministry. Many churches have written excellence into their core values with phrases like: We do all things with excellence for the glory of God. If it’s worth...
Do Your Pursuits Align with Your Purpose?
When your pursuits aren’t aligned with your purpose, you’ll get frustrated and exhausted. That doesn’t mean there aren’t seasons of preparation, of waiting, or of doing something else temporarily until you can find the freedom to pursue what...
Can a Pastor Who Struggles with Depression Remain a Pastor?
Charles Spurgeon is considered by most modern evangelicals to be one of the greatest preachers and pastors since the Reformation. But did you know that Spurgeon struggled with depression? To the point of contemplating suicide? He said, I could say with Job, ‘My soul...
The Greatest Test of Character You’ll Ever Face as a Leader
If you’re going to be a great leader, you’re going to have to pass some big tests. It comes with the territory. You’ll walk through loss and loneliness. You’ll be questioned and criticized. You’ll lead through adversity and obstacles. But...
DLP #008: What to Do When You’ve Stopped Growing
Have you ever hit a wall in your leadership? It’s that feeling that your organization should be growing… YOU should be growing, and the people around you should be growing, but everything feels stagnant. In this episode, we’ll talk about what to do...
In Leadership, Be Innovative and Creative, But Don’t Forget Your Soul!
This is the age of innovative ministry techniques and methodologies. We’re mad with creativity, which I love by the way, but at times we can be right in the midst of innovation and be missing out on developing something so much more vital – our souls. I...
DLP #006: 5 Ways Leaders See the World Differently
Most of us fear the world around us, assuming it’s full of landmines and threats. But leaders see the world as being full of opportunities and ready to be explored and experienced. Which worldview is yours? Let’s think bigger and better about our...Hi. I’m Brandon.
I’m the Lead Pastor of Grace Hills Church in Bentonville, Arkansas, which my wife, Angie, and I planted in 2012. I’ve been blogging here since 2004. I formerly served as a Pastor at Saddleback Church and was the Editor and Online Community Facilitator for Pastors.com and Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox. I wrote a book called Rewired, about how churches can use social media to spread the gospel.