Pastors have many roles: preacher, teacher, visitor, worship leader, administrator. The Lord’s undershepherds are also constant learners and normally voracious readers. Yet, with so much on a pastor’s plate, how can he wade through the myriad of titles to make the most of his reading time? Below are eight recommended books to captivate, educate, and enhance your ministry. Happy reading!

When questions arise about what we believe, God calls us to confess Him. We do so as people known personally by God and who confess Him in a very personal way. When we confess Jesus and what he has done, we do so as a people who belong to Him. This forms not only how we confess Jesus but what we say about Him.

This blog is excerpted from Faithfully Formed: The Lutheran Confessions in Daily Life by Andy Wright.

My teenage daughter and her friend were giggling and joking in the back of my car. Her friend said, “Ms. Gross, am I the weirdest friend that your daughter has?”

This blog is an excerpt from Unfailing: God's Assurance for Times of Changeby Christopher M. Kennedy. 

The Bible is all about change. God created all things good. Then Adam and Eve fell into sin, tragically altering the relationship between the Creator and His creation. When God sent Jesus into the world, a wonderful reversal happened! By dying for our sins and rising in victory, Jesus reconciled us to God. Salvation itself is change!

My preschool-aged daughter sat on the ground, wailing. We had been at the playground for hours, but now it was time to go. Her little friends had left with no drama other than some whining, but my kid’s piercing shrieks drew appalled stares from other parents and their better-behaved children.

While increasing mental health awareness might seem newfangled, the topic of mental health was addressed by our own church fathers, including Martin Luther. As you seek to extend Christian love to your neighbors, consider what Luther has to say about how to support people who are struggling with mental health issues.  

This blog post is adapted from Martin Luther on Mental Health Practical Advice for Christians Today.

I’ve attended what seems like a lot of funerals over the past few years at my church. More and more of the names in funeral announcements are familiar, particularly as the generation ahead of me—those who welcomed us into the church community more than a dozen years ago—has aged.

The Bible is a massive book comprising so many important stories of biblical figures. Yet, when reading through it or listening to the readings on Sunday, many things about Jesus can come up. Here are some ways to answer five common questions concerning Jesus Christ and His forgiveness. 

We all use words without thinking too much about their meanings. People say “Hi!” and “How’s it going?” interchangeably, even though they technically have different meanings. The words grace and mercy are often used without differentiation, although, like the phrases we use in casual conversation, they carry similar but separate meanings. By diving into a proper understanding of grace and mercy, we can add insight to our faith conversations and develop a deeper understanding of Jesus’ love for us.

Every Sunday in church, a wonderful man in my parish ushers. He hands out bulletins, directs people for Communion, and holds the offering plate. He carries the cross in during the procession that begins the service and out at the end of the service. We’ll call him W.