Quotes That Have Helped Shape My Ministry

Want more leadership content?

Explore More

Here is a list of quotes that I’ve placed in my Evernote journal. Reflecting on them has sharpened me in profound ways.

  • I suspect that sermons only go as deep into the hearts of our hearers as they have into our own. -Lee Eclov

  • Celebrate those that led before you. They poured the foundation from which you lead. - Glenn Burris

  • Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Dr. Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

  • If you lead on stage and not at home you’re an actor, not a leader. - Jon Acuff

  • Ministry by envy is a very bad idea. -Kevin DeYoung

  • Tell your people you love them and love being their pastor. [If you mean it] - Kevin DeYoung

  • God loves me too deeply to not challenge that about me so that he uses people I don’t respect to challenge me. - Matt Chandler

  • If you are a husband and/or a father, you have a duty to spread joy to your family. If an elder/pastor - to your church. Not just to be joyful, but to spread joy. Churches tend to take on the personality of their pastor. - Gregory Wills

  • The most mature Christian leaders want to absorb an additional share of sufferings so that their flocks may correspondingly be spared some suffering. In this they imitate Christ. -D.A. Carson (How Long O Lord, page 81)

  • The Lord loves your awkward prayers. -Jared Wilson

  • The fear of man renders us incapable of authentic leadership. We simply cannot lead what we worship. -Charles Smith

  • Our silence might be better than our voices if our solitude were spent with God. -Spurgeon

  • The bridge of grace will bear your weight. -Spurgeon



You can learn from anyone if you are willing to listen,

Josh.

Featured
The Blessing Of Imagery
The Blessing Of Imagery

God has given us such a gift in the words of the Bible. He’s given us language to explain and express the good and difficult states of our hearts. For those of you that are in a difficult spiritual state, remember the blessing of imagery. May we read our Bibles all the more! Consider using these words/images (and others!) to pray to God about what is going on in your life. Know that God, in His deep love for you, has given other people words to say, pictures to paint, and songs to sing that can be used to give you words and names for your difficulty.

Pastor - Let Your People Know You Love Them
Pastor - Let Your People Know You Love Them

I’ve known many pastors who have taught from a place of love. I’ve know very few pastors who I could say, loved me so deeply they gave me their self too. But for those who have loved me like that— I would follow them into any battle.

God's Cultivating Hand
God's Cultivating Hand

Your faithfulness in this season of waiting is just as powerful, meaningful, and precious to the Lord as what you do with the dreams, gifts, and platforms He gives you later. So prepare well.

Pastor - Shepherd Your People With Your Heart
Pastor - Shepherd Your People With Your Heart

People need pastors with informed minds and hearts that have been tendered by life.

Two Tips For Pastoral Hospital Visits
Two Tips For Pastoral Hospital Visits

Visiting people in the hospital is a necessary act of love for any pastor. It is also one of the most dreaded responsibilities due to its awkwardness, its gravity, and the unknown. Hospitals can be scary and intimidating places; how do we become better at hospital visits?

Life Begins In The Waiting
Life Begins In The Waiting

What if in our productivity addicted culture we confuse the potential blessing of the green pastures and the still waters with the valley of the shadow of death because we detest the stillness of waiting? What if God's green pasture for you was a season of waiting—Because thats the only place He could get you to stop and sit still? What if the season you needed to hear his sweet, tender voice was the quietness found in waiting? Everybody likes the idea of the still waters until you’re there- and you find that theres nothing to do but wait.

The Price Of Being A Good Friend
The Price Of Being A Good Friend

What makes a good friend? It’s a simple question with a million possible answers. If we can get to the bottom of what truly makes a good friend, it will surely help in equipping us to be just that for those we love. The process may sound simple, but simple does not mean easy. If you take a look at Jesus’s words on the matter, you will find that being a good friend will cost daily.

You're On Your Own Journey
You're On Your Own Journey

You're on your own journey. Don't compare. Seasons come and go. The Lord is faithful in them all. Work hard. Love well. He's at work even if you don't see Him.

Am I Too Dirty For Church?
Am I Too Dirty For Church?

Are you too dirty for church? Was Jesus too dirty for his religious culture?

Leadership, Seminary, For PastorsJosh PowellPastors, Leadership, Leading, quotes, Church, Ministry, Seminary, Front Page