FTC Mailbag
The mailbag is full! In this installment of our regular listener-submitted feature, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz dig into the private reserves of messages in order to tackle questions and topics like siblings serving on an elder team, theological triage in speaking engagements, what new members should ask about the church they’re joining, finding your preaching voice, and differences of views among elders. As always, if you’d like to submit a question or topic for the Mailbag, you can email us at [email protected]
Grab Bag!
In the latest installment of our occasional Grab Bag feature, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz ask each other surprise questions. We’d tell you what they are, but we want you to be surprised too.
Beyond Education: The Formation of Pastors
Formation Over Education It takes more than academic success and excellence in ministerial skills to produce pastors. That’s because the biblical qualifications for the pastorate are matters of spiritual maturity and Christlike character, and an academic institution can only do so much—by design—to influence and assess such things. It has become cliché at this point […]
Dear Gen Z Pastor: 6 Traits of Our Generation and How They Affect Ministry
My older brother and sister are both Millennials (1981–1996). I, however, was born just in time to belong to Generation Z (1997–2012). Now, in 2026, Gen Z is squarely in the workforce and, increasingly, in ministry. I have been a senior pastor for three years and am at the very tip of the Gen Z […]
Who Makes Pastors?
Jared Wilson has a new book releasing this month — Pastoral Mentoring for the Care of Souls — about the training and formation of pastors in the local church context. The guys discuss the important roles of both seminary and the church, and they outline the centrality of congregational life in the raising up of the next generation of church leaders. Preorder Pastoral Mentoring for the Care of Souls at 40% off today by visiting https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/9781540905956_pastoral-mentoring
Serve the Meal: Why Preachers Must Trust the Word
My wife cooks healthy meals that nourish me day after day. Once I asked how she prepares them. She answered simply: start with good ingredients and use sauces that enhance the meal rather than cover it. That answer lingered with me as I thought about my role as a preacher of God’s Word. What do […]
FTC Mailbag
In this latest installment of the FTC Mailbag, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss listener-submitted questions and topics, including: family worship, elder pathways, ministry calling, loving a dying church, and sermon scheduling. As always, you can submit a question or topic for the mailbag at any time by emailing [email protected]
Sustaining Strength for the Complexity of Pastoral Ministry
In 2 Timothy, Paul gives Timothy more than 30 imperatives to guide his ministry to the church at Ephesus—highlighting just how comprehensive the work of pastoral ministry truly is. An overview of some of these imperatives demonstrates this: Share in suffering for the gospel (1:8; 2:3; 2:5) Guard the good deposit entrusted to you (1:14) […]
Plan the Route to Church Health
As you consider planning the route to health, there are two statements we believe would be beneficial for you to keep in mind, perhaps even post on your desk to remind you of their importance. First, remember, the focus of your ministry determines the future fruit of your ministry. In other words, what you invest […]
Rejoicing in the Day of Small Things
The “Small Things” of Pastoral Care If you asked a pastor or elder to describe how he tends the flock, he’d likely mention phone calls, coffee conversations, prayers, hospital visits, text messages—a lot of small, ordinary things.[1] The simplicity of these activities sometimes calls into question their effectiveness, and the repetition of doing them year […]