S. Joseph Kidder

Thousands of books on leadership cover many subjects, such as styles, approaches, systems, and theories. Though most pastors want to be successful, the greater need is to bring meaningful change to their church. They want to be transformational…

It is challenging to preach the gospel message to a postmodern audience. Churches must be intentional about evangelism, using multiple avenues, both traditional and innovative, to help people experience the gospel. Below are five innovative…

In one of my (Timmy’s) previous churches, some members questioned the doctrine of the Trinity. The more videos they watched, the more convinced they became that Seventh-day Adventists’ understanding of the Trinity was severely flawed. They…

Jesus’ calling of the twelve disciples was intentional, not haphazard. He spent an entire night in prayer, specifically to ask for His Father’s guidance (Luke 6:12, 13). He selected twelve disciples who were different from each other and…

What makes a desirable church? Is it the new carpet, perfect location, or great potlucks? People are searching for something. They do not always know how to articulate their quest but are nonetheless attempting to find something worth being…

Here’s the problem,” writes Scott Allen, author of Beyond the Sacred-Secular Divide: A Call to Wholistic Life and Ministry. “We turn to the Bible as our authority on spiritual topics like faith, salvation, and evangelism—the kinds…

True North, written by 13 prominent Adventist pastors, evangelists, and scholars, is a strong, soul-convicting, heartwarming appeal to return to biblical teaching, values, and principles. The book covers fifteen subjects,…

Twenty-first century Christianity has at its disposal technology, specialized ministries, leadership experts—and Zoom. What it lacks is the preaching power of the early church. That’s why the early Christian church, as revealed in the book…

New Year’s Day 2020 dawned with the hope of a brand-new year. Many churches held a clear vision for what would transpire for the next 12 months. Then COVID-19 struck.

While some have bemoaned this as an unwelcome disruption of…

Several years ago, my [Joseph’s] brother and his family came to the United States from Iraq as refugees. I contacted the pastor of the Adventist church near where my brother and family settled. The pastor went to visit them, along with two…

Zoe, a girl in my (Natalie’s) church, came to my office after the death of her grandma and asked why God had not answered her prayers to keep her grandma alive. She got the impression from church that prayer functioned as if God was a genie…

In his introductory chapter, author Rick Sessoms makes the compelling observation that 80 percent of the world’s people, including 70 percent of Americans, are story-centric learners and communicators; that is, they prefer to learn and are…

I (Joseph)  am  a  Seventh-day Adventist  and  teach  at  the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. The seminary has some five hundred people from all over the world—including countries I have never heard of before! In attendance are…

During the final night of an evangelistic conference that I, Jonny, was a part of, we discussed finding God in community. After breaking into small groups, we discussed the question “When have you experienced a community of faith true to…

On my flight back from Fiji I had the aisle seat in a four-seat row. The seat next to me was the only empty one on the plane. A young lady, whom I later learned was Christina, approached me. She explained that she had been sitting in the…

The core of evangelism is making connections with people for Jesus. As ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), we would do well to look to His example. Ellen White reminds us that “during His ministry Jesus devoted more time to healing the sick…

The alarm clock sounds and the beeps of text messages and emails flood your phone. Your attention is captured by news alerts and social media pings. The morning silence surrenders, without apology, to the demands of another day as prayer…

Among the most sacred of relationships are those the pastor has with his or her elders, deacons and deaconesses, and church members. God is honored when the people are satisfied with the pastor and when the pastor has a positive attitude…

It is challenging for a church, using the traditional evangelism model, to preach the gospel to a postmodern audience. Scripture speaks of the tribe of Issachar as having leaders who “understood the signs of the times and knew the best course…

Burnout statistics and stories about those who leave the ministry because of burnout abound, but we try to insulate ourselves. “It will not happen to me. I’m different.” Unfortunately, this attitude can be dangerous because it blinds us to…

piritual mentoring is built into the fabric of the Bible.¹ The Word of God urges parents to “start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Prov. 22:6).² Such instruction…

Until recently, mentoring¹ — the process by which an experienced person counsels or trains another to help in their professional development—was a way of life between generations. “Teach them to your children, talking about them…

The first part of this article (July 2016) dealt with the biblical meaning and benefits of fasting and how fasting can deepen one’s relationship with God when done in conjunction with close fellowship with Jesus. This part of the article…

Church leaders love to create ministry events: small groups, programs, and other activities. Many of these programs do not get high attendance. Pastors feel a sense of failure because they often measure success by numbers, especially in attendance,…

Fasting is a spiritual discipline mentioned numerous times in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The practice continued with the early Christians.¹ Reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley encouraged…

Why do pastors move?

In many parts of the world field, the conference initiates the move and pastors may not have a choice. But when they do have a choice, why do they move? Leaving a…

In an interview of 230 people,* asking them what they expected from church, 61 percent said that the quality they wanted in the church was that of a loving church.…

Most pastors spend an average of 50 hours a week working, not including the main weekly church service.¹ Even though we are putting in the time, we may not be very focused or productive. We spend much time in…

Planning out the sermonic year and being intentional about creating a unified schedule of Sabbath services and sermons gives direction and inspiration to members and focus…

Church planting is a challenging enterprise. Realistic expectations are essential, and adequate support systems and coaching are helpful. Our research revealed that those who commit to church planting encounter significant obstacles, but…

“Upon all who believe, God has placed the burden of raising up churches.”¹ —Ellen G. White

At the inception of the Advent moveent,…

In researching growing Seventhday Adventist churches in North America we discovered that the common denominator among these churches is their focus on children’s ministries. In the past, parents brought their children to the church and the…

I was an enthusiastic young pas­tor attending my first ministerial meeting. A conference official stood in front of us and said, “Now, we have a program that will finish the work.” I…

As I entered the church I was visiting, a man carrying an armload of papers greeted me. He shook my hand while complaining to another man about some church business that should not have been discussed in…

Editor’s note: One of the purposes of Ministry is to provide practical instruction in pastoral and evangelistic ministry. This bi-monthly how-to page will seek to fulfill that purpose, providing effective and implementable strategies…

Part 1 of this series (December 2010) presented research findings showing major disturbing trends in church growth in the North American Division (NAD). If we take the number of NAD converts as a percent of the population rate of growth,…

What does the pastor do? Is there a job description? Is there a biblical job description? When I graduated from the seminary and went to my first church, I asked several seasoned pastors these questions. One answered, “Just go out…

“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” (Philem. 6, NIV).

Paul’s desire for an active church…

Editor’s note: This article focuses on the church in North America. We suggest that other parts of the world may want to do a similar analysis and determine how the church is doing in that area.

How is the Seventh-day Adventist…