Resources for Pastors

Only those who have been a pastor can appreciate the complexity and demands of the job. There is simply no end of things to be done: of people to be taught and counselled and evangelised and prayed for and trained; of relationships to be nurtured; of needs of be met; of programmes to be initiated or improved; of administrative problems to be solved; of sermons to write; of money to raise. And then, of course, there are the meetings. No doubt, you know all this very well.

So how can we help?

At Matthias Media, we know that we can't stop pastoral ministry being hard, demanding work. But we would like to be your partner, and help you wherever we can. In particular, we want to supply you with high-quality, Bible-based ministry resources so that you can be as effective as possible in serving Christ where you are.

Most of the ministry resources Matthias Media produces are for use in day-to-day or week-by-week ministry ("ministry consumables", if you like), and we sort them into the four main categories you can see in the main menu at the top of this page: Outreach, Follow-up, Growth and Training. These categories reflect, in general terms, the way the gospel grows in a person's life: the gospel is shared with people (outreach) and by God's grace they become Christians; they are then taught the basics of the Christian faith and established in their new way of life (follow-up); then follows a lifetime of growing in Christian knowledge and conviction, and in the godly character that flows from it (growth); and as Christians continue to grow they understand that life is about service, and so they are also taught how to serve and minister to others more effectively (training).

The best way to discover the resources that will help you and others to minister to people at these different stages of the gospel growth process is really just to browse through the different categories on this web site or in our printed Resource Guide.

All of our resources can be used by, and be useful for, any ministry-minded Christian in your church. However, there are a number of roles that tend to be done mostly by the full-time church pastor, and there are a few resources we'd like to tell you about here that relate to these responsibilities:

(1) Setting directions and planning the ministry

Some of our resources are not just "ministry consumables". Some are far more strategic and foundational, and so are specifically aimed at pastors and elders who have the serious responsibility of leading a local church or fellowship.

In particular, we want to strongly recommend you read The Trellis and the Vine, a book that Mark Dever called "the best book I've read on the nature of church ministry". The Trellis and the Vine helps you to think through, both biblically and pratically, the danger of the busyness of being a full-time pastor we mentioned above, and it will encourage you to think clearly about your ministry and your priorities for your time. (As a byproduct, if you read this book, you will get a vision of the sort of ministry for which we are trying to provide resources, and so you will better understand our own publishing strategy.)

Mission Minded is another resource which helps you to take a step back and review your ministry in a 'big picture' way. It provides a simple but very effective planning tool for the mission of your church or group.

(2) Preaching

Setting Hearts on Fire is a book that will help you to give evangelistic talks, and we also have a new book coming out in the next 12 months on the art of preaching (more information as that book gets closer).

(3) Weddings and Funerals

For many pastors, couples wanting to be married in your church is one of the biggest opportunities for evangelism they get each year. In the Sight of God is a resource for pastors to use in preparing any couple for a church wedding, and clearly shares the Gospel of the Lord Jesus with them in a way that dovetails nicely with their thinking about marriage.

Funerals are another responsibility of pastors. At a Time Like This is an attractive, full-colour booklet designed to be given to a person who has recently lost a loved-one. It gently and lovingly helps them to answer some of their questions and deal appropriately with some of their emotions surounding the loss, but most importantly it seeks to turn them to God, to be reconciled with him and to find comfort in the hope that he alone can give.

(5) Setting the believers an example

Finally, there are some unique pressures associated with being a pastor in the 'glass house' and 'hot house' life of full-time ministry. Many pastors burn out. Some sin their way out. How do you make sure that you stay physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy over a lifetime of ministry? Going the Distance is the guidebook that will help you do this.

As we said earlier, we want to help you with the heavy demands of pastoral life and ministry. So if you have any questions about any of our resources and whether they might be suitable for your situation or need, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We're always happy to offer some friendly tips and advice. We're also always very keen to get those tips from you about how resources have been used effectively and how they can be improved.