Minister's Toolbox
by Casey Sabella
Minister's Toolbox is your online resource to get the encouragement you need so that you remain strong in your calling to serve Christ. Discover practical solutions to the everyday challenges leaders face. Many pastors leave the ministry each year due to family problems, financial difficulties, loneliness, or moral failure. Discover how to overcome these challenges and regain your passion for finishing well in ministry. Each 15-minute podcast provides real help from Casey Sabella, a pastor who has proven these principles through more than four decades of ministry.
Episodes
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234 - From Prison To Pulpit- A Life Transformed
Gary DeRosa faced hard time after deciding to rob a local bank shortly after he was married. After six years in prison, he met a drug dealer who invited him into the world of crime. Hear his inspiring story about how Christ captured his heart and took him from Prison to a pulpit sharing his faith...
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EP 233: Why Some Fear The Upcoming Revival
For many years, pastors and their congregations have cried out for God to send revival, but do we know what we are asking for? Revivals of the past brought massive upheaval in the church, often condemned by the very leaders who prayed it would occur! Are we ready for a genuine revival in our day?...
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EP 232: Is Deception Undermining Your Ministry?
Technology has dramatically increased our access to information and teaching. It has also afforded many Christian celebrities to influence hundreds of thousands via YouTube and other platforms. Have people in your church endangered their faith by listening to the "prophets" of social media?…
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EP 231: Should Pastors Take A Job In The Marketplace
Have you ever been ashamed to ask for a raise at your church? Do you find ministry discouraging because you cannot pay your bills and work part-time to meet expenses? Join me as I interview Jon Sanders and Les Hughes from Entrepastors. They share an utterly refreshing approach to how pastors can...
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EP 230: Is Your Preaching Missing The Target?
Bible Schools, seminaries, and denominational meetings spend enormous amounts of time helping future ministers preach well. The focus is doctrine, presentation, and effectiveness, but something basic is often missing. Ministers spend on average eight hours preparing sermons, but many fail to make...
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EP 229: Are You A Human Being Or A Human Doing?
Most of us have preached or used this phrase in our ministry, but have we ever turned the spotlight toward our vocation? Tragically, most pastors evaluate themselves based solely on performance, using comparison with others as the chief standard. As a result, most pastors live emotionally…
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Have You Been To The Cross Lately?
The cross is a message pastors preach in thousands of churches throughout the world each week, but what does the cross mean in real-time? Paul said that he lived a crucified life and, through that experience, preached the gospel. What does it mean to live a crucified life, and how does that…
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EP 227: Is That A Light At The End Of The Tunnel Or An Oncoming Train?
Pastors face problems, challenges, and trials of their faith each day. It is frustrating when many do not get resolved and pile one on top of another. Have you ever reached the breaking point and, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, learned that it is yet another trial heading your way?...
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EP 226: Are You Casting Your Pearls Before Swine?
Whether you realize it or not, you have accumulated pearls throughout your time as a gospel minister. These pearls have value, but are you sharing them with people who don't appreciate them? Jesus' warning is particularly appropriate for those in ministry who give so much of our time, only to be...
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EP 225: Why Pastors Are Some Of The Most Unforgiving People On The Planet
Unforgiveness is challenging - especially when people hurt or slander our reputations. Pastors are no different when it comes to releasing those who have hurt them. Today, I share a universal problem that nearly every pastor faces in day-to-day ministry with respect to forgiveness. I hope you can...
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EP 224: Has Worship Lost Its Meaning In Today's Church?
Some might rightly ask, Has worship lost its meaning In Today's Church? Churches worldwide compete to display the "best" worship sound, lights, band, or voices. Is that worship from God's perspective? Some churches declare they have "contemporary" worship. What is that, and is the statement true....
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EP 223: Does Your Life Or Ministry Need Realignment?
If you're driving your car and notice the steering wheel pulling in one direction or another, it should alert you to a problem with your wheels. In all probability, your tires are out of alignment, and if you don't get this fixed, they will wear out faster and more unevenly over time. The same...
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EP 222: What Happens When Your Ministry Dreams Become Nightmares?
When choosing to follow Christ into church ministry, the vast majority of us embrace the call with high expectations. We have dreams of reaching many people, and building a large, effective church. Along the way, life happens. In many cases, our dreams turn into nightmares. What is God doing and...
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EP 221: You Better Not Change Your Church If You Know What Is Good For You!
Changing the way you interact with the public is crucial to reaching emerging generations. Unfortunately, most churches are stuck in old ways, using old methods that are no longer effective. How can a leader guide a church through change with the least amount of conflict? Join me for today's...
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EP 220: What Has God Anointed You To Accomplish?
The word anointed means different things to different people. What is the biblical basis for anointing and how does it apply to the church today? Do you know what God has anointed you to accomplish? Is this how you spend the majority of your time? Some important questions to consider on today's...
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EP 219: A Unique Problem-Solving Device You've Probably Never Heard About
Ministry is about problem-solving. People come to us with all kinds of difficulties, and we are called to help them get a resolution. What about our problems and challenges. Today, I share a unique problem-solving method you've probably never heard about that can change your life in the future…
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EP 218: The Secret Ingredients For Selecting Church Leaders
In this second part of a two-part series, I expand on last week's discussion about the qualifications for church leadership. Paul taught Timothy to look for people who manage their own houses well. What does that mean? What are the ingredients necessary to manage one's house well because this...
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EP 217: Developing New Leaders In Your Church
If we fail to raise the next generation of leaders in our churches, the work we do now will have little or no impact. How do we discover and then train new leaders to pick up the mantle for the next generation? Join me as we follow Paul's directions for selecting new leadership.
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EP 126: One Small Change That Will Transform Your Life And Ministry
Would you be willing to make one small change to transform your life and ministry? Today, just by making a simple decision, the trajectory of your life can change. By making this adjustment, God will do amazing things in your family, your life, and your ministry. Join me now!
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EP 215: What Is The Purpose Behind Your God-Given Authority?
Have you wondered, "What is the purpose behind your God-given authority? Anyone truly called to ministry is granted authority to advance His Kingdom on earth. How does someone receive this authority? What is it used for? When can authority become dangerous? How should authority be used in the...
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EP 214: The Greatest Threat Against Pastors In 2022
Pastors can think of many things that threaten to derail their ministry: financial woes, sexual temptation, carnal board members, and several others. Today, I speak about a threat that most pastors are unaware of, yet if left unattended, is potentially lethal to effective ministry in 2022 and...
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EP 213: A Simple (& Free) Tool To Help You Develop New Leaders
Wouldn't you appreciate a simple, free tool that could help you identify and train new leaders for your church? You're in luck! During today's podcast, I will share a simple tool that requires little or no training on your part but can yield amazing benefits to your ministry. Buy Me A Coffee!…
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EP 212: How To Bring The Presence Of God To Your Church
One of the most basic tasks of any minister is to preach in such a way that people experience the Presence of Almighty God. Some think that a scholarly presentation of scripture will accomplish this, yet people leave disappointed. How can we bring the Presence of God into our church that leaves...
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EP 211: How Pastors Can Change The Culture
On today's podcast, I interview Greg Holder, lead pastor of The Crossings. Greg is an author and speaker with a passion for the local church and how God designed us to thrive. His leadership and influence have taken him around the globe, helping communities, churches, pastors, and leaders work...
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EP 210: How To Reach Prodigals
Lathan Craft knows something about reaching prodigals. Growing up, his mother worked as an exotic dancer. Then tragedy struck when both his parents died before he was seven years old. At his mother's funeral, the pastor told the audience she was a Christian (which he knew not to be true). This...
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EP 209: One Simple Change That Will Revolutionize Your Ministry
Leaders lead. We all know that. But do we understand the difference between leading and managing? Most of us think they are the same. Your church needs management to be sure but needs a leader even more. Today's podcast shares a simple change in how you do ministry that will revolutionize how you...
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EP 208: Will The Church Come Out Of The Closet?
The Church has largely remained silent over the past decade whenever the acronym LGTBQ is mentioned. Some denominations have adjusted their theology to accept and welcome homosexual and transgender communities into their leadership ranks. Others declare their love for the LGTBQ community to avoid…
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EP 207: Straight - An Ex-Gay Prodigal Story
The Church has largely remained silent over the past decade whenever the acronym LGTBQ is mentioned. Some denominations have adjusted their theology to not only accept but welcome the homosexual and transgender communities into their leadership. Others strain to declare their love for these...
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EP 206: The Subtle Strategy Aimed At Destroying The Next Generation
The Church largely ignores the subtle strategy destroying young people today. While we prepare sermons to inspire, Satan is busy infecting the next generation with misinformation designed to damn their souls. How can we combat this demonic strategy in our churches? Today, I interview Dennis…
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EP 205: From Seal Team Commander To Full Time Evangelist
Commander Michael H. Imhof, U.S. Navy (ret.), and former Navy SEAL, was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and raised in Blasdell, New York. He attended the State University College of New York at Buffalo, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree. After completing Basic Underwater...
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EP 204: Why You May Not Be Getting The Respect You Deserve
The majority of pastors suffer from low self-esteem. They wonder if their labors are making any real impact on the congregations they serve. Some of this may be due to allowing people to usurp or even ignore their directives or decisions. It is impossible to lead a church without owning the…
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EP 203: How A Local Church Helped One Man Beat Suicide
Have you ever felt lost in your life, with no hope, no options, no direction, and fear so suffocating you couldn't breathe and wanted to die because it would be easier? Sadly, 40% of Americans are dealing with at least one mental health or drug-related problem which was only exacerbated by the...
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EP 202: You're Not Ashamed Of The Gospel ... Or Are You?
When I say the word "gospel," most people think of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. While true, is that the whole gospel? Are there elements of Christ's teachings we shy away from declaring for fear of how people will respond? Are we unknowingly ashamed of the gospel of Christ? During...
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EP 201: How To Develop New Leaders In Your Church
Today's Interview is with Jeff Orr. Jeff is an expert in leadership, holding two master's degrees in Business and Leadership (MBA, MSL) from Grand Canyon University. He speaks to thousands in the private sector as well as on University campuses about leadership, building a thriving corporate...
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EP 200: How To Break The Cycle Of Shame In Ministry
Can you believe it? This is my 200th podcast. Wow. Where did the time go? During today's podcast, I interview Dr. Bill Senyard. Bill is Dr. Bill Senyard is an experienced pastor, discipler, church revitalization specialist, lecturer, and conference speaker with 25 years as a local church pastor.…
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EP 199: Do You Walk By Faith Or Maintenance?
Hebrews 11:6 declares that without faith, it is impossible to please God. When we look at our schedules and all the tasks needing attention and completion, how much of what we do is "by faith?" If we are honest, MOST of our labors speak more of maintenance than accomplishing things in partnership...
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EP 198: What Are The Signs Of A Healthy Church
In this final part of my two-part interview with Dr. Joe Martin of RealMenConnect.com, we discuss how to discern the difference between a church with problems or a problem church. How does an abuse victim break free from the toxic behaviors that continue to plague them long after leaving such an...
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EP 197: How To Help Wounded People Who Come To Your Church
People arrive in our churches with a myriad of problems and challenges. One of the worst challenges is wounds from spiritual abuse - the misuse of authority from other church leaders. Today, we turn the tables and interview...ME! Dr. Joe Martin interviews me from his national podcast. Join us for...
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EP 196: What Do You Do When Life Falls Apart?
Gerard Long is a professor of life and death, having experienced a blessed life, followed by the darkest valley of suffering after the suicide of his beloved youngest son, the near break up of his marriage, and the unbelievable death of his beautiful daughter. As if this wasn’t enough pain, in…
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EP 195: One Thing Remains. A Powerful Testimony of Transformation.
What if you woke up in a hospital bed not knowing why you're there? What if you also had no memory of the church you pastored for several years or of any of your church members? David Carroll was told he had amnesia and that his memories might never return. Join us today for an incredible…
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EP 194: One Reason People Are Not Returning To Church After COVID
Barna reported that up to 50% of certain age populations never intend to return to church once all restrictions are lifted after COVID 19. Why? Many excuses are listed, but none seem to address the underlying issue: Christian foundations. Many leaders have unwittingly taught their people that...
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EP 193: From Chaos To Recovery. Interview With Chris Faett
On Today's Podcast, I interview Chris Faett who shares his journey from chaos to recovery. This inspiring testimony will encourage you in your work of reaching people who need Christ. Chris and I are working together to build the Recovery Center of Greater Waterbury, a program for substance…
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EP 192: From The Archives: Why Jello Is Not A Good Way To Die.
During this podcast, I shared a personal story from our family that impacts how I do ministry each and every day. What has God called you to do for His Kingdom? One day, we will stand before Him to give an account of how we spent the resources entrusted to us. Are you on track for giving a good...
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EP 191: From Rags To Riches To Ruined To Redemption (Part Two)
Dr. Joe Martin is an award-winning international speaker, author, educator, and certified “man builder." His life’s story can be summarized in one simple sentence: “He went from rags to riches to ruined to redemption.” Join me for the second half for this powerful testimony to God's goodness in…
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EP 190: From Rags To Riches To Ruined To Redemption (Part One)
Dr. Joe Martin is an award-winning international speaker, author, educator, and certified “man builder." His life’s story can be summarized in one simple sentence: “He went from rags to riches to ruined to redemption.” Join me for this powerful testimony to God's goodness in the midst of deep…
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EP 189: How Not To Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water (Part Three)
When most of us hear the word, "prophet" we think of Old Testament figures like Isaiah or Jeremiah. Anyone considering themselves a prophet today is typically viewed as people with behavioral or mental problems. Paul taught that Christ gave this gift to His Church to equip people to do ministry...
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EP 188: How Not To Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water (Part Two)
In this second of a three-part series, we delve more deeply into this mysterious yet biblical gift of prophecy. What is the "life" gift of prophecy, and how does it differ from a gift of the Holy Spirit? How can we know if a person possesses the life gift of prophecy? Why is misunderstanding this...
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EP 187: How Not To Throw The Baby Out With The Bath Water (Part One)
The hot topic in the church these days is prophecy. Some believe it only belongs to the first century. Others use it as a mechanism to make a name for themselves or create a following. Today's podcast is the first of three, speaking about prophecy's biblical gift and proper use. There are three...
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EP 186: How To Attract More Young People To Your Church
Many churches throughout the western world are dying of old age. The average age of many congregations is fifty and above. How can we reverse the trend? Does it mean filling our churches with new lighting and special music? No, says Ryan Sweat, student ministry pastor from Jackson Beach, Florida....
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EP 185: Are You Investing Into One Of Your Most Valuable Assets?
You and I carry around a treasure (II Corinthians 4:7). Is this treasure confined to a weekly sermon alone? I have shared about publishing in episode 53. Today, we delve a little deeper into the importance of writing. Here are some free resources that will enable you to publish and market books....
About this show
Minister's Toolbox is your online resource to get the encouragement you need so that you remain strong in your calling to serve Christ. Discover practical solutions to the everyday challenges leaders face. Many pastors leave the ministry each year due to family problems, financial difficulties, loneliness, or moral failure. Discover how to overcome these challenges and regain your passion for finishing well in ministry. Each 15-minute podcast provides real help from Casey Sabella, a pastor who has proven these principles through more than four decades of ministry.
Hosted by
Casey Sabella
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