Our Best Articles of the Year

Some surprising articles popped to the top of Leadership Journal's most-read list for 2014. Here's what you might have missed over the last 12 months. There now, doesn't it feel good to be caught up?

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Mars Hill meltdown: Lots and lots of voices were raised when Mark Driscoll resigned as pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle. But Ben Tertin talked to key people both inside and outside the church to put the whole thing in perspective. The Painful Lessons of Mars Hill was the year's most-read article, and it offered timeless wisdom on an intensely current theme. A companion piece by John Ortberg on our Parse blog was another well received commentary When a Pastor Resigns Abruptly.
Short-term mission blind spots. Spending a week or two "serving" at a Third World church or orphanage is usually a positive experience for those on the trip. But what about those on the receiving end? The Good Missionary lets us see through the eyes of Samuel Ikua Gachagua, an African orphan who lets us in on what he loves (and doesn't) about short-term mission trips.
A daughter's coming out. When My Daughter Said, "I'm Gay" is an evangelical pastor's story of being blindsided by the revelation and the way he and his wife decided what was most important for them in the aftermath. It struck a chord with countless readers in similar situations.
"We have wronged you, Pastor." Ever heard of a whole congregation apologizing to the multiple pastors it has mistreated over the years? We hadn't either. That why The Widowmaker Repents is such a remarkable story.
Christian exaggeration. Tony Kriz asked a number of groups, "How do we Christians lie when we evangelize?" The answers are eye-opening, and his article Seven Lies Christians Tell is a portrait of people who mean well but clearly bend the truth.
Hi Tech, High Touch. The 15 Best iPad Apps for Pastors offers tools for those in ministry to extend their reach and make the most of their time.
Willow's ongoing innovation. We interviewed Willow Creek's Aaron Niequist and Steve Carter on A Holy Experiment with forms of worship and discipleship never before tried at the church.
An alternative to multi-sites. As big churches continue to grow, eventually most of them consider multi-site ministry. John Mark Comer is taking a large Portland church in a very different direction, Farewell Franchise Ministry.
The power of public prayer. We interviewed Max Lucado on Leading in Prayer and how good prayers shake the heavens and shape community.
Today's unchurched. David Kinnaman brings to bear recent Barna research on Reaching Churchless America.
Off the pedestal. What Mike Erre's struggle with anxiety and depression taught him about God's power and The Way of Weakness.
A role without borders. Laurie Carnright Edwards, after years of both living and observing others in the role, describes My Strange Life as a Pastor's Wife and "the unexpected blessings of a role I never wanted."