We took Warren Wiersbe to lunch one day, knowing there were many possible Leadership articles in his head. As we kicked around concepts several interesting ideas surfaced. But a comment Warren made arrested our attention and we kept coming back to it. Two years ago when his son accepted his first pastorate, Warren shared with him the principles that have guided his own ministry over the years.

What would a pastor/father tell a young man entering the ministry? We were intrigued by this question and asked Warren to develop an article based on what he had shared with his son. We believe Warren's advice represents something pretty basic upon which a pastor could build a long-term ministry.

About the only thing I remember from one of my courses at seminary is a bit of doggerel that the weary professor dropped into a boring lecture:

Methods are many,
Principles are few.
Methods always change,
Principles never do.

As soon as I returned to my dormitory room I looked up principle in my dictionary ...