Developing an intergenerational spirit of learning is a skill we develop throughout our lives. This means beginning to see the gifts that every age group—older and younger—has to offer to my life and the life of my church.
All tagged ministry
The Important Role of Small Churches in Ministry Preparation
We frequently view these smaller churches as merely being recipients of help. Instead, they are partners that often serve as incubators for future ministers and lay ministers of all-sized churches.
Christianity on the Move, Acts 8
Individually, we are only a grain of salt, and a grain of salt by itself is not very useful. It doesn't season anything. It doesn't preserve anything. Salt must be used in handfuls to fulfill its function. The church is the salt of the earth as a community, and therefore, it must preach the gospel as a community.
Is the Church a Gold Mine or a Bottomless Pit?
Church is meant to be more than a bearer of ideology. We are to be a pilgrim people, journeying together on the difficult yet rewarding path of becoming more and more godly each day, while inviting others to join us on that journey.
Musings Over a Napkin
Such work—teaching, proclaiming, healing—is the work of Jesus’s ministry. And it is the work of Jesus’s people. Whether those believers are found in the ancient city of Antioch or in towns and cities across this land today, the work is the same.
Trusting and Practicing Your Story in God’s Story
Though we likely believe that God is in what we feel called to do, there is a serious temptation towards doubt and apprehension towards failure in those partnering with God’s Spirit in kingdom building.
Mending Generational Divides: The Practice of Listening for Unity
We all have the capacity to make relational choices that can help mend age segregation in our churches. Specifically, I want to offer one practice for followers of Jesus that can help all of us swim upstream towards greater unity in the generational body of Christ: the practice of listening for unity.
Not Giving Up: Reframing the Ethics of Allowing a Natural Death
What I have found, though, is that families in crisis rarely need an ethics lecture. They need permission: permission to grieve, permission to be afraid, and permission to believe that letting go of aggressive treatment is not the same as letting go of the person they love.
What is a Good Death?
We are skilled professionals, capable of having difficult conversations in moments of crisis. We can share hard news and provide education about options in ways that are compassionate and loving. What we cannot do, though, is presume to know the best way for someone to die.
Son of Encouragement, Acts 4:36-37
Let us pray that God sends Barnabases to our churches! Let us pray that He will make some of us “sons of encouragement”! The need couldn’t be greater today!
Conflict: Our Story (Part 2)
Conflict is to be expected; get in there and work on it. Possibly the best gift for your congregation is conflict training. The longer you wait, or the more you let fear paralyze you, the worse it gets.
Conflict: Our Story (Part 1)
With this article, we offer our perspectives, regrets, and takeaways of our conflict, so that others may learn to behave with more skill and wisdom. In this first part, we’ll talk about how we got to that point of conflict, and the actions we took to try to resolve things.
Living Out the Priesthood of All Believers
In the Old Testament, priests were called by God, had access to God, and were separated out because of God’s calling. Just like them, we are also called by God. We have access to God, and God has separated us out and marked us for His service.
Pray, Invite, Ask… What?
We expect all of our members to be doing these three things: pray, invite, ask. The only problem with this is that we found it to be a catchy phrase, but we needed more depth and understanding. Pray what? Invite to what? Ask what?
Growth and Delegation, Acts 6:1-7
The effectiveness of leadership can be measured by the willingness to delegate responsibilities to qualified men and women. Men and women “attested to by the community,” filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, are the ones who should be leading the programs of the congregations.
A Ministry of Coming Alongside
How often in ministry do we try to give people what we think they need? Whether that is in a pastoral counseling session or in upcoming class offerings or even from the pulpit, many times we think we know the answer to people’s situations without hearing where they are coming from.
This is Why God is in Charge of Church Plants
Only God could plant a church like this. And if He could do it then, He can certainly do it now. Listen to God. Talk about Jesus to everyone. Baptize all of them. Plant a church full of people that have only one thing in common: Jesus.
Listen to Care: The “No Really, I’m Fine” Podcast
In their podcast No Really, I’m Fine, board-certified chaplains Aaron Metcalf and Mike Larson talk with healthcare workers in their Portland hospital about the stresses they face and how they cope emotionally with the daily demands of their jobs. The stories told in the episodes are authentic, heart-warming, and sometimes heart-wrenching accounts of real life in the trenches.
Connecting Saints and Sinners
When God connects saints and sinners, it is often the saint he is moving. Philip. Ananias. Peter. Sometimes he connects the seeker. The Ethiopian. Saul. Cornelius. Sometimes the person who at least on the surface has no God-interest.
The Two-Fold Challenge of Raising Up Ministers
A family does not need a long history in ministry or missions to raise children who love ministry. Parents can choose to create an environment that encourages their children to become involved in church in a deeper and more active way.