The danger for a pastor or minister is that their cancers can be buried under a veneer of piety and forced pleasantness, lingering for years, festering in the shadows.
All in Church
The Bible Is about God
We decided we cannot reduce the Bible down to a catch phrase, thinking it’s only one kind of book. In fact, it’s a book of books with one huge story to tell that invites us into it if we are willing.
A New Kind of Bus Ministry
what if churches sent people into the neighborhood to walk alongside the children and families surrounding them, to become the presence of Jesus in the midst of the neighborhood.
Renewal in Your Church
Renewal begins with God’s work. And in many cases, God is simply waiting for a church and her leaders to get serious about seeking a new and vibrant day.
Beautiful Churches Built on Sacred Ground
The beauty of small churches in West Texas inspires me to remember that the Sunday assembly is not about me.
A Different Style of Prophetic Preaching
I have noticed a trend toward equating "prophetic preaching" with a confrontational, rough and tough style of delivery.
Church from a Child’s Eyes
In the face of systemic human suffering and need, children’s first instinct is to rely on their church family to increase their effectiveness in responding to said need.
Sharks, Life, and Jesus
Hard things happen to those you lead, so help them be ready. Pray for your flock, speak truth into their lives, keep them connected to you and to others in their community of faith.
The Fragility of Ministry
The best things in life are the risky things, the impractical things, but maybe especially, the things that can’t break.
Preaching through Pain: A Contemporary Christian Conversation
What happens when the preacher struggles with their own faith? Mike Cope speaks of finding ways to minister to others from an authentic place even when your heart is broken.
Why I Pray The Daily Offices
I had been praying in our worship services and at night with my children, but my daily time in prayer had somehow gone the way of my schedule.
I Saw a Captain in Action
The purpose of vision is to lead us on a journey of lessons more than it is about reaching a destination. May we as leaders see a vision for ourselves first.
An Update and Reflections on the Church Health Assessment
When church leaders seek a meaningful place to assess the health of their congregation, where do they turn?
Fixer Upper, Shiplap, and the Importance of Greeting
Greeting others when we gather for worship may seem unimportant, but it participates in the substance of who we are as God’s family.
Did I Hear What I Think I Read?
Do we look at the text, recognize and comprehend the writing, then proceed to vocally proclaim it, modernizing the practice of differentiating how we read the text from how we vocalize it?
Church Growth Is Less Predictable Than You Think
Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated, to say the least. By contrast though, predicting success in any church venture is impossible. There simply is no surefire recipe for growth.
An Old Dog and a New Trick (YouToo?)
I admit that I am about three or four decades behind; though my children would beg to differ.
No Room for Snobbery
When we meet together with an attitude of humility, we can come together over our similarities and remember that we ultimately all desire the same things, whether we are rural, urban, or a mixture of both.
Adopt-a-Street for Jesus
What if every church viewed the neighborhood right around her as their neighbors—the sphere God has placed them as an outpost for the kingdom of God?
Education Matters
The truth is that the gospel is both simple and complex, like a stained glass window with many different different colors. Each is beautiful itself, and when you stand back the whole is even more beautiful.