Hard Times Are a Leader’s Training School Paradise

In difficult times, churches have a tendency to clap shut their shutters, hide their money under mattresses, and delay anything that might be innovative and new – especially if it costs more than a nickle. Okay, so I exaggerate. A little. But the reality is that when the economy or the political winds turn […]

Can They Really Believe Pentecost?

This morning was Pentecost Sunday. As I was setting in worship at a church Im consulting with  the pastor read from Acts 2:1-21. Man, that’s some text. I found myself saying “Are these people ready to hear this text? Are they able to believe the things the text says happened and will happen – people of different tonges hearing in their […]

Budgeting in the Spring

From Bill Easum

The normal experience when a church moves from the Fall to the Spring is for income to increase 8% the first year.  People have more money in their pockets after tax returns and are in a better mood in the Spring than in the Fall.

From one of our listserves

We have […]

Bible Studies, Print

Alpha is a 15 session, including one weekend, course for introducing non-Christians to Christianity. Each session consists of a meal, one lecture, and small groups. There are 6,000 courses running now in 55 countries. I have heard only good things about this ministry. North America phone is 212-378-0292, 1029 East 50th Street, New […]

We’re All Missionaries

Dan Kimball just finished his coaching session for 21st Century Strategies. His message- We shouldnt ask people to join the church; we should ask them to join a mission. His membership class teaches what does it mean to be serving on mission. He then lays hands on every new participant who has gone through […]

A Day to Remember

I was born a few months before the German invasion of Poland. That makes me 70. I was too young to realize what was happening at that time. I just knew that there werent many men around those days. 16 million of them had gone to fight the war. Now we have a hard […]

The Magic Pill Placebo

I wrote this entry the other day and I think I posted it … but in the great server switchover, it appears to have been misplaced. So, just in case, here it is again.

I had a conversation with some pastors about one of the seminars they had attended. They had gone looking and hoping […]

Is the Church of Yesterday Really the Church of Tomorrow?

Maybe it’s the circles I’m hanging with lately, but suddenly there’s a jump in the interest on house church. Bill Easum’s article in On Track (the 21st Century Strategies monthly E-zine) reviewed Frank Viola’s Reimagining the Church because of “the importance of the book.” And I agree, it’s an important book, just as Viola’s […]

Wringing Our Hands or … ?

George Barna recently came out with a poll reporting that the majority of Christians don’t believe in either Satan or the Holy Spirit. Since then, I have received a small mountain of emails with Christian leaders crying “Where did the church go wrong?” I suppose these questions probably deserve and answer, but I’m not […]