A Great Preaching Text for Doubling First-Time Guests
I know some of you have purchased our “I Love My Church Day” program designed to double the number of first-time visitors and then retain 50% of them. So I wanted to share this preaching idea with you. One of the great texts to use the Sunday before you conclude the program and ask your […]
Married to a Model? Consider Divorce
No, not that kind of model. I’m wondering if you’re married to a particular church paradigm, a specific way of doing church. And if you are, will you be willing to throw her under the bus when the time comes when it’s necessary for the sake of the Kingdom? I suspect you’d like to think so, […]
Pastor? Leader? Really?
In a previous post I suggested there was a need for new – or renewed – language for church leaders. As wonderful as having new language might be, there’s an underlying issue that I’ve become increasingly aware of. Many, if not most, clergy in today’s North American church are well trained pastors, but when it […]
Theology Matters, But …
I don’t disagree with a thing Bill Easum wrote in his adjoining column in the May 2012 On Track newsletter. Jesus is more than just the reason for the season. But I want to put another slant on the importance of theology in the church. Over the years I’ve heard suggestions that the reason XYZ […]
A Pastor by Any Other Name
This afternoon I had a great conversation with a top judicatory leader of one of the largest denominations in the US. We were talking about what kind of leader the church needs in a culture like ours. The problem with the whole discussion, we concluded, is that language completely fails us in the church. Every […]
Where Has ALL the Common Sense Gone?
Have you noticed that we are living in a world that uses less and less common sense? Consider some of the things I’ve witnessed this week: TSA people patting down a 93-year-old grandmother in a wheel chair and having her show them her adult diaper. Our politicians arguing over peanuts while we move toward meltdown. […]