Be a Mentor and Be Mentored

The word “mentor” is defined as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” Throughout my over 30 years of pastoral ministry, I have had many trusted teachers who have counseled me, encouraged me, corrected me and redirected when I had made some poor decisions. In similar fashion I have made it a point […]

It’s a Good Idea … For Someone

When I wrote If You’ve Got to Herd Cats, You’ll Need a Big Mouse, I wrote about the reality that your church members have no end of “good ideas” about the direction their church should go. Those good ideas include what new programs should be started, what the church needs to stop doing, and […]

Attracting Men To Your Church

Some years ago, after reading David Murrow’s book, “Why Men Hate Going to Church”, I realized that most people assume that men are just less religious than women, but this is untrue. Other religions have little trouble attracting males and Jesus was a magnet to men. But today, few men are living for Christ, […]

Fear Not

A growing church is a byproduct of courageous leadership that prays boldly for a vision from God and then takes bold action that honors the vision God has given. But too many churches have traded in vision for the status quo. They have opted for comfort in doing what we’ve always done before rather than […]

How Crowdfunding Can Help Churches | A Definitive Guide

A Guest Post from Tejas Rane

A brief introduction

Churches know the importance of funding and how it can help fulfill the church’s visions and missions. Yet, it is also the toughest thing a church can ask for. Finding and raising the money necessary for missions is the crux of any church’s fundraising campaign. Traditional means […]

Be a Thanksgiver

Roy Lessin, Co-founder, DaySpring Cards in his devotional book Meet Me in the Meadow, shares this encounter he had when he was paying his utility bill.

“One day, while paying my electric bill, I decided to thank the company for the service they were providing me. “Thanks for my electricity,” I said, “It’s really quite […]

Halloween Outreach 2021

When I was a kid, Halloween was always a very special night in our neighborhood. We would dress up in costume, go trick or treating and we would always make sure we went to the door of the “good house” on our block. The goodhouse was the one whose owner handed out the best […]

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

I’m sure you have all heard the phrase, don’t sweat the small stuff. That expression was highlighted in Richard Carlson’s book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff. In it he tells you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. Carlson reveals ways to calm down […]

Developing Relational Maturity (Part 4)

John Donne, in his Devotions (1624) is famous for saying, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

I have always taken that to mean that as humans, we were created to be in relationship with one another. We were made to […]