The Hijacking of the Church
I opened a sermon recently with the following: “Good morning, Church!” That sounds pretty good, until you dwell on what a greeting like that might mean to some folks. Was I speaking to the building? Was I addressing the decision-makers? Making a pronouncement the world as a church spokesman? (There’s a lot of that going […]
The Missing Piece to Spiritual Maturity
The fall is the traditional time for many churches to do their annual stewardship drive, if they still do them. So during this time of the year churches are searching for an effective stewardship program. But we know from experience that most stewardship programs lose their effect after two or three years, so the search […]
Turn Leaders Into Disciples
Effective Church Leaders are more than skilled volunteers. First and foremost, they should be expected to exhibit conspicuous spiritual practices. The “go to your prayer closet” and “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” has been used as an excuse for shallow discipleship for too long (and both of those Matthean […]
Pipeline or Drainpipe Discipleship?
Does your ministry look more like a drainpipe than a pipeline for making disciples? In a world like today, where more and more people are growing up outside the influence on a church, this could be the most important question you will ever ask if you’re a pastor. So what kind of ministry is a […]
The Illusion of “Fair”
“But that’s not fair!” These are words I expect to hear from my young grandchildren … not words I expect to hear from adults, let alone mature Christians. But I hear them nonetheless. “We can’t appoint Frank to an elder’s position … he doesn’t participate in any adult faith formation groups.” Â Â Â Â Â “But that’s not fair […]
Developing a Transformational Small Group Bible Study
Let me start out by being totally clear. A Bible study in and of itself is not a life transforming activity. The church is filled with spiritually immature members who are the products of many years of “Bible studies,” Sunday school classes, and discussion groups. Most Bible studies are data dumps of information that fills the […]