The last twenty years of North American culture has been moving from what I call a National Park world to a world that can only be described as a Jungle.
Consider the following comparisons:
National Park
• Are neatly laid out
• Predictable and slow to change
• Warn you about dangers animals
• Provide adequate shelter
• National parks change […]
I’m in the midst of a fantastic conversation with a pastor of the Reformed persuasion and the topic of targeting worship for particular demographics, micro-cultures, etc. came up. He suggested that some consider targeting to be less than okay and that he “resists” the target terminology.
That’s not an uncommon notion in the church today. […]
By Frank Viola and George Barna
Pagan Christianity is not only a logical sequence to Barna’s recent book, Revolution, it also is an interesting and accurate account of the historic events that have shaped today’s form of Christianity.
Four sections tell most of their story:
“Healthy organic churches never produce a clergy system, a single pastor, […]
I received this private email some time ago. I received permission to reprint it here, after making some modifications to protect the identity of the writer.
I have come to the realization that my tribe, UMC, will continue to die because our leadership at the highest level insists on people-pleasing by straddling the proverbial fence. […]
The pastor was sharing his frustration about one of his executive team members during a recent consultation. “No matter what I do, Cyndi finds a problem with pretty much anything I suggest. She either tries to fix what’s not broken or she sabotages the idea completely. I wish I’d never invited her onto the team, but now […]
The old adage, “you get what you measure,” holds true both in business and in the church. Obviously it might appear to be easier to develop measurement metrics for a business than a church, but is it? I don’t think so.
When I was a pastor, we always measured elements based on our vision. Our […]
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 […]
Too many of the pastors I meet these days look like they just stuck their finger in a light socket. They appear frazzled, dazed, and downright worn out. It is apparent they are working hard at something. To make matters worse, for most of them, whatever it is they are doing isn’t effective. It […]
There seems to be a movement underfoot to discourage people from wishing one another a Merry Christmas. “We don’t want to offend anyone, so let’s water it down and just say ‘Happy Holidays’.” Hmmmmm. Something’s wrong with this picture.
To wish someone a Merry Christmas is the same as proclaiming the “good news of great […]
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