I’ve been watching the missional movement now ever since Alan Hirsch landed on our shores and spent a couple of days at my place. And I’ve watched the evolution of the movement during that time. The one thing that has concerned me is the whether or not the movement is fact or a mere […]
Externally Focused ChurchRusaw and Swanson
According to the authors, an Externally Focused Church is inwardly strong and outwardly oriented. This is an excellent book for both inwardly and outwardly focused churches. Their primary goal is to build bridges between the congregation and the community. The authors draw on their own personal experiences as well as share […]
I just finished reading the Call to Action by the Bishops of the United Methodist Church. It’s good stuff. In fact, it’s great stuff – to a point. The five aspects of a vital church it proposes are right on target. Look at what it says.
“Vital congregations are Spirit-filled, forward-leaning communities of believers that welcome […]
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 […]
The other day I was talking with a pastor about me possibly coaching him. In the course of the conversation I mentioned the need for churches to be more Kingdom minded than church minded and it went totally over his head. You could see in his eyes that he had no concept about what […]
At the time of this writing, I have just watched on television the beginning of four days of celebrations honoring Queen Elizabeth ll’s Platinum Jubilee, commemorating her 70 years on the throne. The 96-year-old queen is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the first to reach the milestone of seven decades of Royal service.
It got me […]
Do you feel called to lead a women’s Bible study? Are you unsure of how to get started?
You don’t have to have years of ministry leadership under your belt to serve the women in your community through a Bible study. But to foster a meaningful experience for participants, there are a few things you […]
In my book Dancing with Dinosaurs (1993) I predicted the end of adult Sunday school. Now we are seeing many new Southern Baptist Churches starting with no adult Sunday school and instead small groups that meet in the homes.
Now it’s time to make another prediction which has already begun and will soon be a trend […]
The vast majority of dying churches I know get their priorities mixed up. Every church has a primary priority and secondary priorities. The primary priority of any church should be effectively growing the Kingdom, and it can’t be doing that if it totally dies. Secondary priorities can be any kind of mission they choose. […]
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