Is it Time to Drop the Requirement: Part Two

My post, titled “Is It Time To Drop The Requirement,” resulted in several responses, which prompted me to do a little more digging into the subject of ordination. And after extensive reading on the subject I conclude there is absolutely no mention of ordination in the New Testament. By the second part of the […]

Two Skills Every Pastor and Staff Must Master

There are many leadership skills that are important. But there are two skills that overshadow all the rest. If a staff can master these two skills, there is no way a church can keep from reaching more people for Christ. Want to know what they are? Sure you do. So here goes.

Skill Number One: […]

Mostly For United Methodist Eyes – Bloom Where You’re Planted

Take an “imaginary” trip with me. The year is 2017, but things are different in some subtle ways. The U.S. military uses horses as its main mode of transportation because horses worked so well during the Civil War. Major companies conduct business through the phone party line because that is what worked for a […]

Two Huge Changes and Two Critical Texts of Our Time

Two of the most important texts for our time are Matt. 9:36-38 and John 20:21. In this post we will examine why.

I began sharing the faith in the late 1950s. Back then I could share the four spiritual laws and in forty-five minutes lead someone to Christ. It was also the custom that most […]

Leaving a Legacy

“The only thing you take with you when you’re gone is what you leave behind.”
John Allsto
Most people, at one time or another, think about their legacy as a Father, Mother, Husband, or Wife. But what about we pastors? What comes to mind when we think about our legacy?

The best way to answer this question […]

Why I’m So Hopeful about Church Planting

I’ve never been more hopeful about church planting in the U.S. as I am today. I couldn’t say this a decade ago. What changed my attitude – the growing trend of small to medium sized churches that are planting multiple churches that are expected to plant multiple churches.

Some examples of my hope are:

City […]

The Heart of a Level 5 Church

The one ingredient a Level 5 church cannot do without is radical discipleship. Raising up radical disciples is the underbelly of the exponential church planting movement. It’s impossible to exponentially plant churches without greatly expanding the breadth and depth of your disciples. So much of the focus of multiplication is on the raising up and […]

Missional Small Groups

One of the key elements of most discipleship pipelines I’ve seen is what I call missional small groups. The problem is, when most people hear “small groups” they think of Bible studies, which is far from what is meant by missional small groups. So let’s look at the difference.

Most ineffective small groups are primarily […]

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 […]