Stuart Scott on the Beauty of Community
Stuart Scott was to me as Johnny Carson was to my parents. For the last twenty years, on nights when I would watch TV, it was often SportsCenter with Stuart Scott. Hearing “boo-yah,” “lobbing the alley, freaking the oop,” or “as cool as the other side of the pillow” made the highlights more special than […]
Two Options for the New Year: Optimism or Hope
The following is by Doug Hankins. Doug is the Teaching Pastor at LifePoint Church, an American church historian, and an author of Dawson Trotman: In His Own Words. Doug holds a PhD From Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He blogs at doughankins.com. One of the most important tasks for any leader during a new season of […]
Churches and Cruises to Nowhere
Carnival Cruise Lines offers cruises to nowhere out of Norfolk, Virginia. You pay for a ticket, pack your bags, board a boat, and cruise to nowhere. You live on a boat for a few days—a boat that is going nowhere. In fact, here is a screen shot of the publicized itinerary for an upcoming cruise. […]
4 Ways to Lead through Spiritual Spats
The following is by Joshua Crutchfield. Joshua Crutchfield is Pastor of First Baptist Church Trenton, Texas. He is a two-time graduate of Criswell College and a Ph.D. student at Dallas Theological Seminary. Follow him on Twitter. Ten years ago, I was called to pastor my first church. At the ripe old age of twenty, and with […]
Values, the Vine, and Kids Ministry
In children’s ministry, teaching children how to behave can seem attractive. I know this personally, as sometimes I just want my kids to behave, obey their mom, and be sweet to our friends. Teaching children values and virtues to pursue and emulate can be really appealing. I mean—who would say they do not want their […]
2 Ways to Help a Church Embrace Her Fragility
As I shared recently, even healthy churches are more fragile than we often realize. The fragility of a local church is intentional because God does not need any of us, or a collection of any of us, to accomplish His purposes. In His grace, He invites us to join Him—but He does not need us. […]
5 Thoughts on Unity and Uniformity
1. There is a danger in confusing uniformity and unity. Uniformity offers a pseudo-unity. After all, it is possible to build something (even a ministry) on uniformity and call it unity, when in reality it is not unity at all. A church with uniformity gathers people from the same socio-economic strata, the same cultural background, […]
3 Ways to Love Negative Nancy
The following is a post by J.A. Medders. J.A. Medders is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Tomball, TX. He and Natalie have two kids, Ivy and Oliver. He blogs at www.jamedders.com and tweets from @mrmedders. His first book, Gospel-Formed: Living a Grace-Addicted, Truth-Filled, Jesus-Exalting Life released in November. This article originally appeared at Gospel-Centered. Every pastor, ministry leader, and church-goer knows what a […]
A Constant Struggle in a Growing Church
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges leaders in growing churches face is the sense of failing to meet expectations, particularly of some who were in the church when the church was not as large as she currently is. Here are a couple of examples from recent conversations with church leaders: Example A: Some members of […]
Fragility of a Church; Strength of the Church
Churches are more fragile than we often realize. Leaders stumble and struggle. Pastors get sick. Natural disasters strike. Relationships go awry. Communities rapidly change. Local church fragility is not limited to struggling churches. Even healthy churches are fragile. Even churches that are built on the Word and not a personality or program are more delicate […]