Lead Your Church to Love Your City

The following is a guest post from David Lopez. J. David Lopez is the husband of Adriana, father of Dave and Isabella, follower of Jesus, and campus pastor of Christ Fellowship Downtown Miami. Within a half hour of the writing of this article, I noticed some pretty graphic extremes. On one end, I heard about […]

A Wandering Ministry

There is a tendency in any organization, in any ministry, toward wandering. For a season, people might be focused and motivated to move in a single direction, but then something happens. Things catch their attention. Other priorities come up. The urgency that was once so acutely felt fades to the background. Slowly the organization drifts […]

Don’t Let Strategy Trump the Vision of Discipleship

The following is a guest post by Michael Kelley, director of discipleship at LifeWay Christian Resources. Antione de Saint-Exupery, the French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator, once said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to […]

Diagnosing Ministry Phase in Your Context

The Lord used Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and Nehemiah is often recognized for being a strong and focused leader. It is important to note that he did not merely show up in Jerusalem, after arriving from serving under the Persian king in captivity, and declare a direction. Before he articulated a vision […]

4 Ministry Reminders from Backyard Bible Club

A few weeks ago, we hosted a Backyard Bible Club at our house. About 35 kids, mostly from our neighborhood, came to our house from 9:30-11:30 each morning for three days. Kaye recruited friends, neighborhood moms, and teenagers to help. It was great. Our kids loved it. The neighborhood kids loved it. And it was […]

3 Wrong Assumptions Church Leaders Make

The following is a guest post by Trevin Wax. ​Trevin Wax is managing editor of The Gospel Project at LifeWay Christian Resources, and blogger at The Gospel Coalition. As a church leader, you’ve probably noticed that when your assumptions are incorrect, you’re more likely to implement plans that don’t go anywhere. Why? Because what we’ve assumed to be […]

Leading from the Pulpit

I remember the criticism well. The pastor of the church I was serving had just finished sharing his heart during the sermon about a direction he and a community of leaders sensed the Lord was leading the church. He wasn’t leading alone. Prayer and discussion had taken place in community with other leaders—some staff and […]

Theology of Staffing

Pastor David is perpetually frustrated, and he is self-aware enough to know it. As his church is growing, it seems he is always overwhelmed with details, dropped balls, and urgent discussions and decisions. In response, he is about to hire another part-time staff member. He thinks, If I can just get another body on my […]

The Two Most Difficult Ministry Roles to Fill

Based on phone calls and emails from pastors and friends looking for staff members, the two most difficult roles to fill on a church staff are (1) a kids ministry director/pastor and (2) a groups director/pastor. Churches seem to be having a difficult time finding the right leaders for these critical roles. The numerous inquires […]

What happens when your discipleship pastor goes missing?

Leaders and organizations make decisions all the time. They choose a direction, allocate resources, and execute. Often there are unintended implications, sometimes good and sometimes bad. The unintended implications don’t necessarily reveal themselves immediately but are often more understood as time passes. In the last 6-8 years, the role of “minister of education” or “discipleship […]