Three Essentials in Healthy Kids and Student Ministries
A local church is wise to focus on ministry to children and students. And while the form and practice of that ministry may look different in various contexts and be guided by unique ministry philosophies, I believe there are at least three essentials in a healthy kids ministry and a healthy student ministry. 1. Kingdom […]
Confessing Sin: Repairing our Connection with God
While we should seek to remove sin from our lives, we will still sin. While Christ has declared us perfect, practically we still live in our old and fallen bodies. While God’s righteousness has been credited to us, we will not be without sin until heaven. But what we do when we blow it is […]
The Great Exchange
Kyle McDonald is a Canadian who became famous for an amazing story. He was without a job, essentially had no money, and his girlfriend was floating his rent. Yet he wanted to own a house. All he had was one red paper clip. He decided to offer the red paper clip on Craigslist in exchange […]
The Danger of “Hiring the Best”
The longer I lead, the more I realize how essential the right leaders are to the success of a team, ministry, or organization. While the right leaders will overcome insufficient systems and processes, great processes and systems can never overcome ineffective leaders. The right leaders are not necessarily the “best” leaders. The “best” leaders when […]
Ministry Calling: Who, What, and Where
Through my years in ministry, I have noticed people describe their commitment or calling to a specific place of ministry differently. Some speak of a calling to a specific task or role, such as “I am called to preach” or “I am called to work with teenagers.” These are the “what” leaders who focus on […]
The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail
So that my in-laws would be somewhat comfortable with their daughter living in Miami, we bought a house in a gated community. After all, Miami is not known as the safest place to live. Miami Vice and CSI Miami do not help the perception. So I was excited to tell my in-laws that I was […]
Gospel Forms Community
The church in Philippi was home to people like this: a wealthy, upscale businesswoman whose material success could never satisfy her; a slave girl with a deep, dark, wounded past; a tough-nosed jailer and his family, just to mention the few we know. So ask yourself: What else did these people have in common but […]
Why Aren’t More People in Your Groups?
God has supernaturally designed community to mature His people. The writer of Hebrews stated, “Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception” (Hebrews 3:13). Community centered on Jesus is what keeps our hearts soft and moldable before the Lord. Isolation hardens us. Or […]
Five Resources on Multiplication
Each month, in conjunction with the Creature of the Word book that I wrote with Matt Chandler and Josh Patterson, we list questions and action items for church leadership teams to consider on the Facebook page. We recently listed some of our top resources on multiplication. Here are several that have impacted me: The Master […]
View Sin as Spiritual Adultery
Sin is cheating on God. When I served as a pastor, I counseled several couples struggling with the pain of infidelity. I have seen the hurt and despair in husbands and wives who are crushed because their spouses pursued excitement or intimacy with another. I have also seen the pain and regret in those who […]