When we moved our worship services exclusively online early in the pandemic, I did not know what to do with myself during the weekend services. I had already preached the message to a camera, so I found Saturday nights and Sunday mornings a bit torturous – wondering if I should have said something differently, if…
Church Leadership
5 Thoughts from Gathering in the Middle of a Pandemic
The church I serve gathered again last weekend for large gatherings – outside with chairs set up in a physically distanced format. It has been a progression for us. In June we began gathering in homes. In July we launched smaller gatherings in neighborhoods throughout Orange County. In August we started using our largest campus…
Church is Essential. Your Form of Church is Not.
Church is absolutely essential for the follower of Jesus. When Christ called us into relationship with Himself, He also called us into community with others. A Christian not committed to Church is an oxymoron and a confounding contradiction. Christians are commanded to “not neglect gathering together as some are in the habit of doing but…
3 Reasons Ministry Leaders Will Leave “Vocational Ministry” During the Pandemic
In the last month I have been on several zoom calls with pastors who I am in “learning communities” with and the subject of pastoral turnover has been surfaced. Early stats are being thrown out as to the number of ministry leaders (not just senior pastors) who will leave vocational ministry during this pandemic and…
6 Surprises About Church Gathering Again
Our church was not the first in our county (and definitely not in the country) to start holding worship gatherings again, and I am thankful for those who began worship gatherings before us as we were able to learn some lessons from them. But as we have begun outdoor gatherings, I am getting emails and…
4 Types of Churches in Dealing with Political Issues
As we approach an election, church leaders will face pressure to overtly or subtly bring politics into their messages or into their worship services. By preaching politics I do not mean teaching what the Bible says on specific topics, but I mean clearly nudging people to vote a certain way. Church leaders also face pressure,…
Your Online Worship Services AFTER Live Gatherings Resume
This is NOT a post about when live worship gatherings should resume, which is a highly debated and increasingly divisive topic. Data, depending on which data one is looking at, can actually inform two very different conclusions. When one looks at data surrounding the spread of the virus, one can conclude that churches should not…
Important Interview on Succession With William Vanderbloemen
I recently sat down with William Vanderbloemen of Vanderbloemen search group to talk about succession. William is who helped Mariners through the succession planning, which ultimately led to me coming to Mariners as senior pastor two years ago. I think the interview is important because I ask some common questions people have asked me since…
How an Ice-Age Context Impacts One’s Approach to Leading
When the pandemic began, Andy Crouch, Kurt Keilhacker, and Dave Blanchard insightfully gave leaders categories for how they were viewing the pandemic — as a blizzard, winter, or the beginning of a little Ice-Age. The imagery is helpful. You hunker down and wait it out in a blizzard, expecting things to return to normal pretty…
WHAT!?! Instructions to Not Sing at Church?!
On Friday my phone started blowing up with text messages from friends, both in and outside of California, sending me links to articles where Governor Newsom, California’s governor, issued instructions banning singing and chanting in churches while continuing to limit attendance of indoor gatherings. The orders immediately resulted in divergent viewpoints, adding to the increasing…