How Should the Christian Live?
I am honored to lead the Resources Division at LifeWay and serve with a team of leaders who are passionate to serve the Church in Her mission of making disciples. Each Wednesday, I share the heart behind one of the resources our team has developed and give an opportunity for you to register to win a free copy of […]
Pain Motivates the Body to Act
“Pain is good. This is good, Eric.” I remember a friend of mine, who is a chiropractor, telling me that when I was sitting on his table in intense pain. I really wanted him to adjust me as quickly as possible to relieve the pain, but he wanted to talk to me about my health […]
Darkness, Being Anonymous, and Church
Does darkness and anonymity impact one’s behavior? Researchers from the University of Toronto conducted a series of experiments to discover the impact of darkness on one’s perception of being anonymous. In one experiment, the researchers placed participants in two different rooms and instructed them to complete math problems and reward themselves with allotted money each […]
Four Common Errors in Church Strategy
A church benefits from both spiritual and strategic leadership. The latter must not overpower the former, as spiritual leadership must trump strategic leadership—but both serve a church well. When a ministry leader leads well, the ministry will receive strategic direction, even if a different term is used. As ministry leaders seek to organize the work […]
A Church’s Behavior Must Be Rooted in Its Beliefs
Thoughtful leaders know that both beliefs and behavior reside within an organizational or ministry culture. Culture is continually formed as the shared beliefs and values are actually lived out in the culture. In a healthy church culture, there is harmony between the beliefs and the behaviors, between what the church says they believe and how […]
Facebook Friends and Church: Connectivity vs. Community
How many friends on Facebook are really friends, you know, there for you and show up when you need them type friends? Hal Niedzviecki wondered this when he invited all 700 of his Facebook friends to a party he was hosting. He wanted to gather his “friends,” get to know them better, and perhaps further connect […]
Having a Ministry Strategy Means Saying “No”
Michael Porter is a Harvard business school professor, consultant, author, and leading authority on strategy. Porter’s view of strategy, according to Harvard associate Joan Margetta, contains five essential beliefs. I am taking some liberty to restate and contextualize Porter’s views on strategy for a ministry context. If Michael Porter were to consult with you, perhaps […]
Three Common Mistakes in Designing a Church Discipleship Strategy
Every church should embrace the mission of making disciples and implement a strategy to accomplish that mission. Because the mission of a local church is to make disciples, a strategy is how the church is designed to make disciples. If a church’s strategy is not grounded in making disciples, the church has abandoned the mission […]
Two Opposite Errors Committed by Church Staff
If you lead a ministry (kids, students, groups, connections, worship, etc.) in a local church, you are given responsibility for a significant ministry in the church, and yet you are also part of a larger body of believers. You steward a part of the whole, and in this, you must care deeply for that which […]
Group Pastors: Both of These Can’t Be True
God uses community to mature and grow His people. Without the encouragement of others, sin hardens our hearts (Hebrews 3:13). As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Sin wants to have a man by himself.” Sin hates Christian community because true Christian community seeks the sanctification of its members. I believe in the power and necessity of Christian […]