Research Reveals the 5 Biggest Influencers on Your Child’s Spiritual Health

What do you think makes the biggest impact on a child’s spiritual development? Dinner as a family? Parents who don’t miss special events? Having church friends? Being at a good Christian school? Being at a church with a vibrant kids and student ministry? While surely those are all good things and things I want for […]

Why Board Games Are Back and What It Means for the Church

In The Revenge of Analog, David Sax chronicles how a hunger for tangible things is causing a resurgence in many industries, such as print, vinyl, and board games. In the midst of a digital revolution where more and more people are joining social media platforms and electronic gaming is getting more and more impressive, board […]

How NOT to Find a Mentor

The origins of the word mentor come from Homer’s Odyssey. When Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, went off to war, he entrusted his son to Mentor. Mentor taught and oversaw the son—Telemachus. In the Scriptures, we see examples of older leaders pouring into younger leaders. Moses invested in Joshua. Jesus invested in His disciples. Paul […]

5 Truths from 10 Years of Discipleship Research

discipleship groups bible reading

Jesus gave His people a clear mission—to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). For this reason, a local church exists to make disciples. C.S. Lewis challenged: The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, everything else is simply a […]

3 Reasons Your Church Must Care About Groups This Fall

While one person can make a significant impact on each of us, we tend to be much more influenced by groups of people. Here is a fascinating example: The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona has often faced a crisis as people can steal petrified wood at an alarming rate. Some researchers tested what message […]

Two Leadership Insights from Two Theologians

I recently was honored to facilitate a discussion on Theology and Leadership at a Southern Seminary alumni luncheon with two seminary professors and theologians: Dr. Bruce Ware and Dr. Tom Schreiner. As facilitator, I chose a few doctrines and asked Dr. Ware and Dr. Schreiner how a proper understanding of these doctrines should impact how […]

Two Reasons Our Churches Aren’t Making Disciples

Today’s post is from my good friend Robby Gallaty. Robby is the senior pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church. Every time we get together I walk away motivated and challenged about our mission of making disciples. The first act of obedience for a Christian after baptism is to make disciples. I believe the purpose for […]

Three Thoughts on Discipleship and Jesus’ Method

Jesus could have chosen any method to ensure the world would hear of His gracious sacrifice for them, to ensure that the message would be shared around the globe. The world is His, so all resources are at His disposal and none of His plans can be thwarted. He could have designed a means to […]

Three More Thoughts on Developing a Theology of Programming

Instead of viewing church programs as necessary evils, wise church leaders seek to utilize the church’s programs to help fulfill the mission of making disciples. Yesterday, I offered three thoughts on discipleship and programming. I will list those and continue with three more thoughts on discipleship and programming. View programs as tools. Program based on […]

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 […]