Three Thoughts on How to Design a Ministry Strategy

During the Great Awakening, George Whitefield and John Wesley preached and ministered faithfully. Most would say Whitefield was the superior preacher. He was known as the phenomenal communicator of his day, even impressing Ben Franklin with his oratory skills. But years later, as historians compared the impact of Whitefield’s ministry to Wesley’s, they believed Wesley’s […]

Discipleship and Mission: An Encouragement and a Caution

Charles Spurgeon said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” As disciples of Jesus, we are simultaneously sent to live on mission. Living on mission is part of what it means to be a disciple. Biblically, there is no such thing as a disciple who does not live on mission. As Christ was […]

Developing an Intentional Plan for Discipleship

I recently had a chance to talk to Rick Howerton, our Small Group Specialist at LifeWay, about a serious struggle he is seeing in discipleship ministries all around the country and how LifeWay is trying to help. Here’s a look at our conversation: Eric: You talk to hundreds of pastors and group leaders all over […]

Leadership Development Is Part of Discipleship

Often ministry leaders will ask, “What do you do for discipleship?” and then a few moments later ask, “What do you do for leadership development?”—as if the two are mutually exclusive. This is a grave mistake. While it may be helpful to view leadership development as advanced discipleship or as a subset of discipleship, it […]

The Cure for Drifting

1 “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact […]

5 Steps for Creating a Disciple-Making Culture

Today I am excited to post a portion of an article written by my friend, Robby Gallaty.  Robby is the Senior Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN.  He was radically saved out of a life of drug addiction on November 12, 2002.  The Lord is using Robby in significant ways at Brainerd and […]

Equipping Group Leaders and Bible Teachers

This is a post by Rob Tims that originally appeared on the LifeWay Church Leaders blog. Rob is a Christ-follower, husband, and father of four and lives in Nashville, TN. Rob works at LifeWay Christian Resources, and he also is an Associate Professor for Liberty University Online and enjoys preaching and teaching in various venues throughout the year. […]

Small Groups, Rebar, and Culture Blindness

The following post is by Michael Kelley. is an author, editor, and communicator whose works include Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life. Born in Texas, Michael holds a Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala. Michael and his wife have three children and live in […]

3 Things You Miss When Your Groups Aren’t Aligned

The following post is by Brandon Hiltibidal, and it originally appeared on LifeWay’s Church Leaders blog. Brandon is a former church planter and multi-site pastor. He is part of the Groups Ministry team at LifeWay Christian Resources. He and his wife have two little girls. You can read about his groups ministry and his girls on Twitter: @bmhiltibidal. […]

The Unconnected in Your Church

On Christmas day, some neighbors in a small town in Illinois were surprised to discover that one of their neighbors, Sunatha Simmons, had died. Not only did they learn of her death, but they also learned that she had been dead in her home for more than a year. Her family came to visit from […]