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…
Groups Matter
5 Current Church Views of “Discipleship”
I have been in many settings with church leaders where the question was posed, “What is your church doing for discipleship?” I am grateful that church leaders are asking questions about the church’s fundamental mission—making disciples. After all, a church can excel at anything and everything else, but if the church fails to make disciples,…
Groups Matter: An Interview with Ed Stetzer on Transformational Groups
The following is an interview with Dr. Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of LifeWay Research. Ed and I recently co-authored a book, Transformational Groups. Ed, you and I worked on this book together, so I know a little bit of your thoughts on groups and community, but why did you see a need for a book on…
The Two Most Difficult Ministry Roles to Fill
Based on phone calls and emails from pastors and friends looking for staff members, the two most difficult roles to fill on a church staff are (1) a kids ministry director/pastor and (2) a groups director/pastor. Churches seem to be having a difficult time finding the right leaders for these critical roles. The numerous inquires…
3 Observations from Being an Interim Pastor
I have been serving as the interim preaching minister for Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee, since January, my very first interim role. It has been a really fun and encouraging experience. The people of Englewood are so gracious and encouraging, and they are a fun people to preach to because they love the Word….
Trade-Offs on Where Your Groups Meet
Michael Porter has famously said that strategy is about making choices, about making trade-off decisions. As an example, IKEA is known for making the trade-off decision of offering great prices over offering great service. It is not that they de-value service, but they have chosen to value “low cost” more. This strategic choice impacts organizational…
The Trade-Off Discussion: On-Campus and Off-Campus Groups
Michael Porter is a well-known expert on strategy. Porter has articulated “strategy is about making choices, trade-offs.” An effective strategist thus understands the landscape and deliberately chooses a path with awareness and understanding of the trade-offs. A leadership team that is strategic is able to say, “Here are the potential benefits and the potential pitfalls…