”Your system is perfectly designed to get the results you are now getting!” Something is going to have to change in the system to produce a change in the outcomes.
Five Keys to Reviving a Dying Church
Some churches have to die, allowing its members to use their talents and resources elsewhere. Many churches, however, still have life in them.
Baggage
It is tempting to pretend that your baggage isn’t heavy or that you just don’t have any. It feels too vulnerable to expose our personal pain when people are trusting us to have the answers.
Warnings and Prescriptions from a Christian Intellectual
we are often a thinking people. Rarely are we accused of being overly emotional. Personally, as a working minister, I sometime wish our congregations would do a bit more thinking
Looking for Millennials, Part Two
Not all young adults are the same, but Sachs and Bos identify major trends, encouraging churches to realign in several ways.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 2: Sailboat
God may send his people to minister to a certain group or in a certain section of town that some do not want to go. He might call his people to bring a message that some don’t want to give.
Unclean Hands, Bodies Intact
Let God cleanse you now. Yes, it will be painful. Yes, it will get messy. But your life will be better for it. Remember that all faithful believers must beat their bodies into submission, like an athlete.
When Did "Friend" Become a Verb?
I want to awaken us to the need to preserve the special quality of the noun friend. What follows are some thoughts on how a friend is not the same as friending.
Differing from Ourselves
Every person considering life in Christ does so with a host of competing group loyalties and social expectations bearing down on them.
They Are Weak, but He Is Strong
There is something about faith in Christ that causes us to be the most at peace, when the world thinks we should be the most disturbed.
Black Rage: A Contemporary Christian Conversation
Steven Moore shares his personal experiences and perspectives on Black rage and the complexities of being followers of Christ amid racial injustice.
Three Metaphors for a Missional Church, Part 1: Lizard
Slowly, over the past several decades, church and the Christian faith have moved from the center of society to the margin of society.
The Power of Sharing Our Stories
Stories are non-threatening. Asking to tell a story is natural. Asking someone if you can study the Bible with them can be intimidating. Almost everyone says yes to hearing a story.
Knock Knock
Every message is accompanied by information about the relationship. Interruptions convey a pretty strong message that “I am more important than you; I have the power.”
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: Human Beings or Human Becomings?
Growth is movement. Growth is dynamic. Growth is process. Focus on cultivating healthy processes, and the content will improve.
To White Christian Leaders
Spend time in our communities, become a member or a frequent attender of a black church, live in our neighborhoods, and/or send your children to predominantly black schools to experience it.
Book Review: The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne
The Trellis and the Vine is a metaphor the authors use to introduce a mind-shift in ministry that they insist will change everything.
Siburt Institute: Mission Revisited
We are grateful for the ways God has blessed the life of the institute, and we are hopeful for what lies ahead!
I Can’t Believe I Said That! When a Shepherd Mentors
He took me seriously, in spite of my immaturity—showing me how to react to criticism, how to absorb hostility, how to be a listener. What humility looks like.
When Ministers Change Their Minds
When we preach we cast a vision, we speak a reminder, we offer a challenge, but more than anything, we invite people into the wonder of God. We extend the invitation, and that is all we can do.