Over the years, I’ve noticed what can only be described as a flaw among Christian leaders. Maybe you’ve noticed it too? For some reason they are driven to prove something. They want you to think they have it all figured out. Nobody’s better at posturing and dropping names than they are. I get books in the mail from people like this all the time. After the package is opened, the cover proudly affirms how they’re an expert in some area or another. While they give you the impression that they have everything to offer, there’s usually not much there. There is a simple biblical principle that I...

It is amazing what people can do when they work together. Despite not having a pastor for three years, the congregation of First Baptist Church in Spearfish Pass in South Dakota has managed to grow and they are now getting ready to celebrate the Church’s 60th anniversary. When the last pastor left there were only four members in the congregation. In the last three years it has grown to 40 parishioners. One member has described the Church as being “blessed.” One of the reasons why it has been so difficult to find a pastor is because of its size and location. The community is relatively isolated...

Are you stuck?  In ministry?  In your personal life? “Stuckness” happens really often for pastors and church leaders.  Many times on Monday mornings! Steven Furtick has some thoughts on being stuck… and shares 3 things that can lead you to getting stuck.  If you’re feeling stuck this morning, I’m wondering if one of these things is the culprit. 1. Complacency Change is hard. Positive change is just as hard as negative change. Sometimes it’s easier to stay stuck than to move forward. Often it’s more comfortable to stick with something that’s tolerable and familiar...

It’s uncomfortable at best.  You get the call.  You’re asked to do a funeral for someone you are pretty stinkin’ certain was not a believer.  Maybe they were even defiant toward God and the church.  Well… Jared Wilson has some great thoughts on how to properly handle conducting a funeral for an unbeliever.  Jared writes: Although I had been in professional ministry (off and on) for 15 years when I moved to rural Vermont in 2009, I had never officiated a funeral. Weddings, yes. Funerals, no. But I was quickly baptized by fire in this small town, and in the last two-plus...

Warren Bird writes: Nine out of ten congregations say they want to add more members. That’s one of the important findings of a research group I’m part of that conducted a huge survey known as FACT – for Faith Communities Today 2010 survey. But more than learning that churches want to grow, we found a bunch of factors strongly related to growth. Here’s the analysis of more than 7,000 local houses of worship compiled by C. Kirk Hadaway, Church Officer for Congregational Research, The Episcopal Church, and one of the leaders of the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership which sponsors...