Just received the horrible news that Rick and Kay Warren have lost their youngest son, Matthew, to suicide. Please pray for the entire Warren family and the Saddleback family as they deal with this loss. This will, no doubt, give Rick and Kay a brand new forum to share the love of Jesus. Here’s Saddleback’s statement: “Despite the best healthcare available, this was an illness that was never fully controlled and the emotional pain resulted in his decision to take his life…We ask everyone to join us in praying for the entire Warren family and that God’s comfort and peace will be...

Have you lost your flippin’ mind, Todd? Well, I don’t know… possibly. But I’ve recently started a new project that I think has great potential to help you as a leader and your church’s staff and leadership. I couldn’t be more excited.  So, I’m writing this to you… hoping you’ll take a few minutes to read all of this post… Many of you have read my blog for years.  Many have followed me on Twitter and Facebook as well.  (In fact, yesterday was my 7th Twitter birthday, so I’m told!) Many of you have been supportive over the years of my...

From a story covered in April’s Ministry Briefing Digest: CJ Mahaney seems to have become a bit of a lightning rod of late. The founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries has been through the wringer of late, as SGM is embroiled in turmoil with churches leaving, and an ongoing child sexual abuse lawsuit. Piling on top of all this is SGM co-founder Brent Detwiler calling on the Southern Baptist Convention leadership to distance themselves from Mahaney until the sexual abuse lawsuit is over. Detwiler says: Some of the greatest preachers in America have enabled C.J. in his sin when they should have been...

OK… this is not that outlandish a question. What would you do if you found out one of your church members was gay? That’s what happened to Nicholas Coppola.  An anonymous letter outing him was sent to the bishop of his catholic church on Long Island.  The Bishop expelled him from the church. Church discipline is not an attractive topic during this season of time, but I wonder if you or your church would do the same as this catholic bishop? What WOULD you do if you found out one of your members was...

Ben Reed offers some great ways to totally wreck your ministry.  Some are obvious.  Others are not quite so obvious (and may kick your butt if you’re not careful): Obvious: Have an affair Kill someone Quit praying Develop an illegal addiction Not so obvious: Spend your “best” time serving others, not your family. Seek no counsel. Stop developing personally. Always think you’re right. Never support your team mates publicly. Neglect your daily leadership duties. Never ask for help. Read only the Bible. Always follow every rule to a ‘t,’ and never offer grace. Quit dreaming. Don’t...

According to Dan Rockwell, the Leadership Freak (I love that name)… Here is the #1 problem with meetings: The Bosses run them. But that can’t be a problem in the church, right? Oh, but contrare. Dan says: “Bosses need to run meetings because they need to exercise authority and control. That attitude hinders free, honest involvement by participants. Worse yet, controlling-bosses obstruct ownership. Others won’t own what you own.” Ouch.  I’ve heard horror stories of this happening in churches all over. Maybe been in a meeting or two like that myself a time or...

Roger Schwarz writes:  Leaders seeking to move away from a unilateral control mindset and instead to embrace the Mutual Learning mindset, will first need to live the five core values that are designed to produce results that include high performance, better relationships, and individual satisfaction. The five core values consist of the following: Transparency – You must share all relevant information, including your thoughts, feelings, and strategies with the appropriate people at the appropriate time. It means explaining why you are saying what you’re saying, why you’re asking what you’re...

Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA is looking for a new Director of High School Ministry. Two Rivers Church in Cooper City, FL is looking for a new Worship Pastor. Are you looking for a new staff member?  Let me help by adding your church’s job opening here (for free)! I’ll post it here on the blog, it’ll appear at my new staffing website, and I’ll pop it on social media for you as well. Let me know how I can help...

Interesting discussion on Ask John Piper today. The question is “Do you use Bible commentaries written by women?” He gives an interesting differentiation between personal and direct. He goes on to say that women (he thinks) should not be drill sergeants, but would make great city planners. Check it out here. It’s five minutes. Women in ministry is not a big deal to me… but I know if is to many people I know (and respect).  I have a view, but am not prone to shout it from the rooftops like some. For example, I would never even think to ask about whether or not it’s ok to...

Do you have Facebook on your smartphone? How often do you check it? In a recent study commissioned by Facebook, smartphone users were found to be checking the social network an average of 14 times a day. The study also found that 79% of smartphone users use their phones within fifteen minutes of waking up while 62% grab their phone immediately upon waking. With this in mind, we ask the question: how are churches leveraging Facebook for the Gospel? In a story we covered in the just released April edition of Ministry Briefing, we discuss these stats, what they could mean for churches, and how the church...