Who enjoys having tough conversations? You know the kind, confronting a team member about their behavior or performance, apologies, or resolving conflict that has simmered under the surface of a relationship. These are the conversations that keep us up at night and make us dread coming into the office the next morning. These conversations are also part of being a church leader. In this edition of Ministry Briefing, we talk through some strategies on how to make tough conversations a little less tough. What have YOU learned about having tough conversations? CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH VIDEO (Length:  7 min...

It’s the start of a new week.  What should you (and I) be doing today? Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. Philippians 1:28-29 (The Message)

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Jihad”? A group of Muslim activists are hard at work trying to change that. In an attempt to reclaim the original meaning of the word, they are taking to twitter, billboards, and print ads to lessen the baggage associated with the term. That got us to thinking: What words do YOU think the Christian church needs to reclaim? Check out our thoughts, and then leave a comment with YOURS: CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH VIDEO (Length:  7 min 06 sec) Subscribe to MinistryBriefing on YouTube What do YOU think?  Leave a text or video comment...

“Tweet Seats” are a growing trend in the theater world: free seats given away to people who promise to tweet about the show throughout the performance. We all have seen people tweet and update facebook during church… some of us might even admit doing it ourselves. Should churches be encouraging this practice? How could we better leverage social media during our services? Click through, check out the story, and let us know what you think: CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH VIDEO (Length:  5 min 43 sec) Subscribe to MinistryBriefing on YouTube What do YOU think?  Leave a text or video comment...

In one of the coolest stories I have read in quite some time, Community Bible Church of San Antonio Pastor Robert Emmitt felt the Holy Spirit calling him to take a huge step of faith. After hearing about a fire that destroyed Childress Memorial Church of God in Christ he felt led to give the church $100,000 towards rebuilding efforts. We hear a good bit of negative press about churches and money, churches fighting against one another, or church scandals… it is stories like this that reminds me why I love the church, and how cool it can be to see the church step up and be The Church. Have you ever...

Earlier this month a lawsuit in Colorado saw a hospital involved in a lawsuit with the husband of a lady who died from cardiac arrest while waiting for treatment in the lobby. Lori Stodghill was twenty-eight weeks pregnant, carrying twins, when she passed away, and her husband Jeremy is suing the hospital for the wrongful death of all three. In response, the hospital’s defense team argued that Colorado law states that an embryo is not a person until it is born alive. Many would consider this to be a perfectly logical defense… except for one small fact: St. Thomas More Hospital is owned and...

Great post by Carey Nieuwhof this morning… Carey writes: It bothers me  that Christians continually express shock, disapproval and judgment at the way non-Christians live. You’ve seen it, and maybe even done it: Doesn’t anyone believe in marriage anymore? I can’t get over how many people today smoke weed. Can you believe they just sleep in instead of coming to church? Did you hear they moved in together? That’s so bad! What’s wrong with our government? Why don’t they uphold biblical values? Whenever I hear that, I I feel like saying “Do you seriously expect non-Christians to...

This article’s title caught my attention: “Employees leave managers, not companies.” I wondered if the same was true with churches and pastors. Do church employees leave pastors, not churches? Think back… most of us have served local churches in positions other than the senior pastor position (even if you’re a senior pastor now). Have you ever left a church’s employment because of the pastor? Or was it because of the church in general? (Either way, I bet you told everyone that God was ‘calling you elsewhere’).  :) I’d love to hear your story....

Do you always tackle and try to solve problems the same way? Most people do. Leadership Freak offers some great advice that will help you next time you’re stuck: Become a screw driver: Hammers see every problem as a nail. Expand your potential by becoming a screw driver. Identify default responses. Imagine new responses. Ask yourself, “How does Mary handle this type of situation?” Test new language. Invite feedback. Continue practicing your screw driver skills. Leaders become ineffective – one string banjos – unless they imagine themselves in new ways. Imagine you’re a screw...

Interesting. This morning I found two articles posted at nearly the same exact time. The first, by Nathan Finn, was entitled “Why I Observer Lent”  Nathan writes: I choose to observe Lent is because it affords me an opportunity to disengage a bit from the culture of what Tim Suttle calls satiation—“the absolute satisfaction of every human need to the point of excess.” As a relatively affluent American evangelical, at least compared to most believers in the world, I’m particularly prone to satiation. And the more I’m satiated, the easier it is for my affections to become dulled...