When I was a little boy there was a kid that lived in my neighborhood who stopped by the house one day to show me the new kittens that his cat recently delivered. With excitement he took each of the kittens out of the basket he carried proudly showing them to me. In the weeks... Continue Reading →
5 Steps to Create Missional Alignment in your Church
About once a year I will notice that my vehicle has a tendency to pull in a certain direction while I am driving. While it is my intent to go straight, it seems that I struggle to keep the wheels from veering to the left or right. When this occurs I know it is time... Continue Reading →
Has Your Church Lost its Desperation?
Bottom line is this: The overwhelming majority of declining churches in North America are ineffective simply because they have lost their sense of desperation for Kingdom impact. Oh sure, every evangelical church (I would hope) will say that they want to see people saved, baptized and discipled. You will not find a minister or lay... Continue Reading →
The Christian Dilemma: Balancing Grace and Truth
In 1997 pastor Ken Smith of University Reformed Presbyterian Church sat down and wrote a letter to the most unlikely recipient. Dr. Rosaria Champaign was a tenured English professor at Syracuse University and widely renowned as a scholar in feminist theory. Dr. Champaign was a lesbian, a LBGTQ activist and outspoken critic of the “religious... Continue Reading →
Why Plant New Churches?
This was a question posed to me in a phone conversation with an associational leader. I didn't call him to speak about church planting, but I guess he just needed to vent. "I have many established churches that are struggling to keep their doors open. We need to focus more on revitalizing these churches and... Continue Reading →
Five ways to make your church”Guest Ready”.
Is your church "guest ready"? Most church members never consider this question because they assume the answer is YES! However, after visiting a number of churches over the past few years it is my observation that most churches are not very "guest ready". The best advice I have seen pertaining to this subject is... Continue Reading →
Are you a Spiritual Tourist?
I wish I could say that I thought of that title but I didn't. Recently I was speaking at a pastor's conference and one of the pastors in the room spoke of the frustration of church members moving to the church down the street in search of a "greater experience." He referred to them... Continue Reading →
Miscarriages and Mother’s Day
It has been the tradition of many churches to give out awards or special gifts on Mother's Day to the youngest mother, oldest mother,etc. Often times special recognition is given to new moms or baby dedications take place on Mother's Day. In no way am I recommending that churches should stop these recognitions. They... Continue Reading →
Great Commission Revisited
Next month, the Olympic torch will begin its journey from Athens, Greece to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The journey will take 3 months and will cover 10,000 miles in an airplane and 12,000 more miles on the ground. Once the torch makes it to Brazil, hand after hand will pass it on until the... Continue Reading →
Old Wineskin Baptist Church
One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?”Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and... Continue Reading →
