Church & Culture
If you were in seminary or in active pastoral ministry in the 1990s and 2000s you probably remember what the big trend in pastoral training was.
Felt needs.
Back then it seemed like every church leadership book, article and conference was telling pastors that the way to reach ...
The mission comes first.
Always.
Ahead of my ideas, my preferences and my well-worn, dearly-loved terminology.
Because of that, whenever an extra-biblical idea or turn of phrase is anything but clear in the way it advances the message, we need to find and use a better manner of ...
Great lives are made up of mundane tasks.
- Getting out of bed every morning
- Making sure the kids are clothed and fed
- Going to work
- Thanking a friend
- Being honest
- Helping a neighbor
- Showing up at church
We’re always told to pursue excellence. To accomplish great things. To be world-changers. ...
Thank you, New York.
You taught me how to be a better Christian, pastor and peacemaker this week.
For the past five days, my wife, my sisters, their husbands and I walked all over New York City with my parents as we celebrated their 60th anniversary.
New York is filled with some ...
Another day, another Facebook scam.
But this one isn’t Facebook’s fault.
Last weekend you may have received a message telling you your Facebook account was duplicated, but you can fix it by copying the warning message and forwarding it to your friends.
Hopefully, you ...
The world is changing. In good ways and bad.
If you live in America’s Bible Belt (predominantly the Midwest and South) you are probably feeling the impact of these changes to a greater degree than those of us who live outside it. And those feelings are likely to grow for ...
Are you an underliner? I am. Unless I’m reading for pleasure, it’s almost impossible for me to pick up a book unless I have something to underline or highlight it with.
When people read books, they tend to underline or highlight the sentences they agree with. Give ...
Finishing well in ministry really matters to me.
Especially since I now have more ministry years behind me than in front of me.
I want every day of my ministry life to matter. And I want to end it having brought honor to Christ, his church and my family.
This has become even more ...
Introducing people to faith in Christ is a central component of what it means to be the church.
Like me, many of you were raised and still minister in an environment where the Great Commission is followed by a public call to salvation at the end of every church service.
The Altar ...
Pastors want bigger churches.
Church members? Not so much.
Sure, a lot of people go to big churches. That’s what makes them big, after all. And the majority of them are strong, healthy churches doing great ministry. But if you ask the average member why they attend, “because ...
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