\nGroup<\/em> magazine asked Christian teenagers, “What do you wish your youth\nleaders would ask you?” Their top 5 responses:<\/p>\n\n \nRecently a friend e-mailed this bracing reminder from Thomas Merton:<\/p>\n\n \nTo allow one’s self to be carried away\nby a multitude of conflicting concerns,\nTo surrender to too many demands,\nTo commit one’s self to too many projects,\nTo want to help everyone in everything,\nIs to succumb to violence.\nFrenzy destroys our inner \ncapacity for peace.\nIt destroys the fruitfulness \nof our work\nbecause it kills the root of inner wisdom\nwhich makes work fruitful.<\/p>\n\n \nHow can you tell if your church is healthy?<\/p>\n\n \nStephen Macchia, president of the Evangelistic Association of New England,\nworked with colleagues to develop 10 telltale signs.<\/p>\n\n \n“A healthy church is prayerful in all of the following aspects of church\nlife and ministry, is reliant upon God’s power and the authority of his Word,\nand values . . .<\/p>\n\n \n1. God-exalting worship.\n2. God’s empowering presence.\n3. An outward focus.\n4. Servant-leadership development.\n5. Commitment to loving\/caring relationships.\n6. Learning and growing in community.\n7. Personal disciplines.\n8. Stewardship and generosity.\n9. Wise administration and accountability.\n10. Networking with the regional church.<\/p>\n\n \nIn some church circles, there’s an odd logic at work:<\/p>\n\n \nIf the ministry is going well, we say, “God is blessing.”<\/p>\n\n \nIf the ministry is not going well, we say, “What am I doing wrong?”<\/p>\n\n \nWith that system, we can never take credit, only blame.<\/p>\n\n \nAmid the conflicts of church life, it helps to remember these words of\nG. K. Chesterton:<\/p>\n\n \n“Love means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all; forgiving\nmeans to pardon that which is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all.”<\/p>\n\n \nWhen you hear “developing leaders,” what comes to mind? We’ve been asking\nthat question, and here’s what we’ve been hearing:<\/p>\n\n \nHow can I identify potential leaders?<\/p>\n\n \nHow can I improve my existing leaders’ skills?<\/p>\n\n \nHow can I improve my own leadership skills?<\/p>\n\n \nIn response, we’re devoting the fall issue to the subject. Don’t miss our\ninterviews with John Maxwell and Marlene Wilson, or the wonderful insights\ninto preaching by Helmut Thielicke.<\/p>\n\n \nIn a recent phone conversation, contributing editor Fred Smith pointed out\nthat many churches ask people, “Do you like going? Are you getting something\nout of it?” But that approach, he says, sees people as customers.<\/p>\n\n \nThe better approach, he believes, is to see them as contributors. The questions\nto ask people are, “Are you profitable to the Master? What do you have to\ngive and are you giving it?”<\/p>\n \n\n
Violent schedules<\/h2>\n
Health checkup<\/h2>\n
Ministry’s double bind<\/h2>\n
Conflict<\/h2>\n
Developing leaders<\/h2>\n
Customers or contributors?<\/h2>\n
Pastoral Codes for the Internet<\/h2>\n