Most of us have taken down our Christmas decorations. I heard a survey that said 14% of people leave them up through Valentine’s. Go for it. But most of us, at least in the church world, are beginning to think about our next big season – Easter 2020. It’s been said the early bird gets…
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States. Everyone reveres the prophet after he’s dead. Whoever the prophet might be, in his day the prophet is rejected, ridiculed, scorned, misunderstood, misquoted, vilified, and in some cases shot in the head. In predictable Biblical tradition we in the U.S. have honored…
I've learned by experience there are two important questions every leader needs to ask. Recently, I’ve sat in several meetings or talked with different leaders, and the same situation has been repeating itself. Imagine this scenario. A team or church feels like they need to hire someone or add someone to the team, so they…
Church mergers are a hot topic. Is your church healthy but considering merging with another church? Are you a multisite church that is thinking about helping another church through a merger and adding a campus at the same time? Are you part of a struggling church that is looking at the potential of merging with another church in your community? …
My daughter saves her deepest theological questions for bedtime. She doesn’t give a rip about theology, but she cares deeply about delaying bedtime. If Daddy is foolish enough to take the bait on Who made God-type questions, she wins. Even though her greatest need is rest, she thinks her late-night allies are unsolvable religious questions. In…
Opening disclosure. This post is going to seem negative, and I am far from a negative person. The glass is always over half full for me. I actually intend it to be positive if it encourages churches. Our transition 18 months ago to the Dallas area was difficult when it came to finding a church to…
In talking about the pros and cons of “celebrity pastor” culture, my friend Carey Nieuwhof quipped that one thing you’ll never hear is unchurched people sitting around evaluating preachers. “Comparing preachers is something churched people do, not unchurched people.” He’s right, of course. And he also noted why it’s a silly thing to be concerned…
I wonder how much pain among Christian believers (and church planters!) would never have happened if all of us listened to and follow James’ simple command: “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness” (James…
Every local church is comprised of a diverse group of people who have been radically transformed by the power of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. These diverse people have no reason to live and work together, let alone care for each other—and yet, they choose to live in love and unity…
Ideation is the act of forming ideas. Its main purpose is to move ideas from conception to implementation. It seeks to create clarity and a pathway for actualization. It also cares enough to invest time and resources necessary to implement well. Ideation may embrace lean, but it doesn’t compromise mission. Ideation can be both exciting and…
