Nostalgia Can Mug Joy from You.
Whether its a cup of coffee, a type of vehicle, a song, or a certain order of things; nostalgia can mug us from experiencing the joy of stepping with faith into the future story God has planned for us
7 Reasons to Celebrate Church’s Breakthrough Story and a Free Template
We’ve provided seven reasons not to miss an opportunity to celebrate a church in your network and a FREE downloadable template that writers don’t want you to know about.
Part 2: 4 Ways to Keep Your Pastor from “Quiet Quitting”
"We cannot afford to let down our Christian standards just to hold the interest of people who want to go to hell and still belong to a church.” A.W. Tozer
Why The Average Disciplemaking Strategy Takes 64 Years
It's no wonder the churches, denominations, and Christian organizations are struggling through effective discipleship strategies for the interdependent parts that make up the whole body of Christ.
4 Ways to Keep People from "Quiet Quitting" Your Church
Let's remind ourselves that there is nothing new under the Sun. The circumstances and events that bubble up in culture and society have already existed before the latest buzzword that pushes them to the forefront. Take the newest discussion around the idea of "quiet quitting." According to Gallup, quiet quitting is when "people are not going above and beyond at work and just meeting their job descriptions." A few years ago, we would've called this a few things: "phoning it in, doing the bare minimum, or checking out." However, whatever you want to call it, this is a trend that isn't new; just the words that describe it are. However, this reemergence of an old idea in new terminology means that it's still an ongoing problem that needs addressing.
Four Pivotal Questions for a Dying Church
You already know that there’s no silver bullet approach. You already know that one plants, one waters, and God gives the increase. You know you can’t do it alone; instead, you need a team to help you. You see all of this, and probably so much more, but you desperately want to know how to start the process.
The real question you may be asking is, “How do I get the dying church I’m in to see the seriousness of their condition and their need for change before it’s too late? How can I get members to see that our church is sick and needs a change?”
4 Ways to Prevent Soul Malpractice
The standard cultural portrait of a pastor in our modern age significantly differs from those who proclaimed God’s message in antiquity. In large part, people look for a peaceful protagonist with a pleasing demeanor and positive messages. People long for someone who will cuddle and nestle them into comfortable spaces of complacency and self-acceptance. Like a doctor who refuses to deliver the patient the news that eighty percent of their body is failing, these practitioners of passivity are committing the worse type of malpractice; soul malpractice.
5 Reasons to Ignore Multi-Vocational Ministry
Twenty-five years ago, it was impossible to think that most people, in their right mind, would consider the option of avoiding full-time employment in a professional position as a pastoral staff member. When an individual reached that point in their ministerial career, they had finally obtained what others were longing for, an opportunity to do ministry in the capacity God had ordained them to do; they were thrilled.
Unbeknownst to many of these newly established full-time leaders, they were quietly and secretly engaging in an unspoken social contract with those who voted them into their ministerial roles.
Crossing the Line
At some point, people face the reality that to step into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus, they’re going to step out of the comfortable relationships they have with most of their crowd of contacts. It isn’t that they’ll have to have to abandon or have nothing with their crowd of contacts; rather, by deciding to follow Jesus more intimately, it would put them out of step with the cadence of their peers.
The Baptist association: An Amazing Secret Hiding in Plain Sight
Associations are often hiding in plain sight. Many of them do not understand and actualize the amazing secret they represent. This secret has qualities churches often do not realize. They are living breathing organisms and this has significant implications for the local church.