Tactical Patience in Ministry
Tactical Patience in Ministry: Lessons from an Organ and a Saint
For years, the music ministry of our church was led by Mrs. Frances Jones—a woman of grace, faith, and dedication. She taught children to play piano, tirelessly served the church, and…
Setting Ministry Goals: Lessons in Trust, Humility, and Biblical Focus
Setting Ministry Goals
When I stepped into the role of Senior Pastor, our leadership team came together for an intense session, hoping to set ministry goals. We prayed, studied, and hoped—imagining what God might accomplish in our church. Zealously…
Failing to Adapt to the Changing Community
A Changing Community
The seasoned deacon stopped in his tracks and turned to me with a frustrated glance. It had been a contentious deacon’s meeting where we discussed new outreach methods, the worship service, and the decline in Sunday School atten…
Redeeming Your Time in Ministry: Learning From My Failure
I wasn’t managing my time well. What’s worse is that it was beginning to show. It was early in my ministry, and I had a tiger by the tail. I was still leading the youth ministry, teaching a senior adult Sunday School class, leading a Wednesday morni…
Don’t Pastor Alone
In two separate conversations I’ve recently had with individuals involved in replanting a dying church, pastoral moral failure emerged as a significant factor contributing to the church’s decline. Similarly, in another conversation, an affinity grou…
Reframing Conflict
None of us like conflict. If you like conflict, then you better quit being a pastor. As pastors, most of us want to avoid conflict. Like the plague.
If we have a problem with somebody in our church or know there are two people who are arguing or fus…
Parenting With the End in Mind
Parenting is tough, and it’s even tougher when you don’t have a plan. Perhaps this is why the mother was so torn. Her family had been active in our church for almost eight years, but their child had started a new school and made new friends who att…
FREE RESOURCE: Navigating Alignment in Church Adoptions
Replanting often involves adoption: A healthy church enters a conversation with a declining church so that two congregations, each with different stories, can prayerfully unite to reach a community for the glory of God.
Let’s say, for example, Redem…
Replanting as a Family
When I was twelve years old, I saw down in the living room with my mom, dad, brother, and sister. My dad was having a family pow-wow with us, and it seemed important. “Kids,” he said,” Me and your mother love you all. And I want you to know that God…
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